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Biomedical subjects

A Riccio

Publications and source records attributed to A Riccio.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Supportive laboratory findings in psoriatic arthritis.

Serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin concentrations were determined in 45 subjects (22 males and 23 females, medium age 50.3, range 25-76) diagnosed as psoriatic arthritic patients (20 with poliarticular, 12 with mono-oligoarticular and 13 with spondyloarticular form), in 63 patients (30 males and 33 females, medium age 32.4, range 10-78) with psoriasis, and in 60 blood donors (32 women and 28 men) as reference group. Mean serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin was significantly increased (p less than .001) in psoriatic arthritis as compared with controls or subjects with psoriasis alone. The number of synovial joints affected was significantly correlated to changes in these serum parameters. Indeed, serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin were found to be significantly different from that of normals in the polyarticular subgroup (p less than .001), while only copper and ceruloplasmin were different in the mono-oligoarticular form (p less than .001 and p less than .01 respectively). No significant changes were found in a spondyloarticular subgroup. In the polyarticular subgroup a direct correlation was found between another disease activity marker (e.g. ESR) and serum changes in iron, ceruloplasmin and copper (p less than .001). Our data indicate that psoriatic arthritis is a multifaceted disease: the polyarticular form behaves like seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, while the monoarticular forms shows a lesser involvement of serum iron; spondylitic arthritis does not show any significant change in serum copper, ceruloplasmin and iron concentrations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Depression in Parkinson disease: a disabling but neglected factor.

20 depressed and 20 non depressed patients with Parkinson disease were rated for disability on the Northwestern University Disability Scale and for severity of the "typical" motor symptoms on the Columbia University Rating Scale and were assessed for mental deterioration. The severity of the "typical" symptoms was practically equivalent in the two groups but the depressed patients not only presented mild mental deterioration but were significantly more disabled (less independent) than the patients without depression. A significant correlation was found between severity of depression and degree of disability but not between severity of depression and severity of "typical" motor symptoms. Depression was diagnosed much later than the "typical" symptoms. Only 25% of the depressed parkinsonians had received tricyclic antidepressants, about 20% had been treated with dopamine-antagonist psychotropic drugs and some 50% had received no treatment at all against depression. Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment of depression in parkinsonian patients limits the effects of a major disabling factor.

Aged↗
PubMed1984

Psoriatic arthritis in psoriatic patients.

One hundred and eighty patients with psoriasis have been studied in the Neapolitan area to find the prevalence of arthritis in psoriasis. Wright and Moll's criteria for the diagnosis of arthritis were applied. Of 180 psoriatic patients, 62 exhibited arthritis (34.4% of total cases) According to Moll and Wright's five broad clinical forms of arthritis, the following distribution was found: polyarticular in 38.7% of arthritic patients, mono-oligoarticular in 16.1%, distal interphalangeal in 7.5%, deforming or mutilans in 2.3% and spondylitic and/or sacro-iliitic in 20.9%. In 14.5% of arthritic patients an overlap of the spondylitic form and peripheral involvement was also found. Stratification by age of patient populations shows that cutaneous pathology has a homogeneous distribution in the various age decades, while joint symptoms are seen maximally in the sixth decade and are absent in the first two decades. The relationship between the onset of skin lesions and joint pathology demonstrates that skin lesions preceded arthritis in 64.5% of the cases, whilst arthritis antedated psoriasis in only 19.35%. In 16.1% of cases psoriasis and arthritis began almost simultaneously. Nail changes were present in 63% of arthritic patients and in 37% of psoriatic subjects without arthritis. Furthermore, in 88% of arthritic patients in whom arthritis preceded skin lesions, nail changes antedated the onset of clinically apparent psoriasis. Extra-articular features were not found. This absence might be associated with the usual seronegativity for rheumatoid factor in psoriatic arthritis, also confirmed in this survey.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Lonidamine in primary malignant brain tumors. Preliminary report.

As part of a multicenter study on Lonidamine, this drug was studied in 16 patients with malignant gliomas. General and neurological examination, electroencephalography, electroneuromyography, and CT scan were repeated at regular intervals. The most common side effects were myalgia, nausea, and vomiting which usually subsided during treatment except in 4 patients. There was an indication of therapeutic activity in 4 out of 16 patients treated with Lonidamine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Structure and function of the internal promoter (hisBp) of the Escherichia coli K-12 histidine operon.

The entire histidine operon of Escherichia coli K-12 was cloned in the vector plasmid pBR313, and a complete restriction map of the operon was determined. By using subclones, complementation tests, and enzyme assays, we were able to make a correlation between the physical map and the genetic map of the operon. We determined the sequence of a fragment of DNA 665 base pairs long, comprising the distal portion of the hisC gene, the proximal portion of the hisB gene, and the internal transcription initiation site hisBp. The efficiency of this promoter was assessed under different physiological conditions by cloning the DNA fragment in a recombinant vector system used to study transcriptional regulatory signals. The precise point at which transcription initiates was determined by S1 nuclease mapping.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Serum copper and caeruloplasmin are higher in seropositive than seronegative rheumatoid arthritis.

Increased serum copper (sCu) and alpha 2 caeruloplasmin (alpha 2 sCP) concentrations have been reported in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Close parallel changes of sCu and alpha 2 sCP in rheumatoid arthritis have recently been observed by us in 30 subjects. The 'IgM rheumatoid factor positive (IgM-RF)' patients showed higher sCu and alpha 2 sCP concentrations when compared with 'IgM-RF negative'. Moreover a significant correlation was found between sCu alpha 2 sCP and other humoral indexes altered in rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore it seems useful, as further index of inflammation, to test both sCu and alpha 2 sCP.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Spinal chordomas in infancy. Report of a case and analysis of the literature.

Chordomas are extremely rare among the spinal tumors in pediatric age. The sacrococcygeal region is the typical site of such a lesion. A case of spinal chordoma in a child 4 years old, at the T12-L1 level, is reported. The tumor was surgically removed and a local radiotherapy was performed, but 9 months later spreading of lung metastases was observed. The unusual site along the vertebral column and the metastatic potential of this tumor are discussed. The very few cases reported in the literature were analyzed.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1980

CCNU-chemotherapy of hemispheric supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme.

One hundred and three patients with hemispheric supratentorial glioblastoma multiforme were studied. All patients were operated on and a histologic diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme was made. Patients were randomly placed in one of three treatment schedules within 3 weeks of surgery: Group A: combined radiation therapy and drug (CCNU) therapy (26 cases); Group B: CCNU given orally every 6-8 weeks (27 cases); Group C: standard radiation therapy alone (50 cases). All patients were periodically controlled by clinical and instrumental (EEG, scan, EMG, CAT) evaluations; laboratory data examinations were also frequently performed. The treatment results have been evaluated according to length of survival, social quality of life, and positive or negative response to chemotherapy. In our opinion the clinical findings are interesting but the statistical results are somewhat negative, especially when the groups of patients are not homogeneous.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

CCNU chemotherapy in adult patients with tumors of the basal ganglia and brain stem.

The present investigation evaluates those few patients of our series with basal ganglia and brain-stem tumor who refused either surgical decompression and biopsy or radiation therapy. Four patients were suffering from tumors of the basal ganglia and three from brain-stem tumors; all the tumors were diagnosed by classical neuroradiological investigations and computerized tomography. The patients were given CCNU by mouth, 13 mg/sq m every 6 weeks. No toxicity was recorded. Mean survival was 19 weeks for patients with basal ganglia tumors and 48 weeks for those with brain-stem tumors. All patients were evaluated with respect to the quality of survival. Results were compared with those obtained in a control group of patients who received methylprednisolone therapy only.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Evaluation of T-lymphocytic activity tested by E rosettes test for rheumatoid arthritis (author's transl)].

In a group of 25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the percent of erythrocyte rosettes forming cells (ERFC) was found significantly decreased in patients with rheumatoid factor positive (RF+), whereas ERFC were normal in the RF negative patients (RF--). Likely, T-lymphocytic depression in the RF+ patients could be related to a T-suppressor lymphocytes deficit and therefore, B-lymphocytes would be abnormally stimulated. Moreover, in the RF-- patients, B-lymphocytes would not be enhanced for the normal T-suppressor lymphocytes activity.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1979

A month-by-month long-term study on carbamazepine:clinical, EEG and pharmacological evaluation.

Carbamazephine plasma levels were monitored for a twelve-month period in twenty epileptic patients. Seizure frequency decreased remarkably on inclusion of the drug in the therapy and attainment of plasma levels of 7-9 microgram/ml. A faster breakdown rate in children was confirmed, while carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide was present for carbamazepine levels above 4-5 microgram/ml. EEG tracings did not show substantial modifications; this variable was thus considered to be of little value in assessing the clinical picture. Side-effects were minimal. Carbamazepine is increasingly becoming the drug of first choice in the management of both generalized and partial epilepsy, while better and more rapid results are obtained in monotherapy.

Adolescent↗