Osteochondral avulsion fracture of the posteromedial tibial plateau.

Posteromedial tibial plateau avulsion fracture caused by semimembranosus muscle is not easy to detect by X-ray. The literature regarding this issue is poor, also mechanism is extensively disputable. This lesion was often connected to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and medial meniscal horn lesion. In this work, we described a posteromedial tibial plateau avulsion fracture at the semimembranosus insertion. In particular, we referred to the surgical treatment of those transversal osteochondral fractures.

Immunization with DNA vaccines encoding different mycobacterial antigens elicits a Th1 type immune response in lambs and protects against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection.

Paratuberculosis, or Johne's disease, is a disease of domestic and wild ruminants that culminate with a chronic enteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The aim of this work was to evaluate the type of immune response, Th1 or Th2, induced by DNA vaccinations in lambs of Sarda breed. Twenty-five lambs, serum negative for M. paratuberculosis, were selected at birth from equally serum negative mothers. The lambs were inoculated at 5 months of age with three different mycobacterial antigens cloned into a mammalian expression vector as fusion protein with the enhanced green fluorescent protein (pEGFP-N1). The animals were divided in five groups containing each five lambs. Each group was vaccinated as following (A: physiological solution; B: Gudair; C: p-85A-Mav; D: p-85A-BCG; E: p-Hsp65). Immune response was evaluated by measuring the expression of INF-gamma (Th1 type response) and IL-10 (Th2 type response) by real-time PCR. Gene expression was estimated by comparing the results with that of beta-actin. INF-gamma expression level was increased in lambs vaccinated with plasmids codifying mycobacterial antigens, in particular with p-Hsp65, in comparison with the controls suggesting stimulation of a Th1 immune response similar to that supported by natural infection of M. paratuberculosis. Moreover, animals were infected orally with live M. paratuberculosis. Three months after vaccination and again INF-gamma and IL-10 expression was evaluated in order to verify in vivo the protection level of the vaccines. Plasmids p-85A-BCG and p-Hsp65 seem to elicit a stronger protective immune response against M. paratuberculosis by evaluating the expression level of INF-gamma and evaluating the presence of M. paratuberculosis and animal cell organ damage post-mortem.

Isolation and identification of Mycobacterium neoaurum from a patient with urinary infection.

Mycobacterium neoaurum is a novel species of Mycobacteria, until now only isolated from catheters in immunosuppressed patients. This report describes the isolation and identification of M. neoaurum from urine obtained from a hospitalized patient.

5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid with or without ifosfamide in advanced colorectal cancer: a phase II randomized trial.

AIM: This phase II trial evaluated the biomodulation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) plus folinic acid (FA) with or without ifosfamide (IFO) in chemotherapy-naive patients with colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients were randomized to receive: FA (25 mg/m2 iv bolus days 1 to 3), followed by 5-FU (750 mg/m2 iv bolus days 1 to 3), arm A; or FA (25 mg/m2 iv bolus days 1 to 3), followed by 5-FU (750 mg/m2 iv bolus days 1 to 3) plus IFO (2,000 mg/m2 in 1000 mL 5% dextrose in a 2-hr infusion, days 1 to 3), arm B. Mesna was added during and after IFO to prevent hemorrhagic cystitis. Treatment was repeated every 21 days in both arms. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were assessable for response: in arm A, 5 patients achieved a partial response (overall response, 25%), and in arm B, 2 patients achieved a complete and 1 a partial response (overall response, 12%). Time to failure was 3.5 months (range, 1-38) in patients treated with 5-FU plus FA, and 3 months (range, 1-21) in patients treated with the IFO combination. The median survival time was 13.5 months (range, 1-49 months) in arm A and 16 months (range, 1-43 months) in arm B. Diarrhea, stomatitis and vomiting were the most common nonhematologic toxicities in both arms. The most notable hematologic toxicity was leukopenia; 15% and 20% of patients experienced grade 4 in arm A and arm B, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IFO does not increase the activity of the 5-FU plus FA combination in advanced colorectal cancer.

Lonidamine in non-small-cell lung cancer: a phase II study.

The activity of lonidamine (a derivative of indazole-carboxylic acid and a new drug with a characteristic antitumor activity) was evaluated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Twenty-five patients with NSCLC with or without prior treatment received lonidamine at the dose of 450 mg/daily p.o. up to progression. Objective responses obtained were: 3 (12%) partial responses and 3 (12%) minor responses with a mean duration of 13.7 weeks for partial responses. Mean duration of treatment was 20 weeks (range 4-97+). During to the drug's characteristics, bone marrow toxicity was not observed; myalgia and mild testicular pain were the most significant side effects.

[Preventive role of pirenzepine in gastric damage during cytostatic therapy. A controlled randomized double-blind study with placebo]. / Ruolo preventivo della pirenzepina nel danno gastrico in corso di terapia citostatica. Studio in doppio cieco randomizzato controllato con placebo.

Steroids and cytostatic drugs have an undoubtedly damaging action on the gastroduodenal mucosa. The action of pirenzepine was compared with that of the placebo in preventing the gastroduodenal lesions brought on by antiblastic therapy. Sixty patients were separated into two random group under double blind conditions and received 100 mg/die/os of pirenzepine or equivalent placebo for a continuous period of 12 weeks. Antiblastic drugs were administered at the same time. Final endoscopic control and symptomatological findings showed a statistically significant different in favour of the pirenzepine-treated group as early as the 6th week of treatment. No side-effects attributable to pirenzepine were reported.