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Biomedical subjects

A Romano

Publications and source records attributed to A Romano.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Blood rheology changes during bezafibrate treatment.

To evaluate the effect of bezafibrate on the haemorheological pattern, 30 atherosclerotic non-diabetic patients were enlisted in a double-blind, comparative, parallel group trial with bezafibrate (600 mg daily) or placebo being randomly assigned. The 45-day treatment period was preceded by a three week pharmacological wash-out. Haemorheological parameters such as whole-blood, plasma and serum viscosity, haematocrit, fibrinogen, fibrinogen/albumin ratio and erythrocyte filterability were evaluated before and at the end of treatment. The results showed no change in haemorheological determinants in the placebo-treated group but a significant reduction in whole-blood viscosity, in haematocrit, in fibrinogen and fibrinogen/albumin ratio was observed in the bezafibrate treated patients. No variation was present in the plasma and serum viscosity and in the erythrocyte filterability.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Optic pit versus glaucomatous cupping in a myopic patient.

A myopic patient with bilaterally deep cupping of her optic discs and an arcuate scotoma in the bjerrum area in the right eye and borderline IOP is presented. The problem of diagnosing a glaucomatous process in this patient is discussed.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed1988

New approach for early, simple, and rapid detection of acute eye infections.

Several methods are known for the diagnosis of infections all of which require the use of well equipped laboratories and skilled personnel. For example: 1. Isolation and culturing of microorganisms from samples taken from body fluids. This method is complicated and time consuming. 2. Detection of antibodies. The main disadvantage of this method is the fact that the change in the level of antibodies occurs only after a few days from the onset of the disease. In the course of our work we found that already in the early stages of acute external eye infections, mucopolysaccharide degrading enzymes (MPDE) appear in tear fluid, where they are normally not present. We also found a relationship between MPDE with different infectious diseases of the eye as well as their role in the progress and treatment of these diseases. As a result of these findings and numerous clinical and laboratory in vivo animal and in vitro experiments, we developed a new approach for early detection of acute ocular infections. Utilizing this approach based on tear samples from patients; eyes, we developed a method which enables quick and reliable detection of the presence of an infection in general, and for early diagnosis in particular. Testing MPDE in tears with this method revealed also a new phenomenon of specific geometric imprints, or orthographic signs, each of which may be indicative of a different type of acute infection, e.g. adenovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, or other acute viral and bacterial infections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A non-invasive method of blood glucose evaluation by tear glucose measurement, for the detection and control of diabetic states.

The development of a quick, simple and sufficiently reliable method for tear glucose measurement is described. The method, based on a color reaction with triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride on special filter paper strips imbibed with tears, showed results which related favorably with parallel blood glucose levels of the same patients, already in the first stage of its development. Being non-invasive, the proposed method could be of important practical benefit for the detection and monitoring of diabetics, thus obviating the necessity of invasive blood sampling inherent to existing biochemical techniques. The second stage of development of tear glucose measurement, consisting of improvement and perfection of the technique, gave very encouraging results until now.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1987

Megalocornea and mental retardation syndrome: two new cases.

We report on 2 patients with the Neuhäuser megalocornea-mental retardation syndrome, a recessively inherited clinical entity of relatively recent description (McKusick 24931). A review of the few previous reported patients and our 2 patients shows that megalocornea and mental retardation are the 2 minimal diagnostic criteria. Short stature, seizures, neurological symptoms, microcephaly or macrocephaly, and minor anomalies are all additional nonobligatory manifestations. The small number of published cases may be due to the fact that the association of these two signs has often escaped attention until now.

Child↗
PubMed1987

Elevated atrial natriuretic peptide after the Fontan procedure.

To assess the response of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) to rapidly changing right atrial pressures in vivo, we measured ANP levels in 15 patients undergoing the Fontan procedure and compared them with control levels in nine patients undergoing cardiac surgery for lesions not associated with atrial hypertension. There were no significant differences in preoperative ANP levels: 57 +/- 15 pg/ml for patients undergoing the Fontan procedure, 43 +/- 8 pg/ml for control patients. There was no significant change in ANP during surgery or in the postoperative period in control patients. In contrast, ANP increased significantly to 333 +/- 70 pg/ml (p less than .0025) after establishment of right atrial-pulmonary artery continuity with the Fontan procedure and was related to right atrial pressure, which increased from 5 mm Hg before to 14 mm Hg after the Fontan procedure (p less than .001). There was no significant change in left atrial pressure. During the first postoperative day, ANP levels fell to 141 +/- 34 pg/ml (p less than .01) but later increased to 290 +/- 80 pg/ml (p less than .025), a finding that may suggest depletion of a readily releasable intracellular pool of ANP before mobilization of a storage pool. There was no direct relationship between ANP levels and effusions in patients undergoing the Fontan procedure. Pharmacologically significant increases in ANP occur in patients undergoing the Fontan procedure, correlating with increased right atrial pressures, but the relationship between ANP and the fluid derangements after the procedure remains unclear.

Atrial Natriuretic Factor↗
PubMed1987

Chronobiology and viral diseases: a search for a probe which may assist in forecasting the onset of a disease and enhancing its treatment.

Aspects of Chronobiology related to the diseases of the eye and infectious diseases of the eye--particularly those that are caused by viral agents are viewed. The possible biological rhythmicity as a tool to predict the onset of these pathological conditions is discussed. The natural history of the diseases which are caused by various strains of Herpes point to the involvement of a strong and an influential endogenous biological rhythm. Based on these findings the benefits of application of chronobiological techniques to the study of these diseases is stressed.

Biological Clocks↗
PubMed1986

ASA disease: the clinical relationship of nasal polyposis to ASA intolerance.

We studied the complex relationship between nasal polyposis and ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) intolerance in 154 patients with nasal polyps. The clinical histories of all patients were reviewed, and diagnostic tests for immune or allergic causes and the responsiveness of patients to challenges with ASA-substitutive drugs were analyzed. A third of our patients tested were found to have positive personal histories of atopy and 35% showed ASA intolerance. Although 40% had bronchial asthma, only 16.8% of all patients had positive tests for allergy. We were unable to find a specific mechanism to explain the relationship between nasal polyposis and ASA intolerance and further investigations are still required.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Iris (Lisch) nodules in neurofibromatosis.

A group of 30 patients ranging from 4 to 56 years of age with the peripheral form of neurofibromatosis were evaluated for the presence of iris (Lisch) nodules. These nodules were observed in 73% of our cases and their presence was directly related to the severity of the skin manifestations of the disease. It is concluded that Lisch nodules are pathognomonic for neurofibromatosis and thus, their presence should be looked for in all suspected cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. Radiological and ultrasonographic aspects].

Clinical, radiological and ultrasonographical features of three cases of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, one of which in a child, are reported. Presurgical diagnosis of xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is difficult and infrequent to date (10-14% of cases according to different workers). This complaint is generally mistaken for other types of kidney infections or tumours. The use of ultrasonography and computed tomography in particular help recognition of the disease and above all help to assess its extra-renal spread: something that has only recently been made possible.

Adult↗