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Behçet's disease is an inflammatory process of unknown origin, which usually presents with recurrent oral ulcers, genital aphthae, uveitis and cutaneous lesions. However, a wide variety of clinical manifestations have been reported, and virtually any organ system may be affected, showing central nervous system, joints, blood vessels or gastrointestinal tract involvement. Therapeutic approach remains complex, and varies in basis of the affected organs. Complex aphthosis may respond to topical therapy, colchicine and dapsone. If this therapy does not result in adequate disease control, thalidomide, oral prednisone and methotrexate may be useful. When severe ocular lesions or systemic manifestations are present, therapies tend to be more aggressive, usually combining corticosteroids with immunosuppressive agents as cyclosporin, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, interferon-alfa-2a, and chlorambucil.

The ingestion of iron-containing products is a potential toxicological emergency. It is a leading cause of pediatric unintentional ingestion fatalities because some iron-containing compounds are readily available (vitamin mixtures, iron pills). Among adults, it has been described as accidental overdoses (mainly in pregnancy) and as suicidal attempts. We report a 42 years old woman, admitted due to the intentional ingestion of iron pills with suicidal purposes. A plain abdominal X ray showed at least 20 pills in the gastric fundus and antrum. She was successfully treated with intravenous desferroxamine chelation. Plain abdominal X ray examination can be very useful in the diagnosis of acute iron poisoning.

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a rare but serious complication of miliary tuberculosis with a mortality rate near 100% when associated with pancytopenia. This association has been rarely reported (eleven cases in a Medline search, 1966-1999). A case is here reported of an HIV-negative patient with miliary tuberculosis which presented as ARDS associated with pancytopenia. This case prompted us to review the literature and risk factors, diagnosis and treatment issues are discussed. In patients with predisposing factors miliary tuberculosis must be considered as a possible cause of ARDS.

Yersinia spp infection in human people are increasing attention last thirty years. We have reviewed the bacteremia in our hospital last five years. Three episodes were Yersinia spp bacteremia. Presence of disease or predisponent therapy were present in most of episodes. All patients were more than seventy years old. The septic metastasis were present in all the cases: one with meningitis, other with liver abscess and one with septic arthritis. We have documented a good clinical evolution, though the mortality in different reports is around 50%. The election therapy for all episodes were cephalosporins, and in two cases we added quinolones.