Search results for " infettive"
showing 10 items of 203 documents
The socio-ecology of zoonotic infections
2011
The resurgence of infectious diseases of zoonotic origin observed in recent years imposes a major morbidity/mortality burden worldwide, and also a major economic burden that extends beyond pure medical costs. The resurgence and epidemiology of zoonoses are complex and dynamic, being influenced by varying parameters that can roughly be categorized as human-related, pathogen-related, and climate/environment-related; however, there is significant interplay between these factors. Human-related factors include modern life trends such as ecotourism, increased exposure through hunting or pet owning, and culinary habits, industrialization sequelae such as farming/food chain intensification, globali…
Current and future challenges in HCV: insights from an Italian experts panel
2017
Background: The recent availability of direct acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) has drastically changed hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment scenarios, due to the exceedingly high rates of sustained virological response (SVR) and excellent tolerability allowing for treatment at all disease stages. Methods: A panel of Italian experts was convened twice, in November 2016 and January 2017, to provide further support on some open issues and provide guidance for personalized HCV care, also in light of forthcoming regimens. Results and conclusions: Treatment recommendations issued by international and national liver societies to guide clinicians in the management of HCV infection are constantly updated …
Body Mass Index and Weight Gain in Pregnant Women With HIV: A National Study in Italy.
2013
Although most of the women (69.4%) had a normal BMI at start of pregnancy, only 37% had an adequate weight gain during pregnancy. Inadequate body weight gain was more common (44.8%) than excessive weight gain (18.2%), but 40% of overweight women and 50% of obese women had an excessive weight gain in pregnancy, with about 9% of the women in these categories gaining >18 kg during pregnancy (Table 1). Only 1.9% of the women had a vaginal delivery; elective and nonelective cesarean deliveries accounted for 81.3% and 16.7% of deliveries, respectively. Compared to underweight/normal women, overweight/obese women had similar occurrences of preterm delivery (23.4% vs 22.7%, P = .871), significantly…
Visceral leishmaniasis, hypertriglyceridemia and secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
2016
cytokines, an upregulation of adhesion molecules and MHC I and II molecules on mono/macrophages, and an expansion of inflammatory monocytes. This exaggerated inflammatory response is responsible for necrosis and organ failure and results in uncontrolled proliferation and phagocytic activity of histiocytes [2]. Hypertriglyceridemia (fasting, greater than or equal to 265 mg/100 ml) is one of the current diagnostic criteria for HLH [2]. Several studies link hypertriglyceridemia to inhibition of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and TNF-α is a powerful autocrine and paracrine regulator of adipose tissue [3]. Indeed, many different sources of intense and prolonged T-ly…
Diversity of human rotaviruses detected in Sicily, Italy, over a 5-years period (2001-2005).
2007
It is well known that the death of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common and disabling condition in the expanding elderly population. Nevertheless, the intracellular cascade of events leading to dopamine cell death is still unknown and, consequently, treatment is largely symptomatic rather than preventive. Moreover, the mechanisms whereby nigral dopaminergic neurons may degenerate still remain controversial. Hitherto, several data have shown that the earlier cellular disturbances occurring in dopaminergic neurons include oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, inflammation, mitochondrial dy…
Post-bronchoscopy fatal endobronchial hemorrhage in a woman with bronchopulmonary mucormycosis: a case report
2010
Abstract Introduction During infection, Mucorales fungi invade major blood vessels, leading to extensive necrosis, and in cases of extensive pulmonary disease, bleeding into the lungs may occur. Case presentation We report an unexpected event of post-bronchoscopy fatal endobronchial hemorrhage in a 62-year-old HIV-negative Italian woman with well controlled diabetes mellitus who presented with diffuse cavitated pulmonary lesions. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed bilateral obstruction of the segmental bronchi. Fatal massive bleeding occurred after standard biopsy procedures. Histologic examination showed that the hyphae were more deeply colored by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) than by other stains…
Ruolo dell'interazione NK/KIR nella storia naturale delle infezioni virali
2017
Immunological mechanisms involved in the genesis of the immune response against viral infections take into account the activation of both innate adaptative response. Innate immune defenses trigger a rapid local response, which is often sufficient to control viral infection, and promotes the subsequent activation of specific immune defenses. Natural killer (NK) cells that constitute a subpopulation of lymphocyte-related cells are a key factor of innate immune response and play a role in defense against viral infections by killing infected cells or by producing cytokines and interacting with adaptative immune system's cells. Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) regulate the activation …
Emerging GII.4 norovirus variants affect children with diarrhea in Palermo, Italy in 2006
2009
Although the genetic/antigenic heterogeneity of human noroviruses (NoVs) is impressive, a few genogroup II strains of genotype 4 (GII.4) are dominant worldwide. GII.4 NoVs evolve rapidly and in the last 15 years six epidemic variants have been identified. In 2005–2006, surveillance of sporadic viral gastroenteritis in children in Palermo, Italy, resulted in the detection of NoV strains in 20.9% of the patients admitted to hospital. By restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and sequence analysis of region A in the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) gene, 59 NoV strains were successfully characterized. Eighty-one percent of the strains were characterized as GII.4, 14% as GIIb/Hilver…
Variant GII.4 noroviruses in Italian children
2009
Objectives: Among human noroviruses (NoVs), a few genogroup II strains of genotype 4 (GII.4) are dominant worldwide. GII.4 NoVs evolve rapidly and in 2006 two new epidemic variants have been identified. To investigate the circulation of GII.4 NoV variants in Italy a sequence analysis was performed on NoV strains obtained from children hospitalized for sporadic viral gastroenteritis in Palermo. Methods: A total of 465 faecal specimens were collected from children (< 5 years) hospitalized from January 2005 to December 2006. The presence of NoVs was detected by RT-PCR using primers JV12/JV13, targeting the region A of the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) gene. NoV strains were genotyped by …
A Prognostic Model for Estimating the Time to Virologic Failure in HIV-1 Infected Patients Undergoing a New Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Regimen
2011
Abstract Background HIV-1 genotypic susceptibility scores (GSSs) were proven to be significant prognostic factors of fixed time-point virologic outcomes after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) switch/initiation. However, their relative-hazard for the time to virologic failure has not been thoroughly investigated, and an expert system that is able to predict how long a new cART regimen will remain effective has never been designed. Methods We analyzed patients of the Italian ARCA cohort starting a new cART from 1999 onwards either after virologic failure or as treatment-naïve. The time to virologic failure was the endpoint, from the 90th day after treatment start, defined as the firs…