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Biomedical subjects

D Vaira

Publications and source records attributed to D Vaira.

156 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Effect of gluten-free diet on splenic hypofunction of adult coeliac disease.

Splenic function has been serially measured by counting pitted red cells in 15 coeliac patients, before and during a gluten-free diet. The basal percentage values of pitted cells decreased significantly during treatment but no correlation was observed between the duration of the gluten-free diet and the percentage of recovery of splenic function over basal values. Out of six coeliacs with pitted cell values consistent with splenic hypofunction, three showed a total recovery after gluten withdrawal. Our data suggest that, contrary to recent reports, hyposplenism in adult coeliac disease is improved by a gluten-free diet, and that environmental factors may be important in determining and maintaining this complication.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer of the gastric stump in Italy, 1979-1986.

Sixteen thousand fiberoptic endoscopies were reviewed. Gastric stump cancer was found in 24 patients of 368 who had had gastric resection for benign peptic disease. A direct relation between the percentage of patients with cancer of the gastric stump and the postsurgical interval was observed. Patients with partial gastrectomy who are 15 to 20 years postoperative should have an endoscopy irrespective of presence or lack of symptoms. Multiple biopsies should be taken in view of the multicentric growth pattern of early carcinoma.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biliary surgery without the surgeon!

Since the introduction of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the 1970s and of endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) in 1974, endoscopic techniques for the diagnosis and therapy of biliary and pancreatic disorders have proliferated. Although some procedures have become part of routine practice, for example EST for postcholecystectomy bile duct stones and stent insertion for inoperable biliary strictures, the place of others is unclear at present and should be evaluated by prospective randomized clinical trials. The choice of either an endoscopic or a transhepatic approach for biliary disease is usually dictated by local expertise, but these should be regarded as complementary rather than competing techniques, and complex biliary problems should be managed jointly by the endoscopist, interventional radiologist and hepatobiliary surgeon.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

HIV resistance to antiretroviral drugs: mechanisms, genotypic and phenotypic resistance testing in clinical practice.

HIV resistance to antiretroviral agents is a major contributory cause of treatment failure. The dynamics of HIV replication, together with patient-, physician-, and drug-related factors, lead to emergence of HIV resistant strains in most of the patients. Phenotypic assays look for an increase in the antiretroviral drug (ARV) concentration that inhibits 50% of the growth of the tested HIV strain (IC50), comparatively with a reference strain cultivated in parallel. Genotypic tests detect resistance mutations in the reverse transcriptase and protease genes by comparing the gene sequences of a resistant virus to those of a wild-type strain that has previously been described. The efficacy of each ARV class and each individual ARV is threatened by specific mutations and resistance mechanisms. In retrospective studies of genotypic or phenotypic resistance testing, baseline resistance tests results were correlated with virological outcomes. There is some evidence from prospective studies that resistance testing may have some benefits when used to choose salvage regimens. However, problems in the areas of test interpretation, patient compliance, availability of active drugs, and technical test performance limit the usefulness of resistance testing in clinical practice. This article reviews the mechanisms underlying HIV resistance, the principles of phenotypic and genotypic tests, and the use of these tests in clinical practice.

Anti-HIV Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Helicobacter pylori infection and cytotoxic antigen associated gene "A" status in short children.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is now an accepted gastroduodenal pathogen and is being investigated for possible implications in nongastroenterological conditions such as growth impairment. Subjects infected by cytotoxic Cag-A positive strains seem more likely to develop serious gastroduodenal diseases but the possible role of Cag-A positive strains in non gastroenterological diseases has not been fully investigated. OBJECTIVE: 1) To evaluate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and Cag-A positivity in short children compared to auxologically normal children. All the subjects were without gastro-intestinal symptoms and were not obese or significantly underweight. 2) To verify the reliability of the ELISA assay for H. pylori. SUBJECTS: H. pylori infection was assessed in 338 children, 182 auxologically normal and 156 short children, with and without deficiency in growth hormone, by the determination of specific IgG antibody. In 79 subjects (all seropositive and a random sample of seronegative children), 13C-urea breath test and cytotoxic Cag-A positive strains were examined. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of H. pylori infection by IgG antibody was 18/156 (11.5%) and 13/182 (7.1%) in short and auxologically normal children respectively. The 13C-urea breath test was positive in 29 children: 17 (10.9%) short and 12 (6.6%) auxologically normal. Western blotting documented infection by cytotoxic Cag-A positive strains in 12/17 (70.6%) and 8/12 (66.6%) of short and auxologically normal children respectively. None of the differences between the two groups were significant. CONCLUSIONS: 1) We found a similar prevalence of H. pylori infection and Cag-A positivity in two large pediatric populations of short or auxologically normal children. Therefore: 1) Our data did not confirm a role of H. pylori infection in short stature in children. 2) We found a high reliability of ELISA assay for the detection of IgG antibodies compared to breath test.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of hepatitis G virus in a haemodialysis unit.

BACKGROUND: Recently, a novel blood-borne virus has been identified and named hepatitis G virus. Transfusion is the main route of transmission. It is known that patients on maintenance dialysis are more susceptible to infections with parenterally-transmitted viruses than the general population. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis G infection in a Belgian dialysis unit. METHODS: The entire population of our dialysis unit (82 patients) was tested for the presence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. History of transfusion or renal transplantation, coinfections with hepatitis B and C viruses, and serum aminotransferase levels were also tested. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (16%) were found positive for HGV-RNA. Among these patients, 69.2% were infected by the G virus alone, 15.4% were coinfected with B virus, and 15.4% with C virus. All but one patient had a history of transfusion. Ten of the thirteen infected patients (77%) had normal aminotransferase (< 30 UI/l). Three patients had elevated aminotransferase levels (23%); one was coinfected with B virus, one with C virus, and the last one had a diabetes-induced fatty liver infiltration. No liver biopsies were performed. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that infection with G virus is common among dialyzed patients. This high rate of infection could be related to previous transfusions, but may as well be due to nosocomial transmission. In our series, at least one patient has been contaminated by another road than transplantation or transfusion. Finally, it does not appear clearly that chronic infection with hepatitis G virus induces liver disease, as defined by elevated aminotransferase level.

Adolescent↗