No abstract

To evaluate, for the first time, circulation and clinical expression of Toscana virus (ToSv) in Umbria region we studied: (1) 93 cases of aseptic meningitis and meningoencephalitis admitted to our Department from 1989 to 2001 with negative results for common neurotropic virus; (2) 50 healthy subjects. Specific antibodies (IgM and IgG) anti-TOSv were found in 36.6% of aseptic meningitis, in 6.06% of meningoencephalitis and (IgG) in 16% of healthy subjects.

Our data show that the PRL releasing effect of hexarelin is preserved in acromegaly but lost in pathological hyperprolactinaemia. In contrast with acromegaly, the GH releasing effect of hexarelin is also blunted in hyperprolactinaemic patients. These data demonstrate that patients with pathological hyperprolactinaemia are partially refractory to the activity of hexarelin.

Durable virological suppression during HAART is associated with immunological recovery in patients with HIV infection. Current guidelines recommend to initiate HAART when CD4+ cell count falls <350/μl. However, recent studies have shown a higher immune restoration when HAART was started at CD4+ baseline level > 350 cells/μl. We retrospectively assessed the long-term immunological outcome in patients with sustained virological suppression during HAART, for up to 8 years. MethodsHIV-infected consecutive patients attending to our clinic were included, with the following inclusion criteria: follow-up >1 year while on HAART and sustained virologic suppression (HIV-RNA <400 copies/ml) for at least 6 consecutive months. We analyzed the immunological outcome by of annual determination of: 1) CD4+ cell count; and 2) change in CD4+ cell count from baseline. Complete immunological recovery was defined as CD4+ cell count ≥700/μl. Patients were stratified according to baseline CD4+ cell (counts of <200/μl, 200-350/μl and >350/ μl), age, HIV risk group, HCV co-infection, HAART regimen, sex, and race. A statistical analysis was performed by linear regression. Summary of results352 patients were observed: 172, 85 and 95 patients had baseline CD4+ cell count <200/μl, 200-350/μl and >350/ μl, respectively. After 5 years of therapy, 29%, 69% and 82% of patients with baseline CD4+ cell count, respectively, <200/μl, 200-350/μl and >350/μl, exceeded the threshold of 500 cells/μl (p = 0.034).Among patients with baseline CD4+ cell count >350/μl, mean CD4+ cell count reached a plateau with a complete immunological recovery by 4 years of suppressive HAART. CD4+ cell count increased even after 8 years without ever reaching a full immunological recovery in patients with baseline CD4+ cell count <200/μl. Patients aged ≥50 years had a slower but similar immune recovery (p > 0.05). We found no significant differences in immunological response according to baseline viral load, HIV risk factor, sex, HCV co-infection and HAART regimen. ConclusionIn our study, patients with sustained viral suppression experienced a significant immune recovery over 8 years of HAART. We found that complete immune recovery was achieved only in patients with baseline CD4+ cell count >350/μl. This observation strengthens the hypothesis that starting HAART at CD4+ cell counts < 50/μl could not be adequate to obtain a complete immunological recovery.

Acute mastoiditis (AM) is the most common complication of acute otitis media (AOM) and is one of the most severe acute bacterial diseases in infants and children. In some geographic areas, the incidence of AM is increasing, and the causative role of some bacterial pathogens could be greater than previously thought. In this paper, the results of a study that evaluated the epidemiology and microbial etiology of paediatric AM in Umbria, which is a region of central Italy, are reported. This is a retrospective study of patients aged 0–14 years with AM admitted to the pediatric wards of the hospitals of Umbria, Italy, between June 1 and September 30 in four consecutive years (2015–2018). A total of 108 children were enrolled. The prevalence of AM in males during the four years of analysis was significantly higher than that in females at 63% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.54–0.72). The most frequently affected age groups were 5–9 years (45.4%) and 10–14 years (31.5%), with statistically significant differences in comparison with children aged <1 year (5.6%, 95% CI: 0.01–0.10) and 1–4 years (17.6%, 95% CI: 0.10–0.25). In most cases (64, 59.3%), AM was associated with spontaneous tympanic membrane perforation (STP). The culture of the middle ear fluid revealed the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 56 cases (51.6%). The mean incidence rates of pediatric AM in Umbria during the study increased significantly with time, as it was 18.18/100,000 children/year in 2015–2016 and 29.24/100,000 children/year in 2017–2018 (CI difference: +2.5 – +19.9, p < 0.05). The incidence rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa detection in pediatric AM associated with STP significantly increased with time. The incidence was 6.06/100,000 children/year in 2015–2016 and 18.61/100,000 children/year in 2017–2018 (CI difference: +6.1 – +19.0, p < 0.001). This study demonstrated the high and increasing incidence of AM in the Umbria region during the summer months and the frequent detection of P. aeruginosa as an etiologic agent of the disease in the presence of STP. Confirmation of these results with a larger study population, in different settings, and throughout the whole year is needed to define the first-line approach of AM with STP in pediatrics.