05). On multivariate analysis, T-SPOT.TB (Hazard ratio 7.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-25.7) was found to be a good

Blasticidin S purchase predictor for ITB diagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) of T-SPOT.TB were 84.2%, 75.4%, 50.0%, and 94.2%, respectively.

Conclusions: When differentiating ITB and CD in tuberculosis-endemic regions, T-SPOT.TB blood test may be a helpful and practical diagnostic tool for its high NPV to rule out ITB. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation. All rights reserved.”
“Necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) is a rare, but rapidly progressive and life-threatening disease with a high morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to evaluate predictors of mortality in a group of patients with NSTIs treated at a single center.

The medical records of all patients that were treated because of a NSTI at our department between 1996 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. To identify factors that were associated with patients’ outcome variables including demographic, clinical, laboratory, and

microbiologic parameters were compared between the group of survivors and non-survivors.

Sixty-four patients with the diagnosis of a NSTI were identified. The overall mortality was 32.8 %. Multiple regression analyses identified the development of a renal failure during the hospital stay and more importantly, the presence of visible skin necrosis selleckchem on the initial clinical examination as independent prognostic SCH727965 nmr markers for NSTIs.

In patients with NSTIs, skin necrosis may serve as an indicator for an advanced stage of the disease. Thus, the presence

of visible skin necrosis as an independent predictor of mortality emphasizes the outstanding importance of early diagnosis and prompt treatment to improve the prognosis of patients with NSTIs.”
“Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) of unknown aetiology. The ‘hygiene hypothesis’ (HH) suggests that several hygiene-related factors may have contributed to the increased incidence of IBD. The aim of the study was to evaluate risk factors for IBD related to HH in a cohort of IBD patients from the south of Italy.

Methods: We prospectively performed a one-year, questionnaire-based, case control, multi-centre study focusing on the principal risk factors for IBD according to HH. We investigated the main surrogate markers of HH (helmintic infections and antibiotics in childhood; breastfeeding; family size/sibship; urban upbringing; personal and domestic hygiene in childhood) in UC and CD patients, in comparison with a control group of healthy subjects. In addition, the traditional risk factors for IBD were also recorded.