Risk factors, atrial fibrillation and thromboembolic events.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) and thromboembolic complications. METHODS: We studied 480 patients (mean age: 71.2+/-11.6 years): 240 with paroxysmal AF, 240 with permanent AF. The association between AF and the presence of risk factors, cardiac and systemic disease was observed and the correlation with the occurrence of complications analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with AF had a high prevalence of the following conditions: hypertension, hypertensive heart disease (HHD), coronary artery disease, hyperthyroidism. Thromboembolism was observed in 26.6% of the patients. A correlation between the occurrence of a thromboembolic…

ORIGIN OF BACTERIA IN BILEDUCT BILE

Interleukin-12 in Human Boutonneuse Fever Caused by Rickettsia conorii

Interleukin (IL)-12 contributes to the resistance against a number of intracellular pathogens. We examined the potential biological role of IL-12 by studying peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), its production and its effect on cytokine synthesis in 20 Sicilian patients with boutonneuse fever (BF) caused by Rickettsia conorii. Data indicate that PBMC from acute BF patients were able to produce IL-12 in response to in vitro stimulation with rickettsial antigen (Ag): this production was higher than that detected in healed patients. Monocytes were the main source of IL-12 by PBMC from BF patients. IL-12 secretion by in vitro Ag-stimulated PBMC from BF patients was potentiated by recombin…