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In 1998 a network of 20 regional tuberculosis (TB) laboratories (the Italian Multicentre Study on Resistance to Antituberculosis drugs (SMIRA) network) was established in Italy to implement proficiency testing and to monitor the prevalence of drug resistance nationwide. The network managed 30% of all TB cases reported in Italy each year. The aim of the present report is to describe: 1) the accuracy of drug-susceptibility testing in the network; 2) the prevalence of drug resistance for the period 1998-2000. Data were collected from the network laboratories. Sensitivity to streptomycin and ethambutol increased from the first survey (1998-1999) to the second survey (2000) from 87.7 to 91.9%. Specificity, predictive values for resistance and susceptibility, efficiency and reproducibility were consistent in both surveys. In previously untreated cases, the prevalence of multidrug-resistance was the same in both surveys (1.2%), while a slight decrease from the first to the second survey was observed for monoresistance to rifampicin (from 0.8 to 0.4%) and isoniazid (from 2.9 to 2%). The significant association found between isoniazid resistance and immigration is a useful indicator for both clinicians managing individual tuberculosis cases and public health services planning control strategies.

Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) has been proposed in COPD patients with acute on chronic respiratory failure (ACRF) in order to avoid endotracheal intubation and to improve immediate outcome, but long-term outcome of this therapeutic approach is still undefined. We evaluated short- and long-term (1 year) outcome of early administration of NPPV in 24 patients with ACRF due to exacerbated COPD (Group A) in comparison with 24 matched historical-control patients treated conventionally (Group B). Patients of Group A were initially treated with NPPV via nasal mask in the presence of pH < or = 7.32, and/or Pa,O2 < 7.98 kPa, and/or Pa,CO2 > 7.18 kPa, plus signs of respiratory distress. In-hospital survival rate was not significantly different in Group A vs Group B, but the patients treated with NPPV showed an earlier improvement in blood gases and a better pH and respiratory rate at discharge. Only 2 patients of Group A needed endotracheal intubation as compared with 9 of Group B. Hospital stay was significantly reduced in survivors of Group A vs Group B. Further severe relapses of ACRF in Group A were treated using NPPV. The number and length of further hospitalizations for pulmonary exacerbations were significantly higher in Group B compared with Group A. The survival rate at 12 months was significantly lower in Group B than in Group A (50% vs 71%). In conclusion, NPPV administration in patients with ACRF due to exacerbated COPD improves not only immediate but also long-term outcome.

The aim of this study was to check non-invasively the acute haemodynamic effects of non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) initiation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute ventilatory failure (AVF). Nineteen consecutive COPD patients with AVF were evaluated clinically and echocardiographically during spontaneous breathing with O2 supplementation and during NPPV plus O2. NPPV was administered with a scheduled inspiratory pressure of 15 cmH2O and an expiratory pressure of 4 cmH2O, via facial mask. Arterial blood gas improved significantly (pH and PaCO2; P15%) of CO during NPPV. No correlation was found between decreased CO and baseline data, but three patients showing CO reduction had poor tolerance to mask ventilation and did not improve respiratory rate during NPPV. It was concluded that the initiation of NPPV by facial mask does not alter haemodynamics acutely in most COPD patients with AVF, but individual patients may experience reduction in CO in spite of adequate oxygen saturation levels. This suggests that caution should be used when applying pre-determined and fixed pressures during NPPV. Monitoring haemodynamics by Doppler echocardiography may be useful for early detection of haemodynamic alterations due to NPPV application in patients with AVF.

In June 1989, an out-patient clinic for asthma was instituted at Crema Hospital, Italy. Up to November 1994, 430 adult asthmatics were recruited, classified and managed according to the recommendations of the international guidelines. The aims of this study are to verify: 1) whether the organization of the clinic could maintain asthma under control and reduce hospital admissions; and 2) whether the traditional educational approach could be implemented by lessons in the school of asthma to improve the control of asthma symptoms and/or admissions. The data reported refer to the first 360 asthmatics attending the clinic between 1989 and 1994: 53, 45 and 2% of them were suffering from extrinsic, intrinsic and occupational asthma, respectively. On recruitment, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was80% of predicted in 170 patients, and arterial oxygen tension (Pa,O2) 8.0 kPa (60 mmHg) in 27 patients. After the admission visit, 190 patients (53%) were classified as mild, 97 (27%) as moderate, and 73 (20%) as severe asthmatics. In May 1993, a school of asthma was organized. Forty four patients were recruited, stratified according to the severity of their asthma and randomized into two groups: 22 patients attended the school, and 22 patients did not. Each group consisted of 5, 10 and 7 patients with mild, moderate and severe asthma, respectively. The school comprised four lessons twice a week. One year after the end of the school, we could find no differences between the two groups (school versus controls) with regard to the number of urgent care visits (9 vs 9), scheduled visits (22 vs 21) and hospital admissions (2 vs 2).

Reports of a few apparently autochthonous cases of human histoplasmosis and results of epidemiological research suggested the autochthonous presence of the disease in Italy. Identifying two new histologically documented cases of Italian patients, who had never been abroad, and, the positive results of a histoplasmin reactivity survey carried out in the Province of Cremona, Italy confirmed this possibility.