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Biomedical subjects

C De Simone

Publications and source records attributed to C De Simone.

175 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Infections, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease.

There is growing evidence that the immune response is involved in atherosclerosis. Studies done over the past several years have shown an association between markers of inflammation and coronary atherosclerosis with an exacerbation of the inflammatory process during acute myocardial ischemia. Overall, these data have greatly renewed interest in the infectious theory of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Search of bibliographic databases (from January 1991 through December 1999) and manual scanning of both peer-reviewed publications and other documents were used to identify pertinent literature. Infections and coronary heart disease were indexed as key words. A large number of studies have reported an association of human coronary heart disease and certain persistent bacterial and viral infections. The association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and coronary heart disease appears quite significant although the sequence of infection and disease is uncertain. The association between Helicobacter pylori and coronary heart disease may be accounted for by residual confounding from classic risk factors. Preliminary findings indicate that this association could be due to a higher prevalence of more virulent Helicobacter strains. Infection with Cytomegalovirus appears to be associated with a greater risk of restenosis after angioplasty rather than primary atherosclerosis. Early trials of appropriate antibiotic therapy in subjects with recent acute myocardial infarction have been encouraging. A causal relationship between infections and coronary heart disease is still elusive. Improved studies involving prospective collection of data are required to demonstrate such an association with potential implications for public health worldwide.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lactobacilli lozenges in the management of oral ulcers of Behçet's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: There is increasing evidence that lactobacilli, having anti-inflammatory activity, may be useful in some diseases, particularly in inflammatory bowel disease. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study the efficacy of lactobacilli lozenges (INERSAN, VSL Pharmaceuticals, USA) in the management of oral ulcers of Behçet's syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients were studied before, during and after lactobacillus use. All patients had mainly skin-mucosa involvement with fresh oral ulcers and none were using systemic immunosuppressives. The patients chewed on 6 lozenges/day at intervals of 2-3 hours during the time they were awake for 7 days. The number of OU before visit 1 and after 1. and 2. weeks after drug use was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Twenty three patients completed the trial. 1 patient left the trial the second day because of nausea and another was a no show at the 2.visit. There was a significant decrease in the mean number of ulcers following treatment, more pronounced among the females, and this decrease continued at least for 1 week after the treatment was stopped. 4/23 patients had side effects with 3 complaining of nausea and 1 of abdominal fullness. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot and open study Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges seemed to be effective in controlling the OU of BS. Randomized, controlled trials with this seemingly innocuous agent are now needed.

Adolescent↗
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[Detection of heat-stable staphylococcal nucleases in foods of various kinds].

Herewith are the results of a research on determination of staphylococcal heat-stable nuclease in food. From this research derives clearly the need to devote to the determination of heat-stable deoxyribonuclease as an useful indirect index, fit to give menful informations on the pollution of different kind of food by the side of patogen Staphylococci even on food products under processes of pasteurization or of sterilization.

Food Microbiology↗
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[Effect of azathioprine and inosiplex on rosette formation by lymphocytes from normal donors and from patients with neoplasia (author's transl)].

The effect of azathioprine and inosiplex on the capacity of peripheral blood lymphocytes to form E active rosettes has been studied in vitro on 25 healthy subjects and 63 cancer patients (27 with pulmonary cancer and 36 with cancer of the digestive tract). Azathioprine significantly inhibited the capacity of T cells obtained from normal donors to form rosettes (P less than 0.01). Similar results were registered in patients suffering from pulmonary cancer (P less than 0.01) or from digestive neoplasia (P less than 0.05). Inosiplex, a substance with antiviral and immunomodulating properties, increased the percentage of the E active rosettes forming cells of 18 subjects with lung carcinoma and 26 patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal apparatus. If lymphocytes of both normal donors and cancer patients were preincubated simultaneously with azathioprine and inosiplex, the latter had an inhibitory effect on the azathioprine dependent rosette inhibition and restored the percentage of the E active rosette forming cells to control values.

Adult↗
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[Treatment and prevention of Mycobacterium avium complex infection in AIDS].

Since Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infects most, if not all, HIV-positive patients, effective regimens for its treatment and prophylaxis are a necessity. We review here the available literature in an attempt to establish clear-cut criteria for the administration of antibiotics and immunotherapy and for the prophylactic treatment of MAC infections. Several antibiotics, chiefly in combination regimens, are active against MAC. Recent data indicate rifabutin as a first-line antibiotic for the treatment of MAC infections. However, since this antibiotic accelerates hepatic metabolism of many drugs (zidovudine in particular), it has the potential to reduce their serum concentrations and hence limit their antiviral activity. Moreover, rifabutin is active against retroviruses only at extremely high concentrations which are not reached in vivo at normally-prescribed dosages. The recent demonstration that the cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in combination with conventional antibiotic therapy may be effective for disseminated MAC infections indicates that immunotherapy could play a pivotal role in the treatment of MAC infections. Lifetime prophylaxis with rifabutin (300 mg/die) is advised for all patients with HIV infection and fewer than 100 CD4 T lymphocytes/mm3 in the peripheral blood: this antibiotic regimen significantly reduces the frequency of disseminated MAC infections. Further studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of other prophylactic regimens such as azithromycin and clarithromycin. We conclude that rifabutin and immunotherapy with IFN-gamma will play a key role in the treatment of MAC infections.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The syndrome of idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia.

The syndrome of idiopathic CD4+ lymphocytopenia has recently been recognized and referred to as the persistent depletion of peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes below 300 cells per cubic millimeter or less than 20% of total lymphocytes in the absence of either HIV infection or other known causes of immunodeficiency. The available literature indicates that neither human retroviruses (HIV-1, HIV-2, HTLV-I, HTLV-II) nor other transmissible agents play any clear-cut role in the pathogenesis. Furthermore, the epidemiologic, immunologic and clinical features of this syndrome differ substantially from those of HIV infection. The heterogeneity of both immunologic abnormalities, in addition to CD4+ depletion, and clinical course in patients with this disorder points out no common cause although in at least a subset of patients the pathogenetic pathways could be shared with common variable immunodeficiency.

Humans↗
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Linear IgA disease and ulcerative colitis.

Linear IgA disease is an acquired bullous disease of the skin characterized by linear IgA deposits along the dermal-epidermal junction. Inflammatory bowel diseases have been rarely reported in association with linear IgA disease. We have recently observed a patient suffering from ulcerative colitis who developed a cutaneous bullous eruption that was diagnosed as a linear IgA disease. Foreign antigens penetrating the inflamed bowel mucosa might give rise to the production of autoantibodies cross-reacting with the cutaneous antigens involved in the pathogenesis of linear IgA disease.

Adult↗
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A case of chromoblastomycosis due to Phialophora verrucosa responding to treatment with fluconazole.

We report the case of a 40-year-old Filippino woman, with a 5-year history of a slowly spreading, painful skin lesion on her left foot. Histological examination showed a dermal, granulomatous infiltrate consisting of neutrophils, histiocytes and lymphocytes, with "sclerotic bodies" in the cytoplasm of phagocytic cells. Mycological culture revealed the presence of Phialophora verrucosa and confirmed the histopathological diagnosis of chromo-blastomycosis. Association of surgical curettage of the exuberant, infected tissue with systemic fluconazole administration gave good therapeutic results with no relevant side effects.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Follicular mucinosis successfully treated with isotretinoin.

We describe the case of a 33-year-old Caucasian male with follicular mucinosis successfully treated with isotretinoin. Follicular mucinosis is a primary idiopathic disease or a secondary, lymphoma-associated dermatosis. An effective standard therapy for this disease is unknown. In our case, isotretinoin led to a dramatic improvement of the skin lesions in about two weeks. To the best of our knowledge, the benefits of isotretinoin in the treatment of follicular mucinosis have never been reported previously. The efficacy of this drug could be mediated by a regulatory effect on the infiltrating cells and/or by a modulation of the target organ (skin) response to the infiltrating cells.

Adult↗