A 5-Year-Old Child with a Deep Neck Abscess Complicated by Laryngeal Obstruction.

Deep neck space infections (DNSI) are defined as infections in the potential spaces and fascial planes of the neck. We show the clinical case of a retro and para-pharyngeal abscess in a healthy 5-year-old child complicated by compression and dislocation of the larynx with marked airway caliber reduction and potentially fatal extension up to the mediastinal aditus. DNSI can occur at any age and, due to its rapid progression, requires immediate treatment in children.

Differential expression of interferon-induced microRNAs in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection treated with pegylated interferon alpha.

There have been reports of in-vitro interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral activity against the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through microRNAs (miRNAs). The main aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of several miRNAs (miR-1, miR-30, miR-128, miR-196, miR-296) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy individuals after in vitro IFN-treatment and in PBMCs from patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) before and 12 hours after the first injection of pegylated IFN alpha. We demonstrated that expression of these miRNAs could be recorded in PBMCs collected from healthy individuals before and after in-vitro IFN alpha treatment.

Orbital exenteration in elderly patients: personal experience.

Orbital exenteration is a disfiguring procedure which typically involves removal of the entire contents of the orbit including the periorbita, appendages, eyelids and, sometimes, a varying amount of surrounding skin. This operation is reserved for the treatment of potentially life-threatening malignancies arising from the orbit, paranasal sinuses or periocular skin. The marked increase in the average life span and resulting greater incidence of invasive malignant skin tumours of the face, typical of old age, is the reason for the increased rate of exenterations in elderly patients.

Inflammatory cytokines and S-100b protein in patients with hepatitis C infection and cryoglobulinemias.

Objective: To investigate a predictive role for the protein S-100b and serum circulating levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with and without mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC).

Methods: Sixty chronically HCV-infected patients were divided into two groups: 30 with and 30 without MC. Patients with MC presented detectable mixed cryoglobulins and clinical weakness, purpura and arthralgias.

Cytokine patterns correlate with liver damage in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C.

T-cell immunoregulatory cytokines influence the persistence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection and the extent of liver damage. Th1 cytokines positively correlate with hepatic inflammation in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The pro-inflammatory, cytokines IL-6 and IL-18, are involved in viral clearance and in metabolic and viral hepatic diseases, respectively.

Associations between hypertriglyceridemia and serum ghrelin, adiponectin, and IL-18 levels in HIV-infected patients.

HIV-related metabolic abnormalities include hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus. Recent studies suggest a role of ghrelin in promoting the deposition of triglycerides (TG) in the liver and regulating the metabolic action of adiponectin. Visceral fat is a key regulator of inflammation and it secretes proinflammatory cytokines (eg, interleukin-18, IL-18), with potential atherogenic activity.

Association between plasma interleukin-18 levels and liver injury in chronic hepatitis C virus infection and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

There is significant upregulation of interleukin-18 (IL-18) expression in viral infectious diseases and in some chronic hepatic diseases, especially (i) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, (ii) HCV infection with persistently normal ALT levels (PNAL), and (iii) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was a better understanding of the implications of plasma IL-18 levels in the above-mentioned liver diseases. Thirty-four patients with HCV infection, 13 with NAFLD, and 10 controls were enrolled.

Study of immune alterations in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome with different etiologies.

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is characterized by symptoms lasting for at least six months and accompanied by disabling fatigue. The etiology of CFS is still unclear. At the National Center for Study of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Chieti University some immune investigations were performed with the purpose of detecting markers of the disease.

[Surgical treatment of malignant lip tumors. Personal experience].

The malignant tumours of the lip account for nearly 1-2% of the cervicofacial neoplasms. These lesions are frequently spinous cell carcinomas and basal cell carcinomas (25% of all oral cancers). The spinous cell carcinoma is mainly located in the lower lip, the basal cell carcinoma is more common in the upper lip.

Interleukin-4 and interferon-gamma production during HIV-1 infection and changes induced by antiretroviral therapy.

Several lines of evidence indicate that a switch of the cytokine pattern from a predominant type 1 (antiviral and cell mediated response) to type 2 (polyclonal humoral immune response) occurs during the course of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, and represents a key event in the progression of immunodeficiency and dysregulated immune activation. We proposed to further investigate this immunological aspect of HIV-1 disease, in naive and in patients treated with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). The prototypic cytokines chosen were Interleukin (IL)-4 and Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), whose in vitro production was determined in mononuclear cell cultures stimulated with different T lymphocyte mitogenic agents (anti-CD3, Phytohaemoagglutin-P -PHA-, E.