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Biomedical subjects

A Carotti

Publications and source records attributed to A Carotti.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Management of major tracheal hemorrhage after repair of complex congenital heart defects.

Two patients with complex congenital heart defects (a 4-year-old with transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect, and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and a 3 1/2-year-old with double-outlet right ventricle, subpulmonary stenosis, and complete atrio-ventricular septal defect) suffered multiple major hemorrhages from the tracheobronchial tree (28 and 7 bleeding events, respectively). Successful management included tracheostomy, sedation and paralysis, systemic hypotension, and systemic hypothermia for a period of seven days. Both patients survived.

Anesthesia↗

Pediatric cardiac surgery guided by echocardiography. Established indications and new trends.

Cardiac surgery in 602 children was not preceded by cardiac catheterization, the diagnosis being based on clinical findings and two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. In the 355 operations without cardiopulmonary bypass there were nine major and seven minor diagnostic errors (2.5% and 2%). Among the 247 cases with open-heart surgery there were no major and eight (3.2%) minor errors. The malformations most suitable for nonbypass surgery without catheterization seem to be those with reduced pulmonary blood flow requiring systemic-pulmonary artery shunt, aortic coarctation and patent ductus arteriosus. For open-heart surgery without invasive investigation, atrial septal defect, partial atrioventricular canal, aortic and pulmonary stenosis, cardiac tumor and isolated valve disorder are 'classic' candidates. Recent experience indicated that selected cases of complete atrioventricular canal, tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and transposition of the great arteries may safely undergo primary repair without cardiac catheterization. Because of its diagnostic potentialities, pediatric cardiac surgeons must become familiar with echocardiography.

Cardiac Catheterization↗

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of perhydropyrrolo [3,4-c]pyridine derivatives.

Several N,N'-bis-alkyl-perhydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridines 4 and the corresponding bis-quaternary derivatives 5 have been prepared through standard methods starting from the bicyclic dilactam 2. Compounds 4 and 5 were evaluated for their inhibitory properties against acetylcholine (ACh), 1,1-dimethylphenyl piperazinium iodide (DMPP), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and histamine (H1), and the guinea pig isolated ileum. Pharmacological data indicated that the strongest anticholinergic activity was shown by the dibenzyl amine 4 g, which among the tested molecules presented also a rather potent effect at the ganglia level, resulting about three times more potent than hexamethonium as ganglionic blocking agent. The preliminary SAR coming from the analysis of the pharmacological results are presented and discussed.

Acetylcholine↗

Determination of antitubercular drugs in human plasma by HPLC through direct injection.

A simple and efficient method is described for the direct determination of Isoniazide (INH) and Pyrazinamide (PZAm) in human plasma, based on reversed-phase HPLC. A number of other antitubercular drugs such as p-Aminosalycylic acid (PAS), Streptomycin (STM) and Ethambutol (ETH) and the major metabolites of the two investigated drugs, namely N-Monoacetylisoniazide (AcINH) and Pyrazinoic acid (PZAc), were shown not to interfere with the assay method. A potential application of the method to routine clinical monitoring of antitubercular drugs is discussed.

Antitubercular Agents↗

[Hypothermia treatment of junctional ectopic tachycardia after surgical repair of congenital heart defects].

Junctional ectopic tachycardia after surgical repair of congenital heart defects is associated with high mortality. Usually, it is transitory and resolves spontaneously, but a long period with very fast heart rate and without atrio-ventricular synchrony contraction may cause low cardiac output. Treatment with common anti-arrhythmic drugs is often uneffective both in restoring sinus rhythm and in reducing heart rate. Since hypothermia is known to decrease cardiac automaticity, two infants, aged 4 and 10 months, with junctional ectopic tachycardia and low cardiac output after surgical repair of the atrio-ventricular septal defect were treated with hypothermia after unsuccessful pharmacological attempts to control the arrhythmia. Generalized hypothermia was induced with cooling-blankets and ice packs. Rectal temperature initially dropped to 30 degrees and was subsequently maintained at between 33.8 and 34.2 degrees with the heart rate between 130 and 140 m beats per minute. Trans-oesophageal atrial pacing at a higher rate allowed for sequential atrio-ventricular contraction. Signs of low cardiac output were quickly resolved. One patient was warmed-up after 12 hours of hypothermia and remained in sinus rhythm. In the other patient, the arrhythmia recurred after rewarming and a further 30-hour period of hypothermia was required. Sinus rhythm was maintained thereafter. Both patients are in stable sinus rhythm 20 and 22 months after surgery. Our experience supports the use of hypothermia as a means to control post-operative junctional ectopic tachycardia resistant conventional anti-arrhythmic drugs.

Electrocardiography↗

QSAR analysis of the subtilisin hydrolysis of X-phenyl hippurates. II. A study of subtilisin BPN'.

The hydrolysis of 30 substituted phenyl hippurates (X-C6H4OCOCH2NHCOC6H5) by subtilisin BPN' was studied and from the results the following quantitative structure-activity relationship was derived: log 1/Km = 0.39 sigma + 0.16 B5.4 + 0.29 pi'3 + 3.58. In this expression Km is the Michaelis constant, sigma is the Hammett constant, B5.4 is the sterimol steric parameter of X in the 4-position and pi'3 is the hydrophobic parameter for the more hydrophobic of the two possible meta substituents. The other meta substitutent is assigned a pi value of 0. This mathematical model is qualitatively compared with a molecular graphics model constructed from the X-ray crystallographic coordinates of subtilisin BPN'. The results with subtilisin BPN' are compared with our earlier study of similar substrates with Carlsberg subtilisin.

Computer Graphics↗

5q- syndrome terminating in acute myeloid leukemia. Karyotype evolution and immunologic characterization of blast cells.

We report a case of 5q- syndrome that progressed to acute nonlymphocytic leukemia after 9 years of clinically and morphologically stable disease. The transition from the chronic to the leukemic phase was characterized by the appearance of an additional cytogenetic anomaly [inv(2)] in the cell carrying the 5q-, together with the expansion of a clone showing an apparently normal karyotype.

Anemia, Refractory↗

Synthesis and cognition activating properties of some mono- and bicyclic lactam derivatives.

Upon reductive cyclization cyano esters 2, 3, and 9 yielded piperidones and perhydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyridine lactams, generally as a mixture of diasteromeric cis-trans forms. X-ray crystallographic analyses were carried out on bicyclic dilactam derivatives 6 and 10, and a cis configuration at the ring junction was determined in both cases. A series of neuropsychopharmacological tests performed on the title compounds indicated that they are generally nontoxic even at high doses (up to 1000 mg/kg ip). The cognition activating properties of lactams 4, 5, 6, and 10 were evaluated in enhancing retention for passive avoidance learning in rats without and after electroconvulsive shock (ECS); compounds 5 and 10 were found to be more potent than piracetam in the amnesia-reversal testing.

Amnesia↗

Growth response of human myeloid leukemia cells to colony-stimulating factors.

The effects of human recombinant granulocyte and granulocyte-macrophage- (G- and GM-CSF), and of purified macrophage-stimulating factors (CSF-1), were tested on populations of leukemia cells isolated from 18 patients with different types of acute myeloid leukemia. Cell proliferation and differentiation were studied by culturing the cells in suspension for 7 days in the presence of CSF or medium alone. Spontaneous cell proliferation, as assessed by tritiated thymidine uptake, was observed in 9 of the 18 cases. GM-CSF induced proliferation in seven of the nine cases without spontaneous growth and increased spontaneous proliferation in nine cases. G-CSF added alone was also found to strongly stimulate leukemic blast cell proliferation, in which a translocation involving the long arm of chromosome 17 was observed. Low levels of CSF-1 stimulation were also observed in some cases. No clear morphological modification supporting evidence of terminal differentiation was observed, whereas modulation of some cell surface antigens was detected by flow cytometry. Thus, most leukemia cells still depend on growth factors for their proliferation, GM-CSF appearing the most effective. On the other hand these factors were not able to induce terminal differentiation.

Antigens, Surface↗

A multicenter trial of low dose captopril administered twice daily in patients with essential hypertension unresponsive to beta blocker-diuretic treatment.

Two hundred and one patients with essential hypertension, whose supine diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) was greater than or equal to 95 mmHg following 2 weeks of treatment with the optimal dose of a beta blocker-diuretic combination (Phase 1), were randomly assigned to the addition of either 25 or 50 mg captopril BID for 6 weeks (Phase 2). At the end of Phase 2, the dose of captopril was doubled in the patients not normalized (SDBP greater than or equal to 95 mmHg) and maintained in the others (SDBP less than 95) for an additional 4 weeks (Phase 3). At the end of Phase 3, the beta blocker was withdrawn in the normalized (SDBP less than 95 mmHg) patients, and captopril plus diuretic was given for 4 weeks (Phase 4). The addition of captopril at either dose level led to a significant fall (p less than 0.01) in standing and supine diastolic and systolic blood pressure after the first 2 weeks of treatment. There was no significant difference in response between the two dose levels of captopril. At the end of Phase 2, 59.4% and 55.8% of patients, respectively, assigned to 25 and 50 mg captopril BID, were normalized. Doubling the dose of captopril (Phase 3) led to approximately an additional 30% of patients being normalized. At the end of Phase 4 (captopril plus diuretic) the SDBP was still less than 95 mmHg in 63% of patients, whereas it was increased in the others. Side effects were noted in 10 patients (5%). The incidence was similar in each treatment group, and a total of four patients (2%) were withdrawn due to side effects.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability of captopril in the elderly: comparison with hydrochlorothiazide and placebo in a multicentre, double-blind study.

In this study we compared the antihypertensive efficacy and tolerability of captopril at 25 mg twice daily, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), 12.5 mg twice daily and placebo in a multicentre, double-blind, randomized study that included 152 essential hypertensive patients (77 males, 75 females, 87 WHO stage I, 65 WHO stage II, aged 69 +/- 4 years, mean +/- s.d.). Supine and standing blood pressure were similarly reduced by captopril and HCTZ (P less than 0.01 for both compared with placebo). The heart rate did not change. Captopril (25-30 mg twice daily) and HCTZ (12.5 mg twice daily), alone or in combination, maintained their antihypertensive effect during a 24-week single-blind follow-up study. During the follow-up, diastolic blood pressure remained less than 100 mmHg in seven essential hypertensives on placebo, in 45 on captopril and in 25 on HCTZ. Side effects were observed in seven essential hypertensives during placebo (treatment withdrawn in two), in eight during HCTZ and in three during captopril. Serum potassium was reduced (P less than 0.05) and uric acid was increased (P less than 0.01) only during HCTZ. We conclude that captopril and HCTZ have similar antihypertensive efficacy in the elderly; however, captopril appears to be better tolerated.

Aged↗

t(4;21) (p16;q22) in blastic crisis of a chronic myeloid leukemia with variant Philadelphia translocation.

A chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patient who had presented a t(2;9;22) translocation during the chronic phase developed an unusual t(4;21) (p16;q22) translocation during the M2 type FAB classification blastic crisis. The role of these two recombinant chromosomes in the genesis of the terminal phase is discussed, particularly as the breakpoint on chromosome 21 near to the ets-2 oncogene locus, seems to be the same as that described in the t(8;21) (q22;q22) translocation specific of type M2 AML.

Aged↗