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Biomedical subjects

G Abate

Publications and source records attributed to G Abate.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

A comparison of two GM-CSF schedules to counteract the granulo-monocytopenia of carboplatin-etoposide chemotherapy.

In order to obtain the beneficial effects from granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on granulo-monocyte recovery with the minimum dose and toxicity, we compared the effect of two different GM-CSF schedules (5 micrograms/kg/day subcutaneously, days 5 to > 18 versus days 12 to > 18 on the cytopenias which follow cytostatic treatment with carboplatin (400 mg/m2 intravenous (i.v.) day 1) and etoposide (100 mg/m2 i.v. days 1 to > 3). 13 patients entered the study for a total of 36 evaluable cycles. The cytostatic treatment produced a neutropenia that persisted for up to day 22 (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1000/microliters in 25% and ANC < 2000 in 50% of control cycles). Early GM-CSF administration markedly increased the leucocyte nadir and produced two waves of leucocytosis: an early one, linked to marrow reserve release and presumably of no value to the patients; and a delayed one, due to marrow precursor and progenitor cell proliferation, in which the granulomonocytosis was associated with a marked eosinophilia. The delayed GM-CSF administration markedly increased the leucocyte nadir and accelerated granulo-monocyte recovery (with an only modest eosinophilia), so that chemotherapy could be repeated every 21 days in all the patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Posatirelin for the treatment of late-onset Alzheimer's disease: a double-blind multicentre study vs citicoline and ascorbic acid.

INTRODUCTION: Posatirelin (L-pyro-2-aminoadipyl-L-leucil-L-prolinamide) a new synthetic tripeptide with cholinergic, catecholaminergic and neurotrophic properties, was investigated in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicentre, double-blind study vs citicoline (reference drug) and ascorbic acid (inactive drug) was carried out in elderly patients suffering from late-onset Alzheimer's disease. The once daily intramuscular treatment lasted for three months followed by one-month oral treatment with a placebo. Subscales and factors of GBS (Gottfries-Bråne-Steen) Rating Scale were identified as primary measures for efficacy assessment. RESULTS: At the end of the treatment, GBS subscale and factor scores assessing intellectual and emotional impairments, orientation and memory, ability to perform activities of daily living, depression-anxiety, attention and motivation were improved in the postatirelin group, showing significant differences with respect to the citicoline and/or ascorbic acid groups. Tolerability was good in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement in the GBS Rating Scale score observed in the posatirelin group is clinically relevant. It is worth verifying the drug-induced functional improvements, in further studies with large samples.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Clinical and tomographic findings in vascular dementia.

Vascular dementia (VD) may arise as a sequel to any form of cerebrovascular disease. Since only some patients with cerebrovascular disease will eventually develop dementia, we studied the morphological and clinical findings associated with dementia in cerebrovascular patients. The relationship between these factors and the dementia syndrome was evaluated in 25 patients with VD, and 68 non demented subjects with a history of cerebral ischemic attacks. We found that VD was significantly associated with white matter lesions and atrophy on CT-scan, and a high prevalence of frontal lobe symptoms and signs.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[The effects of the carbocalcitonin + arginine-lysine-lactose combination in senile involutional osteoporosis].

Numerous osteometabolic factors are implicated in the bone mass loss which occurs with ageing. Among these a significant role is played by the impairment of intestinal calcium absorption which may be attributed in the elderly to various factors such as the reduction of chlorhydro-peptic secretion, the correlated deficiency of vitamin D and their relative duodenal receptors. In order to evaluate the clinical efficacy of an arginine-lysine-lactose preparation a group of 40 subjects with senile involutional osteoporosis was studied. The subjects were divided into two groups using random criteria and were treated with carbocalcitonin alone (40 UMRC day i.m. on alternative days) or carbocalcitonin association complex. The following parameters were evaluated in basal conditions and after six months of treatment: bone mass density (BMD) using computerised bone mineralometry, bone pain, intake of analgesics, serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, parathormone, as well as calciuria and hydroxyprolinuria. The comparison between the two groups shows a more marked increment in BMD in subjects treated with arginine-lysine-lactose, a greater reduction in painful symptoms, and a more evident and significant reduction of parathormone and hydroxyprolinuria levels. These effects appear to be due to a distinct improvement in intestinal calcium absorption mediated by lysine and lactose, and probably to a positive action played by the amino acid at the level of support structures.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Oral 5'-methyltetrahydrofolic acid in senile organic mental disorders with depression: results of a double-blind multicenter study.

5'-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5'-MTHF) in addition to standard psychotropic medication significantly improved clinical recovery in depressed patients with borderline or definite folate deficiency, and significantly reduced depressive symptoms in elderly normofolatemic patients after 3 weeks of treatment. In this equivalence study the effect of 5'-MTHF on depressive symptoms and cognitive status was compared to Trazodone (TRZ) in normofolatemic elderly patients with mild to moderate dementia and depression. Ninety-six patients with dementia, scoring 12-23 at the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and > or = 18 at the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) after a 2-week placebo run-in, were randomized to receive either 5'-MTHF (50 mg/day p.o.) (47 patients) or TRZ (100 mg/day p.o.) (49 patients) in a double-blind design for 8 weeks. HDRS was assessed before, after 4 weeks and at the end of treatment; Rey's Verbal Memory (RVM) test for immediate and delayed recall was evaluated before and after treatment. After 4 weeks of treatment HDRS score was reduced from 23 +/- 5 to 20 +/- 6 in the 5'-MTHF (p < 0.05 vs baseline), and from 23 +/- 3 to 21 +/- 4 in the TRZ group (p < 0.05 vs baseline). A further significant decrease to 18 +/- 6 and 19 +/- 5 respectively was obtained at the end of the treatment period (p < 0.05 vs week 4) with 5'-MTHF and TRZ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1993

Analysis of verbal memory and learning by means of selective reminding procedure in Alzheimer and multi-infarct dementias.

Several studies aimed at defining the characteristics of memory impairment resulting from different etiologic forms of dementia have been inconclusive. These unsatisfactory results might be due to the enrollment of various groups of demented patients not matched for disease severity, as well as the use of different psychometric procedures. The object of the present study was to verify the existence of a different pattern of verbal memory impairment that might be useful in clinical practice in two groups of AD and MID patients who were matched for degree of cognitive deterioration. Thirty-seven AD and 41 MID patients were assessed for memory and learning by means of the Supraspan Verbal Learning test (Selective Reminding by Buschke-Fuld), which provides a simultaneous analysis of storage, retention and retrieval abilities. Twenty-four normal subjects were studied as a control group. No differences in storage and retrieval mean scores were found between the two groups. AD patients showed a higher mean score in random retrieval; the mean score in selective retrieval at the end of learning was significantly higher in MID patients, suggesting a more impaired retrieval from long-term storage in AD than in MID patients. Intrusions, defined as inappropriate recurrences from preceding tests, were observed more frequently in AD patients. The presence of intrusions and the delayed retrieval score showed a good level of sensitivity and specificity in the differential diagnosis between the two groups.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

[Comparative study of ASA and heparan sulfate in the secondary prevention of cerebrovascular disorders].

Aim of our study was to compare heparan sulphate and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in the secondary prevention of cerebrovascular events. Eighty patients with recent episodes of RIA or minor stroke of atherothrombotic origin were randomized in two groups of 40, one treated with heparan sulphate and the other with ASA. The two groups were homogeneous for age, sex, clinical history and type of events qualifying for enrollment. After a 6-month follow-up no difference was found in fatal or non fatal vascular events. The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the heparan sulphate group. All the patients showed a trend towards improvement in cognitive functioning, but a significant improvement in attentional functions was observed only in the heparan sulphate group. As hypothesis, it may be supposed that such clinical results depend on a better perfusion of inner watershed cerebral areas.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in elderly hypertensive patients.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been shown to provide a reliable estimation of hourly blood pressure values over the 24 hours. Favourable features of this technique are the lack of alerting reaction to automatic blood pressure readings, at variance from what usually occurs when blood pressure is measured in the doctor's office, and the ability of ABPM to provide information on the 24 hour blood pressure profile without interfering with the physiological nocturnal hypotension. Although automatic blood pressure readings obtained in free-moving subjects are not always accurate, ABPM has been shown to represent a useful approach to evaluate the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs, as it allows to compare the 24 hour blood pressure profile obtained before and during treatment. Its feasibility to this aim is emphasized by the reproducibility of 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure profiles, which do not show any placebo effect. ABPM has been also employed to investigate 24 hour blood pressure fluctuations and to monitor the antihypertensive treatment in elderly hypertensives, in whom the evaluation of the actual time-course of the drug-induced blood pressure reduction over the day and night represents a crucial problem.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Effect of ipriflavone on bone mass in elderly osteoporotic women.

A study in elderly osteoporotic women was performed to assess the effect of one year treatment with ipriflavone (IP) on bone mass and bone biomarkers. Twenty-eight women aged over 65, with diagnosis of osteoporosis and X-ray evidence of at least one vertebral fracture, were treated with IP tablets (600 mg/day) or placebo (PL), according to a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group design. One g/day calcium supplementation was given to all patients. After 12 months a significant increase (+6%, P < 0.05) of bone mineral density (BMD) at the distal radius (DPA) was obtained in the IP-group. Serum osteocalcin (BGP) and urinary HO-proline/creatinine (HOP/Cr) values were reduced in the same group. BMD values did not change (-0.3%) in the placebo group. One woman of the PL-group was withdrawn from treatment because of worsening of pain, due to new vertebral crushes. Side effects (mainly gastrointestinal) arose in 8 IP- and in 5 PL-treated women. The compliance to the oral administration was good.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Epidemiologic study on the effectiveness and safety of dihydroergocristine in impaired memory and behavioral functions in aged humans].

Aim of the study was to assess the activity of dihydroergocristine (DHEC, CAS 17479-19-5) in aged patients with impaired cognitive function. Twenty-five university hospital centres and 250 physicians participated in the study. 2,600 patients (1,104 males and 1,496 females, age range 50-80 years) were admitted to the study. Each patient was administered 6 mg/d DHEC for 120 days. Clinical evaluation was made through the SCAG Rating Scale registered at basal time, after 60 and 120 days. Responsivity to treatment was considered high when the final score was reduced by 30% and none if less than 10%. Analysis of results demonstrated that at the end of the study responsivity was high in 73% of cases, moderate in 20.4% and absent in 6.5%. Tolerability was very good as side effects were reported only in 3.16% of patients. Most frequent side effects were: nausea (1.23%), gastralgia (1.11%), headache (0.29%), hypotension (0.12%), vertigo (0.12%) and rash (0.08%). Drop-outs for gastralgia were reported only in 0.53% of the patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

The effects of sodium depletion on ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate monitoring in the elderly.

OBJECTIVE: Old age is associated with impairment of the normal homeostatic response to cardiovascular stress. The purpose of our study was to determine whether a physiologic stress, such as sodium depletion, produces different, age-dependent effects on the blood pressure and heart rate profile in old and young subjects. DESIGN: Blood pressure and the heart rate were studied in 11 young (age 28.7 +/- 3.1 years) and 14 elderly (76.1 +/- 3.4 years) male healthy volunteers, during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and during postural stress before and after 2 days of sodium depletion. METHODS: Twenty-four-hour blood pressure monitoring was performed with a non-invasive automatic portable monitoring device. The postural evaluation consisted of a standard passive upright-tilt test to 70 degrees. Sodium depletion was obtained with a low-salt diet and diuretic treatment (100 mg hydrochlorothiazide) for 2 days. RESULTS: After sodium depletion no changes were found in the average blood pressure. The postural evaluation showed a fall in systolic blood pressure only in the elderly. The heart rate increased only in the young group, both during the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and after the upright tilt. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cardiovascular reserve is decreased in the elderly under a stress condition such as sodium depletion; this phenomenon may be linked to a blunted baroreceptor reflex response.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Aniracetam (Ro 13-5057) in the treatment of senile dementia of Alzheimer type (SDAT): results of a placebo controlled multicentre clinical study.

One hundred and nine elderly patients suffering from mild to moderate cognitive impairment fulfilling NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable dementia of the Alzheimer type were treated for 6 months with a new nootropic drug, aniracetam (Ro 13-5057) in a double-blind randomized study versus placebo. The two treatment groups were comparable at baseline for demographic and behaviourial parameters and symptomatology. Patients underwent clinical, behaviourial and psychometric evaluation every other month. The aniracetam group differed significantly from the placebo group by the end of the study and also showed a statistically significant improvement versus baseline in the psychobehavioural parameters, while in the placebo group a steady deterioration was observed. Tolerability to aniracetam was excellent.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Effects of antihypertensive therapy with lacidipine on ambulatory blood pressure in the elderly.

Recent multicenter trials have demonstrated that, in hypertensive elderly people, blood pressure control can significantly decrease the rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring has proved to be superior to isolated sphygmomanometer blood pressure readings in the diagnostic evaluation of hypertension and in assessing the blood pressure response to treatment. We used 24-h ambulatory monitoring in a small, double-blind, randomly-allocated, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of antihypertensive treatment with lacidipine given once a day at 2 or 4 mg. In our elderly subjects, the lacidipine treatment provided adequate blood pressure control both by day and by night with no effect on the heart rate profile. Furthermore, after drug therapy, we found a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure variability (standard deviation). This study shows that lacidipine can provide adequate control of arterial hypertension in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Controlled multicenter study on the therapeutic effectiveness of mesoglycan in patients with cerebrovascular disease].

One hundred and forty-five elderly patients affected by cerebrovascular diseases were included in the study. Patients were divided into two age-, sex- and clinically matched groups: the first group included 103 patients who were treated for six months with mesoglycan (100 mg/day), whereas the second group, which numbered 42 patients, received standard anti-platelet treatment over the same period. The results of the study confirm the clinical efficacy of mesoglycan compared to standard treatment with antiplatelet drugs in terms of ischemic events and the "quality of life" of cerebrovasculopathic patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Treatment of resistant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin.

A combination of cisplatin (60 mg/m2 i.v. on day 1), etoposide (100 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1-3) and bleomycin (15 mg i.v. on days 1 and 8) (PEB regimen) was given every 4 weeks as salvage therapy in 10 refractory and 13 relapsing patients with poor-prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. All but one of these patients had previously been treated with anthracycline-containing combination chemotherapy. We observed 4 complete remissions (CRs) and 4 partial responses (PRs), whereas 3 patients showed only a minor response (MR) and 12 were considered to be induction failures. Therefore, the objective (CR + PR) response rate was 35%. The most frequent side effect was vomiting, registered in all patients despite antiemetic treatment. Hematologic toxicity was of moderate degree, and bone marrow recovery was observed after almost all cycles after a 3-week rest period. Since objective responses were achieved only in relapsing patients, the PEB regimen seemed to be effective in these cases, whereas it was useless in early refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Adult↗