RICCARDI N.

Franz Tappeiner (1816–1902) was an Austrian scientist: physician and anthropologist. He studied medicine at the universities of Prague and Padua, and completed his medical education receiving his doctorate in 1843 in Vienna. Tappeiner investigated the transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis in animal models and he dealt with public health, in...

Edoardo Maragliano (1849-1940) was an Italian physician; he played a central role in medicine's "renaissance" in Italy and Europe. After beginning his academic career as a professor of pathology, he became full professor of internal medicine in 1881. While he studied all fields of internal medicine, his research focused mainly on tuberculosis....

Fifty years ago, Italy was declared a malaria-free country by the World Health Organization (WHO). In remembering this important anniversary, the authors of this paper describe the long journey that led to this goal. In the century following the unification of Italy, malaria was one of the main public health problems. At the end of the 19th...

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Mould infections may follow traumatic injuries, with direct fungal inoculum in the site of injury and subsequent angioinvasion, possibly resulting in tissue necrosis and systemic dissemination. The pathogenesis of mould infections following trauma injuries presents unique features compared with classical mould infections occurring in...

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that has evolved together with the humankind. Evidence in ancient Egyptian medical papyri or Assyrian medical texts reported signs and symptoms that could resemble schistosomiasis; similarly, some biblical passages describe an epidemic (depicted as a 'curse') that has been hypothesized to be associated...

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Non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor plus integrase strand transfer inhibitor-based dual therapies are an attractive simplification, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-sparing strategy for experienced human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Thus, we performed a 24-week real-life observational study to assess efficacy...

Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are the preferred third agent in first-line antiretroviral therapies. Raltegravir (RAL) was the first INSTI to be approved and used in naïve and experienced patients. Due to its good tolerability and low side effects, RAL has been largely used also in hepatitis coinfected patients. Many years of...

Tuberculosis (TB) and humans have coexisted for more than 40,000 years. The word "tuberculosis" derives from "tubercle", the histological lesion which appears in the organs, described by Pott in the late Eighteenth century and found, by molecular biology, in human skeletons dating back to 5000 BC. Early description of TB can be found in the...

Trachoma is one of the oldest known causes of blindness in humans and it is caused by the intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis serovars A, B, Ba and C. Its transmission has historically been related to poorness, overcrowded housing and scarce hygiene. We have traced the history of trachoma in Italy in the 19th and 20th...

One of the most challenging issues with the sources of ancient medicine is to be able to identify the correspondence between the diseases we know today and those reported in ancient medical texts. Ancient diseases' definitions rarely help us, and the symptoms described often correspond to more than one disease. This is especially true about...

Background: Heavily treated HIV-1 infected patients may have limited therapeutic alternatives. In order to ensure sustained HIV-RNA suppression in these patients and to improve current antiretroviral treatment regimens in the fight against multi-drug resistant strains, new drugs are needed. Recently, two new drugs among the new generation of...

Background: In 2014, an estimated 1.8 million people died from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB); moreover, 680,000 people developed multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Methods: Currently available anti-MDR and XDR regimens are long-lasting and expensive, need high adherence and are undermined by a high frequency of adverse drug events, thus...

Trachoma is one of the oldest known causes of blindness in humans and it is caused by the intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis serovars A, B, Ba and C. Its transmission has historically been related to poorness, overcrowded housing and scarce hygiene. We have traced the history of trachoma in Italy in the 19th and 20th...

A migrant from Palestine came to our attention for weakness of dorsiflexion of the left foot and hypoesthesia of the homolateral common peroneal nerve territory. Skin biopsies from skin lesions in the hypoesthetic area were not diagnostic. Radiological investigation showed focal nerve enlargement with a possible focal lesion. At this time, and...

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Current HIV treatment regimens provide sustained virologic suppression, at least partially restore the immune system and have limited side effects; however, they do not allow viral eradication and they are burdened by daily pill intake with a life-long commitment for the people living with HIV (PHIV). Injectable agents might represent a turning...

Introduction: Leprosy is nowaday increasingly encountered in non-endemic countries. Nerve involvement is common. Swelling of the nerves may lead to entrapment neuropathy causing pain and neurological deficits. Delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to loss of chance of improvement. Surgical decompression in conjunction with medical therapy...

The introduction of tenofovir (TFV) alafenamide (TAF) into clinical practice will be a further revolution in antiretroviral therapy. Currently available HIV-1 regimens are wide enough to allow diversified usage in different settings. Despite the fact that TAF is not capillary accessible, even in industrialized countries, ultimate International...

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an emerging health threat that is spreading in many parts of Europe. The mix of socio-economical, ecological and climatic factors as well as the presence of more susceptible hosts is actively contributing to the increasing number of TBE reported cases. TBE is an important cause of central nervous system (CNS)...