Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Cipolla

Publications and source records attributed to C Cipolla.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

A prospective evaluation of the activity of human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on the prevention of chemotherapy-related neutropenia in patients with advanced carcinoma.

After informed consent, 86 patients with advanced cancer undergoing potentially myelosuppressive cytotoxic chemotherapy were randomized to receive placebo or subcutaneous granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) 5 micrograms/Kg/day in order to prevent severe neutropenia and its related morbidity. The incidence of neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count < 1,000/mm3) was significantly reduced in patients receiving G-CSF than in controls (18% versus 42%; P < 0.05). The duration of neutropenia was also shortened by the administration of G-CSF (4.8 versus 8.2 days; P < 0.05). Therapy with G-CSF has also a positive impact on the dose-intensity of employed regimens. Patients treated with G-CSF showed oral fungal disease in 9% of cases, while control patients had a 21% incidence (NS). Patients treated with G-CSF received 91% of the programmed dose-intensity as compared to 71% of control patients (P < 0.05). These data strengthen the clinical usefulness of G-CSF in the prevention of chemotherapy-related neutropenia, infections, and reduction in dose-intensity. Further studies are required to establish if the increase in dose-intensity allowed by G-CSF treatment may positively influence the outcome of cancer patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Subcutaneous octreotide versus oral loperamide in the treatment of diarrhea following chemotherapy.

Forty patients with chemotherapy-related diarrhea were randomized to receive (i) octreotide 0.5 mg three times per day s.c. or (ii) loperamide 4 mg three times per day p.o. until complete remission of diarrhea was achieved. In the octreotide group 80% of patients showed complete resolution of loose bowel movements within 4 days of therapy, while in the loperamide group this goal was obtained in only 30% of cases (p < 0.001). If after 4 days no benefit was seen, patients were considered to have failed antidiarrheal therapy. Failure was recorded in only one case (5%) treated with s.c. octreotide and in five patients (25%) who received loperamide. The mean duration of antidiarrheal therapy necessary to achieve remission was 3.4 days in the octreotide group and 6.1 days in the loperamide group (p < 0.001). Treatment with octreotide was very well tolerated with mild abdominal pain in 15% of cases and pain in the injection site in 15% of patients. Subcutaneous octreotide is highly effective in the management of chemotherapy-related diarrhea in cancer patients.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1991

[The role of galactography in the diagnosis of breast diseases. Our experience].

Following a description of the most common galactographic semeiotics in relation to the different types of secretion, the Authors report their personal experience in the use of galactography to diagnose breast cancer. Histopathological tests revealed the presence of carcinoma in 14 (29.2%) out of a total 48 galactographic examinations. In conclusion, the Authors underline the high degree of diagnostic precision of galactography, a test which contributes to the identification of a considerable number of carcinomas during the preclinical stage.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Epidemiology of Crohn's disease in Sicily: a hospital incidence study from 1987 to 1989. "The Sicilian Study Group of Inflammatory Bowel Disease".

An epidemiologic study of Crohn's disease was carried out in the Province of Palermo, Italy, between 1987 and 1989. The incidence of first hospitalization was prospectively evaluated in this period. A total of 103 patients (59 males, 44 females) were diagnosed. The standardized annual incidence was 2.7/100,000. The incidence was quite constant during the 3 years of the study (1987: 2.9/100,000; 1988: 2.4/100,000; 1989: 2.99/100,000). Incidence rates were slightly higher in men than in women. The disease had a bimodal age distribution in female (with peaks at age 20-29 and 60-69) and males (with peaks at age 30-39, 40-49). No cases were observed at age 0-9. The incidence of Crohn's disease in southern Italy is comparable to that reported in northern Europe.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[The treatment of nonpalpable breast lesions. Our experience].

Thanks to the diffusion of the clinico-mammographic screening, in the last ten years a considerable increase of breast carcinomas diagnosed in a subclinical stage has been registered. The authors report the preliminary results of their experience in nonpalpable lesions of the breast and confirm the validity of conservative surgery for their treatment. Nonpalpable breast carcinomas must be considered as an early stage of palpable T1 tumors, for which validity of conservative surgery is largely demonstrated. Moreover, results are not compromised by possible multicentricity and/or positivity of axillary lymph nodes.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Staging of gastric carcinoma and consequential therapeutic protocols].

The Authors examine the most recent diagnostic methods of studying gastric carcinoma illustrating their limits and peculiarities. It is underlined that only an integrated use of these diagnostic methods may allow a right staging of the disease, which is very important for a correct therapeutic approach. After a review of the literature the Authors discuss on the extent gastric resection and lymphadenectomy must have to be considered radical and, at the same time, curative.

Gastrectomy↗
PubMed1990

[Use of BICAP by endoscopic route in the palliative treatment of neoplastic stenosis of the esophagus].

Over the years the palliative treatment of neoplastic stenosis of the esophagus in patients who cannot be operated has seen a variation of endoscopic methods which aimed to reopen the alimentary canal either using simple dilatation, or the insertion of endoprostheses, or sclerosing injection or antiblastic therapy, or lastly using disobstructive laser therapy. In particular, the use of Neodymium YAG laser in endoscopic therapy for the deobstruction of neoplastic esophageal stenosis is currently widely used. More recently deobstruction of the stenosis may also be achieved using bipolar diathermocoagulation with BICAP following esophageal dilatation. Recent comparative studies of the use of BICAP and laser therapy in the treatment of neoplastic esophageal stenosis have tended to reveal the complementary characteristics of the two techniques. The present paper reports the Authors' experience in this respect which has been satisfactory with regard to both methods, in line with the findings of other studies. In the study of two groups of 8 patients treated with BICAP and laser therapy respectively, recanalisation was obtained in 100% of cases with good functional results in 75% of patients treated with BICAP and 87.5% of those receiving laser therapy. The time interval between one treatment session and the next in relation to the efficacy of the therapy was similar in both methods and ranged from a minimum of 4 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks. Complications were scarce in both groups.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

[Importance of early diagnosis in the improvement of prognosis in breast carcinoma: non-palpable lesions. Preliminary results].

There are still marked differences in the current indications for breast screening proposed by the various international school of oncology. Epidemiological data to the effect that breast screening in asymptomatic women aged over 50 reduces the death rate due to breast cancer now appears to be widely accepted, but an analogous finding for women aged between 40-49 has not yet been confirmed. Following a brief analysis of the most important breast screening programmes carried out to date, the Authors report the preliminary results regarding the identification and biopsy of non-palpable breast lesions during the course of a screening programme in 1986 by the Dept. of Cancer Surgery. Of a total of 1128 breast scans in asymptomatic patients aged between 40 and 73, 24 suspect (1.9%) non-palpable lesions were found of which 5 (20.8%) proved to be carcinomas.

Adenofibroma↗
PubMed1990

[Correlations between morphometric characteristics and the presence of lymph node metastasis in stage T1 and T2 breast carcinoma].

In this study the relationship between cyto-morphometric characteristics of breast cancer and lymph node status was investigated. The study was conducted on 20 cases of T1-T2 breast cancer with node metastasis and 20 cases of T1-T2 breast cancer without node metastasis. About 100 nuclei for each patient were analyzed by means of a computerized image analyzer, and mean nuclear diameter, mean nuclear area, mean form factor and number of cells in 8 classes of diameter were studied. Mean mitotic index was also calculated. No statistic difference was found for all these variables, between the two groups. In conclusion, cyto-morphometric parameters although often represent an index of aggressiveness, they are not related to lymph node status. This one is, in fact, only an indicator of tumor's ability to spread, and tumor's diffusion can occur through different ways from the lymphatic one.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1990

[The value of the triad: clinical examination, mammography and needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of breast carcinoma. Our experience].

Based on the authors' personal experience of the use of the triad, clinical examination, mammography and needle-aspiration cytology, in the strategic diagnosis of breast cancer, the paper emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis as the sole means of obtaining an improved outcome. Using this integrated methodology the authors have obtained a specificity of 99%, sensitivity of 97.8%, and a diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value for positive tests of 98%. In conclusion, the authors affirm that the comparative interpretation of clinical examination, mammography and cytology appears to be an extremely efficacious and reliable method for the diagnosis of the nature of breast nodules.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[The value and limits of the follow-up in patients operated on for breast carcinoma. Our experience].

The aim of follow-up is essentially that of diagnosing possible recidivation at a relatively early and practically asymptomatic stage in order to optimise the results of appropriate treatment and to improve both the overall survival rate and the patient's quality of life. In spite of the correct and systematic planning of controls, the authors underline that in their experience only 64.7% of relapses are diagnosed during the asymptomatic phase. However, the authors have confirmed that the expectation of relapse has a barely significant influence on survival. After five years of first receiving treatment, 83% of patients with relapses diagnosed in a symptomatic phase had died, compared to 81.7% of those with relapses diagnosed during the asymptomatic phase. In conclusion, in spite of the fact that it is possible to obtain early diagnosis of recidivation during follow-up, it is equally true that this has no influence at all on the survival rate. However, irrespective of these results, the authors maintain that it is useful to follow patients undergoing breast surgery through a periodic follow-up to evaluate the evolution of disease and acquire an increasingly precise and definite knowledge of its natural history. The authors put forward a protocol for follow-up in which patients are divided into groups on the basis of lymph node status and pre- or postmenopause.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Magnesium pidolate in the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Preliminary data.

This paper describes how the authors, after examining the calcium modulating action of the Mg ion and its antihistamine-like action, tested a salt containing Mg (Mg pidolate, MAG2) in the clinical treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. A total of 38 hayfever subjects were studied. They were given 1.5 g Mg salt three times a day for one month (oral MAG2 vials); placebo was used as a control in a randomized double-blind study. The efficacy of the product was assessed using the following criteria: intensity of rhinorrhoea, daily consumption of Kleenex tissues, number of sneezes in a day, intensity of lacrimation. The results were analysed using Student's t test and demonstrated the clinical efficacy of the product in the control of seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms (P less than 0.001).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Electrophysiologic and haemodynamic correlates in supraventricular tachycardia.

In 16 subjects with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) we sought a relationship between haemodynamic changes associated with artificially induced arrhythmias and the electrophysiological properties of the related atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentry circuit. In 10 patients (group 1) induced SVT was typical (long AH) and caused a significant fall in cardiac output (-1.720 ml min-1) and arterial systolic pressure (-18 mmHg). In six subjects (group 2), induced SVT was atypical (long HA) and did not significantly alter the output of the heart and systolic pressure, despite the elicitation of similar tachycardia. The opposite AV nodal reciprocation pattern which resulted in a substantial increase in AH/HH in group 1 and in a slight rise of the same variable in group 2, may explain these haemodynamic differences. In fact, atrial and ventricular systoles occurred simultaneously and impeded the ventricular filling in the former group, while a regular subsequence of contraction was maintained in the latter group. In group 2, systolic arterial pressure and cardiac output fell to the same level as in group 1 when right atrial pacing, at a similar rate of SVT, determined an increase of AH/HH similar to that observed during typical tachycardia. Thus, the haemodynamic response to SVT differs significantly between the two types of reciprocating tachycardia, particularly as regards cardiac output and blood pressure, and is mainly influenced by the temporal relationship between atrial and ventricular systole, independent of the rate of contraction. The different conduction velocities of the reciprocating circuit limbs and their interrelation seem to be major determinants of the haemodynamic pattern of SVT.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hospital incidence of Crohn's disease in the province of Palermo. A preliminary report.

The hospital incidence of Crohn's disease in the province of Palermo was studied from January 1987 to June 1988. A total of 51 patients (34 in 1987 and 17 in the first half of 1988) were diagnosed. The incidence rate calculated for the 1st year was 2.7/100,000. A similar figure was observed in the first 6 months of 1988, which ought to rule out an overestimation in the 1st year. These preliminary data suggest that the incidence of Crohn's disease in southern Italy is similar to that reported in northern Europe.

Crohn Disease↗
PubMed1989

[Efficacy of disopyramide in the treatment of atrial flutter with overdrive pacing].

Thirty patients with long-standing (mean 30 days) type I atrial flutter (AF) were treated with overdrive atrial pacing. To evaluate the effect of pretreatment with disopyramide (DISO), the study population was divided into 3 groups of 10 patients each: no therapy (Group A); intravenous DISO (maximum dose 250 mg in 1 hour) (Group B), oral DISO (400 mg/day for 4 days) (Group C). The mean cycle length of AF was 215 +/- 24 ms in Group A, 222 +/- 28 in B and 224 +/- 11 in C (NS). After DISO, AF cycle length increased to 287 +/- 24 in Group B (p less than 0.001) and to 264 +/- 29 in C (p less than 0.001). Overdrive pacing was performed from a maximum of 3 atrial sites up to the shortest paced cycle of 150 ms. Reversion to sinus rhythm (SR) occurred in 20% of patients in Group A, 70% in B and 50% in C. In all these cases SR was obtained with paced cycle length that was 70-90% of the baseline cycle length. Pacing was performed from a mean number of 2.1 sites per patient in Group A, 1.2 in B and 2.0 in C. Atrial fibrillation occurred in 7, 3 and 4 patients, respectively. Acceleration of atrial flutter to a faster form of AF occurred in 3, 3 and 4 patients, respectively. The administration of DISO prior to overdrive atrial pacing improves the rate of conversion to SR and allows an easier stimulation protocol with a lower incidence of pacing-induced atrial fibrillation. The administration of DISO is beneficial when overdrive atrial pacing is performed for the treatment of long standing AF in patients with organic heart disease.

Aged↗