Clinical and diagnostic findings in COVID-19 patients: an original research from SG Moscati Hospital in Taranto Italy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide medical challenge due to the scarcity of proper information and remedial resources. The ability to efficiently avoid a further SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will, therefore, depend on understanding several factors which include host immunity, virus behavior, prevention measures, and new therapies. This is a multi-phase observatory study conducted in the SG Moscati Hospital of Taranto in Italy that was converted into COVID-19 Special Care Unit for SARS-Co-V2 risk management. Patients were admitted to the 118 Emergency Pre-Hospital and Emergency Department based on two diagnostic criteria, the nasopharyngeal swab assessed by reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) and CT-scan image characterized by ground glass opacity. Patients were divided into four groups, positive-positive (ER-PP), negative-positive (ER-NP), negative-negative (ER-NN) and a group admitted to the ICU (ER-IC). A further control group was added when the T and B lymphocyte subsets were analyzed. Data included gender, age, vital signs, arterial blood gas analysis (ABG), extensive laboratory results with microbiology and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) which were analyzed and compared. Fundamental differences were reported among the groups. Males were significantly higher in PP, ICU, and NP groups, from 2 to 4-fold higher than females, while in the NN group, the number of females was mildly higher than males; the PP patients showed a marked alkalotic, hypoxic, hypocapnia ABG profile with hyperventilation at the time of admission; finally, the laboratory and microbiology results showed lymphopenia, fibrinogen, ESR, CRP, and eGFR were markedly anomalous. The total number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was dramatically reduced in COVID-19 patients with levels lower than the normal range delimited by 400/µL and 800/µL, respectively, and were negatively correlated with blood inflammatory responses.

Supracricoid laryngectomies: oncological and functional results for 152 patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oncological and functional outcomes in patients who underwent supracricoid laryngectomies with a crico-hyoidopexy (SCL-CHP) or a crico-hyoido-epiglottopexy (SCL-CHEP) for the treatment of primary and reccurent laryngeal cancer. A retrospective study was conducted on 152 consecutive patients seen from January 1996 to December 2006. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and were compared according to the type of surgery and clinical stage of the tumour. The mean period before decannulation, nasogastric tube (NGT) removal and recovery of a normal diet and speech were evaluated, and statistical analyses were performed regarding the association with the type of surgery and arytenoidectomy. The median follow-up period was 49.9 months (range: 10-110 months). The 3- and 5-year OS were 87.5 and 83.5%, respectively, and 3- and 5-year DFS were 78.3 and 73.7%, respectively. For patients with early stages tumours, the 5-year OS and DFS were 92.3 and 84.6% respectively, whereas for patients with locally advanced stage tumours, the OS and DFS were 74.3 and 62.2%, respectively. Significant differences in OS and DFS for patients who had early or locally advanced cancers were found (p = 0.0004 and p = 0.0032, respectively). The rate of overall local control was 92.1%, while the mean period until decannulation or NGT removal was 25.1 and 16.6 days, respectively. The mean period until NGT removal was significantly different according to the type of surgery (p = 0.0001) and whether arytenoidectomy was performed (p = 0.0001). The reliable oncological and functional results of SCL for early and locally advanced laryngeal cancers are confirmed by our series of patients.

Otorhinolaryngology-related tuberculosis.

Data from personal case histories, from 1984 to 2000 inclusive, are reported in order to contribute to a better understanding of some of the clinical and epidemiological ENT associated TB aspects. Analysis of these data shows that: (1) Like the pulmonary form, ENT localizations are increasing due to the traditional risk factors (immigration, poverty, immunodeficiency, drug addiction). (2) They are generally clinically primitive forms (which are found in extrapulmonary regions as the first expression of tubercular disease) and typically affect young people with a slight prevalence among females. Lymph gland localizations are the most frequent.

Regional distribution and cell type-specific expression of the mouse F3 axonal glycoprotein: a developmental study.

The expression of the mouse axonal adhesive glycoprotein F3 and of its mRNA was studied on sections of mouse cerebellar cortex, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and olfactory bulb from postnatal days 0 (P0) to 30 (P30). In cerebellar cortex, a differential expression of F3 in granule versus Purkinje neurons was observed. F3 was highly expressed during migration of and initial axonal growth from cerebellar granule cells. The molecule was then downregulated on cell bodies and remained expressed, although at low levels, on their axonal extensions. On Purkinje cells, F3 was strongly expressed on cell bodies and processes at the beginning of the second postnatal week; by P16 it was restricted to neurites of Purkinje cells subpopulations. In the cerebral cortex, the molecule was highly expressed on migrating neurons at P0; by P16, it was found essentially within the neuropil with a diffuse pattern. In the hippocampal formation, where F3 was expressed on both pyramidal and granule neurons, a clear shift from the cell bodies to neurite extensions was observed on P3. In the olfactory pathway, F3 was expressed mainly on olfactory nerve fibers, mitral cells, and the synaptic glomeruli from P0 to P3, with a sharp decline from P11 to P16. As a whole, the data show that F3 protein expression is regulated at the regional, cellular, and subcellular levels and suggest that, in different regions, it can be proposed as a reliable neuronal differentiation marker.

Local and systemic immune response to inactivated Candida albicans in mice.

To improve our understanding of the role natural-immunity cells play in regulating the immune response to Candida albicans (CA) we compared local versus systemic effects of intraperitoneal inoculations with inactivated CA cells in mice. Peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) and spleen cells (SCs) were recovered from CD2F1 mice after 5 intraperitoneal CA injections (2 x 10(7) cells/mouse on days -14, -10, -7, -3 and 0 (CA-5d) with respect to in vitro assays performed at 2 h, 24 h, 3 days and 5 days). Northern blot analysis revealed that 2 h after CA-5d, PECs expressed a high level of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-1 beta and a low level of IL-10 and TNF-alpha mRNAs, while IL-4 and IL-5 mRNAs were absent, suggesting the development of TH1 subset. At 24 h, while IL-2 mRNA remained high, IL-1 beta and IFN-gamma expression had decreased and IL-10 and TNF-alpha mRNAs were no longer detectable. Instead, in spleens of CA-treated mice, examined up to 5 days after CA-5d, only IL-2 and IL-1 beta mRNAs were detectable, but the expression level was similar to that of untreated control mice. CA-5d induced a high level of natural-killer (NK)/lymphokine-activated-killer (LAK) activity in the peritoneal cavity but did not affect spleen NK activity. After CA-5d, the proliferative response of PECs to mitogens and CA antigens was also different from that of SCs. Unfractionated PECs were unable to proliferate in response to concanavalin A (Con A), IL-2, CA cells and CA cell wall mannoprotein, but after removal of the nylon-wool-adherent fraction, the nonadherent peritoneal cells (Nad-PECs) showed a significant proliferative response to mitogens. After depletion of NK cells by anti-asialo-GM1 antibody plus complement, the proliferative response of Nad-PECs to Con A and CA increased further. Contrary to the PEC response, unfractionated SCs from the same animals responded very well to mitogens and CA antigens and the proliferative response was significantly higher compared to that of SC from control mice. In conclusion, these results cast some light on the mechanisms by which NK cells and macrophages regulated the development of the local specific response to CA: activated NK cells, by producing IFN-gamma, favor the development of TH1 subset, while suppressor macrophages keep proliferation of T lymphocytes under control because of the presence of highly activated NK cells.

Giant cell reparative granuloma of the maxillary bone: case report and review of diagnostic criteria.

This paper reports a case of giant cell reparative granuloma of the right maxillary bone of a 13-year-old caucasian girl. It may be very difficult to distinguish this entity from other lesions of mandible, maxilla and skull bones which contain multinucleated giant cells. The differential diagnosis, especially from giant cell tumors of the bone, is discussed. Accurate diagnosis lies on correct integration of clinical, radiographical and histopathological data.

[Pathology of the oral cavity in A.I.D.S. patients (etiological, epidemiological, clinical and preventive aspects of HIV infection)]. / Contributo clinico-casistico sulle patologie del cavo orale in pazienti affetti da A.I.D.S. (aspetti eziologici, epidemiologici, clinici e preventivi dell'infezione da HIV).

Some diseases of the mouth cavity can be considered as initial indication of infection from the HIV virus. The authors have made some specialist dentistry examinations in certain drug using patients, hence at risk, which present under laboratory examination a positive reaction to the HIV virus. HIV as a result can be corrected with these lesions.

[Quantitative analysis of total pulverosity produced by manipulation of some alginates: toxicological implications]. / Analisi quantitative della polversoita' totale prodotta dalla manipolazione di alcuni alginati: implicazioni tossicologiche.

The authors studied the total dust formation resulting from handling of same alginate materials to estimate the health hazard for the odontoiatric workers. Some new alginate materials resulted less dusty, even though keeping a potential dangerousness because the their high contents of crystobalite.

[Pathogenicity of various species of Candida in an experimental murine system]. / Patogenicità di differenti specie di Candida in un sistema sperimentale murino.

The systemic infection induced by Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida viswanathii was studied in an experimental murine system. Candida albicans is able to kill outbred CD1 mice within a few days and at a very low concentration; C. krusei is not pathogenic not even when inoculated at a higher concentration; C. viswanathii is able to kill animals only a a higher concentration. The different resistances do not seem to be under genic control, in as much as the different strains of mice used (hybrid CD2F1 and B6C3HF1, inbred Balb/c) show the same degree of resistance as the CD1 mice to the three species of Candida. The colony forming units (CFU) in the kidneys of CD1 mice inoculated intravenously with 10(5) cells of the three species of Candida, collected at various intervals showed a good correlation with the median survival times: a rapid moltiplication of the C. albicans is evident in the kidneys of the animals 24 hours after the inoculation, while the C. krusei and the C. viswanathii do not moltiply.

[Pathogenicity of various species of Candida in mice immunodepressed with cyclophosphamide]. / Patogenicita' di specie differenti di Candide in topi immunodepressi con ciclofosfamide.

The resistance of outbred CD1 mice immunodepressed with cyclophosphamide to the systemic infection induced by the three species of Candida: C. albicans, C. krusei and C. viswanathii was studied. The administration of cyclophosphamide, three days before the challange of the Candida species causes a degree of immunodepression in relation to the dose of drug: decrease of leucocytes of the peripheral blood and decrease of the weight and of the cellularity of the spleens. The CD1 mice were immunodepressed with cyclophosphamide (150mg/Kg) three days before the intravenous challange with graded doses of cells of the three species of Candida. They are much more susceptible, compared to normal mice, to the systemic infection induced by C. albicans and also by C. viswanathii but in this case only when inoculated at the highest concentration. They are resistant, like normal mice, towards the C. krusei even in the case in which the degree of immunodepression of the animal is furtherly increased (with stronger doses of the drug). The number of colony forming units (CFU) from the kidneys of the immunodepressed mice with cyclophosphamide correlates the median survival times.

Combined effects of cyclophosphamide and thymostimulin treatment on the in vitro natural killer and candidacidal activity of murine spleen cells.

Two different natural cell-mediated cytotoxic reactions (lysis of YAC-1 and killing of Candida albicans) in vitro were studied in mice undergoing treatment with cyclophosphamide (Cy), thymostimulin (TP-1) or a combination of both. Enhancing effects followed the combination regime in the microbial natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay, whereas in the NK assay the effect of TP-1 appeared to be antagonistic to that of Cy. The possible mechanisms involved are discussed.