Six cases of full spontaneous closure of congenital coronary artery fistulas, and one case of near closure, as seen by colour Doppler echocardiography, are presented. It is worth reconsidering the classical view that nearly all cases of spontaneous closure are eligible for surgical or percutaneous correction to prevent the development of significant and potentially fatal complications. As the natural course of coronary artery fistulas is still poorly defined, asymptomatic patients, especially those under 7 years old with small shunts, should be periodically followed up by echocardiography rather than be subjected to operative closure, even by catheterisation. (Heart 2001;85:e6)
SUMMARYSerum cytokine levels and peripheral T cell subpopulations of HIV-1-infected patients before, during and after active visceral leishmaniasis (VL) were analysed and compared with appropriate controls. At VL diagnosis, co-infected patients showed higher serum levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-g) than matched HIV-1 controls without VL, and lower serum concentrations of IL-10 than non-immunocompromised VL controls. High levels of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) and IFN-g were present in the sera of HIV-1-infected patients with active VL. TNF-a remained elevated after VL recovery. A steady decline in the CD4 þ cell count, an increase of serum HIV viraemia and a progressive seroconversion for the HIV-1 p24 antigen was observed during the course of VL disease. Thus, an aberrant activation of the TNF system with possible negative immunological and virological consequences is present in HIV-1-infected patients with VL. A more extensive prospective validation of these findings in a bigger cohort of patients will nevertheless be necessary. The results support the hypothesis that different opportunistic infection agents may trigger the production of proinflammatory cytokines during immunodeficiency, and in this way accelerate the course of HIV-1 disease.
BRiTISH MEDICAL JOURNAL VOLUME 293 4 OCFOBER 1986 855 SHORT REPORTS Right superior vena cava draining into the left atrium with left superior vena cava draining into the right atrium
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