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E Ferrari

Publications and source records attributed to E Ferrari.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

[Severe pulmonary hypertension complicating a long treatment with dexfenfluramine].

The authors report a case of severe pulmonary hypertension after long-term dexfenfluramine treatment in a 48 year old man with no previous medical history. Dexfenfluramine, which has previously been reported to cause pulmonary hypertension, is an amphetamine-like anorexic agent, a pharmacological group known to predispose to this type of side effect. The possibility of this complication should be born in mind before prescribing the drug. In particular, it would seem to be particularly important not to exceed the recommended length of treatment especially as potential reversibility of pulmonary hypertension on withdrawal of the drug has been reported in one case.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗
PubMed1994

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy with carboplatin and recombinant interferon alpha in ovarian cancer.

Twenty-five patients with Stage III ovarian cancer were entered into a trial with intraperitoneal combinations of carboplatin (400 mg/cqm) and recombinant interferon alfa (50 MU). All patients had received prior intravenous platinum-based chemotherapy and underwent 2nd look laparotomy at study entry. Our study indicates that this combination chemotherapy is safely administered by the intraperitoneal route. Myelotoxicity was frequent, but rarely of grade 3. No major local toxicity was recorded by accessing the peritoneal cavity with a temporary catheter. The response to treatment was promising in the group of patients with less then 2 cm residual disease at study entry (15 patients); in this group, all patients had no clinical evidence of disease at the completion of the therapy. In 2 cases reexploration was performed and pCR was recorded. Only one patient of this group relapsed during a mean follow-up of 21 months. Two pCRS were also recorded in the group of patients with more than 2 cm at 2nd look (9 patients), although relapse occurred after 9 and 15 months respectively. In the remaining patients of this group, persistence of disease was observed after intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1994

Ischemia-reperfusion of human skeletal muscle during aortoiliac surgery: effects of acetylcarnitine.

Our previous study on human skeletal muscle undergoing ischemia and reperfusion has revealed that granulocytes, which infiltrate the muscle tissue in large numbers, play an important role in mediating fibre injuries by producing superoxide anion (O2-) which is responsible for membrane lipid peroxidation. In the current study, five patients undergoing aortic reconstructive surgery were given acetyl-carnitine (2 mg/kg i.v. plus 1 mg/kg/min for 30 min) prior to the induction of ischemia. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were examined: a) after anaesthesia; b) at the end of ischemia; and c) 30 min after reperfusion, with the aim of elucidating whether acetylcarnitine could prevent the infiltration and/or the activation of granulocytes and eventually skeletal muscle injuries. During ischemia and reperfusion complement activation recruited numerous granulocytes into the muscle tissue, but, contrary to the untreated samples, the ability for O2(-)-generation of these cells remained at low levels and was comparable to that of ischemia even when molecular O2 was reintroduced to the tissue. Accordingly, the morphological changes of the postischemic muscle fibers were substantially reduced when compared to the untreated samples; in fact, the mitochondrial swelling was only moderate and the intramitochondrial dense bodies were small and scarce. The current findings support a positive role of acetyl-carnitine in ameliorating the ischemia-reperfusion (I-R)-induced damage of human skeletal muscle.

Acetylcarnitine↗
PubMed1993

[Cardiac toxicity of anthracyclines. Clinical forms, incidence, surveillance].

Anthracyclines have greatly contributed to improvement in the prognosis of certain cancers, but their beneficial effect is impaired by an unquestionable toxicity affecting notably the heart. Changes in blood pressure or electrocardiograms, benign pericardial reactions and rare but severe myocarditis may occur at an early stage of treatment. The cumulative toxicity of anthracyclines limits their use. With a cumulative dose of 550 mg/m2 the mean incidence of toxicity varies from 5 to 10 percent. The occurrence of toxicity largely depends on the total dose, but other factors such as patient's age and general condition, and previous treatments with chemo- or radiotherapy must be taken into account. The best methods to monitor the cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines are echocardiography, radionuclide study of ejection fraction and myocardial biopsy for histological study. The rational use of these three types of examination must be adjusted to each individual patient. It should reduce the incidence of severe myocarditis which sometimes cancels all the beneficial effects of the anticancer treatment.

Antibiotics, Antineoplastic↗
PubMed1993

Lymphoma developing in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis taking methotrexate.

We report one case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in a patient, with a 30-year history of rheumatoid arthritis, taking low dose methotrexate weekly over a 10-month period. The mild immunosuppression that occurs with methotrexate therapy probably places patients with rheumatoid arthritis at added risk of developing lymphoproliferative diseases, but coincidence cannot be excluded.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

The combination of aspiration needle biopsy with fine needle aspiration in the preoperative evaluation of breast tumors.

During a period of 10 years, 2906 women (mostly asymptomatic) were referred to us for physical breast examination. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was used to examine a nodule or a breast thickening in 860 of these patients. One hundred and ten of these patients also underwent a large needle biopsy (LNB) to add a pre-operative histological evaluation. LNB was performed with 18-20 gauge needles, without cutting the skin and without adding any significant pain or discomfort to that caused by FNA (aspiration needle biopsy, ANB). Diagnostic sensitivity for cancer was 89% for FNA and 100% for ANB. ANB allowed us to correctly identify two cancers with post-operative stage T1N0M-0, which were diagnosed pre-operatively as benign by FNA. The combination of the two needle aspiration techniques (FNA and ANB) allowed us to diagnose 51 of all the 54 cancers (95%). The predictive value of a diagnosis of definite malignancy was 100% for either FNA or ANB. The predictive value of a diagnosis of suspected malignancy showed a predictive value of 72% for FNA and 70% for ANB. Three benign nodules with pre-operative ANB findings of suspected cancer were correctly diagnosed by FNA. Of the 12 cancers with inadequate ANB findings, 11 were correctly diagnosed by FNA. Sixteen of the cancers correctly identified by ANB showed a post-operative size of 2 cm or less (ten cases) or no metastatic axillary lymph-nodes (nine cases).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1993

Genetic contribution to idiopathic adult-onset blepharospasm and cranial-cervical dystonia.

A family study in 29 patients with idiopathic adult-onset blepharospasm (n = 16) and cranial-cervical dystonia (n = 13) was undertaken by examining 189 first-degree relatives. Six relatives with dystonia were identified in 6 families. A further 3 affected relatives, now deceased, were from 2 other families. All the secondary cases were parents or siblings. There was a tendency for affected relatives to have the same type of dystonia of index patients. To assess the significance of secondary cases we compare the incidence of affected siblings between probands and their spouses. Dystonia was found in 5 out of 120 proband siblings whereas none of the 142 spouse siblings was affected (p < 0.05). Segregation analysis suggested an autosomal-dominant transmission and reduced penetrance or, alternatively, polygenic inheritance.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Psychoimmunoendocrine investigation in anorexia nervosa.

Immunological and neuroendocrine parameters were examined in 11 women with anorexia nervosa, 6 restricted and 5 bulimic-anorectics, 17-43 years old with 2-15 years duration of the disease, and in 11 age- and sex-matched psychophysically healthy controls. The T lymphocyte proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and beta-endorphin (beta-EP) levels was examined in basal conditions and after corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation. Cortisol inhibition by dexamethasone (DST), and basal growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) levels were also examined. The immune study did not reveal significant differences between patients and controls. ACTH and cortisol basal levels were significantly higher in anorectics, while beta-EP, GH and PRL concentrations did not differ in the two groups. ACTH, beta-EP and cortisol responses to CRH were blunted in anorectics and the DST impaired in 55% of the patients. No correlations were observed between neuroendocrine impairments and the T lymphocyte response to PHA, or between the immunological neuroendocrine parameters and the body mass index of either patients or controls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

A comparison of nimesulide and diclofenac in the treatment of acute superficial thrombophlebitis.

In a double-blind study, the efficacy and tolerability of nimesulide (100mg twice daily) were compared with those of diclofenac (50mg twice daily) when administered orally to 50 patients with acute superficial thrombophlebitis of the lower limbs. Pain relief and amelioration of inflammation were apparent in patients treated with either nimesulide or diclofenac; however, gastric intolerance was noted more frequently in those receiving diclofenac. The results of this study suggest that nimesulide should be considered as an alternative to diclofenac and other first-line NSAIDs in the treatment of acute superficial thrombophlebitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

[Acute Staphylococcus aureus myocarditis in AIDS. 2 cases].

The authors report two cases of acute myocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus in patients with AIDS. There was no history of opportunist infections in either case but the CD4 lymphocyte levels were very low. The myocarditis caused acute cardiac failure and death. Histological examination showed microabscesses filled with Gram positive cocci throughout the myocardium. Bacteriological studies identified the Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus myocarditis without endocardial or pericardial involvement is very rare. It is the result of septic emboli in the cardiac microcirculation. Bacterial myocarditis has rarely been diagnosed in HIV positive patients. Both our cases featured severe cell-mediated immunodeficiency without associated neutropaenia. The decreased bactericidal activity of the neutrophil polynuclears and/or a deficit in the immunity mediated by the B-cell lymphocytes in AIDS could explain the lethal septic complications observed in our two cases.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗