Effectiveness of add-on Pegylated interferon alfa-2a therapy in a Lamivudine-treated patient with chronic hepatitis B

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) to anti-HBsAg (anti-HBs) antibody seroconversion is the best, final objective for all available chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatments. Unfortunately, this goal is rarely obtained with the currently utilized therapeutic approaches. Here we describe the case of a CHB patient who was very successfully treated with a particular therapeutic schedule. The patient was initially treated with lamivudine for four years. Subsequently, pegylated interferon alpha-2a was introduced for a period of one year. During this period of combined therapies, the patient showed a flare of aminotransferase values followed by complete normalization of liver biochemistry parameters and HBsAg/anti-HBs seroconversion that persisted up to 24 months after all therapies had been stopped

Historical Evolution of the Shoreline of Reggio Calabria

The urban development in the last century was characterized by a depopulation of the mountains and a concentration of the population in urban areas, most of them are located near the coast. This factor increased significantly the problems and risks connected to coastal erosion. Thus, it implied a stricter monitoring activity in order to protect the coast and the population, as well. This paper discusses the historical variation of the shoreline in Reggio Calabria

The role of diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology in liver schistosomiasis: A case report of advanced disease

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Radiographic and HRCT imaging findings of chronic pulmonary schistosomiasis: review of 10 consecutive cases

Objective: To describe the chest radiography (CR) and the high resolution CT (HRCT) imaging findings of chronic pulmonary schistosomiasis (CPS)Methods and materials: This retrospective study included 10 patients suffering from CPS, studied between September 2013 and October 2016 by using CR and HRCT. Images were reviewed by two experienced radiologists in consensus, blinded to clinical data. A p value < 0.05 was considered significantResults: All the patients enrolled showed some abnormalities at HRCT, including lung consolidations, solid nodules, nodules with pen-nodular halo, ground-glass opacities, enlarged hilar lymph-nodes. Only seven patients showed findings at CR (p = 0.001). At CT, none of the patients had significant pleural, vascular (pulmonary arteries) or cardiac findings. Post-therapy studies (mean interval 35 days) demonstrated the absence of residual disease in all patients.Conclusion: The imaging findings of CPS varied widely in our study population. HRCT may show signs which are occult on plain radiograph. All lesions disappeared after appropriate therapy at imaging follow-up studie

Epidemiology and Microbiology of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections: Preliminary Results of a National Registry

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) represent a wide range of clinical conditions characterized by a considerable variety of clinical presentations and severity. Their aetiology can also vary, with numerous possible causative pathogens. While other authors previously published analyses on several types of SSTI and on restricted types of patients, we conducted a large nationwide surveillance programme on behalf of the Italian Society of Infectious and Tropical Diseases to assess the clinical and microbiological characteristics of the whole SSTI spectrum, from mild to severe life-threatening infections, in both inpatients and outpatients. Twenty-five Infectious Diseases (ID) Centres throughout Italy collected prospectively data concerning both the clinical and microbiological diagnosis of patients affected by SSTIs via an electronic case report form. All the cases included in our database, independently from their severity, have been managed by ID specialists joining the study while SSTIs from other wards/clinics have been excluded from this analysis. Here, we report the preliminary results of our study, referring to a 12-month period (October 2016–September 2017). During this period, the study population included 254 adult patients and a total of 291 SSTI diagnoses were posed, with 36 patients presenting more than one SSTIs. The type of infection diagnosed, the aetiological micro-organisms involved and some notes on their antimicrobial susceptibilities were collected and are reported herein. The enrichment of our registry is ongoing, but these preliminary results suggest that further analysis could soon provide useful information to better understand the national epidemiologic data and the current clinical management of SSTIs in Italy

Oltre il Segno/OltreMare

La realizzazione di un volume contenente le incisioni scelte all’interno della Scuola di Grafica d’Arte dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo, coordinata dai Proff. Giovanni D’Alessandro e Riccardo Mazzarino rappresenta motivo di orgoglio e di soddisfazione per la nostra Istituzione che costruisce i percorsi didattici dei propri corsi a partire dall’esperienza laboratoriale. L’incisione grafica è tra le tecniche artistiche più antiche ma nel contempo più contemporanee. La gestualità intrinseca al segno, che si manifesta nella carta, svela universi della visione inaspettati.(Mario Zito - Direttore dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo) Il segno è il risultato di un gesto a volte deciso, a volte contorto, a volte leggero, i cui risultati spesso sono inattesi e sorprendenti. Il volume contiene esemplari di incisioni fortemente caratterizzanti della scuola di Grafica d’Arte che vanta all’interno del proprio corso di studi docenti-artisti che consapevoli della ricchezza del loro bagaglio esperienziale offrono agli studenti gli strumenti necessari per far sì che l’arte del saper fare artigianale, si trasformi in mera poetica artistica

Erosive Phenomena in the Proximity of Kaulon Archaeological Park: Origins and Remedies

Abstract The paper analyses the beach erosion which affected the coast of Monasterace Marina, Italy, where the Kaulon archaeological site is located. The site extends along the coast for 1 km, itI made of an ancient town, a museum and a Doric Temple which are inside a sand dune along the coast. During the winter season between 2013-2014, two severe storms completely eroded the beach, reaching to the Doric Temple, which was partially destroyed. All the possible causes of the erosional phenomenonare investigated through the analysis of cartography, wave, weather and climate data, and the use of soil. This analysis is carried out for different historical periods over the last 60 years. Also, a quick and temporary solution is described

Historical Evolution of the Shoreline of Reggio Calabria

The urban development in the last century was characterized by a depopulation of the mountains and a concentration of the population in urban areas, most of them are located near the coast. This factor increased significantly the problems and risks connected to coastal erosion. Thus, it implied a stricter monitoring activity in order to protect the coast and the population, as well. This paper discusses the historical variation of the shoreline in Reggio Calabria

Protection and Management of the Annunziata River Mouth Area (Italy)

A better understanding and prediction of the dynamic processes that govern the coastal zone is the topic of the current paper; in particular, a deep investigation of the coastal processes that affect the shoreline dynamic and flood inundation risk is carried out at the Annunziata river mouth area (Italy). The Annunziata River is situated in the Northern part of Reggio Calabria city; it is, at the same time, a source of danger and an important environmental and hydrological resource for Reggio Calabria, since on the right side there is the city port and on the left side there is the public beach. The protection and management of coastal areas should be supported by a deep knowledge of the interaction between water motion and seabed topography, which affects the natural response of coastal systems to changes in external conditions and to human interferences. This work tries to analyze the coastal morphology through the use of some recent models based on spectral theory