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Biomedical subjects

M Moroni

Publications and source records attributed to M Moroni.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Demonstration of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic retrovirus type III in lymphoadenopathy syndrome patients and in individuals at risk for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Italy.

An epidemiologic survey of the distribution of lymphoadenopathy syndrome in six Italian cities and its correlation with human T-lymphotropic retrovirus III (HTLV-III) is reported. Serum samples of nine patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were tested, 180 from patients with lymphoadenopathy and 349 from individuals belonging to groups such as homosexuals, drug addicts, hemophiliacs, and polytransfused considered at increased risk for AIDS. Prevalence of HTLV-III antibodies was 78% in AIDS patients and 61% in 180 patients with lymphoadenopathy syndrome (variation among drug abusers by city from 51% in Cagliari to 87% in Rome). The percentage of positive sera in individuals at risk for AIDS or lymphoadenopathy ranged from 0% in polytransfused to 8.5% in homosexuals, 14% in drug addicts, and 19.5% in hemophiliacs. No positive sera were found among 660 healthy individuals including relatives of patients with AIDS or lymphoadenopathy or in 342 patients suffering from immunologic or infectious diseases. These results strongly suggest that HTLV-III is the causative agent of AIDS and lymphoadenopathy. Since none of the healthy subjects were positive while a substantial percentage of people at risk for AIDS showed antibodies to HTLV-III, it may be presumed that this infection is also prevalent in the Italian population group in which AIDS and lymphoadenopathy are most likely to develop.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Clinical comparative study on the activity of cefamandole in the treatment of serious staphylococcal infections caused by methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant strains.

Ninety-two microbiologically documented staphylococcal infections were treated with cefamandole in an open comparative study on the clinical efficacy of this cephalosporin in the therapy of infections caused by both methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. The majority of the episodes (86 of 92) were treated with cefamandole alone, and six were treated with cefamandole in association with other antibiotics. In the evaluable S. aureus infections, 34 of 46 (73.9%) due to methicillin-susceptible strains and 12 of 16 (75%) due to methicillin-resistant strains responded to therapy. In particular, among the patients infected by methicillin-susceptible S. aureus 6 of 9 cases of septicemia, 0 of 2 cases of endocarditis, 2 of 2 cases of pneumonia, 2 of 3 osteoarticular infections, 8 of 12 cases of peritonitis in patients with chronic renal failure in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), 13 of 15 skin-soft tissue infections, and 3 of 3 urinary tract infections responded to therapy. Among those due to methicillin-resistant strains, cure was achieved in 2 of 4 cases of septicemia, 0 of 1 case of endocarditis, 9 of 10 skin-soft tissue infections, and 1 of 1 urinary tract infection. In the evaluable infections caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci, 9 of 11 (81.8%) due to methicillin-susceptible and 15 of 17 (88.2%) due to methicillin-resistant strains responded to therapy. In particular, among patients infected by methicillin-susceptible, coagulase-negative staphylococci, 4 of 4 cases of septicemia, 0 of 1 case of endocarditis, 1 of 1 case of pneumonia, 1 of 1 case of peritonitis in CAPD, 2 of 3 infections of skin-soft tissue, and 1 of 1 urinary tract infection responded to therapy. Among patients infected by methicillin-resistant, coagulase-negative staphylococci were cured 5 of 6 cases os septicemia, 6 of 6 cases of peritonitis (in CAPD), 4 of 4 infections of skin-soft tissue, and 0 of 1 urinary tract infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Increase of OKT4+ cells during treatment with thymostimulin in parenteral drug addicts with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy.

Thymostimulin (TP-1), a parenterally administered calf thymus extract, has induced a significant increase of OKT4+ peripheral cells in 9 drug addicts with persistent generalized lymphadenopathy; OKT4+ lymphocytes decreased gradually after withdrawal of treatment. In a control group, a spontaneous decrease occurred in the same period of observation. A more prolonged treatment should be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the drug on the evolution of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy in drug addicts: immunological studies.

The persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) in drug addicts displays the same immunological abnormalities previously found in homosexual and haemophiliac men with PGL: impaired in vivo and in vitro T cell functions, inverted T4/T8 ratio in blood and B cell abnormalities. The peripheral blood B-lymphocytes, in fact, show a reduced in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis after pokeweed mitogen and Staphylococcus aureus activation, with an increased spontaneous IgG secretion. In the lymph node biopsies, the immuno-histological studies reveal an infiltration of OKT8 positive cells in the germinal centers, a depletion of OKT4 positive lymphocytes slighter than in the blood and an explosive follicular hyperplasia with a striking destruction of the dendritic reticulum cell framework. This latter finding, together with the high levels of serum IgG and the presence of preactivated B cells in the blood, seems to be consistent with the presence of an in vivo polyclonal B cell activation. A high incidence of anti-HTLV III antibodies was also found in the PGL drug addicts. The significance of these findings is discussed in this report.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of the first 50 cases of AIDS in Milan.

Between April 1984 and December 1985, 50 patients diagnosed as AIDS were observed in our Clinic. Risk factors were homosexuality in 21 cases (42%), drug addiction in 20 (40%), homosexuality and drug addiction in 3 (6%), haemophilia in 1 (2%). In the remaining 5 cases the infection was acquired by vertical transmission in 2 (4%), by promiscuous heterosexual intercourse in 2 (4%) and by a single blood transfusion in 1 (2%). Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) was the main clinical feature in 8 patients, although associated with opportunistic infections (OI) in 7 of them. A total of 91 different OI were diagnosed with a noteworthy prevalence of mycotic infections compared with OI due to other micro-organisms: 40 deep mycoses by Candida albicans, and 5 cryptococcoses. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was diagnosed in 20 patients. Our data differ from the ones collected in the USA both epidemiologically, since we observed a greater incidence of AIDS in drug-addicts than in homosexuals and clinically, since in Italy a lower rate of neoplastic disease and, conversely, a higher rate of OI other than PCP are reported.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Albendazole in the treatment of cystic hydatid disease.

Four cases of cystic hydatid disease treated with albendazole are described. The first patient had previously undergone surgical treatment with only partial removal of her hepatic cysts. The size of the remaining cyst resulted remarkably reduced after three courses of the drug. The second patient had recurrent hydatid disease involving the lumbar spine. After therapy, an evident diminution in the size of the cyst was detected. Two patients (one with a partially calcified cyst of the liver, the other one with multiple pulmonary lesions) did not show any objective evidence of improvement. Failures were probably due to the presence of calcified or thick-walled cysts. In all the patients, neither side-effects were observed, nor recurrences were noted during a 2 years' follow-up. In cystic hydatid disease, whenever radical surgical procedures are impracticable, albendazole treatment can achieve significant clinical results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

IgM and IgG antibodies to human T cell lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III) in lymphadenopathy syndrome and subjects at risk for AIDS in Italy.

A study was performed to assess the prevalence of specific antibodies to human T cell lymphotropic retrovirus (HTLV-III) in patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome, patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and those at risk of AIDS. Serum samples were obtained from these groups and from healthy controls in selected cities in Italy, and antibodies to HTLV-III were measured by immunofluorescence assay and, in a few patients, by Western blotting. In addition, IgM antibody values were measured in 82 of those positive for HTLV-III. Altogether, 235 out of 320 patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome had antibodies to HTLV-III, the proportions being highest in haemophiliacs, homosexuals, and drug addicts from Rome; 11 out of 12 patients with AIDS had antibodies; 78 out of 439 subjects at risk for AIDS had antibodies; and six out of 30 patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome and positive for HTLV-III antibodies and nine of 52 patients at risk of AIDS had a detectable titre of IgM. HTLV-III is widespread in groups at risk of AIDS in Italy, and antibodies to HTLV-III are highly prevalent in patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome. A higher proportion of drug abusers were positive for antibodies than in previous studies. HTLV-III "infection" would appear to be spread mainly in compromised hosts, as none of the controls were positive for antibodies.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

Hepatitis B virus-associated coinfection and superinfection with delta agent: indistinguishable disease with different outcome.

Markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and delta agent were prospectively tested in sera of 107 intravenous drug abusers with acute hepatitis positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) associated with delta infection and compared with the findings in addicts with acute classical hepatitis B. On the basis of the presence and titer of IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, 86 of the addicts with delta infection had simultaneously acquired HBV and delta agent, and 21 were chronic carriers of HBsAg experiencing acute delta superinfection. The frequencies of biphasic and severe hepatitis were significantly higher (P less than .05) in delta agent-infected patients than in controls, but the acute clinical and biochemical features of the two varieties of delta disease were not distinguishable. However, in analogy to the clinical outcome of classical hepatitis B, all patients with nonfatal acute HBV/delta coinfection had self-limited illness, whereas 20 of 21 HBsAg carriers superinfected by delta agent developed chronic active hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Natural killer cells in intravenous drug abusers with lymphadenopathy syndrome.

We have investigated 25 intravenous drug abusers with the clinical and laboratory features of lymphadenopathy syndrome (LAS) and 10 AIDS patients for the expression of NK activity. LAS and AIDS patients had low NK cytotoxicity compared to normal donors. The defective NK cytotoxicity was analysed in the eight LAS subjects with most marked depression. NK effectors were identified by morphology (large granular lymphocytes, LGL) and monoclonal antibody-defined surface markers (B73.1, N901, HNK1). LAS patients had normal percentages of LGL and B73.1+ and N901+ cells. with the exception of two subjects with very low frequency of B73.1+ and N901+ cells. The percentage of HNK1+ cells was increased in LAS, probably because of the reactivity of this reagent with a subset of conventional OKT8+ cells, relatively augmented in LAS subjects. Depletion of monocytes did not enhance NK activity consistently. LAS patients had a normal frequency of cells capable of binding K562. In-vitro exposure to interferon beta (natural) or gamma (recombinant) augmented the defective NK activity of LAS subjects. Thus, patients with LAS have defective NK activity that cannot be accounted for by a low frequency of the relevant effector cells or by monocytic suppressors. These observations suggest a functional defect of NK cells at one or more of the post-binding steps required for the completion of killing.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

Immunohistochemical reactivity of anti-LAV p18 monoclonal antibody in lymph nodes from PGL and AIDS patients.

This study deals with the immunohistochemistry of a monoclonal antibody (Mab) raised against the p18 protein of the LAV virus in lymphnodes from 20 cases of persistent generalized lymphoadenopathy (PGL) (2) and 6 of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (3). In all the PGL cases that have been studied, we observed a very important disruption of the follicular dendritic cell's (FDC) framework in the germinal centers which is associated with the presence of an increased number of Leu2a+ lymphocytes inside the germinal centers. This observation is consistent with the main morphological feature of the lymphnodes in the PGL syndrome which is mainly characterized by lesions of FD cells.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

[Transitory increase of OKT4+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome treated with beta-interferon].

A therapeutic trial with IFN-beta (Hu. Interferon beta lyophilized, Sclavo S.p.A., Siena, Italy), administered thrice weekly but once monthly in six courses was performed for immune-modulating purposes in five parenteral drug addicts affected with lymphadenopathy syndrome. Each dose consisted of 12 X 10(6) international units I.V. Preliminary observations evidenced a significant increase of OKT4+ cells after the first course of therapy. No significant differences from the basal values, though, were found after the following courses, while in a control group of untreated LAS patients, a significant decrease of OKT4+ lymphocytes was observed. Partial remission of symptoms and/or reduction in size of the lymphatic masses were also achieved in all treated patients, although so far none of them can be considered as actually cured.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗