Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Confalonieri

Publications and source records attributed to F Confalonieri.

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

Immunological patterns during regular intensive training in athletes: quantification and evaluation of a preventive pharmacological approach.

The effects of regular intensive exercise training on immune system homeostasis and the potential value of treatment with an immunostimulating agent were assessed in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. A total of 60 athletes were studied over a 3-month period of regular intensive physical activity. After 1 and 3 months there were significant decreases in the immunoglobulin levels in the whole athlete population compared with baseline values. Specifically there were significant decreases in immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G (G1 and G2 subclasses). There was also a significant decrease in natural killer cells and a slight but significant increase in B and T lymphocytes. In the thymomodulin-treated group, unlike the placebo group, there was no significant decrease in the immunoglobulin G2 subclass and there was a significant increase in the T-helper cell subpopulation. The clinical relevance of these immunological findings should be evaluated in larger clinical and epidemiological studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Role of total parenteral nutrition in the treatment of ulcerous colitis].

Reference is made to the literature and personal experience in an assessment of the rôle of total parenteral nutrition in ulcerative colitis. An estimate is made of the position of this form of treatment with respect to conventional medical and surgical management, and its influence on the natural course of the disease. The results observed in 6 patients treated in this way are reported and the treatment protocol employed for the management of ulcerative colitis in a surgical department is described.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Surgical treatment of acute necrotic-hemorrhagic pancreatitis].

The clinical course of an episode of acute pancreatitis varies from a mild transitory form to a severe necrotizing form characterized by multisystem organ failure and mortality in 20% to 40% of cases. Mild pancreatitis does not need specialized treatment, and surgery is necessary only to treat underlying mechanical factors such as gallstones or tumours of papilla of Vater. On the other hand, patients with severe necrotizing pancreatitis need to be identified as early as possible after the onset of symptoms to start intensive care treatment. Patients with infected necrosis, approximately 10 to 20%, must undergo surgical intervention, which consists of an organ-preserving necrosectomy followed by postoperative drainage-lavage or the method of "open abdomen". The Authors report a series of 20 patients operated on for acute necrotizing pancreatitis from 1998 to 2000. They describe the indications and methods of treatment, in particular the additional procedure following necrosectomy.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Still's disease in adults: diagnostic problems].

Still's disease is a seronegative arthritis of children which, in a limited number of cases, can affect adults. The diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease is characterized by high fever, arthritis and negative serologic tests for rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibodies and by at least two minor symptoms (leukocytosis, evanescent rash, serositis, hepato- or splenomegaly, and lympho-adenopathy). Since many diseases present analogous manifestations and the adult-onset Still's disease is generally diagnosed by exclusion, we report two patients, aged 26 and 39, with Still's disease, the former with a classic clinical feature, the latter with a clinical feature characterized by severe hepatic abnormalities. The determination of histocompatibility antigens can be useful because some of them (HLA-DR4 in case 1 and HLA-DRw6 in case 2) are frequently associated with the adult-onset Still's disease. The role of anti-inflammatory therapy (acetylsalicylic acid, indomethacin, steroids) must be emphasized, whose efficacy can constitute the pathognomonic element on which the diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease can be based in a proper clinical pattern.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMedDate not supplied

HIV-related thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) as first clinical manifestation of infection.

A case of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) in a 40-year-old bisexual man unaware of being HIV positive is reported. The hematologic syndrome represented the first clinical manifestation of this viral infection. The clinical picture, characterized by severe hemolytic microangiopathic anemia, thrombocytopenia, fluctuating neurologic abnormalities and fever, quickly improved after plasma exchange and corticosteroid therapy. Two blood tests showed severe depletion of the CD4+ lymphocyte count and HIV antigenemia was positive. This case represents a clinical epiphenomenon of HIV infection in an advanced phase. According to recent CDC criteria the patient should be considered in AIDS. Antiretroviral treatment was started and after nine months of follow-up there has been no relapse.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Knowledge about HIV infection in a group of professional nursing students].

A confidential questionnaire was given to 241 students of the nursing school of a Milano Hospital to record the knowledge on HIV infection and their experience with HIV patients during their training in wards different from Infectious Departments. The results evidence a good level of knowledge, comparable to the italian young population (according to other studies) of the same age. Nursing students from the very beginning of their practical training, happen to care for asymptomatic HIV positive subjects, therefore the school should provide knowledge and information on the HIV infection before the beginning of the practical training.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Color Doppler echography in the study of pseudo-occlusion of the internal carotid].

The differentiation of pseudo-occlusion from complete internal carotid artery occlusion may have important clinical consequences for patients with the former tend not to benefit from reconstructive surgery. The Authors report a case in which color-Doppler duplex-scanner revealed a persisting string-like lumen that was not demonstrated by angiography. The Authors believe that ultrasonography may in future permit the reliable differentiation of pseudo-from complete carotid occlusion, thereby reducing the need for angiography.

Arteriosclerosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Surgical treatment of tumors of the ampulla of Vater by local resection].

The cases of six patients suffering from Vater's ampulla neoplasia were studied 1981 and 1995. All cases are described both clinically and in terms of diagnostic techniques. All patients underwent a transduodenal excision of the neoplasia. A number of factors provided an indication for ampullectomy: the extremely high surgical risk, the suspected benign nature of the lesion or the very small size of the neoplasm associated with no pre-surgery finding of lymphadenomegaly in the area. The following issues were analysed: the accuracy of results obtained by a correct pre-surgery diagnosis, short and long term complications and mortality related to surgery. All patients received a five years post-surgery follow-up. Results show that the ampullectomy can be considered, in selected cases, as a valuable alternative to pancreatoduodenectomy even if further and wider studies are necessary in order to obtain an accurate definition of the correct pre-surgical diagnostic approach and surgical indications.

Adult↗