Lymphogranuloma venereum: a case report in an Italian traveller.

A 38-year-old man with a recent history of travel in India and unprotected sexual intercourse with Indian women, was admitted with painful enlarged lymphnodes predominantly in the right inguinal area. Diagnosis of lymphogranuloma venereum was made by means of a positive immunofluorescence test (Total Ig titer of 1:512) and a positive detection of chlamydial antigens by ELISA in a semen sample. He was successfully treated with ciprofloxacin.

[Implementation of the pediatric services in the region of Piedmont. A Piedmont pediatric team].

A survey was carried out within the framework of the Association of Hospital Pediatricians (APO) on the implementation of the pediatric structure in Pediatric hospitals wards in Piedmont during 1990. There was a 100% adhesion rate. It was found that only in 7 out of 36 hospitals were children always admitted to the Pediatric Division irrespective of symptoms.

A randomized trial (ISS 901) of switching to didanosine versus continued zidovudine after the diagnosis of AIDS.

Although the efficacy of switching from zidovudine (AZT) to didanosine (ddI) has already been evaluated in controlled studies, prior investigations were not specifically designed to evaluate this issue in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This open, randomized, multicenter study (ISS 901) was designed to evaluate the clinical benefit in patients with AIDS of switching to ddI after 6-18 months of AZT and no major intolerance. Patients were randomized to continue AZT, maintaining the current dosage at randomization (n = 79), or to receive ddI (n = 80) at the dosage of 375 mg and 250 mg b.

Incidence of second primary malignancies after a malignant tumor in childhood: a population-based survey in Piedmont (Italy).

We have studied the frequency of second primary malignancies (SPM) among the 2,328 children registered in 1967-1969 at the Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont, the largest population-based childhood cancer registry in Southern Europe. Since the population of Piedmont is not served by a conventional cancer registry covering all ages, SPMs were identified through a number of ad hoc surveys within a variety of sources. Eighteen SPM (all histologically diagnosed) were observed after a thorough survey conducted in the ontological departments in Piedmont and after a postal questionnaire addressed to general practitioners.

[Radiotherapy of non-neoplastic diseases: the situation in Piedmont].

The authors report the results of a census among the Piedmont region radiation therapy departments during the period 1980-1991 concerning non antineoplastic radiotherapy. Eight out of eleven centers respond to the questionnaire. During the period considered 36,480 patients were treated, with an annual mean of 4056; the number of treated patients varies from 1.

Antibodies to interferon (IFN) in hepatitis C patients relapsing while continuing recombinant IFN-alpha2 therapy.

A number of trials have demonstrated that IFN-alpha is effective in chronic hepatitis C virus infection. It is known, however, that a number of chronic hepatitis C patients experience, after an initial response to IFN, disease reactivation or relapse (also called 'breakthrough') while IFN therapy is still ongoing. Since in a number of clinical conditions a significant correlation between development of antibodies to IFN and failure of therapy has been established, we addressed the possibility that the development of antibodies to IFN may take part in the relapse occurring in hepatitis C patients during recombinant IFN-alpha (rIFN-alpha) therapy.

Polymerase chain reaction for non-invasive diagnosis of brain mass lesions caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis: report of five cases in human immunodeficiency virus-positive subjects.

To investigate whether the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on the IS6110 sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis could permit the early and non-invasive diagnosis of tuberculous brain lesions without meningeal involvement in acquired immunodeficiency virus patients, we examined retrospective cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from five patients diagnosed as having cerebral lesions caused by M. tuberculosis. M.

Telecommunications and multimedia systems in education: what developments for radiology?

What are the new perspectives for the radiologist with the development of new technologies of telecommunications? At present, when digitization of most biomedical images has become a reality, problems of remote transmission are simplified. However, telematic literacy is necessary to the radiologist. It is already possible through multimedia supports, as CD-ROM and Internet "navigation".

Computerization of a diagnostic imaging department: a way of managing the health care complexity.

Today, while the potentialities for communication networks and an increasingly sophisticated and widespread technology, have made social participation in the planet's events (global village) simultaneous, at the same time the human language is undergoing an ever increasing fragmentation and differences are not communicable. In medicine, the impossible communication of fragmentation has created a gap between society and science, health care service and patients, primary people's needs and superspecializations etc., that cannot be bridged.

Drug injection in jugular veins: a new risk factor for vascular diseases in HIV-infected patients? A case report.

The authors describe a rare case of diffused thrombosis of the superficial veins in the whole body and periphlebitis with perivascular abscesses in an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected drug abuser who was using neck veins to inject cocaine and heroin. In addition the patient presented oral candidiasis, hepatitis C virus infection, bronchopneumonitis, and endocarditis of the tricuspid valve with valvular failure. The conditions of the patient needed repeated vascular catheterizations for therapy administration.

Intestinal microsporidiosis in AIDS patients with diarrhoeal illness in Apulia (south Italy).

Microsporidia are intracellular parasitic protozoa very common in immunocompromised patients in many parts of the world. There is a scarcity of data on the prevalence of these parasites in Italy. In this study we examined stool samples of 56 HIV+ patients with diarrhoea to find microsporidial spores, using the light microscopy Ryan modified trichrome stain.

[The ethical and deontological aspects of quality inspection and control (QC) in imaging diagnosis. A problem too of professional training].

The major changes undergone by the health service structure in Italy have urged an organic and logical reconsideration of the relationship between health service resources and health needs, between competences and new patterns of organization. The primary units of the health service (USL), as actual enterprises, should undergo the control and rating of productivity and quality in the rational and fruitful use of available resources. The application of quality controls in health care (HCQC) to diagnostic imaging should be aimed at assessing of the performance of: the single procedures; the radiologist; the general practitioner or the non-radiologist specialist.

Detection of HCV RNA in serum and seminal fluid from HIV-1 co-infected intravenous drug addicts.

The presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum and seminal fluid was investigated in eleven drug addicts coinfected with HIV-1 and HCV. Serum and seminal fluid were taken from each patient at the same time point. HCV RNA was found in ten of the eleven serum samples tested, but only in one of the semen samples.

HCV third generation test in hemodialysis patients.

In order to evaluate the sensitivity of HCV test, Ortho Second and Third Generation HCV Elisa Tests were used in 315 sera collected from dialysis patients. The agreement between the two tests was 96.5%.

Treatment with natural IFN of hepatitis C patients with or without antibodies to recombinant IFN.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if a retreatment with natural human interferon alpha could lead to a recovery of the therapeutic responsiveness in non-responder patients with chronic hepatitis C who did (9 cases) or did not (14 cases) develop anti-interferon neutralizing antibodies while on treatment with recombinant interferon alpha2a. During retreatment, no patient developed detectable levels of neutralizing antibodies to natural interferon. At the end of retreatment, 6/9 positive patients showed a complete response to natural interferon therapy, while only 1/14 negative patients had a partial response.

Time trends in survival of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia in Piedmont, Italy: a report from the Population-Based Cancer Registry.

Aims And Background: The Childhood Cancer Registry of Piedmont (RTI) periodically updates the life status of each registered child. Given its size, the RTI is the major (albeit geographically limited) Italian source of population-based survival rates of cancer in children. The present report describes time trends in survival of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

P24 antigen detection, viral isolation, DNA-PCR and in vitro antibody production for the diagnosis of HIV-1 latent infection in heterosexual women at high risk for HIV-1 infection.

Introduction: The report of the existence of at-risk seronegative subjects, latently infected with HIV-1 and producing "in vitro" HIV-1 specific antibodies, prompted the authors to evaluate extensively twenty-five heterosexual HIV-1 seronegative women at high risk for HIV-1 infection.

Material And Methods: The capability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from such subjects to produce "in vitro" HIV-1 specific antibodies after pokeweed-mitogen stimulation, was studied. Silent HIV-1 infection was investigated by HIV-1 DNA PCR, viral isolation and serum p24 Ag detection at entry and after 6 and 12 months.

Efficacy of itraconazole in treating AIDS-associated infections due to Candida krusei.

Candida krusei is an emerging pathogen, both in HIV negative immunocompromised patients and in HIV seropositive patients. Its onset appears to be due, at least in part, to the use of fluconazole. In HIV positive patients, a long term prophylactic use of fluconazole may select some less pathogenic Candida species, as C.

Relapse after first cessation of therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a 10-year follow-up study. Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (AIEOP).

The outcome of 171 children with ALL who relapsed for the first time after elective cessation of therapy (1-86 mo) and followed over 10 years (median 60 mo; range 1-232 mo) has been evaluated. One hundred and three patients relapsed in the bone marrow (BM), 29 in the testis (T), 21 in the central nervous system (CNS), 14 in the BM plus another site and 4 in other sites. Second remission was achieved in 97% of patients (97% BM, 100% T, 90% CNS, respectively) with reinduction schedules including three or more drugs.

Cyclospora in AIDS patients: not always an agent of diarrhoic syndrome.

The present study reports the clinical features of two AIDS patients infected by Cyclospora. According to our observations, Cyclospora in AIDS can be responsible both for gastroenteritis and for asymptomatic infections with spontaneous rapid clearance. In addition, and undiagnosed circulation of this agent in Italy could be hypothesized: neither patient had a past history of foreign travel.