A case of dengue from Pune, India.

Dengue is an acute infectious disease, caused by a single stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus of the family of Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, transmitted by Aedes mosquitos, the most important vectors being Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. There are four serotypes, DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4 that are nearly human specific. The geographical distribution of dengue is pantropical, except for Madagascar and some African regions.

Interferon alpha-2B and ribavirin in combination for patients with chronic hepatitis C who failed to respond to, or relapsed after, interferon alpha therapy: a randomized trial.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin in combination in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C who had either failed to respond to therapy with interferon alpha (nonresponders), or who had relapsed after interferon therapy (relapsers).

Subjects And Methods: Four hundred patients with chronic hepatitis C (200 nonresponders and 200 relapsers) were randomly assigned in equal numbers to receive either subcutaneous administration of recombinant interferon alpha-2b (3 million units three times per week) and ribavirin (1,000 to 1,200 mg/daily orally) or interferon alpha-2b alone (6 million units three times per week). Both ribavirin and interferon alpha-2b were given for 24 weeks.

Anti-HBV vaccination before therapy with interferon (IFN) in chronic B hepatitis.

Thirty-five outpatients (7 F, 28 M, mean age 39.8 years) with histologically confirmed active chronic B hepatitis, have been immunised with specific anti-HBV vaccine (Engerix B 20 mcg, SmithKline Beecham Biologicals, Rioxensart, Belgium) on days 0, 30 and 60. Hepatitis B markers, HBV-DNA and anti-HDV antibodies were determined on the same day of vaccination.

[Two clinical cases of zoonotic filariasis probably caused by Dirofilaria repens: I. Passage of the nematode under the bulbar conjunctiva. II. Subcutaneous abscessed nodule].

Two new human cases of zoonotic filariasis are reported, one subconjunctival and the other subcutaneous, occurred both in 67 and 73 year-old women, respectively, living in the provinces of Alexandria and Pavia (Northern Italy). The morphology of the nematodes could not be examined. Nevertheless, the anamnesis, the course of infection, the symptomatology and the geographic area where the cases occurred, suggested that they were associated with Dirofilaria repens.

[The use of erythropoietin in HIV myelodysplasias. Preliminary study].

The authors gave recombinant human erythropoietin to four anaemic patients with HIV-infection treated with zidovudine. After erythropoietin administration an increase in haemoglobin, erythrocytes and haematocrit was observed and patients could continue AZT therapy.

In vitro adherence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to human epithelial cells.

Gonococcal adherence was studied in vitro using buccal epithelial cells (BEC). In smears stained with the Gram method, a progressive decrease in gonococcal adherence to the BEC after some culture passages was observed. There was a parallel decrease to almost total disappearance in the number of fimbriated bacteria.

[Seroepidemiology of HIV-1 and HIV-2 in the USSL 76 area--Casale M.To. Preliminary study].

The reported results show a prevalence of HIV-1 antibodies in drug addicts by ELISA and Western Blot. In this case report the presence of persons (drug addicts) whose sera have antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 by ELISA and Western Blot advise that further epidemiological studies are necessary to assess the real HIV-2 circulation in Italy.

[Imported malaria. Clinico-epidemiologic and therapeutic observations].

The authors notice a prevalence of P. falciparum in eight observed cases of imported malaria and confirm the increasing polychemioresistance of plasmodium and its prophylactic and therapeutic problems.