Oral human papilloma virus infection: an overview of clinical-laboratory diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to describe the "hot points" of current clinical governance for oral HPV comprising the use of new diagnostic molecular procedures, namely, Pyrosequencing and Next Generation Sequencing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data on oral HPV was collected through two levels of research. First for all, we used the canonical medical search engines, PubMed, and Medline, followed by the study of current commercial tools for HPV diagnosis, particularly within commercial companies involved in the molecular procedures for HPV detecting and genotyping. RESULTS: Different medical procedures are now described and used throughout the world in HPV diagnosis and treatment. However, the laboratory methods are often validated and used for genital infections, and, in these cases, data are missing in the literature as regards the clinical approach for oral lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Dental care units are often the front line for a clinical evaluation of a possible HPV lesion in the oral cavity, which means that correct clinical governance could avoid a viral neoplastic progression of this disease with great advantages for the patient. In this case, the problem is due to the difficulty in lesion recognition but also and more especially the absence of correct laboratory diagnosis and subsequent treatment in the clinical course.

Nutritional strategies for psoriasis: current scientific evidence in clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: Several nutritional strategies for the management of psoriasis are promising. Even if recent data support that nutrition may play a pivotal role in prevention and co-treatment and despite patient's concerns regarding the best nutritional habits, the consensus regarding the nutritional strategies to be adopted lacks in clinical settings. In this manuscript, the effects of several nutritional strategies for psoriasis patients such as hypocaloric diet, vitamin D, fish oil, selenium, and zinc supplementation were systematically reviewed. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on beneficial botanical oral supplements were also included in the analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For each topic, a search was conducted in MEDLINE electronic databases for articles published in English between January 1, 1990 and September 2018. Two independent reviewers assessed and extracted the data. Only controlled clinical trials were selected. RESULTS: The evidence regarding the current nutritional strategies for psoriasis patients were summarized and translated into a global, comprehensible recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss combined with a healthy lifestyle was shown to be very beneficial for patients with moderate to severe disease with a significant reduction of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. Currently, oral vitamin D supplementation for prevention or treatment of psoriasis in adults with normal vitamin D levels is not recommended; however, psoriasis patients with a deficit in plasma vitamin D levels are advised to complement with oral supplements to prevent psoriasis-related comorbidities. Instead of zinc, selenium, and omega 3 supplements have been proven beneficial for psoriasis patients. Among botanical species, Dunaliella bardawil (D. bardawil), Tripterygium wilfordii (T. wilfordii), Azadirachta indica (A. indica), Curcuma longa (C. longa), and HESA-A are the most beneficial. In conclusion, a close cooperation between nutritionists and dermatologists may be useful for the management of psoriasis.

MRI findings in pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Postero-anterior radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the chest were performed in nine biopsy proven cases of sarcoidosis. MRI was more sensitive than a postero-anterior chest roentgenogram in detecting hilar and mediastinal adenopathy but less informative in detecting pleural and parenchymal disease.

Are intravenous corticosteroids required in status asthmaticus?

Seventy-seven patients with status asthmaticus were prospectively studied to compare oral with intravenous methylprednisolone. Patients were given methylprednisolone, either 160 or 320 mg orally or 500 or 1000 mg intravenously, daily in equally divided doses. They were randomly assigned to either group on a daily sequential basis. Spirometry was performed within one hour of the initial dose of steroids. The mean presenting forced expiratory volume in 1 s was 26% of the predicted value. Spirometry was then repeated every six hours for the first 24 hours and then every eight to 12 hours until discharge or 72 hours, whichever occurred first. There were no significant differences in the incidence of respiratory failure, forced expiratory volume in 1 s, days of hospitalization, rate of improvement in pulmonary function, or side effects. No patient who went into respiratory failure did so more than three hours after receiving the initial dose of steroids. We conclude that oral methylprednisolone is safe and effective in the treatment of status asthmaticus.

Chronic berylliosis. Demonstration by gallium-67 imaging and magnetic resonance imaging.

Ga-67 is known to localize in the lungs in a wide spectrum of pulmonary pathology. The nonspecific affinity of Ga-67 uptake in both inflammatory and neoplastic entities limits its utility in terms of pulmonary disease differential diagnosis. However, Ga-67 lung imaging has proven to be helpful in evaluating the extent of inflammatory activity, as well as in assessing responses to therapy. A case of active chronic berylliosis, a disorder in which Ga-67 uptake has not been previously reported is presented. There is diffuse bilateral Ga-67 pulmonary activity before therapy. Subsequent to steroid therapy, a marked decrease in pulmonary gallium uptake activity was noted with only residual hilar and mediastinal adenopathy noted.

Pregnancy in a woman with severe pulmonary fibrosis secondary to hard metal disease.

The effect of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis on pregnancy is unclear. We present the findings in a 31-year-old woman with severe pulmonary fibrosis (vital capacity, 37 percent of predicted) secondary to hard metal disease who went through a successful term pregnancy. The patient was a grinder of tungsten-carbide drill bits who developed pneumonitis and subsequent fibrosis. Her therapy required steroids and cyclophosphamide for stabilization of her pulmonary function prior to her pregnancy. At six months' gestation, right heart catheterization showed normal cardiac output and pulmonary arterial and wedge pressures. Stage 2 exercise study demonstrated a maximum oxygen consumption of 1.17 L/min (53 percent of predicted). The patient was able to exercise to a maximum workload of 300 kpm/min (32 percent of predicted). She became hypoxemic (arterial oxygen pressure, 54 mm Hg) at 150 kpm/min. Her pregnancy concluded with an uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery requiring only supplemental oxygen and spinal anesthesia. Review of the few similar cases suggests that a woman can have a successful pregnancy despite severe pulmonary dysfunction.