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Biomedical subjects

A Mariani

Publications and source records attributed to A Mariani.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Adjunctive radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy in high risk early stage cervical carcinoma. Assessment of morbidity and recurrences.

Morbidity and prognostic factors were reviewed in 145 patients who underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy for invasive cervical cancer between January 1976 and December 1986. Ninety five patients received adjuvant postoperative external radiotherapy (average 4800 cGY). One hundred twenty patients were F.I.G.O. stage IB, and 25 were clinical stage IIA. Indications for adjuvant radiotherapy included 3 categories of patients with high risk factors: 1) pelvic lymph node metastases, 2) parametrial invasion and/or surgical margins involvement, 3) large volume, deep stromal penetration or uterine extension. Four percent of the patients suffered major gastrointestinal complications, 8.9% had major genito-urinary complications, 19 patients had lymphocytes and 2 patients complained of thromboembolic episodes. Of the 19 patients with major gastrointestinal or genito-urinary morbidity, 7 (38.8%) were related to radiotherapy. Thirty-nine patients had node involvement, 38 of these patients received radiotherapy and 5-year survival rate was 43.5% versus 87.7% in other cases (p < 0.001). Of the 14 patients with parametrial invasion and/or surgical margins involvement, 10 received radiotherapy and overall 5-yrs survival was 85.8%. Of the 37 patients related to third category of risk, 18 received adjuvant radiotherapy with 83.3% 5-yrs survival versus 94.7% of other 19 cases (n.s.). Patients treated with surgery alone had a better 5-yrs survival (96%) than those who received combination therapy (66.3%) (p < 0.001). Adjuvant radiotherapy increases the morbidity of radical hysterectomy, while it has a relative value in preventing local and distant recurrences. In view of reduced survival in high risk patients with node involvement, consideration should be given to adjuvant systemic chemotherapy in high risk cases.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Clinical utility of the serum CA 19-9 test for diagnosing pancreatic carcinoma in symptomatic patients: a prospective study.

The diagnostic accuracy of the serum CA 19-9 determination was prospectively evaluated in patients selected for the presence of signs or symptoms highly suggestive for pancreatic cancer. Of 110 patients included in the study, 54 had a final diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (49% prevalence). CA 19-9 values were higher than 40 U/ml in 45 patients with pancreatic carcinoma and in 18 of the 56 patients with other final diagnosis (sensitivity, 0.83; specificity, 0.68; positive predictive value [PPV], 0.71; negative predictive value [NPV], 0.81). The serum CA 19-9 determination was not capable of shortening the diagnostic workup of patients with strong clinical suspicion of pancreatic cancer since adequate imaging of the pancreas was required to confirm or exclude the diagnosis. However, values above 120 U/ml were strongly suggestive for pancreatic carcinoma in the overall population (PPV, 0.85) and they were diagnostic (PPV, 1.0) in the anicteric portion. Combined with pancreatic imaging, the CA 19-9 was an excellent confirmatory test; a normal value in a patient with negative imaging ruled out pancreatic carcinoma as the cause of symptoms (NPV, 1.0), whereas a pathological result in the presence of positive or equivocal pancreatic radiology was highly suggestive for the presence of the disease (PPV, 0.93).

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Dorsal dislocation of the fifth carpometacarpal joint.

A case of isolated dorsal dislocation of the fifth carpometacarpal joint treated conservatively is reported. The mechanism is thought to be a force hitting the head of the fifth metacarpal in a dorso-palmar direction, along the longitudinal axis of the metacarpal. Both clinical and radiological results 1 year after injury are satisfactory.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Netilmicin in the treatment of infections of the lower urinary tract].

The authors treated 30 patients (11 females and 19 males) with cystitis or cystopyelitis. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: a) netilmicin 200 mg daily, b) netilmicin 200 mg + ampicillin 1 g daily. Clinical and bacteriologic results were positive in all cases with resolution of clinical signs of infection and negative cultures at the end of treatment. Netilmicin alone yielded the same results as its combination with ampicillin. The safety, monitored also with netilmicin serum levels, was always good.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Occluded pancreatic endoprostheses--analysis of the clogging material.

One of the most common late complications of transpapillary pancreatic endoprostheses is clogging of the endoprosthesis lumen. In this study we analysed the morphology and the biochemical nature of the contents of 10 clogged pancreatic endoprostheses. At the optical level the sludge presented as an organic matrix with embedded small quantities of CaCO3 crystals (and in one case CaCO3 microcalculi). Electron microscopy showed the presence of bacterial ghosts and protein threads. The characteristic pattern of proteolysed pancreatic proteins was obtained when the organic matrix was analysed by SDS-Page. The presence of trypsinogen, amylase and one of the molecular secretory forms of Pancreatic Stone Protein (PSP) was confirmed by Western-blotting. PSP was also found in association with CaCO3 crystals by immunolocalization. These results suggest that endoprosthesis clogging is due to the precipitation of whole pancreatic juice protein, probably triggered by uncontrolled proenzyme activation.

Amylases↗
PubMed1989

Pancreatic stone protein: quantification in pancreatic juice by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and comparison with other methods.

To quantitate pancreatic stone protein (PSP), a competitive radioimmunoassay using monoclonal antibodies to PSP extracted from pancreatic stones and a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using monospecific polyclonal antibodies to the secretory forms of PSP (PSP S) were established. When PSP concentrations were measured in pancreatic juice by radioimmunoassay, no difference could be found between patients suffering from chronic calcifying pancreatitis and other diagnostic groups. Yet, with the ELISA technique involving polyclonal antibodies, decreased concentrations were found in chronic calcifying pancreatitis patients when compared to controls (p less than 0.001), chronic alcoholics without pancreatic symptoms, or obstructive pancreatitis patients. These discrepancies are discussed. The monoclonal antibodies recognizing the C-terminal part of PSS S (PSP S1), results from the radioimmunoassay indicate that the concentration of that polypeptide is identical in the juice of controls and patients. Results from the ELISA obtained with polyclonal antibodies raised against PSP S2-5 molecules, i.e., recognizing the PSP S1 part and the N-terminal portion of the molecule, indicate that the differences observed reflect differences in the juice concentration of that N-terminal peptide.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1988

CA 19-9 in serum and pancreatic juice: its role in the differential diagnosis of resectable pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis.

The diagnostic role of serum and pancreatic juice CA 19-9 determination in discriminating surgically resectable pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis was investigated. Only in about one third of cancer patients the serum assay was diagnostic versus subjects with chronic pancreatitis. None of 5 patients with 'early' pancreatic cancer had a diagnostic score [greater than 120 U/ml]. Conversely, the determination of CA 19-9 content in pure pancreatic juice, expressed as Units per microgram of protein, discriminated all the 15 patients with operable tumors, including those with early carcinoma, from subjects with chronic pancreatitis. The CA 19-9 assay of pancreatic juice is proposed as a reliable marker of cancer in those patients in whom the ERCP pattern is not definitive for malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1987

Serum CA 19-9 in the postsurgical follow-up of patients with pancreatic cancer.

In the last few years serum CA 19-9 has been shown to be a highly sensitive marker of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This study assesses the value of serum CA 19-9 assay in the postsurgical follow-up of patients undergoing pancreatic cancer resection. In 14 patients with cancer in the head of the pancreas and abnormal preoperative serum CA 19-9 values (greater than 40 U/ml), a pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. In all patients the CA 19-9 antigen was immunohistochemically demonstrated on the removed tumoral tissue. Postoperative serum CA 19-9 concentrations were serially measured 15 days after surgery and then every other month. Serum CA 19-9 scores returned to the normal range only in 7 (50%) of the resected patients. All patients with a normal postoperative value and none of those with a persistently elevated one survived longer than 7 months. Early postoperative serum CA 19-9 assay was superior to perioperative staging of the tumor as a prognostic index. All of the seven patients with postoperative normal values exhibited a subsequent increase within 16 months. In all cases the elevation of CA 19-9 occurred at least 2 months before ultrasound (US) could detect local recurrences of hepatic metastasis. Our data indicate that a normal early postoperative CA 19-9 score is a relatively favourable prognostic index in patients who undergo radical surgery for pancreatic cancer and that the CA 19-9 test can be used, as an early marker of recurrence, in monitoring these patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1985

Erythema nodosum and giardia intestinalis.

We present the first report of erythema nodosum occurring in a woman with an intestinal infection due to giardia lamblia, an association not previously described. The authors suggest the possible role of giardia infection in the pathogenesis of erythema nodosum.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Intracellular recordings from a biplexiform ganglion cell in macaque retina, stained with horseradish peroxidase.

A biplexiform ganglion cell, which is characterized by dendritic contacts with rods, has been penetrated with an HRP-filled microelectrode in the retina of Macaca fascicularis. Its fine curvy axon could be traced to the optic disc. One of several dendritic processes ascended through all retinal layers and ended in the layer of rod spherules. Under all conditions of chromatic adaption, the cell produced depolarizing responses with a rapid onset and a slow decay. Besides a strong rod input the recordings indicate signals from at least two spectrally different cone mechanisms.

Animals↗