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Biomedical subjects

A Grieco

Publications and source records attributed to A Grieco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Antipyrine metabolism in patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The influence of cancer on antipyrine metabolism is under debate. METHODS: To assess the functional activity of a liver with solid metastases from primary colorectal cancer, antipyrine metabolism was studied after the drug was administered orally (18 mg/kg body weight) to 55 healthy volunteers, 62 patients with well-compensated cirrhosis, and 42 patients with small (Class A) or massive (Class B) metastatic liver involvement. RESULTS: In patients with cancer, antipyrine clearance (0.472 +/- 0.177 ml/min/kg) was similar to that in healthy volunteers (0.456 +/- 0.198 ml/min/kg) and significantly higher than in those with cirrhosis (0.259 +/- 0.17 ml/min/kg, P less than 0.001). There was no difference in antipyrine pharmacokinetics between Class A and B involvement. In the entire population, antipyrine clearance was correlated with serum albumin levels (r = 0.294, P = 0.0002) and prothrombin activity (r = 0.416, P = 0.001). This positive correlation was not present when only the neoplastic group was considered. No correlation was found between antipyrine clearance and alkaline phosphatase levels. In patients with cancer, no relationship was found between antipyrine clearance and carcinoembryonic antigen and lactic dehydrogenase levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that patients with livers largely replaced by solid metastases are able to metabolize antipyrine to the same extent as healthy subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with folinic acid (F), fluorouracil (FU), vincristine (O), and mitomycin-C (Mi), (F-FOMi).

Thirty-one patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were treated with a combination of folinic acid, fluorouracil, vincristine, and mitomycin (F-FOMi). Eight partial responses (26%), eight stable disease (26%), and 15 progressive disease (48%) were obtained. Patients with performance status (PS) 0-1 had a significantly better response rate than those with PS 2-3. Overall actuarial survival was 10 months. Toxicity was mild and mainly gastrointestinal with mucositis and diarrhea. F-FOMi seems to be comparable to regimens more widely used in the treatment of NSCLC.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Selective nonoperative management of solid breast masses.

A prospective study evaluated the hypothesis that, following consistent clinical and mammographic guidelines, many women with breast masses can be nonoperatively managed. One hundred eighty women with solid breast masses were assigned both a clinical and mammographic diagnosis by each a surgeon and radiologist. Immediate biopsy (n = 78) was recommended when either clinician thought that the mass was malignant (52 cancers). The remainder were offered a trial of observation, with interval biopsy performed upon patient preference or for increased clinical/mammographic concern. Of the 89 who consented to this, 70 received long-term follow-up (X = 22 months) with improvement in the characteristics of the mass. The diagnosis of invasive cancer was delayed in two women initially observed, with no apparent impact on survival. It is concluded that many women with solid breast masses can be safely observed. Biopsy remains warranted for any mass suspicious for malignancy on clinical/mammographic grounds, or if follow-up cannot be assured.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1991

Hepatocarcinoma in cirrhosis. Is antithrombin III a neoplastic marker?

It has been reported that hepatoma (HCC) cells produce abnormal proteins such as erytropietin, fibrinogen, prothrombin, and, recently, antithrombin III (AT III). In a preliminary report, we reported increased AT III levels in patients bearing HCC independent of their clinical liver status. The present study was performed to assess antithrombin III levels and other serological data present in patients with cirrhosis and in patients with cirrhosis and clinical findings of neoplastic disease. In 70 well-matched patients (47 with cirrhosis and 23 with cirrhosis and proven HCC) serum total cholesterol, albumin, prothrombin, alkaline phosphatase, AFP, aminotransferases, and AT III were determined. Together with AFP and alkaline phosphatase, patients with HCC had higher values of AT III (88 +/- 7%) and total cholesterol (184 +/- 17 mg/100 ml), as compared with cirrhotic patients (AT III 56 +/- 3.6%; total cholesterol 113 +/- 5 mg/100 ml) (P less than 0.001). No difference was observed between these two groups for albumin, prothrombin, and aminotransferases. In HCC patients, AT III levels were related to the total cholesterol level (R2 = 0.317), whereas in the cirrhotic patients it correlated with the prothrombin level (R2 = 0.274). These data suggest that in HCC patients a greater rate of synthesis of AT III occurs, whereas in cirrhotic patients lower levels of AT III occur due to impaired synthesis or increased catabolism of the protein. The serial determination of AT III in cirrhotic patients as a means of detecting neoplastic transformation is suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

5-Fluorouracil (FU) and mitomycin C (MMC) in the management of colorectal carcinoma. Part II. In vitro activity of the two drugs in short-term tumor cultures.

Eighty-seven colorectal adenocarcinomas from untreated patients were investigated by short term tumor cultures to test in vitro sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. This study reports the preliminary results of a multistep program aimed at the prospective clinical application of the assay. At present this in vitro experience was performed in parallel with a clinical trial carried out with the same drugs. The in vitro activity of the two anticancer agents is in agreement with the response rate reported in monochemotherapy; our data would suggest an increase of responses using the combination of fluorouracil and mitomycin in comparison to single drug therapy. A low cosensitivity rate and a high number of cases sensitive to one drug but resistant to the other, account for the use of this test as screening of active drugs in the individual patient.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

Association of epirubicin, etoposide and cisplatin in gastric cancer. A phase II study.

Cisplatin-based drug combinations are now currently investigated in an attempt to surpass the results obtainable by 5-FU alone or by 5-FU-containing regimens. We evaluated 29 patients with advanced and measurable gastric adenocarcinoma treated with etoposide, epirubicin and cisplatin. One patient had complete response (3 +/- 7%); 9 patients had partial response (31 +/- 17%); 5 patients (17 +/- 14%) were considered stable (S) and 14 (48 +/- 18%) were classified as progressive. The average survival time for the entire group was 11 months with 25% of the patients alive at 24 months. We feel that cisplatin-containing regimens are promising and deserve further investigations. To clearly explore the potential innovative role of these regimens randomized trials versus FAM or 5-FU alone are mandatory.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Role of immunoscintigraphy in clinical assessment of gastrointestinal tumors.

From June 1986 until April 1989 31 patients with gastrointestinal tumors were studied at follow-up for recurrences by immunoscintigraphy (IS) using F(ab)2 fragments of monoclonal antibodies anti CEA and anti CA 19-9. IS was employed to confirm the presence of metastases already found (group A) and to verify metastases suspected following physical and instrumental examinations and/or increases in CEA and/or CA 19-9 (group B). Thirty-four IS findings have been evaluated to date: 19 in group A, with 18 true positive and 1 false negative results; 15 in group B. In these patients there were 12 cases of pathologic high fixation: 6 were confirmed using standard examinations after a median follow-up of 1 month (range 1-12); 6 cases had no metastatic evolution at the suspected site after a follow-up of 5-28 months. In 3 cases IS was negative, these patients are disease free at 13, 14 and 24 months. In group B, 5 of 8 abdominal intense fixations were early diagnoses of local or peritoneal recurrences. The overall accuracy was 79.4% and it was not affected by circulating CEA levels; sensitivity was 96%. IS can be considered useful as a primary diagnostic examination in the follow-up of patients with suspected abdominal metastases.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Change in visual function and viewing distance during work with VDTs.

Seven female volunteer bank clerks aged between 24 and 32 yr were selected for a laboratory trial after a preliminary ocular examination which showed them to be emmetropic or slightly myopic (less than or equal to 1D) and to have normal ocular motility or only minor deficiencies. Near and far point refraction and phorias and near point fusional vergences were measured before and immediately after a 6 h workday at a PC workstation. Eye screen distance (viewing distance) was monitored. Near and far distance refraction showed an increase and a decrease of accommodation in 13 out of 14 eyes respectively. Fusional convergence decreased in six out of seven cases: a smaller decrease in divergence was recorded in all subjects. These changes were statistically significant. Viewing distance, though showing some interindividual differences, increased considerably during the last 2 h of the trial, without reaching statistical significance.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Advanced colon cancer: staging and prognosis by CEA test.

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test was studied in 54 patients with advanced stages of colon cancer which was treated with high doses of folinic acid + fluorouracil. The CEA test correlates evaluated included: prognostic value, performance status, metastatic pattern, histologic grading, predictive value for response to chemotherapy, and value differences in cases with partial response to therapy. CEA levels less than 5 ng/ml corresponded to a greater survival time than did levels greater than 5 ng/ml. A correlation of CEA with performance status and with metastatic pattern was demonstrated. A progressive increase in average CEA values corresponded to increases in neoplastic mass. Although CEA levels were not found to be an index for predicting the response to chemotherapy, there was a significant different between pre- and posttreatment levels for partial response. The results suggest that CEA offers an additional criterion for evaluating the response of colon cancer to chemotherapy and it also has a role in the staging of advanced disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Muscular effort and musculo-skeletal disorders in piano students: electromyographic, clinical and preventive aspects.

An investigation was made on the relationship between music practice and musculo-skeletal disorders among piano students, with the main aim of developing health education programmes that would improve the performance and health of the students. The investigation covered three areas: (a) Analysis of study organization and main musculo-skeletal complaints achieved by a questionnaire distributed to all piano students at the Milan Conservatory. (b) Vocational electromyographic analysis of the effort exerted by the various muscle groups of the trunk, of the shoulder and shoulder blade girdle, and of the arm during performance of a standard set of piano exercises, an unseen passage and a passage of maximum difficulty. This analysis was made on a sample of six subjects. (c) A series of preventive measures was developed on the basis of a critical assessment of the results (38% of the students practised for excessively long periods without breaks; 62% had from 1 to 5 complaints, the most affected sites being the spine and the trapezius muscles). These consisted largely of a health education programme aimed at helping the students to suitably organize practice and rest periods and in instructing them in appropriate exercises for relaxation and stretching of overused muscle groups and strengthening the supporting muscle groups. Changes in lifestyle were also suggested.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Estimation of lumbar disc areas by means of anthropometric parameters.

In order to standardize the results of different biomechanical studies concerning stresses on lumbar discs, it may be useful to estimate the disc dimensions of the examined subjects and to refer the stress values to a unit surface area (square centimeter). The association between anthropometric parameters and discal areas at the L3-L4, L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels, examined by computed axial tomography, was studied in a group of 32 subjects (16 male; 16 female) with the aim of estimating lumbar disc areas with a simple method. Bony structure weight, which is computed by an equation that takes into account the diameters of the wrist, elbow, knee, and ankle and the stature, is the anthropometric parameter best associated with the areas of lumbar discs. The wrist diameter also shows a good association with the same areas. On the contrary, the association between body weight and disc areas was found to be less adequate for this purpose. The equations of the relative regression lines are reported as well as the criteria for their practical applications.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of sternum: an unusual cause of pyrexia of undetermined origin.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the bone is a very rare tumour mainly affecting long bones, and the most common presenting symptom is local pain. A case of malignant fibrous histiocytoma presenting with pyrexia of undetermined origin and arising in the sternum, a localization not previously described, is reported. The patient died with septic shock after multi-drug chemotherapy including high dose methotrexate treatment with citrovorum factor rescue.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The proposal of the Italian Committee on Occupational Cardiology.

This paper describes a protocol of assessing specific working fitness of post-myocardial infarction patients proposed by the Italian Committee on Occupational Cardiology. After cardiovascular (cross-sectional echocardiography, Holter monitoring and maximal symptom-limited ergometric test) and psychological evaluation (CBA-2.0), two ambulatory ECGs were used during work to confirm the first judgement of specific work fitness expressed by occupational specialists. The preliminary results obtained in 106 uncomplicated male patients (mean age 49 +/- 8 years) show that: (i) return to work (89.6%) at 117 +/- 51 days after the acute event is mainly related to socio-occupational variables rather than to cardiovascular status; (ii) the results of the ambulatory monitoring usually confirm the first judgment of specific work fitness; (iii) heart rate responses recorded during work are unrelated to the judgment of fitness; and (iv) the repeatability of the results observed during the two ambulatory ECGs at work is good.

Adult↗