EVALUATING THE RISK OF HEPATITIS B REACTIVATION IN PATIENTS WITH HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES: IS THE SERUM HEPATITIS B PROFILE RELIABLE?

Background/Aim: Patients with an occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection undergoing deep immunosuppression are potentially at risk of HBV reactivation. In order to assess whether a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for HBV DNA in serum could be used to predict the reactivation of an occult HBV infection, we performed a retrospective study in a cohort of Sicilian patients with oncohaematological diseases. Methods: We studied by a highly sensitive ad hoc nested PCR for serum HBV DNA 75 HBsAg-negative oncohaematological patients requiring chemotherapy. Results: Thirty-three patients (44%) were HBV seronegative (anti-HBc and anti-HBs negative) and 42 patients (56%) were HBV seropositive (a…

Higher blood eosinophil levels after omalizumab treatment may be associated with poorer asthma outcomes

Clinical features and follow-up in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations at diagnosis and during follow-up in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome to better define the natural history of the disease. Study design A retrospective and prospective multicenter study was conducted with 228 patients in the context of the Italian Network for Primary Immunodeficiencies. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by cytogenetic or molecular analysis. Results The cohort consisted of 112 males and 116 females; median age at diagnosis was 4 months (range 0 to 36 years 10 months). The diagnosis was made before 2 years of age in 71% of patients, predominantly related to the presence of heart anomalies and neonatal hypocalcemia. In…