Bovine lactoferrin prevents invasive fungal infections in very low birth weight infants: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Lactoferrin is a mammalian milk glycoprotein involved in innate immunity. Recent data show that bovine lactoferrin (bLF) prevents late-onset sepsis in preterm very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from a multicenter randomized controlled trial where preterm VLBW neonates randomly received bLF (100 mg/day; group A1), bLF + Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (106 colony-forming units per day; group A2), or placebo (group B) for 6 weeks. Here we analyze the incidence rates of fungal colonization, invasive fungal infection (IFI), and rate of progression from colonization to infection in all groups. Results: This study included 472 neonates who…

Toxic megacolon and Hunan cytomegalovirus in a series of severe ulcerative colitis patients.

Natural history of Cytomegalovirus infection diagnosed with moderate-severe ulcerative colitis

AIM: To evaluate the natural history of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in a series of 28 ulcerative colitis patients in whom the search for HCMV was positive. METHODS: A series of 85 patients with moderate-severe ulcerative colitis flare-up were evaluated for a HCMV search by performing a haematoxylin and eosin stain, immunohistochemical assay and nested polymerase chain reaction on rectal biopsies. Among 85 screened patients (19 of whom were steroid resistant/dependant), 28 were positive for HCMV; after remission the patients were followed up clinically and histologically. RESULTS: Among the 22 patients with complete follow-p, in 8 (36%) patients HCMV-DNA persisted in the intestina…