Cytomegalovirus Infection in an Immunocompetent Host Presenting as Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

Unlabelled: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a human herpes virus with a worldwide seroprevalence of 60-100%, mainly known to cause severe life-threatening disease in immunocompromised patients. In immunocompetent hosts (IMCh), CMV causes a self-limiting mononucleosis-like infection, and severe pictures are less recognized. We report a case of a previously healthy 62-year-old woman evaluated in the Internal Medicine outpatient clinic for 3 weeks of progressive fatigue, generalised inflammatory arthralgias, hypogastric discomfort and daily persistent fever.

Predictors of Long-COVID-19 and its Impact on Quality of Life: Longitudinal Analysis at 3, 6 and 9 Months after Discharge from a Portuguese Centre.

Introduction: Long-COVID-19 impacts health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) but data is scarce. The aim of this study was to describe and prospectively assess the prevalence and risk factors for long-COVID-19 after hospital discharge, and to evaluate its impact on patient HR-QoL.

Material And Methods: Single-centre longitudinal study including all COVID-19 patients discharged between December 2020 and February 2021.

Gastric Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Rheumatoid Factor and Anti-cyclic Citrullinated Protein Antibody-Positive Polyarthritis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

A 64-year-old male presented with a 6-month history of symmetric polyarthritis involving proximal interphalangeal joints and metacarpophalangeal joints of the hands, wrists, and ankles. Associated symptoms included vomiting, progressive fatigue, and weight loss. Laboratory results showed microcytic anemia, leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, elevated C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (ACPA) antibody positivity.

Smaller, denser LDL particles are not a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in healthy nonagenarian women of the Cremona Population Study.

We evaluated LDL particle size and its relation with other established risk factors for cardiovascular disease in a group of healthy nonagenarian ( > or = 90 years) women participating in the Cremona Population Study. A group of younger healthy postmenopausal women (45-75 years) was used as control group. Nonagenarian women had significantly lower body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting insulin concentrations.

Melatonin and the pituitary-thyroid axis status in blind adults: a possible resetting after puberty.

Objective: Increased levels of free thyroid hormones have been previously described in prepubertal blind subjects and have been thought to be a consequence of a partial target organ refractoriness due to the early and prolonged lack of light perception. The aim of this study was to clarify whether this abnormality is permanent or transient and the interrelationships between melatonin and thyroid hormone secretion.

Measurements: Total and free thyroid hormones, TSH, thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) and melatonin were measured in plasma samples obtained at 0800 h (two hours after lights-on) in a group of 11 totally (group 1) and 16 partially (group 2) blind adult patients and in 10 age-matched healthy subjects.

Immunological pattern in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

The aim of this work was to perform an immunological study in six patients with 21 hydroxylase deficiency in mild form (M210HD) and in 2 patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency in classical form (C210HD) and in their parents, in whom a previous HLA,C4,Bf typing demonstrated high prevalence of DR5 and phenotypic absence of fraction C4B of complement (C4BQO). This study contains the evaluation of C3, IgA, IgG, IgM levels, anticardiolipin antibodies (IgG and IgM) and circulating immunocomplexes. A study of lymphocyte subsets was also performed.

Normal plasma insulin-like growth factor I levels and impaired final stature in adult blind subjects.

The aim of this study was to determine if changes in IGF-1 levels and in final stature occur in blind adult subjects. Eighteen subjects (4 females and 14 males) with total blindness (Group 1) and 26 subjects (5 females and 21 males) with only light perception (Group 2), living at an Institute for blind adult subjects in Naples, Italy, were studied. Their height and weight were compared to British standards.

HLADR5 and C4BQO high frequency and antinuclear antibodies positivity in patients with 21 hydroxylase deficiency from Campania region.

HLA haplotypes, complement C4 factor and factor B immunochemical concentrations and autoantibodies titer have been studied in six patients with mild congenital adrenal hyperplasia (MC-AH), in two patients with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CCAH) and in their parents. A high frequency of DR5 and C4BQO alleles have been found in MCAH patients. Moreover, C4BQO allele is carried out in three out of four cases associated with DR5.

Height and weight of nursery and primary school population from Torre del Greco, a Campania town, Italy.

Height and weight were measured in 7902, 3.5-11-year-old children from Torre del Greco nursery and primary school and arranged in centiles by cumulative frequencies calculation after sorting into ascending order measurements and counting up from the bottom. Our population height and weight measurements were compared to Tanner's by chi-square test.

Blindness impairs plasma growth hormone response to L-dopa but not to arginine.

To investigate how blindness influences GH secretion, we studied the GH response to L-dopa and arginine in 8 blind adult males and 10 normal age-matched control males. Arginine and L-dopa tests were performed in random order at least 1 week apart at 0800 h, and plasma GH was measured by RIA. The blind subjects showed GH responses to arginine similar to those in normal subjects [peak, 22.

Blindness influences the growth of institutionalized prepubertal subjects.

To investigate if blindness influences the growth rate of young subjects we measured height and weight of 71 prepubertal blind subjects (33 females and 38 males) aged 7-10 yr, in Tanner stage one puberty, living at the Institute "Martuscelli" for young blind individuals in Naples, Italy. They were divided into two groups: group 1 consisting of 27 subjects (14 females and 13 males) with total blindness; group 2 consisting of 44 subjects (20 females and 24 males) having only a light perception. The distribution in quintiles of their height and weight was compared by X2 test for trend to that of an age-matched large population (7902 subjects: 3808 females and 4094 males) of primary school from the same district.

Plasma thyrotropin, thyroxine, triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, and cortisol levels in blind prepubertal boys.

Findings on thyroid function in blind subjects are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the thyroid hormonal pattern in prepubertal blind subjects. Six healthy and 8 blind males, aged 7-10 yr, in Tanner stage one puberty, living at Institute "Martuscelli" for blind young subjects, Napoli, Italy, were studied.

Influence of blindness on plasma luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and testosterone levels in prepubertal boys.

The aim of this study was to determine if changes in LH, FSH, PRL, and testosterone (T) secretion occur in blind prepubertal boys. Eight blind and six normal boys, aged 7-10 yr, living at an institute for blind subjects in Naples, Italy, were studied. Each had a combined GnRH (100 micrograms) and TRH (200 micrograms) test at 0800 h after nocturnal rest.

Change in circadian cortisol rhythmicity in patients with intracranial tumour.

To verify the influence of intracranial expanding processes on circadian cortisol rhythm, we studied its occurrence in 10 normal subjects, in 5 patients with extrasellar tumour, and in 3 patients with intracranial haematoma. All patients were tested every 4 h. Cortisol was measured by RIA.