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Biomedical subjects

A Mele

Publications and source records attributed to A Mele.

208 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Epidemiology of tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in Italy].

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Aim of the study was to describe frequency, causes, regional variations, setting and risk of mortality of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in Italy. The study is based on hospital discharge data for the years 1998-2000 provided by the Ministry of Health. RESULTS: During the year 2000, 61.280 tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy and 32.655 adenoidectomy alone were performed in Italy. ICD-9-CM codes reported on discharge abstracts indicated that the most frequent causes of tonsillectomy were chronic tonsillitis (45%) and hypertrophy of tonsils and adenoids (43%). The total tonsillectomy rate was 10.6 x 10.000 (CI 10.5-10.7) in 2000, and it was stable throughout the study period. We observed a wide geographical variability of regional tonsillectomy rates, standardised by age and sex. They ranged from 3.5 x 10.000 (CI 3.1-4.0) in Basilicata to 19.0 (CI 18.6-19.5) in Piemonte. We found an inverse correlation (r = -0.50) between regional tonsillectomy rates for tonsillitis and minimum temperatures recorded in capitals of the regions. Most operations were performed in the acute setting with a hospital stay longer than one day. The mortality risk associated to surgery was estimated to be at least of one case over 95.000 operations. CONCLUSIONS: The observed variability of regional tonsillectomy rates, only partly explained by weather differences, may be ascribed to disagreement among physicians. Inappropriate variations and setting were the two main reasons conducive to the development of the guidelines "Clinical and organisational appropriateness of tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy in Italy", in the frame of LINCO project and of the Italian National Program for Guidelines.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatitis A in Italy: epidemiology and suggestions for control.

Seroepidemiologic and surveillance data show that hepatitis A is declining in both Northern and Southern Italy, in the latter the decline has been more recent. Every year about two thousand cases of acute disease occur. Shellfish consumption and travel to endemic areas are at present the most important risk factors in Italy. Use of immunoglobulin is effective in controlling outbreaks and preventing hepatitis A among travellers. Active immunization for travellers to endemic areas will be recommended, when a vaccine will be available. Adequate cooking of shellfish is at present the only advisable measure to prevent the risk represented by their consumption. Acute morbidity and the occurrence of outbreaks suggest the need to keep our attention on hepatitis A infection in Italy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[AIDS and pregnancy: clinical and medicolegal reflections].

The authors discuss the various medicolegal aspects concerning the management of pregnancy in women with AIDS. They report the most recent data on the epidemiology and perinatal transmission of the disease. The effects of pregnancy on the evolution of disease as well as the effects of the disease on the evolution of pregnancy are discussed. A distinction is drawn between the progress of pregnancy in seropositive women and the progress of pregnancy in seronegative women. Lastly, the authors raise a number of questions of a medicolegal nature in the light of the legislation currently in force in Italy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of acute promyelocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: The estimated incidence of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is approximately 6 cases per 10 million people per year with no apparent differences between sexes. The age of APL cases is younger than that of other acute myeloid leukemias (AML). Spatial and temporal clusters of APL have been reported. These observations suggest a possible selective role for environmental and/or occupational factors in APL development. METHODS: A multicenter case-control study was carried out on risk factors for acute leukemias and preleukemias. In this report data related to APL are selectively analyzed from the larger study to identify specific risk factors. RESULTS: The case-control study on 38 cases of APL showed a strong association with shoemaking (odds ration 6.3, 95% confidence interval 1.3-31.1). A moderate leukemogenic effect from living in houses built with tuff, a polous building material containing gamma-emitting radionuclides and having a high radon concentration, and from using hair dyes was also suggested. CONCLUSIONS: These data, together with the reported spatial and temporal clustering of APL, support the hypothesis of specific environmental and/or occupational risk factors for APL among other AML subtypes and indicate the need for additional ad hoc multicenter studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Underestimation of ovarian pathology. Clinical aspects and medico-legal considerations].

In this review are reported the data regarding medical and gynecological responsibility in case of underestimation of ovarian pathology compared to epidemiological data. It is important to recognize the characteristics of the symptomatology, in general very mild, and the diagnostic tests suitable to detect ovarian masses. Four steps in the management of ovarian masses which may generate errors in the diagnostic and therapeutical process are stressed: the clinical diagnosis phase, the surgical phase, the management of borderline tumors, and the follow-up. It is also highlighted the importance of the concept of the "delay" in the medical action, both diagnostic and therapeutical, and an involvement of the Public Health Service, both in the prevention and the treatment of ovarian lesions, is ipothesized.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Production and characterisation of a recombinant single-chain anti ErbB2-clavin immunotoxin.

We generated a recombinant immunotoxin, named scFv(MGR6)-Cla, composed of the Fv region of an anti ErbB2 monoclonal antibody (MGR6) fused to clavin, a type 1 ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) from Aspergillus clavatus. ErbB2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor which is overexpressed in most adenocarcinomas; clavin is a 17 kDa ribonuclease which inhibits protein synthesis by inactivating ribosomes. A recombinant DNA construct containing the cDNA of the single chain Fv fragment (scFv) of the MGR6 antibody fused to the clavin cDNA, was expressed at high levels in Escherichia coli as an insoluble fusion protein containing an N-terminal affinity tag of six consecutive histidine residues. Inclusion bodies were denatured and the recombinant fusion protein was purified under denaturing conditions by single-step purification using immobilised metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). The purified immunotoxin was renatured at high yield and histidine tag removed by digestion with enterokinase. The purity of the immunotoxin obtained after refolding was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, GPC-HPLC and N-terminal sequence analysis. Cell-free protein synthesis inhibition and binding assays showed that both clavin and scFv(MGR6) maintained their properties after refolding.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗