[Pefloxacin in the treatment of the bone and joint infections].

Background: To assess efficacy and tolerability of pefloxacin in association with other antibiotics in the treatment of acute and chronic bone and joint infections.

Methods: From January to December 1997, all the outpatients with diagnosis of acute or chronic bone and joint infections have been enrolled in a perspective study. If possible a cultural or histopathological study was performed.

The influence of cytomegalovirus on the natural history of HIV infection: evidence of rapid course of HIV infection in HIV-positive patients infected with cytomegalovirus.

We studied a cohort of 299 HIV-positive individuals with known date of seroconversion to evaluate the role of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the natural history of HIV. The study population consisted of 236 initially CMV-positive patients, 55 CMV-negative subjects and 8 CMV seroconverters. The study endpoints were the decline to CD4+ < 200 x 10(6) cells/l, AIDS, and death.

Pneumocystis carinii in a patient with pulmonary sarcoidosis and idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia.

A case of pulmonary sarcoidosis and idiopathic CD4+ T lymphocytopenia is reported. Pneumocystis carinii was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of a young homosexual man who was asymptomatic without any evidence of congenital or acquired immunodeficiency but with a low CD4+ cell count. A clinical and histological diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis was made.

[Interferon alpha treatment in chronic hepatitis C].

Alpha Interferon showed effective in the treatment of chronic type C hepatitis, but a consensus has not been reached about the selection of patients and therapy schedules so far. We treated 36 patients with chronic type C hepatitis in the outpatient ward of the 1st Infectious Diseases Dept., "Amedeo di Savoia" Hospital, Torino (Head of Dept.