Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Ronchetto

Publications and source records attributed to F Ronchetto.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[The problem of the chronic recurrent pain among older in-patients].

Epidemiological data of pain prevalence, with particular attention to hospitalised subjects, are described as well as the problems of pain detection, its evaluation and management in older patients. The authors underline that chronic pain is the most frequent type of pain in advanced age, and it is often unrecognized and undertreated. Advanced age is not a sufficient reason to exclude an analgesic treatment which could improve the quality of life of these subjects. Elderly persons are at increased risk for adverse drug reactions, on the other hand, there is evidence that an appropriate use of analgesic drugs can provide significant relief and result in functional restoration, with a low risk of serious adverse effects. In the medical literature there are strategies and guidelines ad hoc. In Italy, since 2001 there is a plan drawn up by the Department of Health containing indications to fight against pain in hospital, but the adhesion of a number of hospitals to this plan seems to be not optimal.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Static and ELF magnetic fields enhance the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of cis-platin against lewis lung carcinoma, but not of cyclophosphamide against B16 melanotic melanoma.

Previous works showed that exposure to static and extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) over 3 mT slows down the growth kinetics of human tumors engrafted s.c. in immunodeficient mice, reducing their metastatizing power and prolonging mouse survival. In the experiments reported here, immunocompetent mice bearing murine Lewis Lung carcinomas (LLCs) or B16 melanotic melanomas were exposed to MF and treated respectively with two commonly used anti-cancer drugs: cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cis-platin) and N,N-bis (2-chloroethyl)tetra-hydro-2H-1,3,2-oxazaphosphorin-2-amine 2-oxide (cyclophosphamide). The experiment endpoint was survival time. The survival time of mice treated with cis-platin (3mg/kg i.p.) and exposed to MF was significantly (P<0.01) longer than that of mice treated only with cis-platin or only exposed to MF, superimposing that of mice treated with 10mg/kg i.p. of the drug, showing that MF act synergically with the pharmacological treatment. On the contrary, when mice treated with cyclophosphamide (50mg/kg i.p.) were exposed to MF no synergic effects were observed, the survival curve being exactly the same as that of mice treated with the drug alone. No clinical signs or toxicity were seen in any of the mice exposed to MF alone or along with cis-platin or cyclophosphamide treatment, compared to mice given only the two known drugs.A possible explanation for the synergic effect of MF being found in mice treated with cis-platin could be that the platinum ion stimulates radical production and that MF enhance active oxygen production bringing about changes in tumor cell membrane permeability, influencing positively the drug uptake. Alternatively, or in addition to this, it has been demonstrated that the rate of conversion of cis-platin to reactive species able to bind to DNA, is increased by localized production of free radicals by MF.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Static and ELF magnetic fields induce tumor growth inhibition and apoptosis.

The ability of static and extremely low frequency (ELF) Magnetic Fields (MF) to interfere with neoplastic cell function has been evaluated. In vitro experiments were carried out to study the role of MF characteristics (intensity, frequency, and modulation) on two transformed cell lines (WiDr human colon adenocarcinoma and MCF-7 human breast adenocarcinoma) and one nontransformed cell line (MRC-5 embryonal lung fibroblast). Increase in cell death morphologically consistent with apoptosis was reported exclusively in the two transformed cell lines. Cell-death induction was observed with MF of more than 1 mT. It was independent of the MF frequency and increased when modulated MF (static with a superimposition of ELF at 50 Hz) were used. Based on the in vitro results, four different MF exposure characteristics were selected and used to treat nude mice xenografted with WiDr cells. The treatment of nude mice bearing WiDr tumors subcutaneously. with daily exposure for 70 min to MF for 4 weeks caused significant tumor growth inhibition (up to 50%) by the end of the treatment when modulated MF were used for at least 60% of the whole treatment period and the time-averaged total MF intensity was higher than 3.59 mT. No toxic morphological changes induced by exposure were observed in renewing, slowly proliferating, or static normal cells. A discussion on the possible biophysical mechanism at the base of the observed biological results is also offered.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

[Genetic alterations and molecular mechanisms underlying colorectal tumorigenesis].

Tumor cells are cells that have acquired damage to genes that directly regulate their cell cycles. In the multistep process leading to colorectal carcinoma, the adenoma-carcinoma sequence is characterized by progressive accumulation of genetic abnormalities (K-ras oncogene mutation, allelic deletion on chromosome 5q, 18q, 17p). In a hereditary non-polyposis syndrome (Lynch syndrome II) and in about a quarter of the cases of sporadic colorectal cancer there is a DNA micro-instability which contributes to the acquisition of mutations that cause loss of tumor-suppressor function. The p53 tumor-suppressor gene is the most frequently mutant gene in human cancer. In colorectal cancer cells missense p53 mutations and allelic deletion on chromosomal locus 17p13.1 are found with very high frequency. One of biological roles of p53 gene is to ensure that, in response to genotoxic damage, cells arrest in G1 and attempt to repair their DNA before it is replicated. In addition, p53 is required for apoptosis in response to severe DNA damage, included the damage induced by chemotherapeutics drugs and ionizing radiation. The loss of p53 function results in genomic instability and has been implicated in the evolution of normal cells into cancer cells.

Alleles↗
PubMed1998

[Genes, molecules, and mechanisms regulating programmed cell death].

Apoptosis is a morphologically distinct form of programmed cellular death that plays a central role during embryogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and to remove not necessary or potentially dangerous cells. Moreover, disregulation of genes mediating or modulating apoptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of a number of human diseases, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, viral infections and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. A number of genes and molecules promoting or protective against cell death is at present-day known and an important information about the external and internal signals involved in stimulation and suppression of apoptosis is also emerging. In the intracellular pathway of the death deregulation of [Ca2+](i) plays a pivotal role. Increased ionized intracellular calcium stimulates both the activation of enzymes (protein kinases, endonucleases, proteases and phospholipases) and plasma membrane K+ channels. This calcium-mediated activation leads to morphostructural changes, such as cell shrinkage, cytoplasmatic blebbing, nuclear chromatin condensation and DNA degradation into oligonucleosomal fragments. At least some genes of the cell death pathway have been conserved throughout animal evolution; ced-3 e ced-9 that regulate the initiation of cellular suicide in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are homologous to genes that in mammalian cells are thought to play a similar role (interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme [ICE] family, Bcl-2). It is possible to suppose that these regulators could constitute a target for treatment of disorders related with disregulation of apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1998

[Findings on standard electrocardiograms of elderly in-patients with diagnosis other than cardiac].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of cardiac arrhythmias, conduction disturbances and other electrocardiographic abnormalities in elderly in-patients without clinical evidence of heart disease, and in relation to different age groups. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram recordings. METHODS: Resting electrocardiograms of 595 in-patients aged 65 years and older, without cardiac diagnoses, over a period of one year were examined. There were 148 subjects aged from 65 to 69 years (group I of age), 258 from 70 to 79 (group II), 189 older than 80 (group III). RESULTS: Abnormal ECGs were in 108 (73%) subjects of group I of age, 199 (77%) of group II, 174 (92%) of group III (between group I and III, and group II and III: p-value < 0.01). Conduction disturbances were observed in 200 (33.6%) patients: 65 (10.9%) had right bundle branch block, 59 (9.9%) first-degree atrioventricular block. Supraventricular arrhythmias were found in 117 (19.6%) patients: 65 (11%) had atrial premature beats, 40 (6.7%) atrial fibrillation. Ventricular arrhythmias were seen in 65 (10.9%) patients: simplex ventricular premature beats in 55 (9.2%), complex in 10 (1.7%). CONCLUSIONS: The variation of frequency of ventricular premature beats between age group I and III, and of first-degree AV block between age group II and III was at p-value < 0.05. Our results indicate that the prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in elderly subjects without other clinical manifestations of heart disease is very high and some of these increase significantly with the age.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[What posttreatment monitoring in Whipple's disease? A case report].

The authors--which publish an overview about Whipple's disease in this issue, pages 609-611--report the case of a 67-year-old man admitted to the hospital because of migratory arthralgia, low-grade fever, lymphadenopathy, diarrhea, and impaired intestinal absorption. The microscopical examination of the intestinal mucosa showed an infiltration of the lamina propria by foamy PAS-positive macrophages. The patient was treated with antibiotics for 1 year and obtained clinical remission. The authors discuss if it is opportune, in subjects with this disease, to repeat the small-bowel biopsies at the end of the antibiotic treatment in absence of clinical manifestations of relapse or not.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Strongyloides stercoralis in a region of northwestern Italy. An epidemiological note and presentation of a case of eosinophilic infiltration of the lung].

The Authors report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection in an autochthonous farmer from Piedmont (Northern Italy) presenting as an eosinophilic lung disease. After having briefly considered the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the Strongyloides stercoralis infection, the Authors conclude by affirming that the appearance of migratory pulmonary infiltrates in autochthonous subjects or resident in Canavese area (Piedmont), especially if blood and sputum eosinophilia is present, should raise the possibility of Strongyloides-induced lung disease and lead to appropriate examination of sputum, feces, and eventually duodenal contents.

Aged↗