Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Saitto

Publications and source records attributed to C Saitto.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Hepatitis A, B, C and D in a community in Italy of immigrants from NE Africa.

A total of 213 subjects from a community in Italy of immigrants from Somalia and other NE African countries were enrolled in this study to evaluate the prevalence of HAV, HBV, HCV and HDV infections and to assess their possible risk factors. Of the subjects, 45 per cent (96) were female and 24 per cent (52) were under 12 years old. The age range was from 1 to 67 years and the mean age was 24 years. Eighty-three per cent (177 subjects) were born in Somalia, 10 per cent (21 subjects) in Ethiopia, and the rest in Djibouti, Egypt or Saudi Arabia. The 213 subjects were administered a questionnaire which covered socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors resulting from Western medical practice, traditional medicine, personal behaviour and living conditions. Blood was drawn from 209 subjects to ascertain the presence of HbsAg, HBeAg, anti-HAV, anti-HBc, anti-HBs, anti-HCV and anti-HDV. The results of this study show an HAV prevalence of 96 per cent (an 87.5 per cent prevalence in children under 12), and an HBV prevalence of 32 per cent (a 3.3 per cent prevalence of HBsAg carriers). No subject under 11 was HBV positive and no woman tested positive for HBeAg, confirming the extreme unlikelihood of vertical transmission of HBV. The prevalence of HBV is closely correlated with age (ranging from 2 per cent in those under 12 to 59 per cent in subjects over 39).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

[Mechanical resistance of intrauterine devices. Experimental evaluation].

In view of the possible intracavitary breakage of an IUD, an experimental model was created to evaluate resistance to mechanical stress in new IUDs and IUDs which had been used for varying periods (6-12-24 months). The results of the study showed that, in addition to a slight inhomogeneity of the product which is probably due to incorrect industrial manufacturing procedures, there is also a correlation between the risk of breakage and intrauterine ageing which is particularly evident in some IUDS.

Equipment Failure↗

The assessment of IUD mechanical resistance: an experimental model.

An experimental model to assess IUD resistance to mechanical fatigue is presented by which the performance of several IUD models has been tested both new and after variable intrauterine use, up to 33 months. According to the results of this study, IUD resistance decreases exponentially with time, and IUD shape apparently affects resistance. Therefore, prolonged intrauterine use apparently increases rupture liability. Moreover, it is suggested that some IUD features can minimize chances of intrauterine rupture and/or fragmentation.

Intrauterine Devices↗

Chlamydial infection and male infertility: an epidemiological study.

Chlamydia-positive genitourinary infections are common causes of male and female infertility. Semen abnormalities are often associated with Chlamydia infections. A large population of male patients, admitted to our clinic for genitourinary infection, were examined for genitourinary pathogens, including Chlamydia, and for semen abnormalities. There were higher abnormalities semen in Chlamydia-infected patients than either non-Chlamydia-infected or healthy controls. Chlamydia therapy by antimicrobial agents improved semen characteristics. Chlamydia infection contributes to seminal fluid abnormalities and probably to male infertility. A search for chlamydial infection is warranted whenever semen abnormalities are noted. An antimicrobial therapy improves semen quality when effective in eradicating Chlamydia.

Chlamydia Infections↗

Effect of aminophylline on lung maturation in preterm rabbit fetuses.

Pregnant rabbit does were treated intravenously with aminophylline (6 mg/kg/day) from the twenty-fifth day after the day of mating, and the fetuses were delivered by hysterotomy on the twenty-eighth day. One group of neonates was breathing air, and another group 100% oxygen. Lung mechanics were evaluated in the newborn animals during spontaneous or artificial ventilation, and the lungs were studied histologically with particular reference to the alveolar volume density. In one series of experiments, the lungs were washed and the lavage fluid was analyzed for phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylglycerol. Aminophylline-treated litters had greater body weights, an improved survival rate, and an increased amount of phosphatidylglycerol in lung lavage fluid. Respiratory frequency was increased in aminophylline-treated animals breathing air, but data on lung compliance showed no significant difference between treated and control animals. In the present model, the beneficial effect of aminophylline can be attributed largely to a combination of accelerated fetal growth and improved postnatal regulation of breathing and less to a specific influence on the biochemical and functional maturation of the lung.

Aminophylline↗

Improved lung-thorax compliance in the premature rabbit neonate after treatment with dibuturyladenosine-3':5'-cyclic monophosphate.

Premature rabbit neonates, delivered on day 28 of gestation, were treated with a single dose of dibuturyladenosine-3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP), 300 mg/kg, immediately after delivery, saline-injected litter-mates serving as controls. All animals were kept in body plethysmographs and ventilated artificially with 100% oxygen for 1 h, with a maximal tidal volume of 10 ml/kg body weight. Lung-thorax compliance was significantly improved in animals treated with cyclic AMP, both 30 and 60 min after onset of ventilation (0.92 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.59 +/- 0.08 ml/cm H2O.kg and 0.96 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.53 +/- 0.08, p less than 0.005), but there was no improvement in alveolar air expansion, evaluated histologically. Phosphatidylglycerol was absent in alveolar wash from all control animals, but present in 3 of the 8 pooled samples from the animals treated with cyclic AMP; this difference was not statistically significant, however.

Animals↗

[Differences in in-hospital mortality in patients treated with aortocoronary bypass for cardiopathic ischemia, Rome 1996].

Data from Health Information Systems (HIS) have been used in recent years to evaluate effectiveness and quality of care. We analyzed in-hospital mortality occurring within 30 days following operation among 1984 patients (age > or = 35 yrs, males 84%) who underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery in seven hospitals in Rome in 1996. Data were extracted from the Lazio HIS run by the Regional Health Authority. The HIS database includes up to four diagnoses and surgical procedures (ICD-9); the following variables were considered a priori risk factors: type of ischemic disease, comorbidities, and others surgical interventions during the same admission. Logistic regression was performed in order to evaluate the association between hospital and risk of mortality after adjusting for potential confounders (ORs and 95% CI). The overall in-hospital mortality was 4.7% (ranged from 0.0 to 14.7%). Predictors of outcome included: older age, acute myocardial infarction, chronic myocardial ischemia, other heart diseases, chronic renal diseases, peripheral vascular diseases, other heart and vascular interventions. Statistically significant variability in mortality was observed across hospitals; taking hospital A as reference, hospitals D and E showed the highest risks (OR = 6.36 and OR = 3.12, respectively). We conclude that the observed differences in mortality rates among hospitals cannot be explained by differences in case mix, nor by varying coding styles. They are likely to reflect differences in currently unknown aspects of patient care.

Acute Disease↗

[The major nerve trunks are not the primary action site of intravenous regional anesthesia].

In a patient suffering from a deep penetrating wound of the left forearm and radial nerve injury, the administration of intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) was followed by prompt analgesia of the whole arm while intense pain could still be elicited by stimulating radial nerve stump. Complete radial nerve block was present 10 min later confirming that initial blockade of nerve terminals substantially contributes to IVRA and suggesting that a 10 min delay is indicated for optimal analgesia after IVRA whenever a major nerve injury is suspected.

Analgesia↗