From infinite to two dimensions through the functional renormalization group.

We present a novel scheme for an unbiased, nonperturbative treatment of strongly correlated fermions. The proposed approach combines two of the most successful many-body methods, the dynamical mean field theory and the functional renormalization group. Physically, this allows for a systematic inclusion of nonlocal correlations via the functional renormalization group flow equations, after the local correlations are taken into account nonperturbatively by the dynamical mean field theory. To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, we present numerical results for the two-dimensional Hubbard model at half filling.

Mood, hormones and quality of life.

In the last years, together with progress of research in psychoneuroendocrinology, there has been growing interest in the psychological aspects of clinical care in endocrine disease. In particular, some issues such as life events preceding disease onset, psychological distress associated with acute illness and convalescence, abnormal illness behaviour and several other aspects of quality of life in endocrinology and mood disorders have received more and more attention. Clinical data on pharmacologic and non pharmacologic interventions that are effective at improving the quality of life for patients with mood disorders and endocrine disturbances is emerging. With the development of more effective treatment options many more patients with mood disorders and endocrine disturbances will achieve healthy levels of functioning and quality of life, which will alleviate the burden that the illness imposes on patients, their families, and caregivers.

Detection and sequence analysis of human polyomaviruses DNA from autoptic samples of HIV-1 positive and negative subjects.

The distribution of DNA of BK and JC human polyomaviruses (BKV and JCV) was investigated in samples from autopsies of different organs in 2 groups of patients: Human Immunodeficiency Virus -1 (HIV) positive and negative. Samples from various organs were analysed by a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the non-coding control and for the VP1 regions of both viruses. The results obtained showed that BKV DNA was present in both males and females with a higher prevalence in HIV-positive subject samples (spleen: 33%; kidney: 44%; brain: 22%, uterine cervix:100%; prostatic urethra: 50%). In prostatic urethra samples of HIV-positive subjects, the JCV DNA was revealed in a low percentage (33%), while it was not found at all in uterine cervix samples of both groups. The varying presence of BK and JC viral DNA in the different organs seems to reflect the different pathogenetic attitude of these viruses. JCV was mainly present in the brain (55%), confirming its typical neurotropism and its etiological role in neurological disorders found in immunodeficient patients. BKV, on the other hand, was mainly present in the kidney (44%) and in genital organs (uterine cervix: 100%; prostatic urethra: 50%) with the latter finding favouring the hypothesis of a possible sexual transmission of BKV. Furthermore, our results confirm the crucial role of the immune system in the persistence of human polyomaviruses in the host.

Pharmacological approaches to the management of alcohol addiction.

Alcohol abuse and alcoholism represent a world-wide problem, both from a medical and a social point of view. In the past the therapy for patients affected by alcoholism was based mainly on the psychological approach. In recent years the use of pharmacotherapy together with psychosocial interventions have enhanced the percentage of success in maintaining alcoholic patients in remission. The present review discusses the main drugs experimented both in preclinical and clinical studies. Pharmacotherapy of alcohol dependence seems to be effective in both alcohol-related emergencies and prevention relapse. However, pharmacotherapy should not be considered as the only form of treatment but as an integrated part of a multimodal approach including psychological and social support.

Identification of a new control region in the genome of the DDP strain of BK virus isolated from PBMC.

The various strains of human polyomavirus BK (BKV) show a marked heterogeneity in the non-coding control region (NCCR), which includes the origin of replication and the regulatory region for early and late transcription. A new BKV strain (DDP, U91605) was identified by direct detection and sequencing of PCR products of BKV-NCCR DNA obtained from PBMC samples of HIV-positive or -negative subjects. The DDP strain NCCR sequence showed an organisation not described previously in vivo with the maximum homology with the archetypal strain (WW) (M34048), as compared with those collected in GenBank. Structurally, P68, Q39, and S68 boxes were perfectly conserved, whereas the R63 box was completely deleted. This deletion involves the loss of sequences able to bind cellular factors essential for the DNA transcription, such as NF1 binding sites, normally present twice in the R box and the modification of SP1. It is possible that these rearrangements represent a cause of the loss of the VP1 region observed in 9/22 PBMC samples and never observed in urine isolates, which are similar to the WW strain.

A case of marked cerebellar atrophy in a woman with anorexia nervosa and cerebral atrophy and a review of the literature.

While cerebral atrophy has been shown in patients with anorexia nervosa, cerebellar atrophy has never been reported in these patients. We report a case of cerebral atrophy with marked cerebellar atrophy in a 20-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa admitted to our hospital for severe weight loss. Neuroradiological examinations of the patient showed morphological brain alteration without focal parenchymal lesions. Cranial computerized tomography (CCT) showed an enlargement of the external cerebrospinal fluid spaces, especially those close to the cerebellar cistern. A brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study confirmed the results of the CCT and dynamic single-photon emission tomography (d-SPECT) showed a reduced perfusion of the left brain areas. The reported case shows that some forms of anorexia nervosa have a concomitant presence of cerebral and cerebellar morphological anomalies. At present, it is not possible to demonstrate the whole correlation between the imaging reports and the clinical or neurological symptomatology. Some forms of brain alteration could be secondary to undernutrition; on the other hand, cerebral and cerebellar atrophy and eating disorders are far from clear and may also be an expression of an unknown common denominator.

Transplacental transmission of human polyomavirus BK.

The presence of BK virus (BKV) and JC virus (JCV) in autopsy materials (placenta, brain, and kidney) of aborted fetuses was investigated by PCR using two sets of primers, specific for the regulatory region (RR) and for the capsid protein VP1, respectively. The RR of BKV was detected in 12 samples of placenta and brain and in nine samples of kidney obtained from 15 fetuses. Out of the 12 positive cases, four placentas, one brain, and three kidney samples also showed the presence of BKV DNA in the VP1 region. Of 12 placentas from a control group with a normal pregnancy outcome, the RR of BKV was detected in six samples, four of which were also positive for the VP1 region. None of the samples from either group was positive for the RR of JCV. In two cases, the nucleotide sequence of the BK RR demonstrated that the viruses isolated from maternal and fetal tissues showed a high homology with one another and had a characteristic deletion of the R63 box compared to the archetype strain. The results indicate that BKV may be transmitted vertically.

Detection of BK polyomavirus genotypes in healthy and HIV-positive children.

Urine samples from 211 community children (3-7 years age), from 33 HIV type-1 infected children and from 56 HIV-negative children were collected and analyzed for the presence of BK virus (BKV) DNA by PCR. PCR amplifications were carried out using primers specific for the BKV structural region VP1. We also investigated the distribution of BKV subtypes by a restriction fragment polymorphism assay (RFLP). We demonstrated BKV DNA in 3.8% of 211 community children with a higher prevalence of subtype I. In HIV-1 positive children we detected BKV DNA in 2 urine samples (6%) out of 33, both belonging to subtype I. The HIV-negative cluster did not show any positivity to BKV DNA. The results confirm a more frequent primary BKV infection in children of 3-5 years of age and a higher prevalence in hospitalized children affected by HIV-1. The most relevant finding was that among both the community and HIV-1 positive children the subtype I was the most frequently detected.

Detection of JC and BK viral genome in specimens of HIV-1 infected subjects.

Human polyomaviruses JC and BK are ubiquitous in healthy human adults, persist as latent viruses and can be reactivated in the immunodeficient host giving different pathologies. Due to the experimental evidence of their potential oncogenicity and neurotropism, as well as to the enhanced viral production induced by co-infection with HIV-1, a possible role of these polyomaviruses has been suggested in AIDS-associated progressive multifocal leucoencephalopathy (PML) and Kaposi's sarcoma. JCV and BKV DNA was detected by PCR in urine and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using primers specific for structural (VP1) and regulatory (R) regions. In HIV-positive subjects BKV and JCV sequences were found respectively in 8.1% and 31.6% of urine samples whereas in PBMC the positivity increased to 22.8% for JCV and in 51.1% for BKV. Our results indicated that, at DNA level, the presence of BKV and JCV in urine and PBMC was higher in HIV-1 positive subjects than in HIV-1 negative subjects and that, in contrast with JCV, BKV positivity was inversely related to blood CD4-level. Intravenous drug users (IVDU) showed significant increases in both BKV and JCV positivity, while an increased JCV viruria was found in homo-bisexuals compared to heterosexuals. The high prevalence of viral DNA in PBMC of both healthy and HIV-positive individuals agrees with the hypothesis that lymphocytes may represent a viral latency site permitting the establishment of virus persistence in affected organs, or a vehicle for the spread of the infection to different tissues.

Schizophrenic symptoms and SPECT abnormalities in a coeliac patient: regression after a gluten-free diet.

A 33-year-old patient, with pre-existing diagnosis of 'schizophrenic' disorder, came to our observation for severe diarrhoea and weight loss. Use of single photon emission computed tomography, (99mTc)HMPAO SPECT, demonstrated hypoperfusion of the left frontal brain area, without evidence of structural cerebral abnormalities. Jejunal biopsy showed villous atrophy. Antiendomysial antibodies were present. A gluten-free diet was started, resulting in a disappearence of psychiatric symptoms, and normalization of histological duodenal findings and of (99mTc)HMPAO SPECT pattern. This is the first case in which, in an undiagnosed and untreated coeliac patient with psychiatric manifestations, the (99mTc)HMPAO SPECT demonstrated a dysfunction of frontal cortex disappearing after a gluten-free diet.

The in vitro effect of monensin on BK polyomavirus replication.

The in vitro effect of monensin, a linear polyether, on the infection of Vero cells by BK polyomavirus, was investigated. Data reported in this paper showed an inhibition of BK viral replication by monensin as monitored by immunofluorescence and molecular hybridization. The inhibition of the synthesis of viral nuclear T antigen and the lack of production of viral mRNAs in monensin-treated cells suggest that the effect of this ionophore takes place at the level of the viral DNA delivery, by blocking the uncoating of BK virus or its transport to the nucleus.

Role of phospholipids in BK virus infection and haemagglutination.

The role of phospholipids in BK virus infection and haemagglutination was studied by competition binding experiments and by treatment of susceptible cells with phospholipases. Phospholipids extracted from Vero cells and some commercial phospholipids showed an inhibiting activity on both BK virus infectivity and haemagglutination. The treatment of Vero cells with phospholipases affected the binding of BK virus, but the addition of phospholipids to enzyme-treated cells restored their susceptibility to both viral infectivity and haemagglutination.

Effect of biological and synthetic polymers on BK virus infectivity and hemagglutination.

The effect of several biological and synthetic polymers, chosen on the basis of different physical and chemical properties, was investigated on BK virus infectivity and hemagglutination. It was observed that polyanions like mucin, dextran sulfate and heparin depressed the viral binding, whereas polycations had no significant activity, with the exception of poly-L-lysine, which enhanced it. The effect of the active polymers was studied in different experimental conditions and the results obtained suggested that polyanions may act directly on the virus particle, whereas the target of polycations could be at the level of cell membranes. However, the effect shown by the active compounds did not appear to be simply related to the electric charge since neutral compounds, such as tamarind gum and locust bean gum, showed a marked inhibitory effect on BK virus binding to the cells.

Chronic active hepatitis and Behçet's syndrome.

In a patient with Behcet's syndrome the finding of five times the normal level of serum transaminase accompanied by weakness may be correlated to the syndrome itself. We performed needle biopsy of the liver in our patient which showed piecemeal necrosis and portal lympho-monocytic infiltration extending into the lobule. It is interesting that HLA B5 and B27 antigens were present. Simultaneous occurrence of chronic active hepatitis and Behcet's syndrome may imply the same autoimmune pathogenesis, as we suggest in this work.