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Biomedical subjects

A Fabbri

Publications and source records attributed to A Fabbri.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

[Behavior of specific antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen in children with acute and chronic hepatitides in healthy carriers and in various co-habitants of chronic hepatitis patients].

The Authors studied the behaviour of ABsAb in a pediatric case-list made up of 8 cases of virus B acute hepatitis, and 63 cases of chronic hepatitis in different evolutive phases: besides, this investigation was extended to 48 healthy carriers (29 of whom bioptically confirmed) and 35 cases of cohabitants with HBsAg-positive hepatic chronic patients. In acute hepatitis the antibody pattern, even if delayed in time, mimics the modalities of the organic response against exogenous stimulations, therefore it constitutes an index of past disease and recovery. In chronic hepatitis (both HBsAg-positive and negative) the specific antibody to the surface antigen is present only at a low percentage (27%) and generally at low titres. In healthy carriers, bioptically ascertained, it is practically absent as to suggest more careful consideration when it turns out present (pseudo-carriers?), while in the cohabitants with virus B patients, especially if chronic, along with HBsAg detection, it consitutes an indispensable element for their classification in patients, ex-patients, not infected and healthy carriers. A very interesting finding, requiring further confirmation, is the unusual behaviour of these antibodies in some cases of relapsed chronic hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1976

[Behavior of hemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies against measles and rubella in a group of children with chronic hepatitis].

The Authors studied the amount of anti-measles and anti-rubella heteroantibodies during chronic hepatitis and the possible role of these antibodies in eliciting and maintaining the hypergammaglobulinemic picture, characteristic of this morbid condition. The results they obtained in an almost exclusively pediatric case-list (37 cases) show, whenever the contact with these viruses (measles and rubella) occurred, a percentage of subjects with comparatively higher levels among chronic liver patients in comparison with control patients, of the same age. The percentage of subjects with previous rubella infection and hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody levels higher than 1:256 is about 45% among chronic liver patients, compared with 13% in healthy subjects. As far as measles virus is concerned the percentage drops from 11% to 4%. The most reliable hypotheses to explain this interesting phenomenon, which, however, does explain only partially, and concerning some cases only, the entity of the hypergammaglobulineamia, are set forth briefly.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Galactose elimination capacity and liver volume in aging man.

The galactose elimination capacity, a measure of the functional liver cell mass, and liver volume were measured in 50 normal subjects of five different age groups (less than 50, 51 to 60, 61 to 70, 71 to 80 and greater than 81 years). The volume of the liver was evaluated by ultrasonography. All subjects had normal routine liver function tests and no history of liver disease. Galactose elimination progressively decreased from 3.05 +/- 0.58 (S.D.) mmoles per min in younger subjects to 1.83 +/- 0.24 mmoles per min in subjects over 81 (p less than 0.00003), without any change in the apparent volume of distribution of the sugar. Similarly, the estimated volume of the liver decreased from 110 +/- 14 units to 75 +/- 13 units with increasing age (p less than 0.0002). Both galactose elimination capacity and the estimated liver volume inversely correlated with age (r = -0.728 and r = -0.579, respectively) whereas a positive correlation was observed between galactose elimination and the estimated liver volume (r = 0.520). Part correlation analysis confirmed that age, when entered in a multiple regression already containing body weight and estimated liver volume as independent variables, had a significant effect on liver function, whereas no significant independent effect of liver volume was present. Both age and body weight had a significant independent effect on the estimated liver volume. The maximum functional capacity of the liver, measured by galactose elimination, is reduced in the elderly. Although several factors may play a role, our data suggest that aging is associated with a slight decline in the intrinsic metabolic activity of the hepatic parenchyma.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunohistochemical localization of beta-endorphin in hyperplastic interstitial tissue of the human testis.

The immunohistochemical localization of beta-endorphin in the normal testis (two patients) and in the pathologic testis (two cases of Sertoli Cell Only Syndrome, two cases of Klinefelter Syndrome, two cases of post-orchitis tubular sclero-hialinosis) was investigated. No beta-endorphin immunostaining was detected in the normal testis, while positive beta-endorphin immunostaining has been observed in pathologic tissues. These results indicate that, as in animals, beta-endorphin is present in human Leydig cells and may play a local role in regulating male reproductive function.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased plasma beta-endorphin levels in hereditary angioedema.

We measured beta-endorphin (BE) and beta-lipotropin (BLPH) plasma concentrations (by means of an HPLC-RIA coupled method) during attacks as well as during symptom-free periods in a group of 28 patients with immunochemical (21) or functional (7) Cl inhibitor deficiency. Thirteen patients suffering from chronic urticaria served as controls. Three orders of considerations prompted us to initiate the present study: the clinical relationship between stress and the onset of acute episodes, the possible effects of repeated stressful situations, as are the attacks themselves, on the patients' neuroendocrine system and the well-known existence of close links between the immune system and endogenous opioids. The results show that plasma BE (and, to a lesser extent, BLPH) is dramatically increased during the attacks. In symptom-free periods many patients show very high BE concentrations, often in the presence of slightly elevated concentrations of BLPH and of ACTH. These observations suggest that patients with hereditary angioneurotic edema show a modified pro-opiomelanocortin-synthesizing cell activity that can result in a massive release of BE from the readily disposable pool present in the pituitary and/or an increase in the turnover of the peptide as evaluated by the BLPH/BE ratio.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Superoxide dismutase in gastric adenocarcinoma: is it a clinical biomarker in the development of cancer?

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the pathogenesis of gastric malignancies is well known. Many human tumours have shown significant changes in the activity and expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which might be correlated with clinical-pathological parameters for the prognosis of human carcinoma. The aim of this study is the detection of MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and their expression in gastric adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. Gastric samples (adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues) harvested during endoscopy or resected during surgery were used to determine MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and expression by spectrophotometric and Western blotting assays. The total SOD activity was significantly higher (p<0.05) in healthy mucosa with respect to gastric adenocarcinomas. No differences were found in MnSOD activity and, on the contrary, CuZnSOD activity was significantly lower (p<0.001) in cancer samples with respect to normal mucosa. The rate of MnSOD/CuZnSOD activity in adenocarcinoma was over ninefold higher than that registered in healthy tissues (p<0.05). Moreover, in adenocarcinoma MnSOD activity represented the 83% of total SOD with respect to healthy tissues where the ratio was 52% (p<0.001). On the contrary, in cancer tissues, CuZnSOD activity accounted for only 17% of the total SOD (p<0.001 if compared with the values recorded in normal mucosa). After immunoblotting, MnSOD was more expressed in adenocarcinoma with respect to normal mucosa (p<0.001), while CuZnSOD was similarly expressed in adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. The SOD activity assay might provide a specific and sensitive method of analysis that allows the differentiation of healthy tissue from tumour tissue. The MnSOD to CuZnSOD activity ratio, and the ratio between these two isoforms and total SOD, presented in this preliminary study might be considered in the identification of cancerous from healthy control tissue.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ceftazidime plus amikacin versus ceftazidime plus vancomycin as empiric therapy in febrile neutropenic children with cancer.

Two antibiotic regimens, ceftazidime plus amikacin and ceftazidime plus vancomycin, were compared in a prospective, randomized clinical trial as empiric therapy in febrile granulocytopenic children with cancer. The rate of response was similar in the two groups (66% vs. 77%). The prevalence of secondary gram-negative bacteremia was higher--but not significantly higher--in the group receiving vancomycin. Adverse reactions also occurred more often in the latter group (35% vs. 4%). Mortality did not differ significantly in the two groups. Adjustment for independent predictors of response to treatment by means of multivariate analysis confirmed the lack of any remarkable difference between the responses to the two regimens. We conclude that the use of vancomycin instead of amikacin in combination with ceftazidime does not significantly improve the outcome of treatment of fever and infection in granulocytopenic children with cancer and that the use of vancomycin is associated with an increased frequency of both secondary infections due to gram-negative bacteria and adverse reactions.

Amikacin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Erectile dysfunction: an overview.

Erectile dysfunction is a common (affecting 10-20 million men in the USA) and multifactorial disease due to organic and/or psychological factors that strongly impairs the quality of life in man. During the past decade many advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction have been made and new therapeutic strategies have become available. It has been established that an insufficient production of nitric oxide by penile nerve terminals and/or vascular endothelium may result in an impaired erection or complete impotence. Nowadays, intracavernous injection of vasoactive drugs represents a standardized approach for the diagnosis, and the treatment of choice, for erectile dysfunction, but is not widely accepted by the patients. The possibility of treating erectile dysfunction with intraurethral administration of prostaglandin-E1 has recently become available in the USA, and is a therapy more acceptable to the patients. Other noninvasive medical therapies are undergoing evaluation.

Erectile Dysfunction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Model-derived assessment of urea appearance in response to alanine infusion: a quantitative measure of liver function in cirrhosis.

A three compartment mathematical model was used to analyse the urea response to an alanine infusion in six control subjects, and in 15 patients with liver cirrhosis and variable degree of hepatocellular failure. Model-derived coefficients were used to calculate two parameters (Ymax and Tmax), able to describe the theoretical response of the conversion of amino acid derived nitrogen into urea, in response to a unit impulse in alanine concentration. They correspond to the maximum rate of conversion of nitrogen from an intermediary pool into urea and to the time delay between the impulse and Ymax, respectively. In cirrhosis, the apparent volume of distribution of infused alanine was smaller than in controls, while the conversion of alanine nitrogen into an intermediary pool of nitrogen and finally into urea nitrogen were both reduced. Also Ymax was reduced by 50% in cirrhosis, whereas Tmax was increased by 50%, and both significantly correlated with galactose elimination capacity (GEC; R2 = 0.706 and R2 = 0.505, respectively) and with antipyrine clearance (Ap Cl; R2 = 0.823 and R2 = 0.576, respectively). Model-derived assessment of urea appearance in response to alanine infusion is able to quantify the functional liver cell mass, and may prove useful for the study of nitrogen metabolism in cirrhosis, mainly in relation to encephalopathy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Overview of randomized clinical trials of oral branched-chain amino acid treatment in chronic hepatic encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: The role of oral branched-chain amino acid supplements in the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatic encephalopathy is not yet established, and conflicting opinions are expressed in authoritative textbooks. We aimed to review and pool the published controlled studies by means of meta-analytical techniques. METHODS: A computerized search of published papers identified nine studies, controlled against placebo, energy, alimentary proteins, or casein. Their quality score was calculated according to the protocol of Chalmers. The value of the portal-systemic encephalopathy index was chosen as main outcome, because of lack of more significant clinical outcomes. To cope with differences in trial design and data presentation, individual data were requested to authors. RESULTS: After 18 months, we received the individual data of only two studies, thus precluding any meta-analysis. Two studies, accounting for over 60% of total enrolled patients, were in favor of branched-chain amino acids. Their quality score was much better than that of the remaining seven negative small studies, carrying a significant risk of type II error. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the two largest, long-term studies, the use of oral branched-chain amino acids in the prevention and treatment of chronic encephalopathy may only be proposed for patients with advanced cirrhosis, intolerant to alimentary proteins. Large, multicenter, long-term studies, considering more important clinical outcomes, are needed to provide definite answers to an aged question.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

["Variant" angina: clinical, electrocardiographic and coronarographic aspects in 40 cases. Considerations for treatment (author's transl)].

Forty patients with chest pain and the electrocardiographic aspects of Prinzmetal's variant angina were studied by means of selective coronary arteriography. In 36 cases (90%) severe coronary lesions could be demonstrated: in 75% of the cases a critical obstruction involved a single major coronary trunk; only in 15% two or more vessels were affected. The vessel most frequently involved by critical obstruction was the left anterior descending (57%); in 5 cases (12.5%) a severe stenosis of the common left coronary trunk was present. In 8 cases critical stenosis were reduced by coronary dilators and were completely resolved in 2 cases. Peripheral lesions with multiple secondary branches involvement were present in none of the cases. A common finding was the absence of evident collateral anastomotic circulation. The comparison of the electrocardiographic manifestations of the anginal crisis and the angiographic findings showed a strict correlation between the area of subepicardial lesion and the major coronary vessel distributing to the corresponding myocardial region. Of the 40 patients, 17 were treated medically and 23 underwent a surgical aortocoronary bypass: the results (surgical mortality 22%; complete success 52%) are compared with those in the literature. Prognosis appears to be severe: coronary arteriography must be performed under criteria of urgency, and the possibilities of treatment must be considered on the basis of the angiographic findings.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Erectile dysfunction].

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. The disorder is age-associated, with estimated prevalence rates of 39% among men 40 years old and 67% among those 70 years old. ED is a common (2 to 3 million males in Italy) and multifactorial disease due to organic and/or psychological factors that strongly impair the quality of life in man. During the last decade many advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ED have been made and new therapeutic strategies have become available. It has been established that an insufficient production of nitric oxide by penile nerve terminals and/or vascular endothelium may result in an impaired erection or complete impotence. Nowadays, intracavernous injection of vasoactive drugs represents a standardised approach for the diagnosis and a treatment option for ED, but is not widely accepted by the patients. The possibility of treating ED with new oral agents (i.e. sildenafil, apomorphine, phentolamine) or intraurethral administration of prostaglandin-E1 made this therapy more acceptable. Vacuum erection devices and penile prostheses represent second-line treatments. Men with ED caused by endocrine disorders (i.e. hypogonadism, prolactinomas) should be treated appropriately (i.e. testosterone and dopaminergic agonists, respectively). Amongst new drugs, sildenafil is considered the most promising: it is a potent inhibitor of type-5 phosphodiesterase in the corpus cavernosum and therefore increases the penile response to sexual stimulation. Oral sildenafil (25-100 mg when needed) is an effective and well-tolerated treatment in impotent men suffering from ED of unknown etiology.

Administration, Oral↗