Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Pisani

Publications and source records attributed to E Pisani.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Cardiac dysrhythmias induced by extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated in 269 consecutive patients the incidence and gravity of dysrhythmic complications during nonsynchronized extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) using an electromagnetic lithotripter. RESULTS: Dysrhythmia occurred during treatment in 22 patients (8.8%) with no previous cardiac dysrhythmia. Ventricular extrasystoles occurred in 14 patients, atrial extrasystoles in 7 patients, and sinus bradycardia in 1 patient. It was not necessary to terminate treatment because of the occurrence of dysrhythmia in any of the patients. For 13 of the 22 patients (59%), it was sufficient to interrupt the treatment momentarily to obtain resumption of the normal rhythm. For 8 patients (36%), treatment was continued after triggering the release of the shockwaves with the refractory phase of the heart cycle. For one case of bradycardia (42 beats/min), it was possible to continue with the treatment after intravenous administration of atropine 0.5 mg. Pretreatment dysrhythmias were revealed by the electrocardiographic examination in 16 of the patients studied (6.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy without ECG triggering has been found to be fast and efficient and not correlated with the occurrence of dysrhythmic episodes of any particular clinical significance. No significant correlation was found between the occurrence of dysrhythmia, the side treated, the number and strength of the shockwaves, or the administration of analgesics. It was found, however, that dysrhythmia occurred almost exclusively in treatments involving the kidneys. The ECG-triggering option was indispensable in some patients in order to complete the lithotripsy without complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in developing countries.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is causing the most destructive epidemic of recent times, having been responsible for the deaths of more than 25 million people since it was first recognised in 1981. This global epidemic remains out of control, with reported figures for 2005 of 40 million people infected with HIV. During 2005 there were 4.9 million new infections, showing that transmission is not being prevented, and there were 3.1 million deaths from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), reflecting the lack of a definitive cure and the limited access to suppressive antiretroviral treatment in the developing countries that are most severely affected. The current state of the epidemic and the response to date are here reviewed. Present and future opportunities for prevention, treatment and surveillance are discussed, with particular reference to progress towards an HIV vaccine, the expansion of the provision of highly active antiretroviral therapy, and the need to focus control programmes on HIV as an infectious disease, rather than as a development issue.

AIDS Vaccines↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Prostate diseases of occupational origin].

BACKGROUND: Prostatitis is a poorly defined group of syndromes with multiple causes. Chronic prostatitis may be non-bacterial and due to intrapelvic venous congestion. If the causes persist and adequate treatment is not given, the congestive syndrome may become chronic and interfere with fertility with severe biological damage. OBJECTIVES: Little is known in the field of occupational medicine (as regards clinical and pathogenic aspects) and, on the other hand, little is known by urologists (as far as the aetiological aspects are concerned), the prostatitis-like syndrome due to intrapelvic congestion has been defined in recent studies as non-bacterial prostatitis or prostatodynia, but we prefer to call it "prostatosis". The results of a close cooperation between urologists and occupational physicians are reported. METHODS: Patients with non-bacterial chronic prostatosis were evaluated from the urological and occupational point of view and all the etiological factors of both occupational and non occupational origin were considered. When occupational factors are a conditio sine qua non prostatosis is considered an occupational disease. RESULTS: Two cases of "occupational prostatosis" are described where driving vehicles and a sedentary employment played the most important etiological part. Many other similar cases were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Close cooperation between urologists and occupational physicians makes it possible to complete clinical diagnosis with a careful evaluation of all the factors of both occupational and non-occupational origin and allows the identification of those cases that must be defined as occupational diseases. Prostatosis due to venous congestion deserves the attention of occupational physicians since the distinction between occupational and non-occupational origin must be found both in individual cases and in groups of workers subject to the same factors. Moreover, the present state of knowledge is enough to take preventive measures aimed at reducing the frequency of new cases and avoiding the deterioration of existing cases. It is also possible that some cases of pseudo-cystitis in women might be the result of intrapelvic venous congestion of occupational origin. Anatomical and physiological non-occupational factors as well as certain habits of life style can favor intrapelvic venous congestion, producing conditions of hypersusceptibility to occupational factors and could sometimes cause the disease even in the absence of causes connected to work.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antibodies against terminal galactosyl (alpha 1-3) galactose epitopes in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

Sera from 224 patients with systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) were analyzed for circulating antibodies against an antigenic determinant characterized by two molecules of galactose in alpha 1-3 linkage. About 45% of the patients were found to have values above the normal range. The mean antibody level was significantly higher than that found in normal subjects (p less than 0.001) or in patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon who were included as controls. The mean level of anti-Gal antibodies correlated with the degree of skin and internal organ involvement, as well as with the presence of progression or inflammation. Furthermore, when patients with early onset disease were analyzed, high levels of anti-Gal antibodies were present in the subgroups characterized by evidence of progression or inflammation, whereas patients with stable disease did not differ from the controls. We conclude that humoral immunity against Gal alpha 1-3 Gal is an early feature of scleroderma, may be important for its pathogenesis, and may provide a more sensitive tool to detect disease activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interactive image analysis in the rectal mucosa of rheumatoid arthritis.

Interactive measurements of 22 quantitative parameters concerning the status and inflammation of the mucosa were taken in the rectal biopsies of patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, or with mild nonspecific morphological abnormalities (M.N.M.A.) and inflammation of the lamina propria or with Infective Colitis. The results showed that mean and standard deviation values of the rheumatoid patients are generally intermediate between those of control cases and those of M.N.M.A. and Infective Colitis. The variance analysis revealed that significant differences in some of the features exist between the four groups. Stepwise discriminant analysis helped in identifying three parameters that contributed significantly to discriminating 96.30% of the cases: Mucin area/Mucosal area; Number of inflammatory cells in the lower half/Number of inflammatory cells in the upper half of the mucosal thickness; Number of Granulocytes/mm2 of the lamina propria. Of the 27 cases included in the study, only one belonging to the control group was allocated incorrectly by the computer to the Rheumatoid Arthritis category. High correlation coefficients were observed between some of the morphometric, serological and clinical data in the rheumatoid patients. The highest values were between Number of Mononuclear cells/mm2 of lamina propria and C-Reactive Protein (+0.920) as well as between Mucin area/Mucosal area and serum IgM level (-0.950).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The value of morphometry in prediction of survival in oligodendrogliomas.

Nineteen out of 31 cases of well-differentiated oligodendrogliomas were selected on the basis of clinical and morphological parameters. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the length of the survival period. In each case 8 clinical, 4 morphological and 3 morphometrical parameters were scored. The quantitative analysis of nuclei of oligodendroglioma cells, performed by means of an automated microscopic picture analyzer (Leitz-TAS), allowed the nuclear area, perimeter and roundness factor of 200 nuclei to be calculated for each case. Twenty-eight additional features were derived from the data obtained. The descriptive statistical analysis, based on Student's t-test and Chi-square test showed significant differences (p less than 0.05) with regard to the SD of the 10 largest values of the nuclear perimeter among the derived quantitative parameters. Among the clinical parameters, the increased intracranial pressure as a late complication was also significant. Multivariate analysis, based on Bayes theorem, allowed 89% of the cases to be allocated to the actual groups by means of 6 clinical parameters, 57% by means of 4 morphological parameters and 100% by means of a set of 3 morphometrical parameters. The morphometric data proved to be better discriminants than clinical and subjectively evaluated morphological parameters in low grade oligodendrogliomas.

Adolescent↗