Genital herpes: therapeutic implications.

Genital infection with HSV is the most common sexually transmitted disease. Once acquired the virus (type 2) is quiescent in sensory nerve ganglia, establishing a latent infection. Seventy to eighty% of the patients infected suffer recurrences. In many cases the recurrent episodes conditioned the rest of life, causing significant morbidity physic and psychosocial. At present only acyclovir seems the effective antiviral chemotherapeutic agent for genital herpes. The experience from studies looking at long term use of the drug as suppressive therapy shows to offer good prospects for management of genital herpes and for control and prevention of his recurrences.

[The indications and need for diuretics in pregnancy]. / Indicazione e necessità dei diuretici in gravidanza.

The authors take into consideration specific cases of pregnancy with remarkable oedema caused by cardiac insufficiency, gestosis, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. They emphasize that in these conditions and in other similar ones use of diuretics cannot be precluded. They report the case of a pregnant woman with severe cardiac insufficiency and considerable oedema observed at the Obstetric Clinical of Rome University. Thanks to diuretic therapy, the pregnancy could be followed through to full term.

[Use of anticoagulants in pregnant women carrying heart valve prosthesis]. / L'uso degli anticoagulanti in portatrici di protesi valvolari cardiache in gravidanza.

Prosthetic heart valves require permanent anticoagulant treatment. In the case of pregnancy, serious problems arise in that coumarin drugs lead to increased incidence of fetal death and malformation. On the other hand, the omission of anticoagulant treatment implies considerable risks of systemic embolism and even of maternal death. Review of the literature and the few cases published so far do not prove that antiplatelet agents are effective and safe and offer sufficient protection against thromboembolism. The use of heparin may reduce the incidence of complications. The authors come to the conclusion that women with prosthetic heart valves should be advised to avoid pregnancy. Biovalves should be applied in those who wish to bear children.