Valutazione della prevalenza di fibrosi epatica in una popolazione di soggetti anti-HIVpositivi coinfetti e non con virus epatitici tramite impiego di metodi non invasivi

Indagine clinico epidemiologica sulle enteriti infettive a Palermo II- Campylobacter: primi isolamenti in Sicilia occidentale

Steatosi epatica (SE) e rischio cardiovascolare in una popolazione di pazienti HIV-positivi

Chancre of the eyelid as manifestation of primary syphilis, and precocious chorioretinitis and uveitis in an HIV-infected patient: a case report

Abstract Background Ocular syphilis is often difficult to diagnose because of the wide variation in clinical features. HIV co-infection may further complicate the picture. Case presentation Herein the authors report an unusual primary syphilitic ocular lesion in a 45-year-old Italian HIV-infected bisexual man who presented with a unilateral eyelid lesion. Associated precocious signs and symptoms in the posterior segment of both eyes, bilateral chorioretinitis and uveitis, are described. Intravenous penicillin and steroid treatment produced a rapid improvement in clinical status and complete resolution. Conclusions Careful questioning about sexual behavior is crucial for unmasking unusual fe…

Liver disease severity and low bone mineral density in HIV mono-infected and HIV/HCV co-infected patients

Background: In this study we assess: prevalence of osteopenia, osteoporosis and reduced bone mineral density in HIV infection and HIV / HCV co-infection;risk factors associated with reduced bone mineral density(BMD); relationship between bone mineral density and reduced liver fibrosis (FE) measured as "liver stiffness" (LS), by FibroScan ® in patients co-infected with HIV / HCV; relationship between reduced bone mineral density and cardiovascular risk assessed with the 10-year Framingham risk score (FRS) in HIV / HCV co-infected Patients And Methods: One hundred and ninety-four HIV-infected subjects (121 males =62% and 73 females = 38 %): 129 HIV-infected ( 66.5 % ) and 65 HIV / HCV co-infe…

Screening sierologico per Leishmania infantum su donatori di sangue e HIV+ asintomatici residenti in area endemica [Serological screening for Leishmania infantum in asymptomatic blood donors and HIV+ patients living in an endemic area]

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic in Sicily (48 new cases in 2004, of which nine were in Agrigento). In southern Europe between 25-70 per cent of adult VL cases are related to HIV infection. The HIV cases have a high risk (1.5-9%) of developing VL either as a new infection or as the revival of a latent infection. We therefore carried out serologic screening to detect antibodies against L. infantum by IFAT in 1449 blood donors in Agrigento and the surrounding area (May-December 2005) and in 120 HIV+ in western Sicily, all of whom were asymptomatic and had no history of VL. L. DNA was assessed by nested PCR in blood samples of some seropositive donors. Of the 1449 blood donors, 11 (0.75%…

Indagine clinico epidemiologica sulle enteriti infettive a Palermo II- Camphylobacter: primi isolamenti in Sicilia occidentale

Prevalence and risk factors for advanced liver fibrosis in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals

Valutazione dell'attività apoptotica di alcuni 3,5-dimetossistilbeni naturali e di sintesi su Leishmania infantum

Occult Hepatitis B Infection in the Immigrant Population of Sicily, Italy.

In Italy, about 7 % of the resident population is represented by immigrants originating from geographic regions at high endemicity for hepatitis B virus infection. This study aims to assess the prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) including the identification of HBV-genotypes in a population of immigrants serologically negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Between May 2006 and May 2010, 339 immigrants were tested for markers of HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. HBV-DNA was tested by using nested-PCR assays on three different genetic region. HBV-DNA was detected in plasma samples of 11/339 (3.2 %) patients. Most of them had no ser…

Screening sierologico per l'infantum in soggetti HIV+ in area endemica Sicilia occidentale

The metabolic syndrome and HIV infection.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, has become an important public health problem. Considerable differences in the prevalence of the MetS in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects have been reported, as a consequence of several limitations regarding the diagnostic critera for MetS. New evidence suggests that the use of optimal waist cut-off points specific for the various ethnic populations could represent a step forward in overcoming these limitations. Also the use of specific cut-off points for measuring upper trunk fat as an adjunctive criterion of MetS in HIV patients with lipodystrophy could represent an…

Infezione actinomicotica: considerazioni su due casi clinici

Role and clinical importance of Helicobacter pylori infection in hemodialysis patients

Dyspepsia is an extrarenal symptom frequently found in hemodialysed patients; it is due to chronic renal failure, and uremic gastritis is a specific associated condition in chronic renal failure (CRF). On the other hand, in the general population, Helicobacter pylori infection is an important dyspepsia-related risk factor; its close connections with gastro-duodenal pathology are already known, above all the peptic disease in a really exclusive way. By observation of a dyalitic group of patients, opportunely matched with a no CRF group, we evaluated CRF-associated uremia and Helicobacter pylori infection which could eventually interact causing symptoms and lesions. A statistical analysis of …

Utilità della misurazione elastografica nei pazienti HCV e HIV positivi nella valutazione della fibrosi epatica avanzata

Investigation and management of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnancy and infancy: a prospective study.

Aim:Toxoplasma gondii infection during pregnancy poses a serious risk to the fetus, therefore timely and accurate diagnosis is essential. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of congenital infection via evaluating mother's immunological status and the possibility to improving the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.Methods:Eighty five mothers with Toxoplasma seroconversion and their offspring were enrolled (among them, 2 spontaneous abortions were documented in the first trimester). Prenatal PCR diagnosis was carried out on 50 patients (60%), with 7 positive cases (14%). Morphological ultrasound scanning revealed anomalies in one fetus. Long-term follow-up included general …

Vitamin D and Osteoporosis in HIV/HCV Coinfected Patients: A Literature Review

Vitamin D deficiency further increases the risk of osteoporosis in HIV-positive patients coinfected with hepatitis C virus (HCV); however, it is still unclear whether HCV-related increased fracture risk is a function of the severity of liver disease. The aim of this review was to identify studies on associative vitamin D deficiency patterns in high-risk populations such as HIV/HCV coinfected patients. We did this by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, from inception to August 2014, and included bibliographies. The final 12 articles selected are homogeneous in terms of age but heterogeneous in terms of sample size, participant recruitment, and data source. Most of the HIV/HCV coinfected …

Non-invasive assessment of liver steatosis and fibrosis in HIV/HCV- and HCV- infected patients

BACKGROUND: Conflicting data have been reported on the prevalence of liver steatosis, its risk factors and its relationship with fibrosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection or with HCV mono-infection. AIM: The study aims were to assess steatosis prevalence and its risk factors in both HCV groups. We also evaluated whether steatosis was linked with advanced fibrosis. Sixty-eight HIV/HCV co-infected and 69 HCV mono-infected patients were consecutively enrolled. They underwent liver ultrasonography and transient elastography. Bright liver echo-pattern was used to diagnose steatosis; advanced fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness ≥ 9.5 kPa…

Il ruolo di Campylobacter spp quale agente di enterite in Sicilia Occidentale. Considerazioni su 35 casi

Introduction: Campylobacter spp is the main cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in the developed countries, resulting mainly from the contamination of poultry and animal products. Pathogenesis remains unclear. Various clinical features ranging from watery diarrhoea in apyrexia to dysentery in hyperpyrexia may be the result of differences between strains in the expression of different pathogenetic factors. There are many difficulties in isolating the bacteria in question. Methods: We processed 540 faecal specimens of children with gastroenteritis. We detected enteropathogen bacteria including Campylobacter spp as well as Rotavirus, Adenovirus and protozoans. For the isolation of Campylobacter…

Clinical and microbiological features of Salmonella gastroenteritis in children

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum/chagasi infection in blood donors of western Sicily.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of transfusion-transmitted visceral leishmaniasis was present in an area of western Sicily where the incidence of the disease is higher than the regional average. From May to December 2005, 1449 blood donors from Agrigento district (Sicily, Italy) were screened for the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples from IFAT-positive donors were examined by PCR to detect Leishmania DNA. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were found in 11 (0.75%) cases, among which Leishmania DNA was detected from four (36.4%). Particular techniques to inactivate different pathogens would be consid…

EMPIEMA PLEURICO MICOTICO: UNA ENTITà CLINICA EMERGENTE

Indagine clinico-epidemiologica sulle enteriti infettive a Palermo:II- Le infezioni da Salmonella

Dairy calcium intake and lifestyle risk factors for bone loss in hiv-infected and uninfected mediterranean subjects

Abstract Background Despite the reported high prevalence of osteoporosis in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-population, there have been no previous studies examining dairy calcium intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in HIV-subjects. We assessed the prevalence of low BMD in HIV-infected and uninfected subjects and analyzed the effects of calcium intake, lifestyle and HIV-related risk factors on BMD. Methods One hundred and twelve HIV-infected subjects were consecutively enrolled. Seventy- six HIV-uninfected subjects matched for age and sex were enrolled as the control group. The HIV-subjects were interviewed about lifestyle habits and completed a weekly food-frequency questionnaire …

TBC, LUE e AIDS in immigrati extracomunitari. Considerazioni su tre casi

Affidabilità del bright liver nella diagnosi di steatosi epatica in pazienti con infezione da virus dell'immunodeficienza acquisita (HIV), da virus dell'epatite C (HCV) e coinfezione HCV/HIV: dati preliminari

Transient elastography: A non-invasive tool for assessing liver fibrosis in HIV/HCV patients

AIM: To assess the prevalence of advanced liver fibrosis (ALF) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV/HCV patients using transient elastography, and to identify factors associated with ALF. METHODS: Between September 2008 and October 2009, 71 HIV mono-infected, 57 HIV/HCV co-infected and 53 HCV mono-infected patients on regular follow-up at our Center were enrolled in this study. Alcohol intake, the main parameters of liver function, presence of HCV-RNA, HIV-RNA, duration of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) and CD4 cell count were recorded. ALF was defined as liver stiffness (LS) ≥ 9.5 kPa. To estimate liver fibrosis (LF) a further 2 reliable bio…

Hepatitis C virus infection in hemodialyzed patients

RISOLUZIONE DI UN’ENDOCARDITE DA MRSA CON VEGETAZIONE LARGA, MOBILE E COMPLICATA DA STROKE EMBOLICO TRATTATA CON SOLA TERAPIA ANTIBIOTICA COMBINATA

Prospective evaluation of hepatic steatosis in HIV-infected patients with or without hepatitis C virus co-infection

Background: Limited data are available on hepatic steatosis (HS) in HIV patients who are not infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of HS and its risk factors in HIV patients with and without HCV infection, and to evaluate whether HS correlates with advanced liver fibrosis and/or cardiovascular disease risk. Methods: Fifty-seven HIV mono-infected and 61 HIV/HCV co-infected patients were enrolled consecutively. All patients underwent liver ultrasound and transient elastography. The main parameters of liver function, HIV and HCV viral loads, CD4+ cell counts, and data on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were recorded. Cardiovasc…