Polyarteritis nodosa and HIV infection: no evidence of a direct pathogenic role of HIV.

A case of polyarteritis nodosa identified by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 criteria in a 44-year-old HIV-infected man is described. The search for cytomegalovirus, HBV and B19 parvovirus infections was negative. In situ hybridization did not reveal proviral HIV-1 DNA in a skin sample. A zidovudine-associated vasculitis was excluded. Corticosteroid therapy resolved vasculitis manifestations and was well tolerated without opportunistic infections during the 10-month follow-up period. An indirect pathogenetic role of HIV as a possible cause of vascular damage cannot be excluded in our patient.

Acute hepatitis induced by cyclofenil: a case report.

The case of a 47-year old woman suffering from acute hepatitis caused by cyclofenil, a drug proposed for the treatment of anovulation and scleroderma, is presented. Hepatitis developed seven weeks after the beginning of administration of the drug and its course was reversible after withdrawal. The case is documented on the basis of liver histology and the exclusion of other causes of acute hepatitis.

Neurological complications of herpes zoster.

We report 31 cases of herpes zoster (HZ) with neurological complications: 14 with cranial nerve deficits, 1 with cranial nerve deficit associated with segmental motor disorder, 3 with segmental motor deficits, 2 with meningoencephalitis, 2 with meningoencephalitis associated with cranial neuropathy or myelitis, 2 with meningitis, 2 with hemiplegia contralateral to the ophthalmic HZ. 1 with hemiplegia and motor deficit and finally 1 with hemiplegia and a cranial neuropathy. Smoking was the putative risk factor in 53% of our patients together with diabetes, which has already been mentioned in the literature. We frequently observed more than one complication in succession (19.3%) that could not easily be related to the cutaneous distribution. Acyclovir had no demonstrable positive effects on neurological complication in our patients.

Salmonella typhimurium infection of thoracic aorta aneurysm in immunocompetent subject. Case report and literature review.

The authors describe a Salmonella typhimurium infection of thoracic aorta aneurysm in an immunocompetent subject. The patient, a 62-year-old male, was found to have recurrent S. typhimurium bacteremia despite multiple antibiotic treatments. A roentgenogram of the chest, which was normal on admission, revealed the presence of a first arch enlargement of the heart shadow. A computed tomography confirmed the diagnosis. Surgical resection of the aneurysm was carried out with in situ prosthetic graft interposition. The surgical specimen culture yielded S. typhimurium. The postoperative course was uneventful. Twenty-four months after discharge the patient remained well. A review of English language literature is presented.

[Anti-tetanus protection in a homogeneous group of vaccinated subjects from the city of Reggio Emilia]. / Protezione antitetanica in un gruppo omogeneo di vaccinati della città di Reggio Emilia.

The AA. have determined the antibodies against tetanus toxin of 739 young people that in 1968 underwent the first vaccination (passive haemagglutination test). 570 subjects (77.13%) entirely immunized and other 129 partially immunized turned out. Whereas the antibodies level of many examined subjects after fifteen years from vaccination was protective, the AA. suggest as correct a vaccination schedule with a dose every ten years to preserve the immunity.