Investigation of an imported case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Florence, Italy, May to June 2013.

On 31 May 2013, the first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Italy was laboratory confirmed in a previously healthy adult man, who developed pneumonia with moderate respiratory distress after returning from a holiday in Jordan. Two secondary cases were identified through contact tracing, among family members and colleagues who had not previously travelled abroad. Both secondary cases developed mild illness. All three patients recovered fully.

[Estimate of underreporting of infectious diseases through a sentinel network of pediatricinas in the area of local health unit of Florence]. / Stima della sottonotifica di alcune malattie infettive attraverso una rete di pediatri sentinella nella ASL di Firenze.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the underreporting of some infectious diseases in the pediatric population in the Local Health Unit of Florence in the period 15.09.1997-14.09.1998. Data from the current notification system and from an a hoc sentinel network were used. Nine family pediatricians voluntarily participated in the sentinel network, notifying all cases of measles, mumps, pertussis, rubella, scarlet fever and chickenpox diagnosed in the population of children under their professional responsibility, in the period of the study. Chickenpox was the most frequent disease (2,043 cases equal to 73.5% of total notifications). The notification rate for chickenpox obtained with the sentinel network was 41.6 per 1,000 children, meanwhile the notification rate obtained with the current notification system was 23.7 per 1,000. The notification rate for scarlet fever was 24.1 per 1,000 with the sentinel network and 6.0 per 1000 with the current notification system. The underreporting for the two diseases was respectively 43% and 75%. Voluntary participation of physicians in sentinel network guarantees data of good quality, making these networks very useful tools for the epidemiologic evaluation of infectious diseases with benign prognosis.

[Blood myoglobin in children with progressive muscular dystrophy and in carriers]. / La mioglobinemia in bambini affetti da distrofia muscolare progressiva e portatrici.

We studied the behaviour of serum myoglobin in 32 children affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in 30 mothers (10 definite carriers and 20 possible carriers), in 5 sisters (possible carriers) and in 40 healthy women (control). The serum myoglobin was always increased in the patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy; the greatest values were in the patients who were still ambulant, with a behaviour similar to creatine kinase. In the carriers the myoglobinemia showed a significant increase in definite carriers, while there was no significant difference between the possible carriers and the controls.

[Granulocyte function in Duchenne's progressive muscular dystrophy]. / La funzionalità granulocitaria nella distrofia muscolare progressiva di Duchenne.

We studied the in vitro function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in 14 patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, aged 2-14 years, especially the chemotaxis and the bactericidal activity. The chemotaxis appeared significantly reduced, while the bactericidal activity was sometimes reduced, sometimes increased. In this disease the polymorphonuclear leukocytes seems to have a reduced capacity of movement; probably this phenomenon is connected with an alteration of the muscular cellular apparatus, which perhaps is related with an electrolytic intercellular inequality. These findings are consistent with the definition of Duchenne muscular dystrophy as a systemic disease of the membrane with alterations not only of striped muscular fibers, but of various cells and tissues.