-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A collaborative project was established between the Alli Causai Foundation in Ambato, Ecuador, and the University of Genoa, Italy, to introduce the microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay for the rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ecuador. A total of 507 samples were evaluated during a 10-month period, and DNA was extracted from each isolate and sent to Genoa for confirmatory molecular analysis. M. tuberculosis was identified in 45 samples by MODS, and drug resistance was observed in approximately 21% of the isolates, with four multidrug-resistant strains detected in two patients.
The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease: the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 06/2010; 14(6):786-8. · 2.73 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A collaborative project was established between the Alli Causai Foundation in Ambato, Ecuador, and the University of Genoa, Italy, to introduce the microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay for the rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Ecuador. A total of 507 samples were evaluated during a 10-month period, and DNA was extracted from each isolate and sent to Genoa for confirmatory molecular analysis. M. tuberculosis was identified in 45 samples by MODS, and drug resistance was observed in approximately 21% of the isolates, with four multidrug-resistant strains detected in two patients.
The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease: the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 05/2010; 14(6):786-788. · 2.73 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Quantification of p24 antigen is still very important for HIV management, especially for diagnosis of perinatal human immunodeficiency
virus type 1 infection. In 1998, M. Giacomini and O. E. Varnier developed a software (Quanti-Kin© Detection System) for p24
quantification, but over the years some problems have arisen. So a new version, with a user friendly interface developed on
the web, has been published. Quanti-Kin© Web has introduced some benefits: algorithms for calculation are improved, the maximum
error (Delta %) has been reduced from 1364,37 to 103,38, results of experiments can be collected worldwide and patients’ privacy
is respected.
Keywordsp24 antigen quantification-user friendly interface-ELISA-HIV-Colorimetric acquisition
01/2010: pages 184-187;
-
E Righi,
C G Giacomazzi,
V Lindstrom,
A Albarello,
O Soro,
M Miglino,
M Perotti, O E Varnier,
M Gobbi,
C Viscoli,
M Bassetti
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Cunninghamella bertholletiae infection occurs most frequently in neutropenic patients affected by haematological malignancies, is associated with an unfavourable outcome. We report a case of rhino-mastoidal fungal infection in a leukaemic patient. Bioptical tissue cultures yield the isolation of a mould with typical properties of Cunninghamella species. Liposomal amphotericin B (L-Amb) therapy combined with surgical intervention brought the lesion to recovery. Nevertheless, the patient died 14 days after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from bacterial sepsis. Mastoiditis was documented at CT-scan. The conditioning regimen probably caused the reactivation of the Cunninghamella infection that led to the patient's fatal outcome; fungal hyphae were detected after autopsy of brain and lung tissue.
Mycopathologia 07/2008; 165(6):407-10. · 1.65 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We describe a case of primary cutaneous Absidia corymbifera infection in an AIDS patient with renal complications. The Sensititre YeastOne panel was adopted to determine antifungal susceptibility and liposomial amphotericin B was used which initially produced a significant clinical response.
Medical Mycology 12/2007; 45(7):637-40. · 2.46 Impact Factor
-
O.E. Varnier,
J.L. McDermott,
A.A. Giri,
F. Bertolotti,
I. Martini,
I. Levrieri,
M. Giacomini,
R. Mora,
F. Mora,
A. Campelli,
G. Murdaca,
F. Puppo,
F. Indiveri
Minerva ginecologica 01/2002; 54(6):9-13.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: HIV infected patients are considered a sort of reservoir having different genetically distinct viral variants (quasispecies), that evolve from the starting virus inoculum. Frequently, during replication, HIV can generate nucleotide differences in the new viral population; such genetic changes may be uninfluential in viral "fitness" (replication capacity) or give the virus some advantages under a selective pressure, due to immune response or drug treatment. The use of potent combination therapy for the treatment of HIV infections has certainly improved the "quality of life" for patients, decreasing the viral load in the plasma (HIV RNA). In our study, we investigated whether detection of drug resistance-related mutations was possible in circulating PBMCs, which represent a sort of genetic archive of viral drug resistances, when the levels of viral RNA were reduced to below 400 or 50 copies/ml, since, generally, plasma samples with more than 1,000 copies/ml of HIV RNA are needed to generate some results. The study was successfully performed sequencing proviral HIV DNA in PBMCs from 32 samples belonging to 25 patients, using a new modified protocol, that showed a good reproduciblity and very interesting data, also in patients with low or without circulating HIV RNA levels.
The new microbiologica: official journal of the Italian Society for Medical, Odontoiatric, and Clinical Microbiology (SIMMOC) 11/2001; 24(4):325-32. · 1.00 Impact Factor
-
GIMMOC. 01/2000; IV.
-
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology 10/1999; 18(9):671-2. · 2.86 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A novel colorimetric assay was developed and validated for accurate quantitation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We tested 318 sequential samples from 56 subjects, 53 of whom were undergoing dual or triple therapy. Patients were considered responders when viremia levels were below 5, 000 HIV RNA copies/ml. The mean DNA copy numbers for untreated and responder subjects were similar (72 and 75, respectively), while it was 4.54-fold higher for nonresponders (339). This report provides strong evidence that HIV DNA levels in PBMCs correlate with therapeutic efficacy and suggests that DNA quantitation is a useful tool to monitor the decay of the HIV reservoir toward disease remission, especially when viremia is undetectable.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology 08/1999; 37(7):2361-5. · 4.15 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A communication system for the automation of the follow up of AIDS patients set up by DIST at the Molecular Virology Unit in the Advanced Biotechnology Centre of Genova and at the Department of Internal Medicine of the Medical School of Genova is presented. This system includes a distributed database to store both clinical and virological data and a set of procedures to transfer patient data with a complete respect of requirements about completeness and privacy.
Studies in health technology and informatics 02/1999; 68:42-5.
-
J.L. McDermott,
A.A. Giri,
M. Giacomini,
D. Pietrapiana,
I. Martini,
F. Indiveri,
F. Puppo,
A. Campelli,
L. Tagliaferro,
A. Cara, O.E. Varnier
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Discovenes on the efficacy of antiretroviral drug have changed the management of HIV patients. More information on viral load is needed with accurate markers of remission and/or eradication. First objective: to evaluete the sensitivity of an innovative protocol for p24 antigen(3 Plus). The p24 assay has a sensitivity of 70 fg/reaction correlates with viral replication,viral load,CD4+cell numbers and therapy efficacy. Thuss it is a useful and inexpensive marker in AIDS management. Second objective: to develop and evaluate assays for total HIV DNA and non-integrated circular DNA. Total HIV DNA was detected in 96.9% of 548 samples from HIV-infected individuals. High levels of total HIV DNA in sequential samples correlated with therapy inefficacy and subsequent HIV replication,confirmed by the detection of non-integrated DNA. In absence of NI-DNA, total HIV DNA contrains only proviral DNA and is the only marker of remission and/or eradication.
Alpe Adria Microbiology Journal,. 01/1999; 8(1):49-53.
-
Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing 01/1999; 37:347-348. · 1.88 Impact Factor
-
Journal of human virology 01/1999; 2:224.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: This study addresses the limited range of quantification with colorimetric assays (ELISA) starting from the analysis of color production in a reference external curve. An automatic ELISA management software, designated Quanti-Kin Detection System (QKDS) is described, which retains the sensitivity of the end-point reading and extends the dynamic range up to five logarithms with mathematical interpretation of color production. The QKDS software is a generic system suitable for different types of ELISA with substrate incubation at room temperature, does not require dedicated instruments, performs accurate quantification (including assay quality control) and has a user friendly interface. Specific applications were developed for three types of analytes: antibodies, viral antigens and nucleic acids. Data are presented on three representative QKDS applications to HIV antibodies, p24 antigen and proviral DNA kits. The precision of quantification is strictly correlated with the precision of the kit; however, for almost all samples with known analyte amount, the error percentage was below 10%, only for two cases in quantification of HIV proviral DNA the error percentage was around 25%. The necessity for a wide quantification range has been demonstrated by measuring clinical samples, which showed a distribution in all possible quantification ranges for all kits.
Journal of Virological Methods 09/1998; 73(2):201-9. · 2.01 Impact Factor
-
MEDICON '98, VIII Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering, Lemesos (Cipro); 01/1998
-
AIDS 10/1997; 11(11):1397-8. · 6.24 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The fluctuations of HIV-1 p24 antigen concentration have been monitored in the follow-up of 118 subjects in different clinical stages and compared to their CD4 cell count; 104 patients received antiretroviral therapy. Persistent (65%) or sporadic (28%) antigenaemia has been detected in most patients in different clinical stages. The variations of the p24 Ag level are significantly correlated with the CD4 cell count and therapy administration (P = 0.0001). In patients with relatively conserved immune function (CDC II and III), antiretroviral therapy shows the best efficacy and can be efficiently monitored by p24 and CD4 surrogate markers. The data here suggest that although the informative value of p24 Ag is not representative of an AIDS-defining event, it can be used as a short-term and relatively inexpensive virological marker of antiviral activity in vivo, to support the routine management of patients.
Journal of Infection 08/1997; 35(1):67-71. · 4.13 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The present work aims to obtain groups of patients with similar profiles of p24 antigen concentration and of CD4+ cell counts. These two markers were chosen because their evaluation represents a significant step in the clinical follow up of HIV-1 infected subjects. The classifications were obtained by a Kohonen neural net trained in three ways: with p24 antigen profiles only, with CD4+ cell count profiles only and with both sets of profiles. The results show that the clustering fashion of the two parameters closely resembles the clustering fashion of CD4+ only rather than the one of p24Ag, both with reference to cluster formation and with reference to distance among clusters.
Studies in health technology and informatics 02/1997; 43 Pt A:386-90.
-
AIDS 01/1997; 10(14):1735-7. · 6.24 Impact Factor
