Search results for "Bacteria"
showing 10 items of 4919 documents
Diagnosis of culture-negative endocarditis: The role of the Duke criteria and the impact of transesophageal echocardiography
2001
Abstract Background The Duke criteria have been shown to be more sensitive than the von Reyn criteria in the diagnosis of culture-positive endocarditis but to date have not been fully validated for culture-negative endocarditis (CNE). The aim of this study was (1) to compare the diagnostic accuracy of the Duke criteria versus clinical judgment and the von Reyn criteria in CNE and (2) to assess the diagnostic impact of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) on the Duke criteria in CNE. Methods The study group consisted of 49 patients with suspected CNE in whom the presence (n = 32) or absence (n = 17) of endocarditis was confirmed by surgery, autopsy, or both. All patients underwent transtho…
Pepsinogen testing for evaluation of the success of Helicobacter pylori eradication at 4 weeks after completion of therapy.
2014
Background and objective: Pepsinogen levels in plasma are increased by inflammation in the gastric mucosa, including inflammation resulting from Helicobacter pylori infection. A decrease in pepsinogen II level has been suggested as a reliable marker to confirm the successful eradication of infection. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential role of pepsinogens I and II, gastrin-17 and H. pylori antibodies in confirming successful eradication. Material and methods: Altogether 42 patients (25 women, 17 men), mean age 45 years (range 23–74), were enrolled. Pepsinogens I and II, gastrin-17 and H. pylori IgG antibodies were measured in plasma samples using an ELISA test (Biohit, Oyj., …
Helicobacter pylori infection in children.
2008
The review summarizes the articles published on Helicobacter pylori in children between April 2007 and March 2008. Evidence is emerging in different populations including developing countries that the prevalence of H. pylori is declining in all age groups. The reasons for this are unclear but it is unlikely that treatment of infection or improvement in socioeconomic conditions fully explains the decline. For the first time, differences in the inflammatory response between adults and children have been well characterized in a group of adults and children from Chile with similar levels of H. pylori infection. This study suggests that the reduced inflammatory response to H. pylori at a cellula…
Hereditary Angioedema: Long-Term Treatment with One or More Injections of C1 Inhibitor Concentrate per Week
2009
<i>Background:</i> Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE-C1-INH) is characterized by recurrent edema attacks in various organs. The objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of weekly long-term replacement treatment with one or more injections of plasma-derived C1-INH concentrate per week (WLTC) in patients with HAE-C1-INH. <i>Methods:</i> Nineteen patients with HAE-C1-INH underwent WLTC for 9 years on average. The benefits and risks were determined based on regular recording by the patients of the severity and number of attacks at the beginning and the end of the study. <i>Results:</i> All patients reported …
Coronary embolism in a young patient with nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis related to antiphospholipid syndrome
2020
myocardial infarction
Oral cancer associated with chronic mechanical irritation of the oral mucosa
2017
Background Most of the studies dealing with Chronic Mechanical Irritation (CMI) and Oral Cancer (OC) only considered prosthetic and dental variables separately, and CMI functional factors are not registered. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess OC risk in individuals with dental, prosthetic and functional CMI. Also, we examined CMI presence in relation to tumor size. Material and Methods A case-control study was carried out from 2009 to 2013. Study group were squamous cell carcinoma cases; control group was patients seeking dental treatment in the same institution. Results 153 patients were studied (Study group n=53, Control group n=100). CMI reproducibility displayed a correlation coe…
Clinical Epidemiological Survey of Legionella pneumophila Infections in Italy
1986
A clinical epidemiological survey of Legionella pneumophila infections occurring in Italy between 1 December 1985 and 31 May 1986 was carried out to evaluate the incidence of sporadic, epidemic and nosocomial L. pneumophila pneumonia. A total of 355 cases of pneumonia were studied of which 11.5% were due to Gram positive bacteria, 11% were due to Gram negative bacteria, 7.9% were due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 4.5% were due to L. pneumophila and 8.5% were due to sundry aetiological agents. The remainder (45.6%) could not be diagnosed accurately. In addition, the anti L. pneumophila antibody titres were assessed. The results are discussed in terms of the occurrence of the disease in Italy an…
Prophylaxis of early bacterial infections after autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT): a matched-pair study comparing oral fl…
2005
The safety and efficacy of early bacterial prophylaxis with piperacillin-tazobactam were prospectively evaluated in 51 autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) recipients. The results were compared with those obtained in 51 control patients receiving oral fluoroquinolones in a retrospective matched-pair control study. Overall, 76% of the study group and 98% of the control group developed at least one febrile episode during neutropenia (P=0.002). Time from neutropenia to the first febrile episode (FFE) was significantly longer in the study group than in the control group (P=0.04). Once a febrile episode appeared, the duration of fever was significantly longer in cases th…
Detection of Helicobacter pylori using PCR in dental plaque of patients with and without gastritis.
2010
Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) accounts for gastritis, peptic ulcer and is a probable cause of gastric cancer. Since its detection in the oral cavity, concerns have been raised about dental plaque as a reservoir for reinfection. The aim of this study was to detect the organism in the dental plaque and to determine the association, if any, between H. pylori gastritis and dental plaque contamination causing H. pylori. Study design: A polymerase chain reaction-based method was used for detection of H. pylori in clinical specimens. Supra and subgingival samples were collected from 67 patients with chronic periodontitis, 23 of whom were also suffering from gastritis. The data were a…
How increased pertussis vaccination coverage is changing the epidemiology of pertussis in Italy.
2005
Abstract The epidemiology of pertussis in Italy is described by using data from the statutory notification system and from seroepidemiology studies. Starting from the 1990s, the incidence of pertussis in Italy has shown a sharp decline and is now at the lowest level ever reached. During this time period vaccination coverage has increased from 88% in 1998 to 95% in 2003. In 1996–97, the prevalence of subjects with levels of IgG antibodies against PT greater than 2 EU/ml was 77.6%. The increase in vaccination coverage will probably change the pattern of disease transmission and increase the number of susceptible adults, unless administration of booster doses to adolescents and adults is consi…