Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Vitali

Publications and source records attributed to C Vitali.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Lung function in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia: a short-term follow-up.

Lung involvement in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) has been recently described. In order to assess whether patients with EMC experience an accelerated deterioration of lung function, nineteen patients (17 females, 2 males; 49.6 +/- 6.6 years) underwent a short-term follow-up of lung function, chest X-ray and serologic investigations. Reduction of forced expiratory flows and presence of roentgenologic signs of interstitial involvement were confirmed in the baseline evaluation. In addition, a decrease of diffusing capacity was shown. After a mean interval of 15 months, no significant change in lung function was found, with the exception of decrease in maximal expiratory flow at 50% of forced vital capacity, total lung capacity, functional residual capacity, coefficient of transfer of CO. A slight decrease of hemolitic complement (CH50) and of complement fraction (C3) was also observed. This study suggests that patients with EMC tend to have an involvement of pulmonary interstitial space, possibly related to immune complex deposition, but they do not show a severe decline of lung function. Periodical assessment of lung function and chest X-ray is, however, worthwhile.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Low-antigen-content diet in the treatment of patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia.

PURPOSE: The effects of a low-antigen-content diet (LAC diet) versus a standard normocaloric diet on the signs and symptoms of mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) were compared in a crossover randomized study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study consisted of 24 outpatients with MC, and was carried out in a 48-week period. After 18 weeks of either the LAC or the placebo diet, patients returned to a totally unrestricted diet for 12 weeks (washout period) and crossed over to the second half of the study for the other 18 weeks. RESULTS: After three weeks of the restricted LAC diet, the cryocrit decreased from 3.5 +/- 3.4% (mean +/- SD) to 2.3 +/- 2.0% (p less than 0.01), and the circulating immune complex levels decreased from 48 +/- 30% to 39 +/- 34% (p less than 0.01). At the same time, the purpura score (p less than 0.05), glutamic pyruvic transaminase level (p less than 0.01), and gamma glutamyl transferase level (p less than 0.001) significantly improved. Splenic reticuloendothelial function, measured as the half-life of heat-damaged autologous red cells, decreased from 41 +/- 21 minutes to 21 +/- 10 minutes (p less than 0.005). In contrast, no significant parallel clinical, biochemical, and immunologic changes occurred in the same patients during the placebo (standard normocaloric) diet. CONCLUSION: These data show that an LAC diet decreases the amount of circulating immune complexes in MC and can modify certain signs and symptoms of the disease. These effects of the LAC diet may be explained by postulating a functional restoration of the mononuclear phagocytic system.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Urticaria/arthritis syndrome: report of four B51 positive patients.

The development of articular manifestations in the course of chronic urticaria or in urticarial vasculitis has been widely reported. It is not completely clear, however, whether common pathogenetic mechanisms are involved in all patients with these clinical features. Four consecutive patients with simultaneous urticarial and articular manifestations, but without any evidence of an immune complex mediated disease, are described. The HLA-B51 antigen was positive in all these patients, suggesting that a common genetic background may be present in some cases of urticaria with articular complaints.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Fibromyalgia features in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Evidence of a relationship with psychological depression.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints suggestive of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) was evaluated in 30 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (1 degree SS) and in two control groups of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition, the presence of depressive state was investigated in patients and controls using the Hamilton rating scale and an Italian self-evaluating test. Fibromyalgia features were found in 14 1 degree SS patients (47%), in 21 OA (70%) and in 10 DM (33%) controls. 1 degree SS patients showed the highest prevalence (47%) of moderate-severe depression with respect to OA (20%) and DM (7%) groups (p less than 0.01). Furthermore, while FS features correlated closely with both tests for depression in 1 degree SS (p less than 0.001), this correspondence was absent or much less significant in the other disease groups. Finally, neither psychopathological features nor FS complaints appeared to be related to the other clinical and serological findings of 1 degree SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Parotid sialography and minor salivary gland biopsy in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. A comparative study of 84 patients.

Parotid sialography and labial salivary gland biopsy were performed in 84 patients with clinical features of primary or secondary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Signs of focal sialoadenitis were found in 73/84 patients (87%), but only 37 (44%) scored 4 which is considered diagnostic for classic SS. In contrast 55/84 patients (66%) showed some sialographic abnormalities. In patients with both primary and secondary SS, hypergammaglobulinemia and anti-SSA antibodies appeared to be the serological variables more closely related to the entity of either sialographic or histologic abnormalities. In primary SS extraglandular manifestations and recurrent parotid swelling were significantly associated with parotid sialography and labial salivary gland biopsy changes, respectively. Our study indicates that currently both radiological and histological examination are necessary for the assessment of salivary gland involvement in SS.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1987

Evaluation of S-adenosylmethionine in primary fibromyalgia. A double-blind crossover study.

The effect of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and placebo was evaluated in a short-term crossover study of 17 patients with primary fibromyalgia. Eleven of 17 patients had a significant depressive state as assessed by either the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale or the Scala di Autovalutazione per la Depressione (SAD) rating scale. The number of trigger points plus painful anatomic sites decreased after administration of SAMe (p less than 0.02) but not after placebo treatment. In addition, scores on both the Hamilton and SAD rating scales improved after SAMe administration (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.005, respectively), whereas they did not significantly change after placebo treatment. In all the patients, there was a good correlation between scores on the Hamilton rating scale and the number of trigger points. Thus, this preliminary study confirms the close relationship between primary fibromyalgia and psychologic disturbances, particularly with regards to a depressive state. SAMe treatment, by improving the depressive state and reducing the number of trigger points, seems to be an effective and safe therapy in the management of primary fibromyalgia.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Lung function abnormalities in different connective tissue diseases.

Lung volumes, forced expiratory flow-volume curves, diffusing capacity indexes, and arterial blood gases were measured in 72 non-smoking patients with various connective tissue diseases (13 with rheumatoid arthritis, 17 with systemic lupus erythematosus, 25 with progressive systemic sclerosis, 10 with primary Sjögren's syndrome, 4 with polymyositis, and 3 with mixed connective tissue disease). Small airways disease and a diffusion capacity impairment were the most frequent and marked functional abnormalities in the whole group, and were often present in asymptomatic patients. Different lung function defects seemed to be present in each disease group. In fact, large airway obstruction was prevalent in progressive systemic sclerosis, diffusion capacity impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus, and small airways disease in rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast, primary Sjögren's syndrome appeared to be the connective tissue disease in which lung function abnormalities were less frequent and less pronounced.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

HLA antigens in Italian patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Twenty eight Italian patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome were typed for class I and class II alloantigens of the major histocompatibility complex. Patients with Sjögren's syndrome had higher prevalence of DR3 (46.4% v 14% in the control population, p corrected less than 0.02), while similar prevalence was found for DR2 and DRw52 alloantigens. DR3 correlated with DRw52 (p less than 0.0001), anti-Ro(SSA) (p less than 0.0002) and anti-La(SSB) (p less than 0.02) antibodies, and extraglandular manifestations (p less than 0.02). In addition, extraglandular involvement was associated with anti-Ro antibodies (p less than 0.05) and raised gammaglobulins (p less than 0.02). In Italian patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome DR3 is the genetic marker related to this clinical entity and seems to identify a disease subset characterised by autoantibody production and extraglandular manifestations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Lung involvement in Sjögren's syndrome: a comparison between patients with primary and with secondary syndrome.

Lung function was assessed in 20 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and in a group of patients with SS associated with a variety of connective tissue diseases. Signs of small airway disease and of altered diffusion capacity, together with chest x-ray features of mild interstitial involvement, were the most common findings in primary SS. On the whole, lung involvement was more frequent and severe in patients with the secondary form of the syndrome. In both primary and secondary SS lung function changes did not correlate with the other clinical and serological parameters, except for a more severe impairment of diffusion capacity in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Immune complex behaviour during prolonged plasma exchange in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia and systemic lupus erythematosus.

A number of immunological parameters were measured in 9 patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia and 12 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus undergoing plasma exchange alone or without cytotoxic drugs. Only cryocrit significantly decreased in the majority of patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia. In contrast, immune complex levels, measured in two different ways, did not change on the whole, although variable and unpredictable changes were often present in individual patients. Thus, these data do not support the view that the mechanism(s) of action of plasma exchange in these diseases is only due to the quantitative removal of circulating immune complexes, and qualitative changes in the immune complex moiety may also occur.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Plasma exchange in the treatment of lupus nephritis.

Seven women with severe Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Nephritis were treated with Plasma Exchange, without any additional therapy with cytotoxic agents. All patients had failed to respond to high doses of corticosteroids and, in 3 cases, to 6-methylprednisolone pulses. In 4 patients the indication for plasma exchange treatment was a rapid deterioration of renal function, and in the others a need to better control symptoms without using toxic corticosteroid dosages. The total number of plasma exchange sessions ranged from 14 to 57 depending on the patient. After PE treatment, serum creatinine values significantly decreased in all 4 patients with rapidly developing, nephritis while in the others it remained unchanged. No major side effects were recorded and no relapse of renal disease occurred whenever Plasma Exchange treatment was gradually tapered or discontinued. These data suggest that prolonged Plasma Exchange treatment without the concomitant administration of cytotoxic agents may be effective in the treatment of steroid resistant severe lupus nephritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Circadian variations of serum myoglobin levels in normal subjects and patients with polymyositis.

Circadian variations in myoglobin levels were determined in 18 normal volunteers and in 10 patients with active polymyositis. In all the controls and in 9 of the 10 patients, serum myoglobin concentrations were highest at 9 am, fell significantly during the day to reach a nadir between 6 and 12 pm, remained constant until midnight, and then rose again at 3 am. The percent differences between the highest and lowest values ranged from 21-66%. This pattern was observed in both untreated patients and patients receiving 6-methyl-prednisolone, which was given either in a single dose at 8 am or in divided doses (8 am and 8 pm). These data demonstrate that the time of sample collection must be taken into account when myoglobin levels are used as a marker of muscle damage.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Chronic myeloid leukemia in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

Eighteen months after the occurrence of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia developed in a 69-year-old woman. The coexistence of the two disorders was characterized by an initial reduction of paraproteinemia at the time that leukemia occurred, a long-lasting remission of the two disorders, and a final parallel increase of paraproteins and WBCs. Since leukemia occurred 15 months after the interruption of melphalan therapy, the potential mutagenic role of chemotherapy was considered irrelevant. Therefore, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia might favor the occurrence of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Aged↗