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Biomedical subjects

A Martini

Publications and source records attributed to A Martini.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Dual or single hepatitis B and C virus infections in childhood cancer survivors: long-term follow-up and effect of interferon treatment.

We conducted a long-term prospective study of 89 cancer survivor children who had acquired hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) during treatment for neoplasia, the aim being to evaluate the natural history of the diseases and the effect of interferon (IFN) treatment. Patients were followed up for a median period of 13 years (range, 8 to 20); 46 were infected by HBV, 11 by HCV, and 32 coinfected by HBV and HCV. A spontaneous clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) occurred more frequently in coinfected patients (19%) than in the HBV-infected (2%; P =.004), with an annual seroconversion rate of 2.1% and 0.2%, respectively (P =.008). Loss of hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) occurred in 44% of coinfected and in 28% of HBV-infected patients. Clearance of serum HCV-RNA was observed in 34% and 9%, respectively, of coinfected and HCV-infected patients. Seventeen HBV-infected, 4 HCV-infected, and 16 coinfected patients received alpha-IFN treatment. In the HBV group, 6 patients (35%) cleared serum HBV DNA and seroconverted to anti-HBe; in the HCV-group, none cleared HCV-RNA. In the coinfected group, 1 patient cleared both HBV DNA and HCV-RNA, 6 patients cleared serum HCV-RNA alone, and 1 only HBV DNA and HBeAg. Overall, the diseases showed a mild histological course with no evidence of liver cirrhosis. A reciprocal interference on viral replication between HBV and HCV may occur in coinfected patients. Treatment seems to be effective for selected cases and is justified in view of the uncertain prognosis of the disease in these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

An animal model based on the Sprague Dawley rat for the evaluation of ototoxicity.

Various methodological approaches that can be used to detect ototoxic effects caused by the administration of various substances are presented, using the Sprague-Dawley rat as an animal model. Electrophysiological data are also presented to show how the model behaves with potentially ototoxic (hyaluronic acid) and initially inert (hydroxy-propyl-methyl-cellulose) substances.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

Evaluation of cisplatin ototoxicity in a rat animal model.

The ototoxic effects of cisplatin were evaluated by otoacoustic emissions and evoked auditory responses. A transient otoacoustic emissions protocol indicated no significant ototoxic effects in rats treated intravenously with 7.5 mg/kg/week for 2-weeks. A chronic 6-week treatment (2.5 mg/kg/week) monitored by 2F1-F2 distortion product emissions presented significant SNR alterations in a narrow range of frequencies (5.04-5.66 kHz). An acute treatment of 15 mg/kg, using slow 30-min intraperitoneal infusion, presented the highest DP and ABR alterations. The SNR at the 2F1-F2 frequencies 6.34, 7.13, and 7.56 kHz was found significantly decreased, and ABR latency measurements from 8-kHz burst stimuli verified these alterations.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Achievements of the European Working Group on Genetics of Hearing Impairment.

Three years ago an European Working Group for the study of genetics of hearing impairment was founded with the aim to standardise terminology and protocols in order to collect families with genetic hearing impairments for a European-based epidemiological, clinical and genetic analysis. Hereditary hearing impairments include a large variety of genetic causes. The occurrence of the different forms is rare, but the overall genetic aetiology is thought to account for up to 50% of newborns' hearing impairment as well as several late onset, progressive cases. In the later years, several locations associated with non-syndromal hearing impairments and different mutations for the syndromic diseases have been identified. Five subgroups have been formed: Definitions and protocols, Epidemiology, Vestibular involvement, Otological and cranial malformations, Molecular biology. Meetings were organised for discussion and establishment of common ground work. Application of the agreed documents was performed to verify protocols. Final agreements were circulated by Infoletter (1-5). Informatic working tools on the Internet have been designed. Standardised definitions, audiological and vestibular protocols have been defined. Pilot studies using experimental protocols to identify informative carriers or to help clinical differentiation between non-syndromic forms have also been performed. Two web sites related to the work have been created. A description of phenotypes of locations identified has been defined. Joining forces to standardise definitions and protocols and collaboration between clinicians and geneticists has contributed considerably to progress in this field.

Europe↗
PubMed1999

Marked and sustained improvement two years after autologous stem cell transplantation in a girl with systemic sclerosis.

Autologous transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells has recently been proposed as a possible treatment for autoimmune diseases that are associated with a very severe prognosis. A 12-year-old girl who, since 4 years of age, had systemic sclerosis with progressive pulmonary involvement underwent autologous peripheral blood-derived stem cell transplantation (aPBSCT) using CD34+ selection, cyclophosphamide, and the infusion of the monoclonal antibody CAMPATH-1G. Following transplantation, in the absence of any treatment other than symptomatic therapy, the patient's exertional dyspnea and alveolitis disappeared and she experienced a marked improvement in skin score, height velocity, and general well-being that has persisted 2 years after the transplantation procedure. Autologous PBSCT associated with the infusion of the monoclonal antibody CAMPATH-1G appears to be a useful therapy for otherwise intractable forms of progressive systemic sclerosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Aortic valve regurgitation as the presenting sign of Takayasu arteritis.

UNLABELLED: Takayasu arteritis is a rare chronic vasculitis primarily involving the aorta and its main branches. We report an adolescent girl with Takayasu arteritis who presented with an isolated aortic valve regurgitation as part of a systemic inflammatory process. This patient was initially misdiagnosed as having rheumatic heart disease and the correct diagnosis was made only 1 year later. CONCLUSION: Takayasu arteritis should be considered among the diagnostic possibilities in patients who present with an unexplained systemic inflammatory syndrome and a cardiac murmur.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Tolerance and auto-immunity: 50 years after Burnet.

UNLABELLED: Fifty years ago Sir F. Macfarlane Burnet published his first fundamental contribution to the theory of immune tolerance he perfected 10 years later. Since then an impressive amount of new information on the function of the immune system has been gathered. As any original meaningful theory, Burnet's hypothesis on the development of immune tolerance has undergone extensive modifications to take into account all these new findings. An improved understanding of the mechanisms of tolerance has led to new possibilities for the treatment of auto-immune diseases. CONCLUSION: All new information in the field of immune function is rooted in Burnet's contribution which set the stage for the development of modern immunology.

Autoimmune Diseases↗
PubMed1999

Vertebral and carotid artery dissection following chiropractic cervical manipulation.

A 50-year-old woman presented a sudden left occipital headache and a posterior circulation stroke after cervical manipulation for neck pain. Magnetic resonance imaging documented a left intracranial vertebral artery occlusive dissection associated with an ipsilateral internal carotid artery dissection with vessel stenosis in its prepetrous tract. This is the first reported case showing an associate vertebral and carotid artery dissection following cervical manipulation. Carotid dissection was asymptomatic and, therefore, its incidence may be underestimated. We emphasize that cervical manipulation should be performed only in patients without predisposing factors for artery dissection and after an appropriate diagnosis of neck pain.

Aortic Dissection↗
PubMed1999

The extended oligoarticular subtype is the best predictor of methotrexate efficacy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables measurable at baseline predict the clinical efficacy or major toxic effects of methotrexate (MTX) therapy in children with chronic arthritis. STUDY DESIGN: Patient eligibility criteria: (1) monitored in our unit between 1986 and 1996 with a diagnosis of chronic arthritis and (2) treatment with MTX as the sole second-line agent and for at least 6 months. Outcomes investigated: (1) short-term (6-month) clinical response, (2) complete disease control, (3) disease relapse after MTX discontinuation after complete disease control, (4) aminotransferase elevation, (5) gastrointestinal toxicity. Independent variables that showed significant results with univariate tests or were clinically relevant for each outcome underwent multiple logistic or Poisson regression analyses. RESULTS: Eighty patients were available for analysis. The disease onset subtype was systemic in 37 patients, polyarticular in 20 patients, and oligoarticular in 23 patients (all with polyarticular course: extended oligoarticular subtype). The extended oligoarticular subtype was the best predictor for both the short-term clinical response (odds ratio 6.80, P =.02) and, together with a better functional ability, the complete disease control (rate ratio 3.85, P =.03 and rate ratio 3.29, P =.006, respectively). Patients with this subtype of chronic arthritis tended to have earlier, and more frequently, a disease relapse after MTX discontinuation. Thrombocytosis was the only significant risk factor for liver biochemical abnormalities (rate ratio 2.94, P =.008), whereas no variable yielded significant results for gastrointestinal toxicity. CONCLUSION: Patients with extended oligoarticular chronic arthritis were more likely to benefit from MTX therapy and to have a relapse after treatment discontinuation, suggesting that MTX is distinctly more effective in this subset of chronic arthritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

A TEOAE screening protocol based on linear click stimuli: performance and scoring criteria.

In order to improve the quality of current TEOAE recording methodologies, we have conducted a comparison of TEOAE neonatal recordings acquired with linear protocols using click stimuli of 68 dB SPL and non-linear protocols using the ILO default stimulus values. From a theoretical standpoint it was expected that the linear recordings would generate responses characterized by higher S/N ratios due to the fact that the stimulus sequence contains four clicks of the same intensity and polarity. The project included recordings from 1,416 neonatal ears (age 48 h). The TEOAE data were compared in terms of correlation, response amplitude, noise, corrected response and S/N ratio in the 1.0-, 2.0-, 3.0-, 4.0- and 5.0-kHz bands, using a paired t-test criterion. We found that windowed (4-14 ms) responses evoked by a linear TEOAE protocol generated superior S/N estimates in the 2.0-, 3.0-, 4.0- and 5.0-kHz TEOAE bands, in addition to superior correlation estimates, and demonstrated lower levels of noise. Clear-cut scoring criteria were established for the S/N ratios at 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 kHz, by constructing one-sided distribution-free tolerance boundaries.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1999

Responsiveness of outcome measures in juvenile chronic arthritis. Italian Pediatric Rheumatology Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the responsiveness of the disease activity measures more commonly used in juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) clinical trials. METHODS: Data were obtained from an open-label, non-controlled, multicentre trial designed to investigate the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in children with JCA. Outcome measures, including physician and parent global assessments, functional ability measures, articular variables, and laboratory indicators of systemic inflammation, were assessed at baseline and after 6 months of MTX treatment in 132 patients. Responsiveness of endpoint variables was evaluated by assessing the effect size (ES) and the standardized response median (SRM). RESULTS: Physician and parent global assessments were the more responsive instruments, showing ES and SRM above 1.0. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, functional status measures and articular variables showed intermediate responsiveness. Morning stiffness, haemoglobin and platelet count were the least responsive instruments. CONCLUSION: The results of our analysis indicate that subjective estimations of the disease activity, either by the physician or parents, are the most responsive instruments in the assessment of the therapeutic response in children with JCA. The responsiveness of outcome measures in JCA should be further investigated in prospective controlled studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

TEOAE-based estimation of the auditory threshold in the mid-octave frequencies.

The purpose of this study was to estimate the hearing levels, at the mid-frequencies, of 233 ears with sensorineural hearing loss by classifying the corresponding transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) recordings into three threshold groups. A classification algorithm was based upon a discriminant analysis of fast Fourier transform (FFT) data, evoked by non-linear click stimuli of 80 (+/-2) dB SPL per ear. To validate the efficiency of the proposed methodology TEOAE recordings were initially grouped by mean hearing level values of the 1 kHz and 2 kHz octaves into three threshold ranges according to two strategy schemes: in the first, TEOAE data were assigned into 10-19 dB HL, 20-39 dB HL or > or = 40 dB HL groups. In the second, TEOAE data were assigned into 10-29 > dB H >, 30-39 dB HL or > or = 40 dB HL groups. The most accurate prediction estimates were obtained from the second strategy scheme with a 90.9% accuracy in the 10-29 dB HL group, 82% in the 30-39 dB HL group and 71.4% in the > or = 40 dB HL group.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Clinical and radiological evaluation in children with microtia.

The management of a child with congenital ear malformation, in particular if the external ear is severely involved, is difficult because of the complexity of the therapeutic problem, and that of parental anxiety. It is very important to plan a complete therapeutic/habilitative programme as soon as possible, even if surgical procedures are delayed. Diagnostic imaging plays an important role in the global assessment of a child with microtia, in order to diagnose possible associated external auditory canal, middle and inner ear malformations. For these reasons our diagnostic protocol for children with microtia includes otological and audiological evaluation, clinical genetics and radiological imaging, from the neonatal period. Here, data are reported on 27 children with microtia who completed the diagnostic protocol. In eight of 27 cases microtia was bilateral: in unilateral cases the right side was affected more frequently. Other congenital malformations were diagnosed in 41% of cases. A high correlation between the degree of microtia and the frequency of external and middle ear dysplasias was found, in accordance with larger studies of the literature. Inner ear malformations were found less frequently, but without apparent correlation with the degree of microtia. The fact that children with microtia may also have severe inner ear malformations is emphasized.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Ultrasonic videodensitometric analysis in scleroderma heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: Symptomatic cardiac involvement is a frequent visceral complication of systemic sclerosis that can affect the overall prognosis of the disease. The aim of the present study was to detect preclinical myocardial alterations in patients with systemic sclerosis using ultrasonic videodensitometric analysis. METHODS: Fifty patients with systemic sclerosis [five men, aged 48.8 +/- 11 years (mean +/- SD), range 22-65 years] with normal left ventricular function and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were investigated. Exclusion criteria were the presence of positive maximal exercise stress, arterial hypertension, renal involvement and diabetes. Echocardiographic images were digitized using a real-time video-digitizer Quantitative texture analysis was performed on data from the septum and posterior wall, and mean gray level (MGL) histograms at both end-diastole (d) and end-systole (s) were obtained. The cyclic variation index (CVI) was calculated according to the formula [(MGLd - MGLs)/MGLd] x 100. Left ventricular mass, body surface corrected, was calculated according to the Penn convention. RESULTS: The pattern of variations of mean gray level during the cardiac cycle was totally different from that of the controls; this finding, probably related to myocardial fibrosis, was detected in the large majority of patients with systemic sclerosis (90%). In particular, CVI, which is the expression of the intrinsic myocardial structural function, was significantly lower than in controls (septum -31 +/- 38% versus 36 +/- 9%, P < 0.0001; and posterior wall -19 +/- 33% versus 51 +/- 20%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasonic videodensitometric analysis is a non-invasive, feasible method of detecting myocardial alterations in patients with systemic sclerosis, which could be related to both fibrosis and microcirculatory abnormalities. The potential role of these abnormalities in the pathogenesis of ventricular dysfunction should be investigated further.

Adult↗