Emerging role for Ureaplasma parvum serovar 3: Active infection in women with silent high-risk human papillomavirus and in women with idiopathic infertility.

Recently, there are controversial opinions on the presence of Mycoplasmas/Ureaplasmas as colonizers or pathogens, and on the use of a targeted therapy. This study aimed to characterize Mycoplasmas/Ureaplasmas infections in reproductive age women, including the acquisition of sexually transmitted (ST) pathogens and poor birth outcomes. A total of 646 healthy Italian women fulfilled the inclusion criteria including 521 infertile women, 65 pregnant women, and 60 fertile women with identified risk factors and symptomatic for vaginitis/cervicitis.

Chlamydia trachomatis and HPV co-infections in HIV negative men from a multi-ethnic area of Northern Italy at high prevalence of cervical malignancies.

Chlamydia trachomatis and HPV coinfections in the male population are often a disregarded issue. We performed a study to evaluate the prevalence of such infections in heterosexual HIV negative men from a Northern Italy multi-ethnic area at high prevalence for cervical malignancies. Urethral swabs (US) or first-voided urine were evaluated retrospectively from 1317 patients attending Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) clinic and from 3388 outpatients attending private clinics.

Multicenter surveillance of women at high genetic breast cancer risk using mammography, ultrasonography, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (the high breast cancer risk italian 1 study): final results.

Objectives: : To prospectively compare clinical breast examination, mammography, ultrasonography, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a multicenter surveillance of high-risk women.

Materials And Methods: : We enrolled asymptomatic women aged ≥ 25: BRCA mutation carriers; first-degree relatives of BRCA mutation carriers, and women with strong family history of breast/ovarian cancer, including those with previous personal breast cancer.

Results: : A total of 18 centers enrolled 501 women and performed 1592 rounds (3.

Early and short-term acenocumarine or dalteparin for the prevention of central vein catheter-related thrombosis in cancer patients: a randomized controlled study based on serial venographies.

Background: We evaluated efficacy and safety of early and short-term prophylaxis with acenocumarine or dalteparin in the prevention of non-occlusive or occlusive central vein catheter-related thrombosis (CVCrT).

Patients And Methods: Consecutive cancer patients scheduled for chemotherapy randomly received: acenocumarine 1 mg/day for 3 days before and 8 days after central vein catheter (CVC) insertion; dalteparin 5000 IU 2 h before and daily for 8 days after CVC insertion; no anticoagulant treatment (NT). All patients underwent venography on days 8 and 30, some of them on days 90, 150 and 210 after CVC.

Plasma HHV-8 viral load in HHV-8-related lymphoproliferative disorders associated with HIV infection.

This is a mono-institutional analysis of the clinical features, immunological and virological findings, and prognostic factors of patients with HIV infection and HHV-8-lymphoproliferative disorders. Patients with Multicentric Castleman Disease and HHV-8-related lymphoma diagnosed and treated from April 1987 to June 2004 were included in the study. HHV-8 and HIV plasma viral load, CD4+ count, hematologic parameters, and general wellbeing (performance status) were assessed at the onset of the diseases and analyzed in order to identify possible prognostic factors.

Multicenter comparative multimodality surveillance of women at genetic-familial high risk for breast cancer (HIBCRIT study): interim results.

Purpose: To prospectively compare clinical breast examination (CBE), mammography, ultrasonography (US), and contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for screening women at genetic-familial high risk for breast cancer and report interim results, with pathologic findings as standard.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board of each center approved the research; informed written consent was obtained. CBE, mammography, US, and MR imaging were performed for yearly screening of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, first-degree relatives of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers, or women enrolled because of a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer (three or more events in first- or second-degree relatives in either maternal or paternal line; these included breast cancer in women younger than 60 years, ovarian cancer at any age, and male breast cancer at any age).

[18F]fluorocholine PET/CT imaging for the detection of recurrent prostate cancer at PSA relapse: experience in 100 consecutive patients.

Purpose: We evaluated the potential of PET/CT and [(18)F]fluoromethylcholine (FCH) in the assessment of suspected recurrence of prostate cancer after treatment.

Methods: One hundred consecutive prostate cancer patients with a persistent increase in serum PSA (>0.1 ng/ml) after radical prostatectomy (58 cases), radiotherapy (21 cases) or hormonal therapy alone (21 cases) were investigated.

Quadruple-phase MDCT of the liver in patients with suspected hepatocellular carcinoma: effect of contrast material flow rate.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effect of contrast material flow rate (3 mL/sec vs 5 mL/sec) on the detection and visualization of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with MDCT and the safety profile of iodixanol at different injection rates.

Subjects And Methods: In a prospective, randomized multicenter trial, 97 patients (83 men and 14 women, with a mean age of 64 years) suspected of having HCC underwent quadruple-phase (double arterial, portal venous, delayed phase) 4-16-MDCT. Patients were randomized to receive iodixanol, 320 mg I/mL (1.

Efficacy of CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy in the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma at first presentation.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the accuracy and reliability of CT-guided percutaneous biopsy as an alternative to surgical biopsy in a selected population of patients without superficial enlarged lymph nodes and a final diagnosis of malignant lymphoma at first presentation.

Methods: The results of 145 CT-guided needle biopsies in 137 patients with malignant lymphoma at its first presentation and without superficial enlarged lymph nodes were analyzed retrospectively. Biopsies were performed in 24 patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and 113 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Abdominal recurrence of ovarian cancer: value of abdominal MR in patients with positive CA125 and negative CT.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of abdominal MR in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer recurrence in patients with increasing serum Ca-125 levels and negative abdomino-pelvic CT scan.

Materials And Methods: In a period of about 30 months, 22 patients in follow-up for ovarian carcinoma (stages II, III-IV) with increasing levels of Ca-125 and negative abdomino-pelvic CT scan were studied with abdomino-pelvic MR. All patients had a disease-free interval of at least 6 months after cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy.

The Italian multi-centre project on evaluation of MRI and other imaging modalities in early detection of breast cancer in subjects at high genetic risk.

This report presents the preliminary results of the first phase (21 months) of a multi-centre, non-randomised, prospective study, aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray mammography (XM) and ultrasound (US) in early diagnosis of breast cancer (BC) in subjects at high genetic risk. This Italian national trial (coordinated by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome) so far recruited 105 women (mean age 46.0 years; median age 51.

Metastatic angiosarcoma of the spleen. A case report and treatment approach.

We report a case of a 28-year-old man with angiosarcoma of the spleen and liver metastases. The aim of this paper is to underline the importance of planned splenectomy in these patients even if they have metastatic disease, and to propose an intensive chemotherapy regimen consisting of anthracyclines, ifosfamide and mesna with G-CSF support.

Prognostic factors in soft tissue sarcomas: a study of 395 patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to report prognostic factors, end-points of local recurrence, distant recurrence, post-metastasis survival, and overall survival in a cohort of patients with soft tissue sarcomas.

Methods: We analysed a database of 395 patients affected by primary soft tissue sarcomas of various primary sites, treated and followed up at the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano, Italy from January 1985 to January 1997.

Results: Grade, size, stage, surgical margins, distant metastasis, age, sex, performance status, and haemoglobin value were significant for overall survival.

Raysum reconstruction algorithm in MR cholangiopancreatography.

Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is a new, non-invasive imaging technique for the visualization of the biliary ducts. The presence of stones within the choledocus is easily detectable in source images. However, three-dimensional reconstructions using the maximum intensity pixel (or projection) algorithm (MIP) fail to reproduce accurately the eventual presence of filling defects or parietal irregularities due to biliary stones.

Efficacy of total androgen blockade in metastatic prostatic carcinoma with transient hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: a case report.

A patient affected by metastatic prostatic carcinoma and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) was treated with flutamide 750 mg/day plus an LH-RH analog. After confirmation of basal castration during treatment, he continued with antiandrogens alone. Following the normalization of gonadic function and subjective mild bone flare-up, the patient resumed the initial treatment and obtained a partial response.

[The presentation of a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and the initial experiences with its use].

Introduction: The use of computers has yielded new diagnostic techniques (US, CT, MRI and computed radiography) that can successfully replace conventional film in data acquisition, image display and image interpretation. Thanks to the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), we can now manage the whole of diagnostic data because the images are acquired, coupled to the patient data stored in the Radiology Information System (RIS), sent to display workstations and finally sent to the archives.

Purpose: To present the configuration and functions of a new PACS used in radiology and nuclear medicine departments and to evaluate its efficacy one year after implementation.

Single-needle celiac plexus block: is needle tip position critical in patients with no regional anatomic distortions?

Background: The "single-needle" celiac plexus block is becoming a popular technique. Despite different approaches and methods used to place the needle, the success of the block depends on adequate spread of the injectate in the celiac area. In the present retrospective study, the influence of needle tip position in relation to the celiac artery on injectate spread was evaluated.

HIV-associated human herpesvirus 8-positive primary lymphomatous effusions: radiologic findings in six patients.

Purpose: To define the imaging features of body cavity-based lymphoma (BCBL) related to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is a peculiar type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma harboring infection by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and displaying a peculiar tropism for the serous body cavities.

Materials And Methods: At diagnosis of BCBL, six consecutive patients were investigated with radiography of the chest and conventional computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen.

Central venous thrombosis: an early and frequent complication in cancer patients bearing long-term silastic catheter. A prospective study.

Studies on catheter-related central venous thrombosis (CRCVT) have been focused mainly on clinically evident CRCVT due to occlusive thrombi, underestimating therefore the actual thrombosis prevalence. This prospective study was aimed at evaluating prevalence, timing and evolution of thrombosis, and identifying involved veins and risk factors in cancer patients (pts) undergoing percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization (CVC) for chemotherapy, parenteral nutrition or both. We enrolled 127 consecutive pts requiring partially or totally implanted central venous silastic catheters.

Calcified gastric cancer--CT findings before and after chemotherapy. Case report and discussion of the pathogenesis of this type of calcification.

Diffuse calcifications in primary gastric cancer are very rare, most of them being found in mucinous adenocarcinoma. We present the CT aspects of a locally advanced gastric cancer, which showed partial response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The pathological features of the surgical specimen after total gastrectomy are also reported and the pathogenesis of the calcifications is discussed.

Surgical second look in ovarian cancer: a randomized study in patients with laparoscopic complete remission--a Northeastern Oncology Cooperative Group-Ovarian Cancer Cooperative Group Study.

Purpose: The usefulness of extensive and repetitive surgery for patients with ovarian cancer still remains unproven (at least for some conditions). We planned an accurate prospective test of the hypothesis that patients with advanced-stage disease, after they had reached a clinical complete remission (CR), may benefit from surgical second look (SSL).

Patients And Methods: One hundred two patients in CR (as assessed by clinical findings, markers, and visualization by computed tomographic [CT] scan and laparoscopy), after initial debulking and first-line chemotherapy, were randomized to two arms, which were well balanced for predictive criteria such as age, stage at presentation, histology, grading, date of randomization, and residua after first surgery.

The use of thallium-201 in the preoperative detection of breast cancer: an adjunct to mammography and ultrasonography.

Thallium-201 breast scans were performed preoperatively in 72 female patients with breast abnormalities detected by mammography and/or ultrasonography (7.5-13 MHz), in order to differentiate benign from malignant breast disease. Informed consent was obtained from each patient.

Central venous catheter-related thrombosis in clinically asymptomatic oncologic patients: a phlebographic study.

Fifty-seven oncologic patients with short- or long-term central venous catheters (CVCs) and without clinical signs of axillary-subclavian thrombosis were evaluated phlebographically. Different degrees of incomplete thrombosis were found in 26 patients (45.5%) and complete thrombosis, clinically silent, was found in six patients (10.