[Imported dengue in two tertiary Italian hospitals: Use of rapid diagnostic tests]. / Dengue importée dans deux hôpitaux tertiaires en Italie : utilisation des tests de diagnostic rapides.

Dengue fever is growing at a global level both as number of cases and as geographic area of endemicity. Italy is not in endemic area, but the competent vector Aedes albopictus is widespread in this country, so that the possibility of introduction of the infection cannot be ruled out. We retrospectively collected demographic, clinical, and laboratory data about consecutive cases diagnosed in Torino and Negrar-Verona in the period 2010-2015. One hundred thirteen cases of dengue were observed, with an increasing trend during years. The infection was imported mostly from south-east Asia, but the risk appears to be higher in Latin America. More than half of the patients were admitted to the hospital but only one case of severe dengue was observed. Many patients presented after the resolution of symptoms. Rapid diagnostic tests were done in the majority of patients and allowed a diagnosis both in the acute (NS1 antigen) and convalescent (IgMantibodies) phases of the disease. An early diagnosis is paramount to avoid the spreading of the infection.

Debridement and local application of tetracycline in the management of persistent periodontitis. Clinical and microbiological results after 12 months.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological efficacy of local delivery of tetracycline in persistent periodontal lesions after topical therapy. METHODS: A total of 44 bilateral pockets 4-5 mm deep and bleeding on probing were selected in 11 non-smokers patients, 22 treated by scaling and root planing plus tetracycline fibres (test sites) and 22 with scaling and root planing alone (control sites) in a split-mouth design. Bleeding on probing, probing depth and clinical attachment level were recorded at baseline, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. The prevalence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Bacteroides forsythus and Treponema denticola was monitored by PCR at baseline, fibres removal, 6 and 12 months following treatment. RESULTS: The improvements in clinical parameters were greater in the tetracycline than in the control group. The reduction of bleeding on probing scores was 86.4% and 40.9%, the decrease of probing depth was 2.25 mm and 1.19 mm and the gain of clinical attachment level was 2.04 mm and 0.64 mm for test and control groups, respectively, over the 12-month period. The adjunctive use of tetracycline consistently resulted in a lower percentages of sites with detectable levels of A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. intermedia and P. gingivalis, while no differences were detected between treatments in the prevalence of T. denticola and B. forsythus. The pathogens could be eliminated from 3 periodontal pockets by debridement alone and from 12 sites by tetracycline at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Tetracycline local delivery gave the greatest advantage in the long-term treatment of periodontal persistent lesions.

Debridement and local application of tetracycline-loaded fibres in the management of persistent periodontitis: results after 12 months.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical, radiological and microbiological response to the local delivery of tetracycline (TE) of sites with persistent periodontal lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a split-mouth design. Nineteen patients with at least four bilateral pockets 4-5 mm and bleeding on probing (BOP) were treated with scaling and root planing (SRP) plus TE fibres (test sites) or with SRP alone (control sites). Clinical and radiological measurements were taken at baseline, 6 months and 12 months post-operatively. Subgingival plaque samples were collected at baseline, at fibres removal, 6 and 12 months following treatment and analysed by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Both treatments yielded a statistically significant (p<0.05) reduction of probing depth (2.05 and 1.21 mm), gain of clinical attachment level (1.71 and 0.53 mm) and reduction of BOP scores (23.68% and 57.89%) for TE and SRP groups, respectively, when comparing 12-month data with baseline. The differences between two groups were significant. The prevalence of Treponema denticola and Bacteroides forsythus decreased after therapy in both groups but only in the test sites Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Prevotella intermedia were not yield detected. The pathogens could be eliminated from five periodontal pockets by SRP alone, while 21 TE sites were not recolonized at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: SRP plus TE fibres gave the greatest advantage in the treatment of periodontal persistent lesions at least 12 months following treatment.

[Acute transverse myelitis. Clinical and neuroradiological follow-up of a case in a child]. / Mielite trasversa acuta. Following clinico e neuroradiologico di un caso in età pediatrica.

The case of a ten years old boy who presented a sudden onset of tetraplegia is discussed. The benign clinical evolution, under corticosteroid therapy, the negativity of biohumoral examinations of the cerebrospinal fluid and the improvement of the NMR pictures allow the diagnosis of acute spinal myelitis. In the paper are also presented the neuroradiological pictures of myeloCT and NMR; the last one can, for its sensibility, discover little variations in the water contents of the nervous tissue and for its harmlessness can be used for serial examinations.