Considerazioni su un caso di schizosomiasi urinaria

Genetic Determined Downregulation of Both Type 1 and Type 2 Cytokine Pathways Might Be Protective against Pancreatic Cancer

Many cytokine polymorphisms have been studied for associations with susceptibility to breast, gastric, liver, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancer without conclusive results. The cytokine network, indeed, is characterized by complex interactions, and the final biological effect of a single genetic variation depends on the balance among different molecular signals. As is well known, Th1/Th2 cytokine unbalanced production might predispose to different pathologies, cancer included. In general, a prolonged type 1 inflammatory response might allow that cells accumulating enough "genetic hits" are promoted to neoplastic transformation. On the other hand, IL-13-producing cells through the IL-13/IL-4…

Multiple pulmonary and multivesicular interatrial septum hydatid cysts in a native italian patient

Multivesicular, pulmonary and cardiac hydatidosis are rarely observed and can give rise to serious complications. Cysts can remain asymptomatic for a long time, until they reveal themselves perforating into cardiac chambers and/or pulmonary arteries or the systemic circulation. A rare case of multivesicular interatrial septum hydatid cyst with multiple pulmonary involvement in a native Italian farm labourer is reported. Clinical, radiological, serological and histological findings are described. MR imaging showed the exact anatomic location and the multivesicular nature of the cardiac cyst and was useful in planning surgical treatment. A successful outcome was achieved with a combination of…

POLYMORPHISMS IN TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 CYTOKINE GENES MIGHT PLAY COMPLEMENTARY ROLE IN PANCREATIC CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY.

Considerazioni su un caso di actinomicosi cervicale

Actinomycosis is a bacterial infection due to Gram positive bacteria of Actinomyces genus. Actinomyces israelii is the most common in human infection.The authors described a case occurred in a 43 aged woman with a clinical presentation of a right submandibular indurative mass.After surgery, histological examination showed a granulomatous tissue with many actinomycetes. Patient was submitted to treatment with i.v penicillin. On the 11th day antibiotic therapy was replaced with ceftriaxone and teicoplanina. Patient did not present intercurrence during this period and presented improvement of the lesion.Actinomycosis is an uncommon disease. Establishment of the definite diagnosis requires a hi…

Role of environmental and genetic factor interaction in age-related disease development: the gastric cancer paradigm.

The association of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection with gastric cancer is well known and might be considered a paradigmatic example of the role that interaction among environmental factors and individual background might play in inducing age-associated disease. To evaluate the role of interaction of Hp infection with genetic background, gastric cancer and chronic gastritis patients as well as random selected controls were typed for five inflammation-related polymorphisms of IL-1 and IL-10 cytokine genes. No association among IL-10 or IL-1 variants with an increased risk of gastric cancer was found, whereas an Hp-independent association of IL-1beta -511T positive genotypes to an increased…

Considerazioni su un caso di schistosomiasi urinaria.

Urinary tract schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by S. haematobium with a wide range of clinical manifestations related to the mucosal and submucosal granulomatous lesions of the bladder. It affects about 80 million people in Africa, Middle-East and India, while in Italy it is rarely seen among immigrants from endemic areas and returning travellers. The authors describe a case occurred in a 26 year old man, recently emigrated from a rural area of Ghana. He had the symptoms of a haemorrhagic cystitis. Cystoscopy and biopsy showed granulomatous lesions of bladder with calcified eggs. Microscopic examination of urine was positive for Schistosoma haematobium eggs. The therapy with Pr…

Pancreatitis-associated protein in patients with celiac disease: Serum levels and immunocytochemical localization in small intestine

Since PAP is a stress protein expressed in human pancreas during pancreatitis but also constitutively synthesized in the small intestine, we looked whether its expression would be altered in patients with celiac disease. Serum PAP concentrations were determined consecutively in 54 patients with celiac disease on a free diet (group A), in 47 patients with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet (group B), in 22 patients with other intestinal pathologies but with normal intestinal mucosa (group C), in 14 patients with retarded growth, no gastrointestinal disease and normal intestinal mucosa (group D), and in 17 controls (group E). Serum PAP levels (ng/ml) were significantly higher in group A (12…

Role of environmental and genetic factor interaction in the aging related disease development: The gastric cancer paradigm.

Association Between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Cyclooxygenase-2, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A Genes, and Susceptibility to Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are mediators of inflammation and angiogenesis; all of them are produced in liver cirrhosis (LC) and in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It was proposed that there is an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and HCC. These allelic variants influence the transcriptional activity of these genes, and therefore the proteins levels. The VEGF-A pathway is a potential therapeutic target in HCC, and several antiangiogenic agents have entered clinical trials in HCC. We evaluated the frequency of SNPs of COX-2, TNF-α, and VEGF-A genes in patients with HCC versus LC patients…

Mucormicosi cutanea primitiva: descrizione di un caso clinico

Serum concentration of E-selectin in patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

Objectives: High levels of soluble E-selectin have been reported in acute and chronic inflammatory disorders. Moreover, in some types of tumor elevated values have been found while in other types reduced levels have been reported. Our aims were to determine whether soluble E-selectin levels might be useful in monitoring the progression of chronic liver disease, including hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Circulating soluble E-selectin was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the sera of 18 patients with chronic hepatitis, 44 with liver cirrhosis, and 38 with hepatocellular-carcinoma-associated liver cirrhosis. Immunohistochemical localization of E-selectin was also performed…

Circulating, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is thought to play an important role in cellular immunological reactions. Expression can be induced by inflammatory cytokines in a wide variety of cells, including hepatocytes.To compare the behaviour of ICAM-1 in liver diseases.We assayed serum ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma-associated liver cirrhosis, and compared them with a group of cirrhotic patients and controls. sICAM-1 values were also correlated with some biochemical parameters of liver function. Moreover, immunohistochemical localization of ICAM-1 was performed on liver tissue sections of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, liver cirrhosis and a sample of n…