[Clinical-echocardiography of 210 HIV-Ab positive patients: retrospective study]. / Indagine clinica-ecocardiografica su 210 pazienti HIV Ab positivi: studio retrospettivo.

Through the retrospective study of 210 HIV Ab+ patients in different disease's stages, recovered in the "D. Cotugno-Naples" hospital during the period February 1989-February 1991, the authors have valued the prevalence of cardiological alterations underlined by ecocardiograph. Pericardial pouring has been observed in four patients out of thirty, belonged to stages II, III and ARC. Ventricles' movement alterations have been observed in twenty patients out of thirty (66%), belonged prevalently to the fourth group. Kaposi's sarcoma has been observed in two patients out of thirty (6.6%), belonged to the fourth group. In the patients showing alterations, the authors have also noticed a correlation among the observed cardiological alterations and the immunital outline and the frequent homosexuality's presence. The follow up between the alterations' observation and the possible patient's death is on an average 4.3 months (range 1-12). They suggest that a wider and more precocious ecocardiographical research of HIV Ab+ patients is the only way, at the moment, to underline and follow the cardiac alterations' evolution, also in relation to a precocious antiretroviral therapy.

[Uridine diphosphate glucose in acute viral hepatitis]. / L'uridin-5'-difosfoglucosio in corso di epatite virale acuta.

200 mg UDPG or placebo respectively were administered after an observation period of 1 week to two randomly constructed groups of patients aged 15-35 yr with acute viral hepatitis but no prior history of disease. In the treated patients, mean decreases were most marked and most rapid in the case of SGOT, SGPT, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubinaemia. These results offer good reason for supposing that UDPG can be usefully employed in the management of acute viral hepatitis.