Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Olivieri

Publications and source records attributed to D Olivieri.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Activity of erdosteine on mucociliary transport in patients affected by chronic bronchitis.

The influence of erdosteine (a mucomodulator endowed with mucolytic and antioxidant properties) on human mucociliary transport (MCT) was investigated in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Sixteen former smokers affected by chronic bronchitis, preselected for their mucociliary responsiveness to an inhaled beta 2-agonist, were divided into two groups (matched by number, sex, age and FEV1%) and orally treated with placebo or erdosteine (300 mg t.i.d.) for 8 days. Their MCT was assessed by the bronchofiberscopy technique just before starting the treatment and at the end of the treatment. The pretreatment mucus transport velocity in these patients was significantly decreased with respect to healthy subjects. The erdosteine treatment induced a significant improvement of MCT while placebo was inactive (mean % variation +/- SE against their baseline values being +60.4 +/- 18.4 and -3.0 +/- 5.9, respectively). This peculiar activity of erdosteine on mucus transport may be of clinical usefulness in chronic bronchitic patients and it can be added to beta 2-agonist to restore the decreased MCT.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Role of bromhexine in exacerbations of bronchiectasis. Double-blind randomized multicenter study versus placebo.

The effectiveness of bromhexine in the treatment of patients with bronchiectasis, in a stage of clinical exacerbation, was assessed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 88 in-patients. Bronchiectasis was diagnosed by bronchography and/or CT scan. Bromhexine or matched placebo was administered as 30-mg capsules three times daily per os. Ceftazidine, 1 g i.m., was given to all patients once a day for the first week only. Bromhexine seemed to improve the clinical picture, with significantly positive trends for expectoration, quantity of sputum and auscultatory findings. It also increased the FEV1 and was well-tolerated. Both patients and investigators judged it efficacious.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Mast cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and in transbronchial biopsy specimens of patients with farmer's lung disease.

Recently, an increased number of mast cells have been reported in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) of patients with farmer's lung disease. Some authors pointed out the pathogenetic importance of mast cells in farmer's lung on the basis of their correlation with the activity of the disease, with the BAL lymphocyte counts, and with the markers of lung fibrosis. To determine whether BAL reflects the histologic aspects of the lung histologic features in patients with farmer's lung disease, mast cells recovered from lavage fluid were compared with tissue sections from transbronchial lung biopsies in 15 patients. Mast cell counts in BAL and lung biopsy specimens were significantly correlated (r = 0.88; p less than 0.01), while no other correlations between BAL inflammatory cells and tissue mast cells were found. In lung tissue, there were four times the increased number of mast cells in respect to the control group (84.4 +/- 28.8 vs 20.4 +/- 13.4 mast cells per square millimeter); 83.2 percent of mast cells were found in the alveolar septa, 14.9 percent within alveoli, 0.7 percent among alveolar lining cells, and 1 percent along blood vessels. No mast cells were located within alveoli in controls. In BAL, only lymphocyte and mast cell counts (56.4 +/- 18.6 percent, p less than 0.001; 3.9 +/- 1.5 5 percent, p less than 0.001, respectively) were significantly increased. Our data suggest that in farmer's lung disease, BAL correctly samples the alveolitis. Mast cells, such as lymphocytes, seem to be primary inflammatory cells involved at the site of the disease activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Eosinophilic alveolitis in immunologic interstitial lung disorders.

To analyze the role of eosinophils in alveolitis due to immunological interstitial lung disorders, 568 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 537 patients affected by 13 types of interstitial lung disease involving immunologic mechanisms were considered. An arbitrary cut-off of 4% of eosinophils in BAL was assumed. In five (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), amiodarone-induced pneumonitis (AIP), chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS)) out of the thirteen groups we took into consideration, the level of eosinophils was greater than 4%. In CEP and CSS in particular, the arbitrary cut-off of 4% was greatly exceeded (28.9% +/- 27.4, p less than 0.01 and 33.6% +/- 14.5, p less than 0.01, respectively). In the same two groups the increase of eosinophils in BAL was isolated with a direct correlation to the number of eosinophils in blood. By contrast, the increase of eosinophils in BAL of IPF, AIP and ABPA was of lesser extent (4.7% +/- 5.7 p less than 0.01, 5.0% +/- 3.0 p less than 0.01 and 6.1% +/- 10.4 p less than 0.01, respectively) and was accompanied by an increase of neutrophils in IPF, of lymphocytes in AIP and both in ABPA. These patterns are generally defined as "mixed alveolitis." On the basis of these data we conclude that the term "eosinophilic alveolitis" should be reserved for CEP and CSS.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The genotype of a new linked DNA marker, MP6d-9, is related to the clinical course of cystic fibrosis.

The clinical symptoms of a cohort of cystic fibrosis patients were related to their genotypes using RFLPs shown with MspI and the closely linked DNA marker MP6d-9. In the majority of CF chromosomes, the restriction site for MspI was present, and the genotype 2/2 was found most often in patients who were severely affected by the disease. The genotype 1/2 was significantly over-represented in patients with very mild clinical manifestations, including pancreatic sufficiency, absence of meconium ileus, and absence of Pseudomonas colonisation. When pancreatic dysfunction was present, the 1/2 genotype was associated with a mild form, while the 2/2 genotype was found in patients with severe insufficiency. None of our patients had the 1/1 genotype. These results indicate that the newly isolated MP6d-9 marker correlates with some important symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

Cystic Fibrosis↗
PubMed1990

Inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage and in bronchial biopsy in asthma during remission.

Bronchoalveolar lavage and BB were performed in 13 asthmatic and six healthy subjects to characterize cellular markers of inflammation in BAL and BB; to compare cellular profile of BAL with cell infiltration in BB; to examine the relationship between bronchial responsiveness and markers of inflammation in BAL and BB. Eosinophils and mast cells were increased in BAL in asthmatic subjects; eosinophils were positively correlated with neutrophils and mast cells. Epithelial shedding was present in nine asthmatic and five control subjects. Intraepithelial cells and cells in submucosa were increased in asthmatic subjects. Eosinophils and intraepithelial mast cells were higher. Thickened basement membrane was associated with more marked cell infiltration in submucosa. Ciliated cells in BAL relate to intraepithelial cells; cells in BAL broadly reflect cell infiltration of submucosa. In the asthmatic group, the degree of bronchial responsiveness correlated with ciliated cells in BAL and with intra-epithelial cells in BB. Marked airway inflammation is associated with stable asthma; inflammatory changes within bronchial epithelium may be linked to the development of bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Therapy of asthma in adults: the control of bronchial inflammation.

Inflammatory events involve the airways in asthma. Bronchial inflammation can induce and maintain both variable airflow obstruction and bronchial hyperresponsiveness. The rationale of asthma therapy is, therefore, to use drugs which prevent and reduce the inflammation. The control of asthmatic inflammation needs specific management. Interestingly, if corticosteroids are effective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have a negligible effect. On the other hand, sodium cromoglycate and ketotifen can act on bronchial inflammation. Moreover, in well-selected patients, immunotherapy and a strict environmental prophylaxis can play a key role in long-term therapy. In asthmatics, a careful control of inflammation can protect airways from irreversible bronchial obstruction and return bronchial hyperresponsiveness to within the range of clinical well-being.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1988

Early bronchodilating effect of a new oral beta-2-receptor agonist (broxaterol) in bronchial asthma.

In order to determine the bronchodilating activity and safety of two beta-2-receptor agonists, broxaterol and procaterol, compared with a placebo, 12 patients with reversible airway obstruction were tested in a double-blind cross-over study. The drugs were administered orally and the dosage of broxaterol was 0.5 mg, that of procaterol 0.05 mg. Measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), heart rate and blood pressure were performed before and 30, 60, 120, 240, 360, and 480 min after each treatment. Both drugs produced bronchodilation but broxaterol was statistically 30 min faster in producing this effect than procaterol (p less than 0.05). Moreover this effect for both drugs persisted significantly for up to 480 min compared with the effect of the placebo (p less than 0.005). There were no significant side effects with either drug. Heart rate and blood pressure did not show any changes in clinical significance for broxaterol or procaterol. In our study, broxaterol showed a faster bronchodilating effect than procaterol, and tolerance was the same for both drugs.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1988

Bronchoalveolar lavage in chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. Analysis of six cases in comparison with other interstitial lung diseases.

We describe 6 patients with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) investigated clinically and by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). The BAL findings of these 6 patients were compared with those of 293 patients with other interstitial lung diseases (ILD): 184 with sarcoidosis, 63 with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 46 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In patients with CEP, BAL analysis was characterized by a markedly increased number of eosinophils (mean +/- 1 SD: 54.2 +/- 26.4 of effector cells; in control subjects, eosinophils were less than 1% of effector cells). In patients with other ILD, BAL fluid analysis showed a significant increase in the percentage of eosinophils only in the group of IPF, but in IPF the increased number of eosinophils is linked with a significant increase in the percentage of neutrophils. These findings indicate that besides the classic patterns of lymphocytosis or polymorphonuclear leukocytosis, a predominantly eosinophilic pattern may also be present in the BAL fluid. Moreover, BAL may contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of lung tissue damage in CEP.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of bronchial responsiveness by pharmacological challenges in asthma. Inhaled propranolol in comparison with histamine and methacholine.

Bronchial challenges with bronchoconstrictive drugs have supplied important information on some relevant pathophysiological aspects of bronchial asthma, i.e. nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness. Until now histamine and methacholine have been the most widely used inhalation tests. Recently, propranolol, given by inhalation, has been proposed and evaluated for possible application as a bronchial provocation challenge both in clinical and experimental setting. In asthmatic subjects with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine and methacholine, inhaled propranolol induces a dose-related bronchoconstriction. In a group of 25 asthmatic patients, the mean value of provocative doses, in mumoles of propranolol that causes a 20% drop in FEV1 (PD20FEV1), is thirteen times greater than that of methacholine. In the same study, there is no correlation between the bronchial responses to the two drugs. Moreover, none of 9 normal subjects of the control group responds to inhaled propranolol. The mechanisms of propranolol-induced bronchoconstriction are poorly understood. A cholinergic reflex is probably involved, but it is likely that propranolol has some different and rather peculiar pathways. Bronchial response to inhaled propranolol is a reliable, reproducible, safe, and well-tolerated method. Bronchoconstriction induced by propranolol appears to be a very promising technique in the investigation of the mechanisms of nonspecific bronchial hyperresponsiveness.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of some immunological parameters in interstitial lung disease by discriminant analysis.

In 37 subjects affected by interstitial lung diseases (19 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, 11 with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 7 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), we have compared by discriminant analysis (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 8.3) 17 biological parameters derived from bronchoalveolar lavage analysis, gallium-67 scanning and lung biopsy. The aim of the study was to analyze the parameters of these three groups by forming one or more linear combinations of the discriminant variables. In particular, we tried to define the ability of such parameters to define these interstitial lung diseases and the relative importance of the data examined. The functions obtained are highly discriminant, so that the three groups are well distinguished among themselves; it means that the variables employed discriminate among the diseases studied. Among the variables considered, differential cell count, immune complex determination, gallium-67 lung scanning have the most important discriminant capacity. Discriminant analysis emphasizes that the three diseases are mediated by different immune mechanisms and underlines the role of each mechanism in determining the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

The intensity of sarcoidosis alveolitis is related to albumin and IgG levels in BAL.

To define whether the levels of immunoglobulins and albumin in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid are related to the intensity of sarcoidosis alveolitis, 49 patients affected with pulmonary sarcoidosis were studied. To distinguish between high- and low-intensity alveolitis, two parameters were used: the percentage of T lymphocytes and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in BAL fluid. The results showed an increase of albumin and of the IgG/albumin ratio (p less than 0.05) in patients with high-intensity alveolitis as assessed by both criteria. Moreover, an increase (p less than 0.05) of albumin concentration related to T lymphocyte alveolitis was found. We conclude that: albumin is a reliable index of inflammation; the increase of the IgG/albumin ratio is the expression of local production of IgG as well as of inflammation; the evaluation of albumin and of the IgG/albumin ratio should be useful because they both correlate with the intensity of the alveolitis: the former express inflammatory damage and the latter, immunological activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Uterine sarcomas. A retrospective study of 17 cases.

Seventeen documented cases of uterine sarcoma were studied in an effort to establish the relationship between prognostic factors and patients' survival. The analysis of prognostic factors showed that there was a significant difference in survival between patients with stages I and II tumors and those with more advanced lesions. It has been also noted that prognosis was worse in patients with history of previous abortions and in patients who had abdominal or pelvic pain.

Aged↗