Seroprevalence of five neglected parasitic diseases among immigrants accessing five infectious and tropical diseases units in Italy: a cross-sectional study.

: This multicentre cross-sectional study aims to estimate the prevalence of five neglected tropical diseases (Chagas disease, filariasis, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, toxocariasis) among immigrants accessing health care facilities in five Italian cities (Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Rome, Verona). : Individuals underwent a different set of serological tests, according to country of origin and presence of eosinophilia. Seropositive patients were treated and further followed up. : A total of 930 adult immigrants were enrolled: 477 men (51.3%), 445 women (47.9%), 8 transgender (0.8%); median age was 37.81 years (range 18-80). Most of them were coming from the African continent (405/930, 43.5%), the rest from East Europe, South America and Asia. A portion of 9.6% (89/930) were diagnosed with at least one of the infections under study. Seroprevalence of each specific infection varied from 3.9% (7/180) for Chagas diseases to 9.7% (11/113) for toxocariasis. Seropositive people were more likely to be 35 to 40 years-old male and to come from South East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa or South America. : The results of our study confirm that neglected tropical diseases represent a substantial health problem among immigrants and highlight the need for addressing this emerging public health issue.<br/

PATOLOGIA DEGENERATIVA DEL GOMITO. IL MICROTRAUMA.

Dopo una sezione dedicata alla anatomia del gomito, vengono analizzati i quadri clinici e radiologici secondari alla patologia da iperuso. Un approfondimento particolare è dedicato al gomito nella DISH ed alle alterazioni dovute ai microtraumatismi di origine professionale

Osservazioni sull'anemia in corso di artropatia psoriasica.

E' stato sudiatoil quadro ematologico periferico di 70 pazienti affetti da artrite psoriasica. L'anemia è meno frequente (28% dei casi) di quanto riportato nell'artrite reumatoide. La maggior parte dei soggetti anemici con artrite psoriasica presentava un impegno poliarticolare simil-reumatoide

Enzymatic synthesis of 2’-O-acyl-prodrugs of 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5(E)-(2-bromovinyl)uracil (sorivudine, BV-araU) and of 2’-O-acyl-araU, -araC and -araA.

Pig liver esterase (EC 3.1.1.1) catalysed regioselective hydrolysis of 1-(2,3,5-tri-O-acyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)uracil, -cytosine and -adenine to give the corresponding 2'-monoesters effectively and in high yield. This methodology enabled the preparation of 1-(2-O-acyl-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-[(E)-(2-bromovinyl)]uracil prodrugs which, although slightly less active than the parent 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-(E)-(2 bromovinyl)uracil (sorivudine; BV-araU), were strongly active in vitro against varicella-zoster virus (ED50 2.4-45 ng/ml). The retarded rates of enzymatic hydrolysis of the 2'-esters imply that they might function as lipophilic prodrugs, leading to increased plasma and cellular concentrations. In view of the marked in vitro activity, they represent an interesting approach to arabinofuranosyl nucleoside prodrugs with improved pharmacokinetics and enzymatic stability

Il quadro ematologico dell'artrite reumatoide del beta-talassemico eterozigote

lo sudio analizza il quadro ematologico con particolare riferimento allo stato anemico di soggetti beta talassemici eterozigoti nel contesto dell'artrite reumatoide

New isoxazole derivatives of retinoids: Synthesis and activity on growth and differentiation of tumor cells

The effects of several newly synthesized isoxazole analogues of retinoids on differentiation and proliferation of 'in vitro' cultured tumor cell lines are reported. Some of the tested compounds exhibit significative differentiating action, inducing adipogenic conversion of the Chinese hamster FH06T1-1 cell line in a range of 2-10 times the activity of retinoic acid and retinol

Pyrazole-related nucleosides. Design, synthesis and antiproliferative activity of methyl 4-iodo-1--D -ribofuranosyl-pyrazole-3-carboxylate (IPCAR) and derivatives, against human leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumor cell lines in vitro

A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study on some new 1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-3,4-substituted pyrazole derivatives led us to obtain 4-iodo-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-pyrazole-3-carboxylate (3, IPCAR) and its 3-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole analog (11) at position C3. These compounds showed good potency, wide spectrum of antiproliferative activity and low cytotoxicity against resting peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Although none of the test compounds displayed antiviral activity, IPCAR was able to potentiate the anti-HIV-1 activity of dideoxyinosine (ddI), thus behaving like the known inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) inhibitors ribavirin and tiazofurin. The corresponding methyl esters of the latter two drugs (15 and 16) were also prepared, but they proved inactive. Overall, these results suggest that the target of IPCAR may be an enzyme other than IMPDH involved in the purine de novo biosynthesis

Design, synthesis and antiproliferative activity of methyl 4-iodo-1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-pyrazole-3-carboxylate and related compounds

In a SAR study on azole-related nucleosides we have designed some pyrazole-nucleoside analogs characterised, for the first time, by a carboxylic ester moiety. 4-Iodo-1-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-pyrazole-3-carboxylate showed a wide spectrum of antiproliferative activity and a particularly low cytotoxicity against resting PBL, being, unlike the other azole nucleosides, more active than the corresponding primary amide