Lactobacillus casei endocarditis in an intravenous heroin drug addict: a case report.

A 24-year-old HIV negative unemployed intravenous heroin addict with teeth in poor condition was admitted to hospital with left hemiparesis; CT scan of the brain revealed a hypodense area in the right parietal region. He was apyrexial with marked leukocytosis and raised ESR, had an aortic diastolic murmur and an echocardiogram showed marked aortic insufficiency with possible small vegetations on the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. Lactobacillus Casei was isolated from repeated blood cultures. Therapy with penicillin G together with netilmicin for 6 weeks led to improvement of his clinical status and an echocardiogram on discharge showed clear improvement. Regression of the cerebral lesions was also demonstrated on CT scan. We conclude that lactobacillus species should be sought in all haemoculture negative endocarditis in the presence of tooth disease.

[Chronic hepatitis. Histologic and epidemiologic findings. A 4-year retrospective study of a caseload]. / Epatiti croniche. Rilievi istologici ed epidemiologici. Studio retrospettivo su una casistica di quattro anni.

We evaluated 108 liver biopsies--performed over a four year period (1986-1990) at the Ospedale degli Infermi di Biella--with histologic signs of chronic hepatitis. Histological and epidemiological aspects are here reported.

Association of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with HIV infection: case report.

We describe a case of an HIV-antibody positive male intravenous drug abuser who suffered from a low grade NHL associated with Kaposi's sarcoma. Both the grade of the NHL and the Kaposi's sarcoma are relatively rare in a patient like ours as the former are usually high grade NHLs and the latter is more common in homosexuals rather than in drug addicts. Clinical and therapeutic implications of multiple pathologies in HIV-antibody positive patients are discussed.

[A renal tumor in a female HIV-positive patient. A case report]. / Tumore renale in una paziente HIV positiva. Descrizione di un caso.

Patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are at increased risk of developing certain malignant tumours. The authors report a case of renal tumour in a HIV-positive patient.

[HBV infection in hospital health workers: study conducted in a Piedmontese hospital]. / Infezione da HBV fra gli operatori sanitari ospedalieri: indagine condotta in un ospedale piemontese.

The screening for hepatitis B virus infection markers of 976 hospital employees pointed out that: the prevalence of subjects who are positive to at least one marker is relatively low (17.52%); the areas with higher rates of prevalence are: the infections diseases division and the radiological area; there is a statistically significant difference as for the positivity of one of the hepatitis B markers among the disaggregated non-medical staff for every single functional area. The data here collected are compared with those collected in other hospitals.

[Liver biopsy. Case series in a department of general medicine]. / La biopsia epatica. Contributo casistico in una divisione di medicina generale.

The importance of liver biopsy in the study of liver pathology is emphasised. A series of 63 liver biopsies performed over a three year period is presented and related to liver function and the histological picture. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of histological studies in cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis. This examination is fundamental for diagnosis, choice of treatment and control of these pathologies. Liver biopsy is easily performed with a low incidence of side effects.