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Biomedical subjects

G Caramia

Publications and source records attributed to G Caramia.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of ribavirin aerosol treatment for respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis in infants.

The therapeutic efficacy of ribavirin, an anti-viral agent with a broad spectrum of activity, was studied in 14 infants with bronchiolitis which, in seven cases, was caused by a respiratory syncytial virus infection. The drug was administered for 5-6 days using an aerosol in periods of either 4 or 6 h with an interval of either 4 or 2 h between administrations. The body temperature of patients with fever returned to normal by day 3 of therapy. A significant decrease in the respiratory rate occurred by day 2 when there was also a marked improvement in the subjective and objective symptomatology. The most significant clinical improvements occurred in infants presenting a respiratory syncytial virus antigen in nasal wash specimens. This suggests therapeutic selectivity by ribavirin for (or a more pronounced sensibility of) this virus.

Aerosols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The management of cystic fibrosis with carbocysteine lysine salt: single-blind comparative study with ambroxol hydrochloride.

The effectiveness of carbocysteine lysine salt monohydrate (SCMC-Lys) and ambroxol hydrochloride (ABX) in the management of respiratory impairment was compared in a single-blind, randomized study of 26 cystic fibrosis patients with similar baseline characteristics. Adults received either SCMC-Lys 900 mg or ABX 33 mg three times a day and children under 14 years of age either SCMC-Lys 270 mg three times a day or ABX 10 mg four times a day. All treatments were given orally for 80 days and at the end of this control period both groups showed significant improvement in chest sound score but improvement in cough score was observed only in those receiving SCMC-Lys. Expectorate viscosity and elasticity decreased significantly in both groups. In SCMC-Lys-treated patients paCO2 decreased and paO2 and Hb O2 saturation increased while only paO2 increased significantly in those treated with ABX. An increase in tidal volume, peak expiratory flow values and forced expiratory volume were evident in those receiving SCMC-Lys while significant increases in forced expiratory flow were recorded in those receiving ABX. SCMC-Lys patient's Shwachmann index improved significantly and conversely to the ABX patients. No adverse events were recorded in either treatment group. The study concluded that SCMC-Lys is at least as effective as ABX in improving respiratory function in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Compliance with nebulized therapy in childhood].

While in the past diagnostic and therapeutic means were rather limited, nowadays doctors have a vast and valid selection of both at their disposal which, if used correctly, are able to successfully treat various pathologies. It is for this reason that the paediatrician undertakes to give patients--and above all their parents--all the correct information regarding their treatment and/or lifestyle in order to obtain the best possible therapeutic results as well as optimum health conditions. However, despite efforts on the part of the paediatrician, the parents and even the patients themselves, much of what is advised is often partly ignored, forgotten or incorrectly implemented, whether intentionally or by mistake. In essence, the compliance to advice given is often inadequate especially in more serious conditions such as asthma. All of these problems are mainly due to the fact that communication is more than often poor, despite the primary role it plays in the compliance to treatment and its correct implementation. Such impaired communication is usually caused by a sense of wanting to do things quickly on the part of the doctor, the patient and/or the family. Moreover, it must also be said that nowadays patients above all are impatient and the desire to recover is rarely equal to the commitment shown towards treatment. All of this obviously has negative affects on our patients' health conditions as well as on health care costs. Frequently failures and no significant reduction in mortality due to asthma, especially during adolescence when interpersonal relationships are more difficult, are a reality. Moreover, this reality strongly suggests that, despite doctors' competence and progress in both therapy and technology which permit the administration of simple to use medicines such as aerosols, greater commitment is required in order to obtain better results which are consistent with the current availability of such technological and therapeutic measures.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Oral antibiotic therapy: problems and perspectives].

As all therapies, oral antibiotic therapy has its own scientific rationale. Infact, for an optimal oral therapy the drug must be absorbed completely, reach the infection site and diffuse in the tissues. It should also remain active for as long as possible at the minimal bactericidal level of concentration. It is therefore necessary to use drugs with a specific bactericidal action for the pathogens in question and that these drugs be administered at right doses for the necessary duration so that the infection is eliminated. It is an inappropriate therapy that which not only fails to eliminate the infection, but leads to the development of resistance, which is an increasingly serious and diffused problem. In hospital and at home it is possible to switch from an injected antibiotic form to the more practical and less expensive oral form, therefore creating a sequential therapy which is better accepted by patients and their families. The acceptance of prescribed therapies is an aspect that should never be underestimated, especially during the development age. Infact, despite the general understanding that unsatisfactory clinical results are a consequence of unadequate compliance with therapy, the desire to recover is rarely the same as the will to follow such plans, even if the patient expects a quick and full recovery. It is therefore necessary to use those therapies which are best accepted but always effective in order to avoid legal implications.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Polyunsaturated fatty acids: omega-3 in child development].

The understanding of the role of lipids has made major advances following the identification, by George and Mildred Burr, of so-called "essential fatty acids", i.e. linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). LA is supplied by animal and vegetal fats, while ALA reaches higher levels in breastmilk, fish, and olive oil. For both LA and ALA, the human body depends exclusively on the dietary supply. These lipids play a major role as structural components of cell membranes, in particular of neurons, nerves, myelinated sheath, retina, vessels, heart, and blood cells; moreover, they act as precursors of several short-life compounds with hormone-like action: prostaglandins, prostacylins, thromboxanes, leukotriens, all with a regulatory effect on several cell functions, and on cholesterol pathway. It has been suggested a "health programming" role for food, due to the impact of the type of feeding on the subsequent neuromotor development, learning abilities, behavior, metabolism, blood pressure, bone mineralization, and degenrative diseases. This is the consequence of changes of the genomic expression, with a guided clone selection. This is in line with the "imprinting hypothesis" proposed by K. Lorenz (1973 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine), who suggested that stimulations at a particular age may drive animal behavior for the rest of their life.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fatty acids composition of plasma phospholipids and triglycerides in children with cystic fibrosis. The effect of dietary supplementation with an olive and soybean oils mixture.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by abnormal levels of essential fatty acids (EFA) in plasma phospholipids. The reduced availability of EFA has been reported to alter patterns of circulating and tissue esterified acids and may determine profound changes in membrane fluidity and cell signaling mechanisms. In the current study, the results of a new strategy aimed at the realization of a practical, low cost integrator, for daily use in the dietary management of FC subjects, are reported. We investigated the plasma phospholipids and triglycerides fatty acids composition of CF patients subjected to a dietary supplement constituted of a mixture of 50% extra virgin olive oil and 50% soybean oil and studied the clinical effects of this supplementation. The study included fourteen young subjects, aged between 6 and 15 years, affected by cystic fibrosis, with pancreatic insufficiency and heterozygotes or homozygotes for the delta F508 mutation. The subjects were matched by age and randomly assigned to either an oil mixture supplemented (OM) group (n = 7), or to a control (C) group (n = 7). In contrast to the control group, the patients with supplemented diet achieved significant increases of the relative amount of C18:1 in the triglycerides as well as a significant decrease in saturated fatty acids (C 16:0, C 17:0, C 18:0, C 22:0). Moreover, the ratio between LA acid and AA significantly increased in the triglycerides of the OM group. In the phospholipids of the OM group, the relative amount of C 18:1 and of palmitic acid increased significantly whereas the relative amount of the most important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased. These results show that oleic acid can be absorbed and incorporated into the plasma triglycerides of CF patients receiving pancreatic enzymes, whereas poor incorporation of LA occurs. Despite the reduction in the relative amounts of phospholipid PUFA, the supplemented subjects did not reported adverse effects There were no significant differences between groups in the clinical indexes recorded (height, weight, BMI, Schwachman-Kulczycki score and FEV 1s). The results of this study showed that the supplementation with a mixture of extravirgin olive and soybean oil was safe in seven CF patients treated during a 2-months period and no negative clinical effects were evident. However, further clinical trials will be necessary in order to better evaluate the consequence of the observed changes in plasma fatty acids composition in a longer testing period.

Adolescent↗