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Biomedical subjects

A Bartoloni

Publications and source records attributed to A Bartoloni.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

[Echocardiography in the early diagnosis of acute rejection in patients with heart transplant].

The aim of our study was to assess the sensibility and specificity of Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function during acute cardiac rejection. We studied 34 patients who had undergone a recent heart transplant and compared the echocardiographic results with the histologic findings. We considered the following parameters of left ventricular filling: early peak of mitral flow velocity; pressure half-time (PHT); isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT). We divided the patients into two groups according to the histologic findings: Group I (25 patients who had at least 1 episode of mild-moderate rejection), Group II (6 patients without documented rejection after at least three consecutive biopsies). Three patients with clinically evident rejection were excluded from the analysis. In Group I cardiac rejection was associated with a statistically significant decrease in IVRT (p < 0.0005), without significant changes in heart rate and in the early peak of mitral flow velocity. In Group II Doppler parameters remained unchanged. These variations were not associated with changes in echocardiographic morphologic parameters and in parameters of ventricular systolic function. IVRT and PHT returned to normal values after adequate immunosuppressive treatment. Considering variations of IVRT and PHT of at least 20%, we obtained a sensibility of 88% for isolated variations of PHT and a specificity of 93% for consensual variations of PHT and IVRT. Therefore, the assessment of the left ventricular diastolic function by Doppler echocardiography represents a safe and non-invasive method for an early detection of acute cardiac rejection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Investigation on several phenotypic features in two strains of Mycobacterium genavense.

The newly recognized species Mycobacterium genavense causes disseminated infections in AIDS patients, but its prevalence is difficult to assess because of its inability to grow on standard solid media. For the same reason, very little is known about the phenotypic traits of its isolates. We report here the results of our studies on two such strains isolated from AIDS patients and subcultured on a non-standard solid medium. Besides several features conventionally explored for mycobacterial speciation, we tested the isolates for 19 enzymatic activities and determined their mycolic acids profiles by means of high performance liquid chromatography. We also compare our findings with the scanty literature data on the laboratory characteristic and antimicrobial susceptibility of M. genavense.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Prevalence of measles antibodies before and after vaccination in previously unvaccinated children of the Cordillera Province (Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia).

A study was carried out in the Cordillera Health District (Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia) from October 1988 to April 1989 to determine the seroprevalence of measles antibodies and the seroconversion rates among a group of previously unvaccinated children (9-36 months of age) from the urban and rural area of the province, before and after immunization with a standard dose of Schwarz measles vaccine. Among 265 previously unvaccinated children, 77 (29%) had measles IgG antibodies prior to immunization; 141 out of 147 (96%) seronegative children at the time of vaccination seroconverted. No difference in seroprevalence and in seroconversion rates was found between the urban and rural groups.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Prevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia parkeri and Borrelia turicatae in human settlements of the Cordillera Province, Bolivia.

A seroepidemiological study to determine the prevalence of human Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne relapsing fever was carried out in three communities (Camiri, Boyuibe and Gutierrez) of the Cordillera Province, Santa Cruz Department, south-eastern Bolivia. Anti-B. burgdorferi, anti-B. turicatae and anti-B. parkeri antibodies, tested by the indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA), were detected in 10.8, 16.1 and 8.2% of the serum samples tested, and confirmed by IFA-ABS in 1.3, 1.3 and 1.0%, respectively. This is the first report of the presence of Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne relapsing fever in Bolivia. For Lyme borreliosis these findings represent a further datum to support its existence in South America.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Comparative efficacy of a single 400 mg dose of albendazole or mebendazole in the treatment of nematode infections in children.

The relative efficacy of a single 400 mg dose of albendazole or mebendazole in the treatment of nematode infections was assessed in 2- to 9-year-old children living in two different Bolivian rural communities. Both agents were equally very effective (100% cure rate) in treating ascariasis. Albendazole was clearly more active than mebendazole against hookworm infections, both in terms of egg reduction rate (92.8% vs. 62.4%) and cure rate (81.8% vs. 17.2%). As far as trichuriasis is concerned, albendazole produced a higher egg reduction rate than mebendazole (45.7% vs 15%), but a lower cure rate (33.3% vs 60%). Both drugs were well tolerated.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

[Psychologic implications in loco-regional anesthesia].

A patients, who undergoes surgery, bears so stressful an emotional charge that his personality layout and life conflicts may emerge. When a patient is scheduled for loco-regional anaesthesia, the above mentioned issues should be taken into account to get a proper relation between the patient and the anaesthetist both in the pre- and intraoperative period. The following survey deals with psychological dynamics which compel the patient to ask for or reject a loco-regional anaesthetic procedure. Suggestions are also provided in order to manage adequately the anxiety and the hidden fears of the patient.

Anesthesia, Conduction↗
PubMed1992

Progress towards the development of new vaccines against whooping cough.

Acellular vaccines against whooping cough are in the final stage of clinical testing and are likely to become available for mass immunization in the near future. Over a dozen vaccines of similar composition have been developed by vaccine companies and research laboratories; all of them contain a detoxified form of pertussis toxin (PT) that may be present alone or combined with one or more other non-toxic proteins, such as filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA), pertactin (69 kDa), and the agglutinogens (AGG). Most of the vaccines contain a PT that has been inactivated by chemical treatment, a process that reduces the immunogenicity of the molecule and may not completely eliminate the risk of reversion to toxicity. To avoid these problems, we have constructed by genetic manipulation a mutant of Bordetella pertussis that produces a non-toxic form of PT. This molecule (PT-9K/129G) contains two amino acid substitutions in the S1 subunit (Arg9-->Lys and Glu129-->Gly) which abolish the enzymatic activity of the S1 subunit and all the toxic properties of PT, without changing the immunological properties of the wild-type toxin. Following extensive preclinical studies, which have shown that PT-9K/129G is safe and more antigenic than the toxin treated with chemical agents, this molecule was tested for safety and immunogenicity in adult volunteers, 18-month-old children and 2-month-old infants. The molecule has been tested alone, combined with FHA and pertactin and also combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Tuberculosis and HIV infection association in a rural district of northern Uganda: epidemiological and clinical considerations.

59 (18.3%) of 323 patients with tuberculosis (TB) tested for HIV-1 antibody by ELISA technique (Wellcozyme) were seropositive. In the control group selected among the health personnel working in the Arua Hospital, 7.7% were found positive for HIV-1 antibody, thus showing a significantly lower prevalence compared with the TB patients (P < 0.005). The prevalence of HIV infection was 50% in the urban TB patients, 7% in TB patients living in rural areas surrounding Arua town and 1.6% in the peripheral rural setting. Of 27 TB patients with clinical AIDS, 18 died during the course of the study. The AIDS patients' survival rate was 46.4% 6 months after diagnosis, and 21.4% after 16 months, the median period of survival being 5.0 months. Risk factors, sputum conversion rate, clinical and radiological findings were analysed. No significant difference was found between seropositive and seronegative TB patients for clinical drug-related toxicity (P > 0.05).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Proposal of an improved score method for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in childhood in developing countries.

210 children aged less than 5 years, referred to the Arua Regional TB Centre (Uganda) for suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), were examined by anamnesis, clinical examination, Mantoux test, gastric washing, chest X-ray. The response to treatment criterion was applied to the patients treated. According to the score method suggested by Ghidey and Habte, 31 children were diagnosed as PTB patients. 30 of the 31 children with PTB tested positive for alcohol acid-fast bacilli (AAFB) in the aspirated juice. The Mantoux test and X-rays gave a minor contribution to diagnosis. The clinical results are commented. A statistical analysis was carried out to evaluate the role of gastric washing in the diagnosis of PTB in children under 5 years of age (sensitivity, 96.8%; specificity, 92.2%; positive predictive value, 68.2%; negative predictive value, 99.4%). The response to treatment was also evaluated. A modified enlarged score method (based on gastric washing and including response to treatment) is proposed to be applied in developing countries where chest X-ray and other facilities are often lacking.

Antitubercular Agents↗
PubMed1992

Malaria parasitological indices in the Cordillera Province (Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia).

In 1988-1989, as part of a co-operative programme with the local Unidad Sanitaria, two cross-sectional surveys were carried out to study the prevalence of malaria in eight villages in the rural areas near Camiri, Boyuibe and Gutierrez (Cordillera Province, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia). Thick and thin blood films were collected from all available two- to nine-year-old children at the end of the dry season, in the first survey (252 samples), and after the rainy season, in the second survey (346 samples). The parasite and gametocyte indices increased between surveys from 1.59-25.72 and from 0.40-1.73, respectively. All infections were due to Plasmodium vivax. Both prevalence and parasite load were lower in children aged two to four years than in older children. Prevalences, parasite loads, and parasite densities were highest in rural areas near Camiri and Gutierrez.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Recombinant acellular pertussis vaccine--from the laboratory to the clinic: improving the quality of the immune response.

Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. Recombinant DNA technologies have provided powerful new tools to develop vaccines that were previously impossible or difficult to make, and to improve the vaccines that were already available but had been developed using old technology. In the case of whooping cough, an effective vaccine (composed of killed bacterial cells) is available, but its use is controversial because of the many side effects that have been associated with it. An improved vaccine against this disease should contain pertussis toxin, a molecule that needs to be detoxified in order to be included in the vaccine. Classical methods of detoxification, such as formaldehyde treatment have been used to inactivate this toxin. We have used recombinant DNA technologies to clone the pertussis toxin gene, express it in bacteria, map the B and T cell epitopes of the molecule, and to identify the amino acids that are important for enzymatic activity and toxicity. Finally, we have used this information to mutate the gene in the chromosome of Bordetella pertussis in order to obtain a strain that produces a molecule that is already non-toxic. This genetically inactivated pertussis toxin was tested extensively in animal models and clinical trials and was found to induce an immune response that is superior in quality and quantity to that induced by the vaccines produced by conventional technologies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Effect of enoxacin, norfloxacin and pefloxacin on polymorphonuclear leukocytes chemiluminescence.

We studied the interactions between the neutrophilic granulocytes and three quinolone antibiotics, enoxacin, norfloxacin and pefloxacin, using the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence method to evaluate the respiratory burst of the cells. Neutrophils obtained from healthy human volunteers were exposed to different therapeutic concentrations of the drugs for one and three hours and then opzonized zymosan was added to stimulate chemiluminescence reaction. None of the three drugs tested exercised any influence on neutrophil function.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed1991

Influence of teicoplanin on the chemiluminescence of phagocytosing human granulocytes.

Teicoplanin is a new glycopeptide antibiotic that is structurally related to vancomycin. It is especially active against virtually all gram positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of teicoplanin on the phagocytosis of human neutrophils, using the chemiluminescence reaction method. We incubated three different concentrations (2, 5, 10 microg/ml) of teicoplanin for one and three hours with polymorphonuclear leukocytes of healthy human volunteers and then measured the chemiluminescence reaction during zymosan phagocytosis. The neutrophil function was not influenced by teicoplanin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1991

[Effectiveness of regional anesthesia for loco-regional carotid surgery. Retrospective review of 147 interventions].

The Authors present a retrospective review that compares general anesthesia with regional anesthesia performed during carotid endarterectomy surgery. The study includes 147 procedures, performed on 144 patients: 76 had general anesthesia and 71 had regional anesthesia. After emphasizing the importance of conscience preservation during regional anesthesia to allow a simple and secure monitoring of the patient's neurologic functions, the Authors point out the decrease of peri- and postoperative accidents, whether neurologic or not, obtained with regional anesthesia. Another essential advantage of this technique is the possibility to insert the transitory shunt only when objectively necessary, ulteriorly reducing neurologic complications. Cervical plexus block is primarily indicated for high risk patients with instable neurologic simptomatology, severe stenosis of the contralateral carotid, coronary heart disease. The technique has proved to be of easy execution, safe and well accepted by the patient and the surgeon.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

In-vitro activity of vancomycin, teicoplanin, daptomycin, ramoplanin, MDL 62873 and other agents against staphylococci, enterococci and Clostridium difficile.

The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of different antibiotics were determined by a broth microdilution method for staphylococci, enterococci and Clostridium difficile. The antimicrobial agents tested were vancomycin, teicoplanin, daptomycin, ramoplanin, MDL 62873, rifampicin and piperacillin, the latter limited to enterococci. In terms of MIC90S, daptomycin (0.89 mg/l). MDL 62873 (0.99 mg/l), and teicoplanin (1.50 mg/l) were found to be highly active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Daptomycin (MIC90 0.48 mg/l), MDL 62873 (0.95 mg/l) and ramoplanin (1.45 mg/l) were the most active drugs against methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE). Teicoplanin (MIC90 0.45 mg/l) was the most active agent against enterococci, followed by MDL 62873 (0.65 mg/l) and daptomycin (1.60 mg/l). MDL 62873 gave the lowest MIC90 (0.17 mg/l) for C. difficile. Teicoplanin (MIC90 0.42 mg/l), daptomycin (0.87 mg/l) and ramoplanin (0.98 mg/l) were also very active. Our results indicate that teicoplanin, daptomycin, ramoplanin and MDL 62873, a teicoplanin derivative, are potentially effective alternative antibiotics for treatment of infections caused by staphylococci, enterococci and C. difficile.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

[Iron deficiency in an area of Bolivia and high prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis].

Between November and December 1987, 201 subjects from three communities of the Cordillera Province, Santa Cruz Department, South-East Bolivia (Camiri, Boyuibe, and Gutierrez) were examined for serum iron levels. Sixty-three (31.3%) were iron deficient. There were no significant differences between males and females (37.2% and 26.9%, respectively) and among the three localities studied. Iron deficiency was highest in the 3- to 9-year-old age group and lowest in the 30- to 39-year-old group. Considering the prevalence in the same localities of infections by hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, Strongyloides stercoralis, and Trichostrongylus, it is suggested that hookworms and possibly other intestinal parasites may be an important cause of the observed iron deficiency.

Adolescent↗