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Biomedical subjects

E Orlandi

Publications and source records attributed to E Orlandi.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Erythropoiesis in myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia: recognition of different classes of patients by erythrokinetics.

A quantitative assessment of erythropoiesis was performed by means of a mathematical model of iron kinetics in 26 patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM). A direct relationship between total erythropoiesis and red cell volume was revealed. This 'inverse' characteristic of erythropoietic control was the best marker of the proliferative nature of the disease. Three classes of patients were singled out by means of a cluster analysis of the erythrokinetic parameters. In class I (11 patients) the red cell volume was above the predicted normal in all but two patients. Erythropoiesis was sustained at 5--10 times the normal levels with a high degree of ineffective erythropoiesis. A fairly constant absence of erythroid activity over the sacral marrow was demonstrated. In class II most of the 12 patients had a decreased red cell volume. Erythropoiesis was sustained at 2--4 times the normal level with a high degree of peripheral haemolysis. Erythroid activity was recognized over the sacral area in all but two patients. The three patients of class III showed a pattern of erythroid failure and had the worst prognosis. It is suggested that these classes represent separate disease forms of MMM.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[The plasma 59Fe clearance curve in man. An evaluation of methods of measurement and analysis].

Studies of 59Fe clearance from the plasma are used for obtaining a quantitative measure of erythropoiesis. However, there are many difficulties associated with a good definition and a valid analysis of the plasma 59Fe clearance curve. The low plasma activity, plasma iron variation, and traces of haemolysis are factors which make the measurement of the curve difficult. All these problems were examined in the present work. Liquid scintillation counting allows a more accurate assay of plasma 59Fe activity than conventional gamma counting. Plasma iron fluctuations may affect tracer kinetics but adjustment of plasma activity for plasma iron variation (expressing 59Fe activity per unit mass of iron) does not appear a satisfactory procedure for overcoming this difficulty. The removal of haemoglobin from plasma samples is a necessary procedure to avoid contamination by [59Fe] haemoglobin. Fitting three exponentials to the plasma 59Fe clearance curve does not yield satisfactory results in some cases. A better prediction of the clearance curve in most cases can be obtained by means of a more refined mathematical model.

Erythropoiesis↗
PubMed1980

Quantitative assessment of erythropoiesis in haemolytic disease.

Erythrokinetic parameters were estimated in 21 patients suffering from haemolytic disease using a mathematical model of iron kinetics. A proper definition of radioiron reflux from red cells to the plasma proved to be essential for an accurate estimate of effective and ineffective erythropoiesis in severe haemolytic conditions. Erythropoietic activity was increased in all the patients, with the marrow capable of sustaining erythropoiesis at about 6 times normal in hereditary spherocytosis and 3 times normal in autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. This proliferative effort was countered by an increase in ineffective erythropoiesis which was especially marked in hereditary spherocytosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: clinical features, cytogenetics, and prognosis in 30 consecutive cases.

A retrospective analysis of 30 patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CrMML) was performed to define the natural history of the disease and the risk of acute transformation. Our patients fulfilled the following criteria of diagnosis: blood monocytosis over 1 X 10(9)/l, blast cell percentage in bone marrow up to 30, and in peripheral blood less than 5. The most common presenting feature was anemia; seven patients had fever; three patients complained of purpura and bleeding. Anysopoikilocytosis and macrocytosis were frequent. Abnormal granulocyte morphology, defective granulation and abnormal leukocyte alkaline phosphatase were often observed. Blast cells in peripheral blood smears were found in 14 patients. Serum and urine lysozyme levels were increased in 82 per cent and 93 per cent, respectively. Dysplastic changes involving erythroid, granulocytic and megakaryocytic lineages were constant features in all cases. Agranulated blasts above 5 per cent of marrow nucleated cells were seen in 13 patients (43 per cent). Seven of the 20 patients showed non-specific chromosomal abnormalities at diagnosis. Median survival from diagnosis was 18 months (range, 3-112). Evolution into acute myeloid leukemia occurred in 11 patients. No difference in survival was found between patients who developed acute leukemia and patients who did not. A shorter survival has correlated to the following parameters: leukocytes greater than 10 X 10(9)/l, the presence of blasts in peripheral blood and agranulated blasts in the marrow above 5 per cent.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Residual mediastinal widening following therapy in Hodgkin's disease.

The chest radiograms (CXR) of 102 patients with Hodgkin's disease presenting with mediastinal involvement at diagnosis were reviewed to assess the incidence and relevance of residual mediastinal abnormalities after therapy. All patients had completed planned treatment and had no evidence of persisting extramediastinum disease at restaging. Thirty-nine cases (38 per cent) showed residual mediastinal widening at the end of therapy (minimal changes in nine and measurable changes in 30 cases). Neither presenting features nor treatment modality correlated with residual mediastinal mass on chest X-ray. The isolated intrathoracic relapse rate was 11 per cent for patients with normal mediastinum following therapy, as compared with 20.5 per cent for those with residual widening; this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.3). The persistence of mediastinal abnormalities was associated with a trend towards a higher risk of intrathoracic relapse for patients with initial bulky disease (p less than 0.05) and for those with B symptoms (p = 0.07). Using thoracic CT scan for restaging (56 patients), the residual mediastinum rate rose to 70 per cent; the predictability of local relapse with this procedure was not greater than with conventional X-ray study.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of terminal-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia with intermediate-dose cytarabine and hydroxyurea.

We used intermediate doses of Ara-C (IDAra-C) in the treatment of 15 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis and, combined with hydroxyurea, in 20 CML patients in accelerated phase. Patients with blastic CML received intensive 5-day courses of IDAra-C 600 mg/m2 every 12 h as a 2-h infusion. Of 15 patients, three achieved complete response (CR) and three partial response (PR), for an overall response rate of 40 per cent. All patients developed severe leukopenia and thrombocytopenia, and two died in hypoplasia. Except nausea and vomiting requiring medication, other nonhematologic toxicities were uncommon. Median response duration was 4 months (range 1 to 7 months). Survival was 5 months for responders and 1.5 months for nonresponders. Patients with CML in accelerated phase were treated with two-day courses of IDAra-C 600 mg/m2 every 12 h by 2-h infusion, every two-three weeks. Daily hydroxyurea 1-1.5 g/day was administered between courses. Of 20 patients, 15 (75 per cent) achieved a good PR with rapid improvement of the symptoms of disease acceleration. The median duration of response was 11 months (range 3 to 38 months); duration was over 24 months in five patients. The median survival from the start of IDAra-C was 13 months for responders and 3.5 months for nonresponders. We conclude that IDAra-C is an effective approach for CML in terminal phase. Its use in 5-day induction courses for blast crisis CML has a response rate comparable to that achieved with high-dose Ara-C. In patients in accelerated phase, the combination of short courses of IDAra-C with hydroxyurea is a well-tolerated treatment able to improve substantially the clinical and hematologic symptoms of disease progression.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

CAV chemotherapy (CCNU, melphalan, etoposide) as salvage treatment for relapsing or resistant Hodgkin's disease.

Twenty-five adult patients with resistant or early relapsing Hodgkin's disease have been treated with CAV combination chemotherapy (CCNU, melphalan and etoposide). All patients had previously received both MOPP and ABVD regimens (23 patients as primary therapy and two as first salvage). High-energy radiotherapy had been administered in one case. The CAV chemotherapy was used as first salvage therapy in 15 cases (60%); the remaining patients had been heavily pretreated with different regimens including alkylating agents, vinblastine, and/or nitrosourea derivatives before CAV for multiple relapses or progressive disease. At the initiation of CAV chemotherapy, 64% of patients had extranodal disease (20% with more than one site), and bone marrow was involved in 16% of total cases. Thirty-two percent of CAV patients had progressed during primary therapy, while only 20% of cases had relapsed after complete remission (CR). The CR rate after CAV therapy was 17% (4 of 24); partial responses were observed in 33% of patients, giving an overall response rate of 50%. The response was influenced by the presence of nodal disease and by a prior response to chemotherapy. Considering the 15 patients who received CAV therapy as first salvage, the CR rate was 37%. The median survival from the initiation of CAV therapy was 23 months for the whole group of patients, and was not reached at 2 years for those who received CAV as first salvage therapy. Toxicity consisted of nausea (100% of cases), vomiting (63%), reversible alopecia (83%), mild to moderate leukopenia and thrombocytopenia (54% and 21%, respectively). No therapy-related deaths were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the elderly: the impact of advanced age on therapeutic options and clinical results.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of older patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is difficult and conflicting. Lower responsiveness to therapy has been reported; however, the high risk of treatment morbidity, drug-dose reduction, and the occurrence of unrelated deaths might account for the poor outcome of NHL in the elderly. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the therapeutic approach and the outcome in 90 NHL patients aged 65 years or older. Histologic classification was according to the Working Formulation. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with low-grade NHL have been managed conventionally: complete response (CR) rate was 34.5% and median overall survival was 35 months. Sixty-one patients with intermediate-grade (IG, 36 cases) or high-grade (HG, 25 cases) NHL were treated as follows: 5 stage I-IE cases underwent radiation therapy; of 56 stage II-IV patients, 14 had conservative single-agent therapy and 32 received an attenuated CVP regimen. Only 10 patients were considered suitable for attenuated CHOP or CHOP-like programs. Overall CR rate was 50% for IG and 32% for HG NHL: Median survival was 33 months and 10 months (p less than or equal to 0.05), respectively. For IG and HG patients, the attainment of CR influenced survival significantly. Treatment morbidity was observed in 41% of patients. Resistant lymphoma was the major cause of death (31/36) during the first six months of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the outcome of elderly NHL patients treated with conservative therapeutic approaches is poor. Intensive chemotherapy regimens tailored to individual patients are needed to improve clinical results.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Norfloxacin versus cotrimoxazole for infection prophylaxis in granulocytopenic patients with acute leukemia. A prospective randomized study.

Norfloxacin (NOR) or cotrimoxazole (TMP/SMX) were randomly administered to 59 granulocytopenic patients with acute leukemia for prevention of bacterial infections. Nineteen NOR patients (65%) and 22 TMP/SMX patients (73%) complained of febrile or infectious episodes during the study. The mean incidence of febrile complications per patient was higher in the TMP/SMX group: 1.05 vs 0.68 (p less than 0.05). Eleven of 16 microbiologically documented infections in the TMP/SMX group and 7 of 11 in the NOR group were caused by gram negative bacilli (GNB). NOR recipients had fewer days of fever, fewer days on parenteral antibiotics and a lower proportion of time spent febrile. Fecal surveillance cultures showed intestinal GNB colonization in 42/80 specimens in the TMP/SMX group (resistant strains: 93%) and in 8/75 specimens in the NOR group (1 resistant strain). Overall, NOR seems to be effective in eradicating GNB from the digestive tract without selection of resistant strains and in preventing febrile episodes in neutropenic patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in polycythemia vera. A clinical study.

This study reviewed the clinical and hematologic characteristics of 161 patients with polycythemia vera treated with myelosuppressive agents, with or without antiaggregating platelet therapy, in order to determine the features associated with a risk of hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications. At presentation, 7 patients (4.3%) showed hemorrhages and 36 (22%) complained of thrombotic events. None of the evaluated clinical and hematologic parameters was significantly related to hemorrhagic or thrombotic presentation. During the clinical course, four of 107 patients (3.7%) experienced hemorrhagic complications and 34/107 patients (28%) complained of occlusive events, which accounted for 30% of total deaths. Among the clinical and hematologic presenting features, only age over 60 yrs could be identified as an unfavorable prognostic factor for the occurrence of thromboembolic episodes. Marked thrombocytosis, a high packed cell volume (PCV) and the thrombotic onset were not significantly related to the thrombotic risk. Platelet count and PCV at the time of the occlusive episode did not correlate with the clinical event; however, inadequate control of the proliferative disease seemed to increase the thrombotic tendency. Antiaggregating drugs, although unable to avoid thrombosis in our experience, might be safely associated with the myelosuppressive therapy, particularly in selected patients.

Adult↗