Molecular epidemiology study of exogenous reinfection in an area with a low incidence of tuberculosis.

In geographical areas with a low incidence of tuberculosis, recurrent tuberculosis is generally due to reactivation of the disease. However, the relative contribution of tuberculosis reinfection increases in parallel with the incidence of disease and is likely to depend on the epidemiological context: factors such as the spread of multidrug resistance, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and immigration from developing countries could modify disease transmission in areas at low risk for tuberculosis. A molecular epidemiology study was performed in Lombardy, Northern Italy, where the incidence of tuberculosis is 17.

Clinical outcome from mechanical intermittent cervical traction for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy: a case series.

Study Design: Case series.

Objective: To describe the clinical outcomes of 15 patients with cervical radiculopathy treated with mechanical intermittent cervical traction.

Background: Effectiveness of traction for the treatment of cervical spinal syndromes is controversial and the outcome of this treatment has not been established in the literature.

PCR-hybridization assay for Mycobacterium avium complex: optimization of detection in peripheral blood from humans.

We evaluated the sensitivity of a DNA amplification test for the detection of Mycobacterium avium in blood samples using different blood components and different DNA extraction methods. M. avium-inoculated blood samples were processed to obtain separate blood components: peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), polymorphonuclear cells (PMNCs), and whole-blood sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-lysate pellets.

[Interactions between physical training and pharmacologic treatment in the prevention of ventricular remodelling in patients with left ventricular dysfunction].

Exercise training is a recommended treatment for chronic heart failure. So far, randomized clinical trials showed that exercise training can improve peak oxygen consumption and reduce neurohormonal and adrenergic activation, nevertheless, the effect on left ventricular remodeling is still controversial. The present study reviewed the randomized clinical trials that investigated the effects of exercise training on left ventricular remodeling.

The distribution of neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive neurons and nerve fibers in the forebrain of the carp Cyprinus carpio L.

The present study reports the distribution of Neuropeptide Y (NPY)-immunoreactive neurons and fibers in the forebrain of the adult carp Cyprinus carpio L. Serial Nissl-stained sections were used for cytoarchitecture and identification of anatomical structures. Immunostaining of NPY-containing neurons and fibers was used as neurochemical marker and tool for comparison with other species, including the goldfish.

A case of costochondral abscess due to Corynebacterium minutissimum in an HIV-infected patient.

Corynebacterium minutissimum, known as the causative agent of erythrasma, has recently been reported as a clinically significant pathogen in the immunocompromised host. We report for the first time the possible involvement of a multidrug-resistant C. minutissimum strain in a costochondral abscess occurring in an HIV-infected patient.

[Indications for the surgical treatment of cavernous angioma of the liver in adults. Report of a case].

The authors report a case of giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver, almost entirely extrahepatic, bulging from the inferior surface of the right lobe into the abdomen, treated surgically on account of worsening symptoms referable to continuing growth. A thorough search of the literature allows a critical review of the surgical indication in this benign pathology, rarely complicated by significant clinical events. Surgery is indicated, in lack of relevant complications, only when significant symptoms, continuing or worsening, are undoubtedly referable to the presence of the angioma.

17beta-estradiol corrects hemostasis in uremic rats by limiting vascular expression of nitric oxide synthases.

Conjugated estrogens shorten the prolonged bleeding time in uremic patients and are similarly effective in a rat model of uremia. We have previously demonstrated that the shortening effect of a conjugated estrogen mixture or 17beta-estradiol on bleeding time was abolished by the nitric oxide (NO) precursor L-arginine, suggesting that the effect of these drugs on hemostasis in uremia might be mediated by changes in the NO synthetic pathway. The present study investigated the biochemical mechanism(s) by which conjugated estrogens limit the excessive formation of NO.

The dynamic gait index relates to self-reported fall history in individuals with vestibular dysfunction.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between gait instability and falls history in people with vestibular disorders. A total of 247 people (164 women, 83 men) participated in the study (mean age = 62.5).

Aortic dissection after superior mesenteric artery percutaneous stenting. Case report.

We report an unusual case of aortic dissection after superior mesenteric artery percutaneous stenting. A 44-year-old patient, who suffered from back pain and fever, was diagnosed as having an aortic dissection. Aortic dissection, extending from the aortic arch (just after left subclavian artery origin) to the aortic carrefour, was successfully diagnosed by means of Duplex scan and CT scan examination.

Modulation of factor VII levels by intron 7 polymorphisms: population and in vitro studies.

Previous studies have established that factor VII gene (F7) polymorphisms (5'F7 and R353Q) contribute about one-third of factor VII (FVII) level variation in plasma. However, F7 genotyping in patients with cardiovascular disease has produced conflicting results. Population and expression studies were used to investigate the role of intron 7 (IVS7 ) polymorphisms, including repeat and sequence variations, in controlling activated FVII (FVIIa) and antigen (FVIIag) levels.

A PCR-colorimetric microwell plate hybridization assay for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium from culture samples and Ziehl-Neelsen-positive smears.

Differentiation between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium is essential for the treatment of mycobacterial infections. We have developed an easy and rapid detection assay for the diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases.

Detection of T cell receptor circles (TRECs) as biomarkers for de novo T cell synthesis using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (PCR-ELISA).

Currently, phenotypic markers that distinguish between recent thymic emigrants/de novo T cells and the rest of the peripheral T cell pool are lacking. This distinction is critical in studies aimed at evaluating immune reconstitution following intensive chemotherapy, in immunodeficiency-related therapies, or in the elucidation of the kinetics of thymic function. During V(D)J T cell receptor rearrangement, DNA extrachromosomal excision products are generated.

Comparison of classic and molecular approaches for the identification of untypeable enteroviruses.

Members of the family Picornaviridae are the most common viruses infecting humans, and species in several genera also infect a wide variety of other mammals. Picornaviruses have traditionally been classified by antigenic type, based on a serum neutralization assay. However, this method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, is sensitive to virus aggregation and antigenic variation, and requires a large number of antisera to identify all serotypes, even when antiserum pools are used.

[Different effects of subacute administration of S. Croce oligo-mineral water on colonic vs rectal constipation].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a subacute administration of oligomineral water "S. Croce Sponga" in subjects affected by chronic constipation.

Patients And Methods: Hospitalized patients (13 females and 4 males) have been classified according to radiologically evaluated transit times if affected by colonic or rectal constipation, and by clinical interview if suffering from chronic colonic constipation due to increased resistance or hypomotility.

Use of N-acetylcysteine in the management of coronary artery diseases.

Thrombolysis after acute myocardial infarction may lead to a number of adverse effects (reperfusion injury) such as myocardial stunning, arrhythmias and even myocardial damage and extension of the infarct size. Some recent clinical studies have demonstrated that the intravenous infusion of N-acetylcysteine during thrombolysis was associated with a decrease in infarct size and better preservation of left ventricular function, probably due to antioxidant and free radical scavenger properties of N-acetylcysteine. Short- and long-term studies indicated that also in patients with unstable angina pectoris and threat of infarct, the intravenous or oral administration of N-acetylcysteine in association with nitroglycerin is highly effective in decreasing the risk of worsening, mainly by preventing the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction.

The activities-specific balance confidence scale and the dizziness handicap inventory: a comparison.

Vestibular dysfunction can have a tremendous impact on an individual's quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to determine if the level of handicap reported by individuals on the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), an inventory developed for use with individuals with complaints of dizziness symptoms, will be consistent with that reported on the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), a tool developed for use with elderly individuals that attempts to assess a person's confidence level in performing activities of daily living (ADL's). A sample of convenience was used consisting of 71 subjects (15 males and 56 females) from a local Balance and Vestibular Clinic.

Monitoring of transmission of tuberculosis between wild boars and cattle: genotypical analysis of strains by molecular epidemiology techniques.

An epidemiological survey for the monitoring of bovine tuberculosis transmission was carried out in western Liguria, a region in northern Italy. Fifteen Mycobacterium bovis strains were isolated from 63 wild boar samples (62 from mandibular lymph nodes and 1 from a liver specimen). Sixteen mediastinal lymph nodes of 16 head of cattle were collected, and 15 Mycobacterium bovis strains were subsequently cultured.

Oral contraceptives highlight the genotype-specific association between serum phospholipids and activated factor VII.

The present analysis was undertaken to study the effect of oral contraceptive (OC) use on activated factor VII (FVIIa) in subjects characterized by FVII genotypes, with the further aim of evaluating the role of lipids in this pharmacological interaction. In OC users (n=42) and nonusers (n=130) of comparable age, we examined the FVII phenotypic variables (FVII coagulant activity [FVIIc], FVII antigen, and FVIIa), FVII genotypes (the 353R/Q and 5'F7 polymorphisms analyzed in combination; alleles M1/M2 and A1/A2, respectively), and a number of lipid and lipoprotein parameters: serum concentrations of total cholesterol (chol), low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein-chol, triglycerides, phospholipids (PhLs), apolipoprotein A1, and lipoprotein(a). PhLs, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A1, chol, FVII antigen, FVIIc, and high density lipoprotein-chol levels were shown to be statistically higher in users than nonusers.

A case of Austrian's syndrome with ocular involvement.

A man with a history of alcohol abuse was admitted to hospital with pneumonia and meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Because of the worsening of respiratory function and the persistence of fever, an echocardiographic examination was made, which showed endocarditis with destruction of the aortic valve. The patient underwent surgical valve replacement.

Two novel mutations (Pro864His, Val867Glu) causing type 2A von Willebrand disease and affecting a single restriction site in exon 28.

We detected two transversions in two unrelated Italian patients with type 2A von Willebrand disease (VWD): a C to A at nucleotide 8821 and a T to A at nucleotide 8830, resulting in the missense mutations Pro864His and Val867Glu respectively. Both mutations were in the heterozygous form and abolished the BstXI restriction site in exon 28 of the VWF gene. In both mutations plasma VWF multimer pattern improved by antiproteases.