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Biomedical subjects

F Lillo

Publications and source records attributed to F Lillo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Oesophagobronchial fistula caused by varicella zoster virus in a patient with AIDS: a unique case.

Human herpesvirus oesophagitis in human immunodeficiency virus positive patients is caused by cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus; no cases of oesophagitis and oesophagobrochial fistula as a result of varicella zoster virus (VZV) have been reported to date. This report describes the case of a patient with a 2-3 mm deep oesophageal ulcer whose viral culture was positive for VZV. The patient was treated with acyclovir with resolution of the symptomatology. After the end of the induction treatment, because of the onset of fever and fits of coughing during eating, the patient underwent oesophagography, which showed an ulcer with an oesophagobronchial fistula in the middle and lower third of the oesophagus. This case report stresses the role of VZV infection as a possible cause of oesophagobronchial fistula, a rare but benign condition in patients with AIDS.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed2000

Anomalous spreading of power-Law quantum wave packets

We introduce power-law tail quantum wave packets. We show that they can be seen as eigenfunctions of a Hamiltonian with a physical potential. We prove that the free evolution of these packets presents an asymptotic decay of the maximum of the wave packets which is anomalous for an interval of the characterizing power-law exponent. We also prove that the number of finite moments of the wave packets is a conserved quantity during the evolution of the wave packet in the free space.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Drift-controlled anomalous diffusion: a solvable Gaussian model

We introduce a Langevin equation characterized by a time-dependent drift. By assuming a temporal power-law dependence of the drift, we show that a great variety of behavior is observed in the dynamics of the variance of the process. In particular, diffusive, subdiffusive, superdiffusive, and stretched exponentially diffusive processes are described by this model for specific values of the two control parameters. The model is also investigated in the presence of an external harmonic potential. We prove that the relaxation to the stationary solution has a power-law behavior in time with an exponent controlled by one of the model parameters.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Variety and volatility in financial markets

We study the price dynamics of stocks traded in a financial market by considering the statistical properties of both a single time series and an ensemble of stocks traded simultaneously. We use the n stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange to form a statistical ensemble of daily stock returns. For each trading day of our database, we study the ensemble return distribution. We find that a typical ensemble return distribution exists in most of the trading days with the exception of crash and rally days and of the days following these extreme events. We analyze each ensemble return distribution by extracting its first two central moments. We observe that these moments fluctuate in time and are stochastic processes, themselves. We characterize the statistical properties of ensemble return distribution central moments by investigating their probability density functions and temporal correlation properties. In general, time-averaged and portfolio-averaged price returns have different statistical properties. We infer from these differences information about the relative strength of correlation between stocks and between different trading days. Last, we compare our empirical results with those predicted by the single-index model and we conclude that this simple model cannot explain the statistical properties of the second moment of the ensemble return distribution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Anti-CD4 antibodies in exposed seronegative adults and in newborns of HIV type 1-seropositive mothers: a follow-up study.

In this work, an ELISA for the quantitative determination of IgG anti-CD4 autoantibodies was validated and utilized in the follow-up of two cohorts of HIV-1-exposed seronegative subjects. A serum with an arbitrarily assigned concentration of 100,000 units/ml was used as a reference, and the detection limit, inter- and intraassay variability, and analytical recovery were calculated. The study subjects included adults sexually exposed to HIV-1-infected partners and the newborns of HIV-1+ mothers who seroreverted by 18 months of age. Some of these individuals were studied over an 18- to 24-month period. The detection limit of the assay was 2000 AU/ml. Intra- and interassay variability was, respectively, 3.92 and 3.90%. Analytical recovery in an assay in which a fixed amount of anti-CD4 antibodies was added to different samples was 98%. A proportion of adults (16 of 47, 34.0%) and babies (12 of 27, 44.4%) had significantly higher concentrations of anti-CD4 antibodies. Among them, 8 adults maintained the same concentration as that found in the first determination; on the other hand, 12 babies born to seronegative mothers showed a significant increase in the concentration of anti-CD4 antibodies during their first months of life. In conclusion, anti-CD4 antibodies can be measured using a validated ELISA. They represent a serologic trait that is quantitatively conserved in HIV-1-exposed seronegative adult individuals and is actively acquired by newborns to HIV+ mothers.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Role of CD4 and CCR5 levels in the susceptibility of primary macrophages to infection by CCR5-dependent HIV type 1 isolates.

Macrophages are a preferred target for sexually transmitted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates that use CCR5 as a coreceptor in combination with CD4. To assess whether the susceptibility of MDMs to infection by an R5 isolate was influenced by CD4 and/or CCR5 expression, levels of membrane CD4 or CCR5 transcripts at the time of infection and ID50 values 15 days postinfection were measured in cultures of primary macrophages infected with HIV-1(10005). To analyze the data, subjects were divided so as to maximize differences in the levels of CD4 or CCR5 expression between groups. Indeed, the difference in CD4 expression between the CD4high (MFI, 16.7 +/- 2.2) and CD4low (MFI, 6.7 +/- 0.7) groups attained high significance (p < 0.005). Of note, susceptibility to infection of MDMs isolated from CD4high donors was strikingly enhanced as compared with CD4low subjects, as shown by a fourfold increase in ID50 titers at day 15 postinfection (p < 0.002). In contrast, no significant difference in ID50 was apparent when the subjects were grouped according to the levels of CCR5 transcripts, even though CCR5 expression in the two groups differed significantly (p = 0.01). These results suggest that, regardless of variations among individuals, the intensity of CD4 expression in macrophages is such that CCR5 levels are above the threshold required for efficient HIV-1 infection. Consistent with this hypothesis, macrophages from three additional donors selected for high CD4 expression and low CCR5 transcripts were found to be highly susceptible to HIV-1 infection.

CD4 Lymphocyte Count↗
PubMed1999

Human papillomavirus with co-existing vulvar vestibulitis syndrome and vestibular papillomatosis.

OBJECTIVE: The role of HPV infection in cases of vulvar papillomatosis and vulvar vestibulitis syndrome is still unclear and data from the literature is controversial. In this study we intended to investigate the prevalence of viral infection, with a multidisciplinary approach, in cases with a co-existence of the two patterns. METHOD: Sixteen consecutive cases with diagnosis of vulvar vestibulitis syndrome and co-existence of vestibular papillomatosis were enrolled in the study and investigated by the means of vulvar cytology, vulvoscopy, histology, ViraPap and Polymerase Chain Reaction. RESULT: Cytology, vulvoscopy and histology did not demonstrate suitable accuracy for the diagnosis. Viral DNA identification revealed two (12.50%) positive cases using PCR and one (6.25%) positive case with ViraPap. CONCLUSION: The results of the present investigation indicate that even in cases of co-existing vulvar papillomatosis and severe vulvar vestibulitis syndrome, the prevalence of HPV infection is too low to be considered causal.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Evaluation of the detection of human papillomavirus genotypes in cervical specimens by hybrid capture as screening for precancerous lesions in HIV-positive women.

Given the frequency and persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and associated cytological alterations in HIV-1-positive women, the incidence of uterine cervix neoplasm is likely to increase along with patient survival. More appropriate screening programs, which, in addition to Pap smears (PS), also include tests to detect and type HPV, are needed for the early identification of precancerous cervical lesions. This prospective study involved 168 HIV-positive (group A) and 100 HIV-negative women (group B). Cervicovaginal samples were collected for a PS and HPV DNA search. The detected virus was typed as high-intermediate oncogenic risk HPV (HR-HPV) and low-risk HPV (LR-HPV) using hybrid capture (HC) (Murex-Digene) and in-house PCR tests. The HC-detected prevalence of HPV was 111/168 (66%:HR 75.6%) in group A and 15/100 (15%:HR 42.9%) in group B (P < 0.0001). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive in 91% and 48%, respectively. No significant difference was observed between drug addicts and heterosexual HIV-1-positive women (P = 0.09). HPV was detected in 94% of the 57 HIV-positive women with cytological alterations. HR-HPV was found in 41/49 women with low-grade and 7/8 with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL and HSIL, respectively). In women with a negative PS, HPV was detected in 57/111 cases (HR 63%) of group A and in 13/98 of group B (6 cases of HR). Of the 54 group A women who underwent biopsy, histology revealed that 41 had LSIL (18 with negative PS, 19 with LSIL, and 4 with HSIL; HR-HPV in 73% and LR-HPV in 17%), nine had HSIL (5 LSIL and 4 HSIL on cytology; HR-HPV in 89% and LR-HPV in 11%), and four were negative (all cytology negative; 3 HR-HPV and 1 LR-HPV). HR-HPV was more frequent as immunodepression worsened. These results show that cytological evaluation alone underestimated histological alterations in 23/50 women (42.6%), whereas the combination of Pap smear and HPV detection reduced this underestimate to 5%.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Cytomegalovirus pneumonia in AIDS patients: value of cytomegalovirus culture from BAL fluid and correlation with lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: To verify the value of cytomegalovirus (CMV) cultures of BAL fluid vs postmortem lung histopathology in detecting CMV pneumonia, and to correlate the BAL viral dose with the number of CMV inclusion bodies (CMV-IB) in the lung tissue of AIDS patients. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of 434 BALs and 40 autopsies involving 307 AIDS patients; clinical follow-up lasted 10 months. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 40 patients who died within 20 days of undergoing BAL were divided on the basis of histopathologic findings into subjects with and without CMV-IB in the lung tissue. The relationship between the BAL viral dose and CMV lung infection was evaluated by counting the early antigen (CMV-EA) positive cells/200 microL of BAL and the number of CMV-IB/mm2 of lung tissue. RESULTS: The predictive value of BAL virus isolation for the diagnosis of CMV pneumonia was 61% for positive and 100% for negative results. The patients with the largest number of CMV-IB had CMV-EA counts from 2 to 840; in those with a moderate and small number, the CMV-EA counts were, respectively, from 11 to 700 and 2 to 300. Among the patients surviving up to 10 months after the BAL index sample, the frequency of recurrent extrapulmonary CMV abnormalities was 27% in those with positive and 7% in those with negative cultures. CONCLUSIONS: BAL CMV cultures from AIDS patients have a very high negative and relatively low positive predictive value for CMV pneumonia. The presence and replication of CMV in the lung may lead to systemic dissemination as suggested by the higher probability of CMV extrapulmonary diseases. Viral titers do not seem to be related to the degree of lung damage.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1996

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I infection in the severe combined immunodeficiency mouse.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). HAM/TSP and ATL occur infrequently among HTLV-I-infected individuals, and rarely develop in the same individual. To study host and viral factors involved in the induction, tissue tropism, as well as pathogenesis of HAM/TSP, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 14 patients with HAM/TSP and from 9 controls were introduced into severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice by intraperitoneal injection. Mice were followed for up to 26 weeks. Human IgG was produced from 2 to 14 weeks after reconstitution in all animals. Thirty-two of 44 mice (72%) showed circulating human antibody against the major viral protein products of HTLV-I. Analysis of viral sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) demonstrated HTLV-I sequences in 21/38 (55%) brains and in 7/17 (41%) spinal cords from HTLV-I-hu SCID mice. No animal had clinical evidence of neurological impairment or pathological findings similar to those seen in HAM/TSP. Seven mice who received PBL from Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-seropositive patients developed an intraperitoneal lymphoma. In 2 mice an infiltration of brain by a lymphoblastic tumor of B/T cell type was observed. By PCR, all the tumors were EBV-positive; HTLV-I sequences were detected in 5 of them. Our study suggests that the HTLV-I-hu-SCID mouse provides a potentially valuable system for studying the production, kinetics, and pathogenicity of anti-HTLV-I antibody, and may help clarify the interaction of EBV and retroviruses in the development of disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Plasma levels of soluble CD30, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and TNF receptors during primary HIV-1 infection: correlation with HIV-1 RNA and the clinical outcome.

OBJECTIVES: The immunological and virological events associated with primary HIV-1 infection have a major impact on the course of HIV-1 disease, and the identification of early predictors during primary HIV infection is critical for the therapeutic strategy. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighteen consecutive patients with primary HIV infection were followed for a median of 398 days. Clinical status, CD4+ T-cell counts, and plasma samples were obtained weekly from enrollment until week 6, then at weeks 12, 24 and 52, and every 6 months thereafter. Seroconversion was assessed by anti-HIV-1/2 antibodies and Western blot analysis. HIV-1 RNA in plasma was quantified by Amplicor HIV Monitor test. Samples were assayed for immune complex-dissociated p24 antigen, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, soluble TNF receptor (sTNFR)-1, sTNFR-II, sCD30 and sCD8 by enzyme immunoassays. Outcome was defined as entering clinical category B or C according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. As a control group, we included 23 HIV-1-negative healthy blood donors. RESULTS: Plasma levels of sCD30, TNF-alpha and sTNFR were significantly higher in HIV-1-infected patients than in controls, and were positively correlated with each other and with values of HIV-1 RNA. Patients who developed an outcome (n = 4) had significantly higher levels of sCD30, TNF-alpha and sTNFR compared with those who did not. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sCD30 and TNF-alpha were the best predictors of outcome independently of CD4+ T-cell counts. CONCLUSIONS: During primary HIV infection, a persistent immune activation may be associated with a poor clinical outcome. The identification of sCD30 and TNF-alpha levels in plasma as early predictors of outcome in primary HIV infection, may direct the implementation of early therapeutic strategies in patients with elevated risk of disease progression.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1996

Serum polymerase chain reaction for cytomegalovirus DNA for monitoring ganciclovir treatment in AIDS patients.

The virological response to antiviral treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients with AIDS can be monitored by the identification and quantification of CMV pp65 antigen in blood polymorphonuclear leukocyte cells (PMNL). To assess the value of nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in serum for therapy follow-up, we compared PCR and pp65 antigenemia results in 21 acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with CMV infection, before and after 3 weeks of intravenous ganciclovir at standard doses. pp65 antigenemia was positive in 18/21 (86%) patients at the start of the therapy and in 2/15 (13%) at the end of therapy. CMV DNA was found in serum from 18/21 (86%) patients at the beginning of therapy and in 3/21 (14%) patients after 3 weeks of therapy. A clinical improvement was seen in 16/21 (76%) patients: 11/16 (69%) were negative by both PCR and antigenemia at the end of ganciclovir treatment. The sensitivity and specificity of serum PCR versus the antigenemia assay were 85% and 81%, respectively. Nested PCR on serum can be useful for treatment follow-up of CMV infection in patients with AIDS. It can be used where antigenemia cannot be performed and in retrospective studies.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1995

Detection of HIV-1 proviral sequences in lymphocytes using a qualitative polymerase chain reaction assay.

The performance and clinical relevance of a qualitative PCR-based assay for the detection of HIV-1 DNA sequences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was evaluated by two different laboratories. Four hundred and one samples were obtained from 397 individuals from different risk populations. All blood donors tested had negative results; positive signals were obtained from all infected patients. HIV-1 DNA was detected in 3 of 17 infants born to seropositive mothers; Western blot indeterminate blood donors and exposed health-care workers had negative results. Our results demonstrate that this PCR assay provides both sensitive and specific results and is suitable for testing large numbers of samples and for rapid identification of HIV-1 infection.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Ganciclovir therapy for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection of the central nervous system in AIDS patients: monitoring by CMV DNA detection in cerebrospinal fluid.

Seven AIDS patients with central nervous system (CNS) disease and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were evaluated before and 3 weeks after standard ganciclovir treatment by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on limiting dilutions and by quantitative PCR. After therapy, PCR CSF was negative for CMV in 3 patients with low baseline levels of CMV DNA and positive with decreased DNA titers in 4 patients with higher baseline levels. CMV pp65 antigen in polymorphonuclear leukocytes was found in 6 of 7 patients before therapy and in none of 5 after therapy. At autopsy, CMV was found in the CNS of the 4 cases examined, including 3 whose CSF was continuously positive by PCR. Quantitative PCR of CSF is useful for monitoring ganciclovir treatment in CMV infection of the CNS. In AIDS patients, standard ganciclovir treatment seems effective in reducing but not suppressing viral replication in severe cases of CMV infection of the CNS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Perinatal transmission of HIV-2 infection in malnourished children in Guinea Bissau.

Since there have been a few reports of pediatric HIV-2 infection. We therefore investigated the perinatal transmission of HIV-2 in 147 malnourished and 164 well-nourished children attending a health center in the northern part of Guinea Bissau. Specific HIV-2 antibodies were detected in 17 mothers and in 2 malnourished children, one of them with pediatric AIDS. This study demonstrates that mother to child transmission of HIV-2 infection occurs in Guinea Bissau and suggests that there is an increased likelihood of detecting HIV-2 infection in malnourished children. The high seroprevalence of HIV-2 in a rural population without known risk factors may represent a hidden threat to mother/child health.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

HIV and HTLV infections in 1305 transfusion-dependent thalassemics in Italy. The COOLEYCARE Cooperative Group.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of antibodies to HIV-1/2 and HTLV-I/II in 1305 transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemics treated in 36 centres in Italy. DESIGN: Patient serum samples were collected during 1990 and tested in Milan. METHODS: Sera were screened using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) containing viral lysate antigens from HIV-1 and HIV-2, and a particle agglutination assay for the detection of antibodies to HTLV-I and HTLV-II. Repeatedly reactive samples were examined by Western blot (WB) assays containing recombinant and viral lysate antigens. Differential diagnosis was finally made by ELISA based on synthetic peptides. RESULTS: Samples from 36 of the 1305 patients (2.76%) contained anti-HIV-1 antibodies. In four patients seroconversion occurred after the implementation of anti-HIV-1 screening in blood donors in Italy (1985). Of the 36 HIV-1-antibody-positive samples, four were HIV-2 [corrected] WB indeterminate. These four samples were negative in assays based on specific synthetic peptides, suggesting cross-reactivity. Anti-HTLV-I antibodies were found in two patients from Sicily and one from Apulia, both southern Italian regions. Anti-HTLV-II antibodies were detected in another patient from Sicily. CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies to HIV-1, HIV-2, HTLV-I and HTLV-II were detected in 2.76, 0, 0.23 and 0.08% of patients, respectively. The residual risk of HIV-1 infection through blood transfusion after the implementation of anti-HIV-1 screening in blood donors in Italy was approximately 1:50,000 blood units; this is based on an approximate number of 200,000 blood units administered to our group of patients during 1986-1990 and the occurrence of four new anti-HIV-1 seroconversions. Seroconversions to HTLV-I/II suggest that these viruses are present in Italian blood donors.

Adolescent↗