Early is Better: Report of a Cowden Syndrome.

In the clinical practice, it is not common for pediatricians to visit children with overgrowth phenotype. When it happens, it is important to focus on the age of manifestations and research the pathogenic causes using appropriate genetic test. Cowden syndrome is one of these rare causes; it is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis characterized by multiple hamartomas of ectodermal, mesodermal, and endodermal origin.

Mindfulness interventions and pain management in a patient with encephalomyelitis.

Chronic pain is considered a common disabling disease, frequently related to a high comorbidity with anxiety and depression. Several psychological techniques have demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of chronic pain, in particular, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) seem to reduce pain acting on self-regulatory individual's ability. In addition, this approach could develop cognitive strategies to decrease impulsivity.

Madura foot: an imported case of a non-common diagnosis.

Mycetoma (or "madura foot") is characterized by deformation, cutaneous lesions, infection of tissues extending from the cutaneous layer to the underlying fascia, and an indolent course. A number of fungal or bacterial agents that are introduced through traumatic inoculation can be responsible for the disease, but Actinomadura madurae is among the most common agents of mycetoma occurring worldwide. We report a case of madura foot caused by A.

Fourth case of louse-borne relapsing fever in Young Migrant, Sicily, Italy, December 2015. Mini Review Article.

Objectives: Currently louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) is primarily found in limited endemic foci in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan; no case of imported LBRF has been reported in Europe in the 9 years prior to 2015. The aim of our paper is to describe a new case of imported LBRF detected in Sicily, Italy, and to review all cases reported in migrants arrived in Europe in the last 10 years.

Study Design: Mini review of all published cases of louse-borne relapsing fever in Europe in the last 10 years.

[Eosinophils and eosinophilia].

Eosinophils were previously considered granulocytes involved in host protection against helminth infections and in inflammation related to atopic diseases. Instead, as supported by recent studies, eosinophils are today considered multifunctional cells involved also in homeostasis of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs, conferring innate and adaptive immunity to certain bacteria and viruses, and perhaps in the control of oncogenicity. Unexplained eosinophilia could be an expression of paraneoplastic syndrome or constitutional factors.

[Leprosy-like cutaneous presentation of Histoplasma capsulatum infection in an African HIV+ patient].

Histoplasma capsulatum is an opportunistic dimorphic fungus responsible for most often self-limiting or flu-like infections but potentially lethal in immunocompromised hosts. Histoplasmosis is rare in Europe. We reported a case of disseminated histoplasmosis in an African HIV patient with a leprosy-like primary cutaneous presentation and involvement of lungs, brain, limphnodes and eye.

A case of Brucella endocarditis in association with subclavian artery thrombosis.

Brucellosis is a common zoonosis, endemic in Mediterranean countries, and caused by bacteria of Brucella genus. Brucellosis is a systemic infection and the clinical presentation varies widely from asymptomatic and mild to severe disease. Cardiovascular complications are extremely rare.

Cystic hydatidosis: a rare case of spine localization.

Cystic hydatidosis is a zoonosis endemic both to Sicily and other Mediterranean areas. Generally, Echinococcus granulosus tapeworms develop in the liver, lung and less frequently in the peritoneum, spleen or kidney. We present a rare case of spinal hydatid disease.

[Ileocaecal intussusception associated with adenovirus infection: a case report].

Intestinal intussusception is the invagination of an intestinal segment into another. Childhood intussusception is usually idiopathic, whereas adult intussusception is usually due to a definable intraluminal lesion or to a systemic disease. Although the aetiology of idiopathic forms often remains unclear, there is appreciable evidence to support an indirect role played by certain infectious agents.

[The return of anthrax. From bioterrorism to the zoonotic cluster of Sciacca district].

Anthrax is a disease caused by Bacillus anthracis which affects herbivorous animals. Humans acquire the disease incidentally by exposure to infected animals, animal products or spores on soil. The infection is still endemic in many regions in developing countries.

[Pulmonary hydatid disease in childhood: a case report].

Echinococcosis/hydatidosis is a parasitic zoonosis caused in humans by the larval stage of the Echinococcus granulosus cestode. Although notification of infestation is required, there are no reliable data on the prevalence of this parasitosis among humans in Italy. This zoonosis was first reported in ancient times (Hippocrates, fourth century BC) and since then many cases of echinococcosis/hydatidosis have been described.

Children, parents and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Palermo, Italy: prevention is primary.

A study was conducted to describe the characteristics of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection cases occurring in the season 2006-7 in Palermo, Italy, and to evaluate the parents' knowledge and behaviours concerning prevention and control of acute respiratory infections (ARIs). All children aged between 0 and 2 years, admitted for a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) between October 2006 and May 2007, were enrolled in the study. Data were collected about demographic and household characteristics.

[Infective endocarditis: review of 36 cases].

In a retrospective study of cases of infective endocarditis (IE) observed in adult patients, the data of patients hospitalized for definite IE in the Cardiosurgery Unit of ARNAS-Civico in Palermo (Italy) from March 2003 to September 2006 were analysed. All cases were classified according to the modified Duke criteria. In all, 36 immunocompetent patients with "definite" IE were included (20 males and 16 females with a median age of 54 years).

[Reports on nine cases of spondylodiscitis].

Spondylodiscitis is an infection of the intervertebral disk and the adjacent vertebrae, with or without associated epidural or psoas abscesses. It is a serious disease both due to its long-term course and the possible outcomes. It is frequently caused by S.

Human toxocariasis: a report of nine cases.

Aim: Human toxocariasis is caused by infection with the larval stage of nematode parasites of dogs and cats, Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati. These helminths are not able to complete their life cycle in undefinitive hosts and so undergo aberrant migrations in the tissues causing a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms. Eosinophilia is often severe and sometimes represents the only sign of infection, except in ocular and neurological forms.

[Acute abdomen due to massive intestinal ascaridiasis: a case report].

Ascaridiasis is a geohelminthiasis with a worldwide distribution, especially occurring in countries with hot-humid climates. The infection occurs most frequently in children between three and nine years of age. We report a case of ascaridiasis regarding a ten-year-old girl born in Bangladesh who arrived in Italy about one year before.

[Serological screening for Leishmania infantum in asymptomatic blood donors and HIV+ patients living in an endemic area].

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in Sicily (48 new cases in 2004, of which nine were in Agrigento). In southern Europe between 25-70 per cent of adult VL cases are related to HIV infection. The HIV cases have a high risk (1.

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum/chagasi infection in blood donors of western Sicily.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of transfusion-transmitted visceral leishmaniasis was present in an area of western Sicily where the incidence of the disease is higher than the regional average. From May to December 2005, 1449 blood donors from Agrigento district (Sicily, Italy) were screened for the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples from IFAT-positive donors were examined by PCR to detect Leishmania DNA.

[Two cases of actinomycosis].

Actinomycosis is a bacterial infection due to Gram-positive bacteria of the Actinomyces genus. The authors describe two cases: one of them occurred in a woman with a clinical presentation of a right submandibular indurative mass. After surgery, histological examination showed a granulomatous tissue with many actinomycetes.