Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Ferri

Publications and source records attributed to E Ferri.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Enhanced chemiluminescent sandwich enzyme immunoassay for hen egg lysozyme.

A sensitive chemiluminescent sandwich-type enzyme immunoassay for hen egg lysozyme was developed. The assay was performed on polystyrene microtitre plates using immobilized specific polyclonal rabbit antibody against lysozyme, a peroxidase conjugate and the H2O2/luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence detection reagent. The chemiluminescent signal was detected using either a microplate luminometer, or photographic film in a camera luminometer. The detection limit for lysozyme was 0.3 ng/mL, and this was three times lower than that obtained using a colorimetric method with H2O2 and o-phenylendiamine as substrates. Recovery of the assay was 97-112% and the relative standard deviation ranged from 3.6% to 10.3%. The immunoassay overcame interference from the food sample matrix when lysozyme, used as a bacteriostatic agent, was measured.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Surgical treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy with argon plasma: a long-term follow-up in 157 patients].

Surgical treatment of the inferior turbinate in patients with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis that does not respond to medical treatment is a well established procedure. CO2 laser, YAG laser, KTP laser, conventional electrocautery, cryotherapy, chemosurgery and turbinectomy or submucosal turbinectomy have been performed for the removal of nasal obstruction. Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) is a new, innovative technique in Otorhinolaryngology which is based on high-frequency electrocoagulation with an argon-gas source. The shorter surgical times, the absence of hemorrhagic complications and, in rhinosurgery, not requiring any kind of nasal packing are remarkable. Between March and November 2000, a group of 157 patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic inferior turbinates were treated using APC, at the Otorhinolaryngology Surgical Department of the Hospital of Dolo (Venice). The follow-up period was 24 months. Rhinomanometry was performed to objectively measure the nasal obstruction and to verify the postoperative improvement. The Student t-test was used for statistical data. After 24 months, 87% (p < 0.001) of patients reported to have a better nasal airflow than before the operation. None of the patients needed a nasal packing after APC surgery. We review and discus the indication, advantages, complications, controversies and long-term results of the treatment with APC in rhinosurgery.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Diode laser surgery in the endoscopic treatment of laryngeal paralysis].

Several surgical procedures have been proposed for the treatment of respiratory distress secondary to bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The aim of all surgical techniques used is to restore a glottic lumen sufficient to guarantee adequate breathing through the natural airway, without tracheotomy and preserving an acceptable phonatory quality. In this study we present our experience from 1998 to 2004 concerning the use of the diode contact laser for a modified Dennis-Kashima posterior endoscopic cordectomy (extended to the false homolateral chord in 3 cases and to the homolateral arytenoid vocal process in 6 cases). 18 patients (15 male, 3 female) were treated; the age range was 35-84 years. The etiology of paralysis varied: iatrogenic post-thyroidectomy and post-thoracic surgery in 5 cases (28%), post-traumatic in 2 cases (11%), secondary to a central lesion in 11 (61%). The operation was carried out with a diode contact laser (60W; 810 nm). Follow-up was 20 months. Dyspnea improved in all patients; the 9 tracheostomized patients were decannulated within 2 months after surgery. Final voice quality was subjectively good in 16 patients (88%). None of patients had any complications after surgery. In conclusion, the endoscopic posterior cordectomy performed by contact diode laser is an effective and reliable method for the treatment of dyspnea secondary to bilateral laryngeal paralysis, guaranteing a sufficient airway without impairing swallowing and maintaining acceptable voice quality.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Argon plasma surgery for treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy: a long-term follow-up in 157 patients.

Chronic nasal obstruction is a common disorder, mostly caused by hypertrophic inferior turbinates. In cases of nonresponse to conservative medical management, the surgical reduction of the inferior turbinates is often required. Surgical techniques for the reduction of hyperplastic nasal turbinates include monopolar or bipolar coagulation, partial or total reduction of the turbinates with a conchotome or scissors and laser surgery with Nd:YAG, CO(2) or KTP. Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is a new, innovative technique in otorhinolaryngology which is based on high-frequency electrocoagulation with an argon gas source. The fast and short surgery times, the absence of hemorrhagic complications and, in rhinosurgery, the complete abstention from any kind of nasal packing are remarkable. Between March and November 2000, a group of 157 patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic inferior turbinates were treated using APC, at the Otorhinolaryngology Surgery Department of the Hospital of Dolo (Venice). The follow-up period was 24 months. Rhinomanometry was performed to objectively measure the nasal obstruction and to verify the postoperative improvement. The Student t test was used for statistical data. After 24 months, 87% (p < 0.001) of the patients reported to have a better nasal airflow than before the operation. None of the patients needed a nasal packing after APC surgery. The indication, advantages, complications, controversies and long-term results of the treatment with APC in rhinosurgery are reviewed and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Natural distribution and occurrence of coenzyme Q homologues.

The knowledge of coenzyme Q levels in tissues, organs, and subcellular compartments is of outstanding interest. A wide amount of data regarding coenzyme Q distribution and occurrence was collected in the last decades; nevertheless the data are often hard to compare because of the different extraction methods and different analytical techniques used. We have undertaken a systematic study for detecting the ubiquinone content in subcellular compartments, cells, and whole-tissue homogenates by a previously standardized HPLC method performed after an extraction procedure identical for all samples. It was confirmed that the major coenzyme Q homologue in rat tissues is coenzyme Q9; however, it was pointed out that all the rodents samples tested contain more than one coenzyme Q homologue. The coenzyme Q homologue distribution is tissue dependent with relatively high coenzyme Q10 content in brain mitochondria, irrespective of the rat strain used. There is no constant relationship of the coenzyme Q content in mitochondria and microsomes fractions. Most organisms tested (including other mammals, bird and fish specimens) have only coenzyme Q10, while the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis contains only coenzyme Q8.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Anatomo-topographical and structural aspects of the dorsal nucleus (Clarke's nucleus) in humans].

There is fairly plentiful old and recemt literature on the dorsal nucleus (Clarke's nucleus), but the research reported is mainly in animals. The present study covers human material (9 spinal cords), considered mostly from the morphological-topographical aspects. In man, Clarke's column is not perfectly symmetrical, is "clublike" in shape, and reaches from the eighth cervical to the second lumbar segment. The left is slightly larger than the right. The large Clarke's cells typical of this nucleus are fewer in the cranial than in the caudal segments, with 14 percent more Clarke's neurons in the left-hand column. The staining methods used (Bielschowski, Weiger, Nissl) permitted topographical, overall and comparative study of the Clarke's neurons, revealing a thick layre of interneuronal and intra-columnar amyelin fibres dividing the nucleus thoracicus into two distinct zones. In conclusions, some morphological and functional hypotheses are put forward, based on the Author's observations.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ultrasonography of normal vermiform appendix].

The aim of this study was the detection and visualisation of the normal vermiform appendix and its characteristics by ultrasonography in adults with no clinical suggestion of acute or chronic abdominal disease. A prospective study was performed in 200 subjects. The graded-compression ultrasonography technique was used to explore the lower right quadrant of the abdomen and the pelvis. The examination was performed using a 4 MHz sector array and 7.5 MHz linear array transducer. In a few cases, a 10 MHz linear array transducer was used. The appendix was visualized in 54% of patients. In all cases where the appendix was visualized it was found to be either on the ileo-psoas muscle or directly beneath the abdominal wall. The ileo-caecal valve was visualized in 78% of cases. The transverse diameter was found to be no greater than 6.5 mm except in three cases that had a diameters ranging from 7 to 9 mm. Diameter variability along the length of the same appendix was demonstrated in 5% of subjects. Wall thickness was no greater than 2.5 mm. Our experience suggests that graded-compression ultrasonography is a valuable procedure for detecting the vermiform appendix more frequently than has been previously reported. The patients physical constitution and the anatomical location of the vermiform appendix were found to be important factors affecting the ability to visualize the vermiform appendix. The ability to visualise the normal vermiform appendix ultrasonographically supports the clinical diagnosis and excludes acute appendicitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Carotid body tumors: the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects].

The authors discuss the epidemiology, histology, symptomatology, diagnosis and therapy of carotid body tumors, basing their discussion on three personal observations and on a case of cervical dermatocyst which showed clinical and radiological data consistent with diagnosis of a glomus tumor. Chemodectomas of the neck are more often seen in the carotid body and are considered histologically benign, although they might induce local or distant metastases. Clinical presentation is often non-specific and may only consist in a slowly growing mass in the higher jugular-carotid region. Among the various imaging techniques (CT, MR), supra-aortic selective angiography, including digital subtraction techniques, is now considered the most reliable tool, while ultrasonography and gammagraphy with 99mTc-gluconate or 131I-MBG are recommended for screening and family testing purposes. Biopsy is to be avoided as it is very likely to cause massive bleeding and because of the high percentage of false negatives. Surgery is the choice treatment, and lateral cervicotomy is the recommended approach for exeresis of the mass, while radiotherapy should be planned in patients with precise contra-indications for surgery and when the tumor mass has already reached the skull base. Pre-operatory selective embolization is still controversial.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Invasive nasosinusal aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient].

The authors describe a case of invasive nasosinusal aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient. After a careful bibliographic review, they emphasize that in the present case the diagnosis was made by means of fungal culture as the clinical picture, imaging techniques and histopathological findings were aspecific. The pathogenetic agent resulted Aspergillus tamarii which belongs to the Aspergillus flavus group and is one of the most unusual agents in literature. The treatment of choice, in the invasive form, is surgery that should be as radical as possible followed by a medical therapy. In the present case, after two-phase radical surgery on all the paranasal sinuses, medical treatment with traconazole was employed with excellent local results at a follow-up of one year.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Partial idiopathic epilepsy: recovery after allergen-free diet.

The hypothesis that certain foods or allergens might bring about convulsions has been suggested repeatedly in the literature over the last century. Some clinical studies have highlighted an unusually high prevalence of allergic disorders in patients with epilepsy. This paper reports the consistent disappearance of partial idiopathic epilepsy symptoms in a nine-year-old patient as a result of diet free of cow's milk protein. This case appears to confirm the possible role of food allergy in certain types of epilepsy in patients of pediatric age.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spectroscopic properties of ubiquinones in model systems.

In order to achieve a better elucidation of the physico-chemical properties of ubiquinones (Qs) in natural membranes, we have investigated the UV spectral features of Q-homologs in different model systems. In phospholipid monolamellar vesicles the UV spectra of physiological ubiquinones resemble those in isooctane, whereas in detergent micelles the spectra appear similar to those of the hydrophilic Q1 in water. For short-chain Qs it is possible to describe a linear dependence of the absorption parameters upon the polarity of the media. Long-chain Qs exhibit strong deviations due to aggregation states. In aqueous media a pH dependence of the spectral properties of ubiquinones is also observed. The findings in model systems can provide useful correlations between the spectroscopic properties of ubiquinones, their physico-chemical characteristics in the natural membranes, and rapid spectrophotometric detections of their redox changes.

Chemical Phenomena↗