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Biomedical subjects

M Chemotti

Publications and source records attributed to M Chemotti.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

A trial with ribavirin in patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex.

A therapeutic trial is described which concerns 6 patients with AIDS and 6 patients with ARC who were submitted to a 6 month course of Ribavirin. Ribavirin was administered orally as the following doses: 3.000 mg daily the first week, 2.000 mg daily the second 2 weeks, and 1.000 mg daily up to completion of the 6 months period. No major side-effects were recorded; only a transient anemia was observed in almost all patients at the higher dose; none of them, however, required to be transfused. No improvement was shown by any of the 6 AIDS patients, neither clinically nor according to laboratory test, whereas all 6 patients with ARC experienced a sense of well-being, a clearing of their symptoms and an average weight gain of about 2.5 kg. No significant changes, though, were recorded as for their immune parameters. A remarkable drop of aminotransfereas was also observed in 4 of the patients, who were affected with chronic hepatitis as well. We conclude that additional, if any, Ribavirin trials should be carried out only in ARC patients.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

Brachial paresis complicating acute non-A, non-B hepatitis.

We report a case of right arm paresis in a parenteral drug addict suffering from acute non-A, non-B hepatitis. His hepatic and neurological symptoms developed together with high level of circulating immune complexes, complement activation, and false VDRL positivity. Immunological abnormalities normalized with the resolution of acute hepatitis and improvement of paresis. These results suggest that neurological dysfunctions may complicate non-A, non-B hepatitis. Moreover, we postulate an immune-mediated mechanism for neuropathy, via a neuropathic activity of circulating immune complexes.

Acute Disease↗

Cryoglobulins and infectious diseases.

The relationship between infectious diseases due to various pathogenetic factors and cryoglobulin production mechanisms has been investigated. Cryoglobulins have been evidenced in infections caused by very heterogeneous pathogens, i.e. leptospirosis, psittacosis, Mediterranean tick typhus, brucellosis, gram-negative bacterial septicemias, in which they had never been previously reported. In type A hepatitis a high cryoglobulin prevalence (91%) has been confirmed during the acute phase, with a rapid decrease both in prevalence and concentration in the subsequent stages of the disease. Cryoglobulins were all of type III and were mainly represented by IgM; anti-HAV-IgM antibodies have been evidenced in all but one cryoprecipitates. In non-A, non-B hepatitis a lower cryoglobulin prevalence (44.7%) was shown during the acute phase and the same fast decrease has been noted in the subsequent stages. Cryoglobulins were all of type III and in some cases polyclonal IgG was the only Ig class present in cryoprecipitates. The cryoglobulin prevalence in the acute phase of HBsAg-positive hepatitis amounted to 73.4%; all the cryoprecipitates were of type III. No correlation between the presence of cryoglobulins and HBeAg positivity or between cryoglobulins and delta agent infections was found. In all the cases studied the presence of cryoglobulins was related to the persistence of liver damage. Cryoglobulins were not found in HBsAg chronic carriers, while they have been evidenced, by a preliminary study, in 41.6% of HTLV-III antibody-positive subjects complaining of a persistent generalized lymphadenopathy without clinical or laboratory signs of liver impairment. No HTLV-III antibodies were found by ELISA method in the type III cryoprecipitates.

AIDS-Related Complex↗

Absence of antinuclear antibodies in cryoprecipitates of patients with essential mixed or secondary non-lupoid cryoglobulinemia.

A panel of autoantibodies has been tested in serum samples and cryoprecipitates of 14 patients affected by essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) as well as in 12 subjects with secondary non-lupoid cryoglobulinemia (SC). Three out of 14 patients affected by EMC were ANA-positive (2 at 1:40 dilution and one at 1:80 dilution). Two out of 12 patients with SC were ANA-positive (both at 1:40 dilution). No autoantibodies were found in the cryoprecipitates. These data seem to confirm some previous observations and do not indicate a role of autoantibodies in the cryoprecipitate formation.

Adult↗