Mycoplasma hominis

Mycoplasma hominis is commonly involved in genitourinary tract infections. We report a 59-year-old man who developed a M. hominis-associated mediastinitis following acute tonsillar infection

Cancer and Pregnancy: Estimates in Italy from Record-Linkage Procedures between Cancer Registries and the Hospital Discharge Database

Simple Summary Concurrence of pregnancy and cancer diagnosis is an uncommon but not rare event: about 1 pregnancy-associated cancer (PAC) out of 1000 pregnancies is the estimation currently available. This frequency is growing due to postponing childbearing to age groups more at risk of cancer. Interest in this topic is both epidemiological and clinical: improvement of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques makes management of cancer increasingly compatible with pregnancy. The occurrence of PAC challenges women and clinicians who need to manage the two events, safeguarding fetal outcomes without changing the maternal prognosis. This retrospective study aims to provide estimates for PAC and its time trend in Italy by analyzing cross-referenced data from population-based cancer registries and hospital discharges. The proposed methodology is applicable to other populations with available data from Cancer Registries linkable at an individual level with hospitalizations.Abstract The aim of this study is to describe the frequency and trend of pregnancy-associated cancer (PAC) in Italy, an increasingly relevant phenomenon due to postponing age at childbirth. To this purpose, a population-based retrospective longitudinal study design based on cohorts of women aged 15-49 diagnosed with cancer and concomitant pregnancy is proposed. The study uses 19 population-based Cancer Registries, covering about 22% of Italy, and linked at an individual level with Hospital Discharge Records. A total of 2,861,437 pregnancies and 3559 PAC are identified from 74,165 women of the cohort with a rate of 1.24 PAC per 1000 pregnancies. The most frequent cancer site is breast (24.3%), followed by thyroid (23.9%) and melanoma (14.3%). The most frequent outcome is delivery (53.1%), followed by voluntary termination of pregnancy and spontaneous abortion (both 12.0%). The trend of PAC increased from 2003 to 2015, especially when the outcome is delivery, thus confirming a new attitude of clinicians to manage cancer throughout pregnancy. This represents the first attempt in Italy to describe PAC from Cancer Registries data; the methodology is applicable to other areas with the same data availability. Evidence from this study is addressed to clinicians for improving clinical management of women with PAC

Shigella flexneri-induced vaginitis in a prepubertal children: description of a case

In prepuberal girls vulvo-vaginitis are caused by germs of intestinal origin,mycetes, Gardnerella vaginalis, protozoa. Shigella is an uncommon agent able to induce valvovaginitis in children. We report the case of a 7-year-old girl with chronic vulvo-vaginitis caused by S. flexneri. Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing revealed that S. flexnery was sensible to cefotaxime, amoxicillin, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, but resistant to amikacin, cefazolin, gentamycin, ampicillin and tetracycline. A treatment with ciprofloxacin brought to a rapid resolution of all symptoms. At the follows up at 3 and 6 months the patient did not report symptoms of infection or articular cartilage abnormality; microbiological evaluations were also negative. Even if it is a single case report and other clinical trial may be performed in order to validate this hypothesis,we speculate that in patient with vulvo-vaginal infection living in environment with low hygiene care, a carefully microbiological evaluation of uncommon agents may be performed

Mycoplasma hominis Induces Mediastinitis after a Tonsillar Abscess

Mycoplasma hominis is commonly involved in genitourinary tract infections. We report a 59-year-old man who developed a M. hominis-associated mediastinitis following acute tonsillar infection

Case Report Mycoplasma hominis Induces Mediastinitis after a Tonsillar Abscess

Mycoplasma hominis is commonly involved in genitourinary tract infections. We report a 59-year-old man who developed a M. hominis-associated mediastinitis following acute tonsillar infection

Geotechnical characterization of the C.A.S.E. project sites

ABSTRACT The paper summarises the experimental data collected by in-situ and laboratory tests on the soils in the Aterno valley, with the aim to characterize the seismic response of the sites selected for the emergency houses (C.A.S.E.), built few months after the April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. The results reported in the paper are relevant to the experimental activity coordinated by the Italian Geotechnical Society (AGI), and carried out by a network of advanced soil dynamics laboratories. The in situ tests consisted of MASW tests; the shear wave velocity profiles in some sites were successfully compared against DH and SDMT tests and instrumentally recorded HVSR amplification. The laboratory investigation included cyclic/dynamic simple/torsional shear tests on undisturbed samples. The results, summarised in terms of variation of stiffness and damping with shear strain, highlighted some peculiar properties of the soils in the Aterno valley, which can significantly affect the non-linear seismic response of the sites

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in HIV-negative patients, a frequently overlooked problem. A case series from a large Italian center

Background and objectives: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) still has substantial morbidity and mortality. For non-HIV patients, the course of infection is severe, and management guidelines are relatively recent. We collected all PCP cases (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer criteria) diagnosed in HIV-negative adult inpatients in 2019-2020 at our center in northern Italy.Results: Of 20 cases, nine had microbiologic evidence of probable (real-time polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR) and 11 proven (immunofluorescence) PCP on respiratory specimens. Half were female; the median age was 71.5 years; 14 of 20 patients had hematologic malignancies, five had autoimmune/hyperinflammatory disorders, and one had a solid tumor. RT-PCR cycle threshold (Ct) was 24-37 for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and 32-39 for sputum; Ct was 24-33 on BAL proven cases. Of 20 cases, four received additional diagnoses on BAL. At PCP diagnosis, all patients were not on anti-pneumocystis prophylaxis. We retrospectively assessed prophylaxis indications: 9/20 patients had a main indication, 5/9 because of prednisone treatment >= 20 mg (or equivalents) for >= 4 weeks. All patients underwent antimicrobial treatment according to guidelines; 18/20 with concomitant corticosteroids. A total of 4/20 patients died within 28 days from diagnosis.Conclusion: Despite appropriate treatment, PCP is still associated to high mortality (20%) among non-HIV patients. Strict adherence to prophylaxis guidelines, awareness of gray areas, and prompt diagnosis can help manage this frequently overlooked infection. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases

Monitoring severe acute maternal morbidity across Europe: a feasibility study

Monitoring severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) appears essential for optimising care and informing health care policies, especially given changes in obstetric practices and mother profiles. International comparisons can identify areas where improvement is needed, but the comparability of indicators must be evaluated.The following were partners of the EURONET‐SAMM project: In England, for the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit of the University of Oxford: Marian Knight; for the Unit of Health‐Care Epidemiology of the University of Oxford: Raphael Goldacre; for University of London: Alison MacFarlane (England). R.G is part‐funded by Public Health England and is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. In Finland, for the National Institute for Health and Welfare: Mika Gissler. In France, for the Inserm Epopé research team in France: Anne A Chantry, Catherine Deneux‐Tharaux, Jennifer Zeitlin; for Santé Publique France (national public health agency): Yaya Barry. In Italy, for the National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion of the Italian National Institute of Health: Serena Donati, Alice Maraschini, Ilaria Lega, and Paola D'Aloja. In the Netherlands, for the department of Obstetrics of the University Medical Center of Utrecht: Kitty Bloemenkamp. In Poland, for the Department of Epidemiology, National Research Institute of Mother and Child: Ewa Mierzjewska et Katarzyna Szamotulska. In Portugal, for the EPI Unit Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto: Henrique Barros and Cristina Teixeira. In Scotland, for the NHS National Services Scotland: Kirsten Monteath, Rachael Wood. In Switzerland, for the Population Health and Health Services sections of the Federal Statistical Office: Sylvan Berrut and Patrick Schwab. In Wales, for the NHS Wales Informatics Services: Anna Morris; for the Health, social services and population statistics, Welsh government: Rhian Osborne. We thank Marie‐Hélène Bouvier‐Colle for her advice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geotechnical characterization of the Aterno valley for site response analyses

The paper reports about the in-situ and laboratory tests executed in the aftermath of the April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, aimed at contributing to the definition of geotechnical models for site response analyses in the Aterno valley. The investigation started immediately after the earthquake and was entrusted by the Civil Protection Department to different public institutions and private companies; the experimental activities here reported were coordinated by the Italian Geotechnical Society. In the paper, after briefly depicting the geological setting of the L’Aquila basin and the Aterno river valley, an overview of their subsoil conditions is given, based on the geotechnical tests executed before the 2009 earthquake. Thereafter, the specific investigations planned for the characterization of reconstruction sites and seismic microzonation are widely described. The in situ tests consisted of seismic dilatometer and multi-receiver surface wave tests; the resulting shear wave velocity profiles were compared each other, and against independent Down-Hole tests and ambient noise measurements. The laboratory investigation included cyclic/dynamic simple/torsional shear tests on undisturbed samples. The results, summarized in terms of variation of stiffness and damping with shear strain, highlighted some peculiar properties of the soils in the Aterno valley, which could be related to their index properties