Is there a correlation between urological and cardiovascular dysfunction in Parkinson's disease?

It is well established that non-motor symptoms are a core feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). A dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system seems to be present in PD, supporting the coexistence of urological and cardiovascular non-motor features. We evaluated whether bladder dysfunctions in patients with PD are linked to blood pressure dysregulation. Twenty-eight mild PD patients, previously submitted to a urodynamic evaluation, underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate monitoring to allow assessment of their circadian blood pressure profile; the occurrence of postprandial hypotension and orthostatic hypotension was also investigated. No significant differences in blood pressure control were detected between bladder hyperreflexic and normoreflexic subjects. Our findings support different origins of urological and cardiovascular impairments in PD.

[Chlamydia and pharyngotonsillitis in childhood]. / Chlamydia e faringotonsillite nell'infanzia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of Chlamydia trachomatis in pharyngeal infections in childhood. 200 children, aged 1 month to 12 years, with and without symptoms of pharyngitis were examined for CT. Swabs were taken from the oropharynx and tonsillar areas for direct fluorescent antibody assay. 12% of the patients and 4% of the control subjects were positive for CT. Group A Streptococcus was not isolated from any patient or control subject positive for CT. In positive cases we extended the research to relatives. The treatment for positive cases was erythromycin and it eradicated CT in 80% of our patients. A new strain of Chlamydia, called TWAR, showing cross-reactivity with CT, has been isolated. Therefore further research should be carried out to discover if micro-organisms considered CT up to now, do belong or not to TWAR strain. Long term studies in children will be helpful in further defining the role of Chlamydia, trachomatis or TWAR, as a cause of pharyngitis.

[Infantile seborrheic dermatitis and related syndromes. Diagnostic and pathogenetic problems]. / La dermatite seborroica infantile (D.S.I.) e sindromi affini. Problemi diagnostici e patogenetici.

Infantile seborrhoeic dermatitis is a dermatosis affecting infants characterized by little or no itching and by completely typical skin symptoms, distribution and evolution. Infantile seborrhoeic dermatitis should therefore be differentiated from atopic dermatitis and from diaper-rash although interferences be possible. In fact the high frequency of the atopic dermatitis and of diaper rash may cause these two manifestations to sometimes superimpose on infantile seborrhoeic dermatitis. This in turn causes rather complex clinical situations that may be very hard, but not impossible to diagnose if use is made of laboratory findings to support clinical features. The pathogenesis and etiology of infantile seborrhoeic dermatitis are still debated although recent results assign the dominant role to Candida albicans. This mycete also plays a relevant role in the genesis of diaper rash and particularly of Leiner's exfoliative erythrodermas, which can be interpreted as a generalized and erythrodermic expression of infantile seborrhoeic dermatitis. Systematic cultural investigations and appropriate antimycotic treatments, that would stimulate antibody response, will allow to clarify in the near future this interesting etiological problem, with important therapeutical consequences.

[Presence of anti-Chlamydia antibodies in healthy children]. / Presenza di anticorpi anti-Chalamydia nella popolazione sana infantile.

The role of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in children is not well known. It is established that Chlamydia trachomatis is a major etiology agent of conjunctivitis in newborns and pneumonia during the first 6 months of life but little is known about the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in children in early infancy particularly in the Italian pediatric population. Therefore the incidence of anti-Chlamydial trachomatis antibodies in 400 asymptomatic children have been determined. The incidence is 18.39% in babies from 0 to 12 months of age, 10.95% from 1 to 3 years, 19.44% from 4 to 6 years, 16.98% from 7 to 9 years, 31.37% from 10 to 12 years. The highest incidence lies among school-age children and might indicate a nonsexual route of chlamydial infection.