Helicobacter pylori infection: A balance between bacteria and host.

In Argentina, despite the important studies conducted on the prevalence of infection and the antibiotic resistance of Helicobacter pylori, there are no reports simultaneously analyzing a profile of virulence factors of the bacterium and polymorphisms in cytokine genes in patients with different alterations in the gastric mucosa (including intestinal metaplasia, IM). Our aim was to evaluate H. pylori genotypes in 132 adult patients with chronic gastritis presenting three different histological findings (inactive chronic gastritis, active chronic gastritis IM- and active chronic gastritis IM+) along with SNP-174 G>C in the IL-6 gene.

Usefulness of rapid urease test samples for molecular analysis of clarithromycin resistance in Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori is a gastric pathogen that is widely recognized as a causative agent of gastric disease. Its eradication is variable, mainly due to increased resistance to clarithromycin. Our objective was: to evaluate (i) if the biopsy specimen used for the rapid urease test is a useful sample to detect resistance to clarithromycin by PCR-RFLP and (ii) the distribution of A2142G and A2143G point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, in relation to virulence factors in our region.

[Molecular detection and genotypification of Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies from symptomatic adult patients in Santa Fe, Argentina].

Our goals were: a) to detect Helicobacter pylori in gastric biopsies of symptomatic adults by PCR, b) to detect the presence of the cagA gene as well as of the allelic variants of the vacA gene, and c) to correlate genotypes with the endoscopic diagnoses. H. pylori was detected in 81 % (39/48) of patients by nested PCR for hsp60.

[Gastrointestinal Kaposi's sarcoma associated to AIDS. Case report].

In this paper, we describe a particular clinical case of gastrointestinal Kaposi's sarcoma associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a 51-year-old female patient who survived 6 years without anti-retroviral treatment after the diagnosis of HIV infection. The patient was admitted to our hospital with fever, skin lesions in both upper limbs and thighs (one day of evolution) and dry cough (about a month of evolution). She was admitted to the General Internal Medicine Service for control, diagnosis and treatment.