ABSTRACT
A phase II trial of a single 5-day course of deferoxamine in 9 patients with neuroblastomas was completed. Within 2 days of completion of treatment responses were observed in 7 of 9 patients and there was no drug toxicity. These responses were a decrease in bone marrow infiltration and, in one patient, a measurable reduction in her tumor mass. We conclude that deferoxamine given as an 8-h i.v. infusion daily for 5 days at 150 mg/kg/day has antitumor activity.
Subject(s)
Deferoxamine/therapeutic use , Neuroblastoma/drug therapy , Adolescent , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Brain Neoplasms/drug therapy , Child , Child, Preschool , Deferoxamine/adverse effects , Drug Evaluation , Female , Humans , Infant , MaleABSTRACT
Indirect Immunofluorescence test (IIF) and Radioimmunoassay (RIA) were compared for determining anti-Hepatitis A virus (HAV) IgG and IgM. 142 sera were tested for anti-HAV IgG and 16 for anti-HAV IgM, both with IIF and RIA techniques. The correlation between the results reached 98.6% for anti-HAV IgG and 93.75% for anti-HAV IgM detection, confirming the specificity and sensibility of IIF.
Subject(s)
Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Hepatitis Antibodies/analysis , Hepatovirus/immunology , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Radioimmunoassay , Adult , HumansABSTRACT
Prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies among 5005 naval recruits aged 18-26 from all parts of Italy was almost double in the south and islands (83.3%) as compared to the north and central regions (45.2%). Social-demographic variables such as education and number of siblings are associated with prevalence of anti-HAV. Hepatitis A infection is still an early acquired infection in Italy, particularly in the south where among the 18-26-year-old recruits with education limited to lower middle school or less and eight siblings or more, prevalence of anti-HAV was 95%. Good correlation exists in Italy between prevalence of anti-HAV and incidence of reported cases of hepatitis.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis A/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Educational Status , Epidemiologic Methods , Family , Hepatitis A/blood , Humans , Italy , MaleABSTRACT
Among 5005 Navy recruits aged 18-26 years from all sections of Italy, whose blood was tested in 1981, regional prevalence of serologic markers for hepatitis B was higher in southern Italy and in the Italian islands as compared with northern Italy and central Italy (4.3% vs. 2.3% for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 23.5% vs. 10.5% for any B marker). Social-demographic variables such as region, family size, and education were associated with hepatitis B as were the more traditionally associated variables related to blood or medical care such as history of intravenous injection, history of blood transfusion, or exposure to hospital. Number of siblings was positively related and educational attainment inversely related to prevalence of hepatitis B markers. The prevalence of HBsAg among Italian males aged 18-26 years with residence in southern Italy or in the Italian islands, whose education was limited to lower middle school, and who were from a family of eight siblings or more, is 14.6%. These are among the highest prevalence rates for hepatitis B antigen ever reported for a general population group in Europe. Good correlation exists between incidence of reported cases of hepatitis and prevalence of markers in the different regions of Italy.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Demography , Educational Status , Family , Hepatitis B Antibodies/analysis , Humans , Italy , MaleABSTRACT
A study to evaluate the extent of Hepatitis B among Hospital Staff in two hospitals in central Italy, blood tested 1212 individuals (80.2% of the staff). 33.7% of staff tested was positive to at least 1 marker of prior B hepatitis infection. The study confirms that B hepatitis is an occupational hazard for those exposed to blood. Specific risks in terms of odds ratios are estimated to be about 2.0 for professional nurse compared to other nursing categories, about 1.7 for staff in high risk departments compared to low risk departments and about 5.0 for professional nurses in high risk departments compared to clerks or nurses aides in low risk departments. The computation of attributable risk indicates that working in a hospital contributes only a minor fraction of the total national burden of this disease. However, immunization of hospital workers in Italy can prevent every year as many as 6,500 new Hepatitis B infections in this high risk group.
Subject(s)
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/analysis , Hepatitis B/immunology , Occupational Diseases/immunology , Personnel, Hospital , Adult , Age Factors , Female , Hospitals, General , Humans , Immunity , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , OccupationsABSTRACT
A random sample of sera from children admitted over a 23-month period to a large paediatric hospital in Rome for diagnoses believed unrelated to viral hepatitis, was tested for HBsAG, anti-HBs, anti-HBc and anti-HAV. No sex or area of residence differences were found. The prevalence for markers of prior hepatitis B infection in children aged 1-12 years was 6.5%, in agreement with other observations in Italy and European countries. Prevalence of anti-HAV among children age 1-12 admitted for diagnoses believed unrelated to viral hepatitis was 10%. Prevalence of hepatitis markers in Roman women of reproductive age is estimated as 23.5 for B and 68.2 for A.
