Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Porro.
The author remembers by complexity and the possibility of research offered by the variety of historical-medical sources; runs again over the mean stays of inguinal hernia's surgical therapy, considering also historical aspects of some problems due to more recent interventional techniques.
To evaluate the association between an indicator of carcinogen exposure (peripheral blood leukocyte DNA adducts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and an early indicator of neoplastic transformation (sputum epithelial cell membrane antigens binding by monoclonal antibodies against small cell lung cancer and against nonsmall cell lung cancer), a survey of 350 coke-oven workers and 100 unexposed workers was planned. This paper reports a pilot investigation on a subgroup of 23 coke-oven workers and 8 unexposed controls. A "gas regulator" worker with positive tumor antigen binding was identified. Results show that smokers, subjects with decreased pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec/forced vital capacity% < 80), and those with morphological dysplasia of sputum cells have higher levels of DNA adducts. The gas regulators showed the highest values for adducts; however, no significant difference of adduct levels was found between the coke-oven group and unexposed controls.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
To evaluate the risk of chronic glomerulonephritis in subjects exposed to solvent vapours, a case-referent study was carried out. The case group, including 60 patients (44 men and 16 women) with non-systemic chronic glomerulonephritis, established by biopsy, was compared with 120 control subjects (60 patients with traumatic fractures and 60 patients affected by nephrolithiasis) matched by sex and age. Information on occupational and non-occupational exposure to solvent was obtained by questionnaire. The exposure scores drawn from questionnaires were significantly higher in the case group than in the referent groups for both total and occupational solvent exposure. No significant differences in non-occupational exposure were found. The odds ratio of chronic glomerulonephritis for occupationally exposed (score > 0) was 3.9 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.64-8.33). When IgA nephropathy patients (n = 27) were separately evaluated, an increased risk was found for both total and occupational exposure. Using a logistic regression model, a dose-response effect for occupational exposure was seen. The results support the hypothesis that chronic glomerulonephritis may be related to environmental factors such as exposure to hydrocarbons.
The purpose of this study was to record the frequency of invasive candidiasis of duodenal ulcer and to determine whether or not it is enhanced by cimetidine treatment. Our multicenter prospective trial involved 99 patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer who were undergoing a 4- or 8-week cimetidine (800 mg/day) treatment program. At the endoscopic examination, performed before and after the 4- or 8-week treatment, three biopsy samples were taken from the ulcer edge or from the healed tissue. Ulcer infiltration by Candida was presumed by the presence of mycetes in stained tissue samples. Healing rate was 76% at 4 weeks and 89.9% at 8 weeks. Candida infiltration was not seen in any biopsy specimen. Short-term treatment with cimetidine does not promote invasion of mycetes into the duodenal ulcer lesion.
Results of a multicenter prospective study on the relationships between benign gastric ulcer, Candida, and medical treatment is reported. In a group of 66 patients, mycetes were seen in six cases (9.1%). Candida-contaminated ulcers were diagnosed solely by histological examination, with periodic acid-Schiff staining being more effective than hematoxylin and eosin staining. All contaminated ulcers were healed by treatment either with cimetidine alone, or combined cimetidine-carbenoxolone, without antimycotics. No cases of Candida-contaminated ulcers were seen after 6 wk of treatment. The finding of contamination was more common in older patients. Under the conditions of our study, Candida-contamination of benign gastric ulcers does not affect the rate of healing, does not need specific treatment, and has no particular endoscopic features. Cimetidine or carbenoxolone treatment was not associated with persistence of the fungus.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Although the long- and short-term aspects of the outcome of advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation on patients have been studied to evaluate the percentage of survival up to the moment of discharge from hospital, little information has been published concerning the patients' long-term quality of life. In order to verify the efficiency of our group we retrospectively evaluated 468 subjects admitted to the Emergency Room of Rho Hospital (Milan, Italy) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest that had occurred over a 90-month period. We studied the correlations between some variables: epidemiological (sex and age), objective (time required for advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation and type of arrhythmias in the Emergency Room) and instrumental (left ventricular ejection fraction) and post-discharge survival. We also considered the state of health of the survivors by means of a questionnaire on their quality of life. Our data show that: a) 10.25% of the patients were discharged alive; b) younger men (< 65 years old) admitted with a ventricular fibrillation (p = 0.01) and those who had undergone advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation for less than 25 min (p = 0.001) had a better survival rate at 3 years from discharge; c) 64% of the survivors have a satisfactory quality of life; d) younger age (p = 0.01) and cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction (> 40%) (p = 0.05) are positive predictors for future work capacity. In conclusion, we believe that the critical moment following advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation is hospitalization because after discharge survival percentage abruptly increased from 10.25 to 65%.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In order to evaluate the effects of low inorganic mercury concentrations on workers employed in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps, a stratified sample of workers was selected at random and assigned to three groups according to the level of exposure. In all three groups, the urinary mercury values were within the normal range for unexposed population. Among the indicators of effect the simple reaction times test showed statistically significant differences between the three groups. Also "state anxiety" and "trait anxiety", investigated by the S.T.A.I. questionnaires, differed between the unexposed group and the other two. A positive correlation was found between simple reaction times and the state and trait anxiety scores in the whole sample and in the subsample of women. Moreover, the prevalence of symptoms related to low mercury exposure, collected by a questionnaire, was higher in the two exposed groups. Due to the absence of group-differences for the urinary mercury levels, interpretation of the results is cumbersome. On the one hand it cannot be ruled out that the unexposed group (mainly white collar workers) had some characteristics which could explain the difference in the simple reaction times test and in anxiety. Conversely, if a true mercury effect does indeed exist, the similarity of the performance between the second and third groups (both consisting of exposed blue collar workers) could be explained if we assume that the high turn-over inside the factory could have caused a similar previous exposure to mercury vapours.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.