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Biomedical subjects

G Castellano

Publications and source records attributed to G Castellano.

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

Regional sympathetic denervation after myocardial infarction: a follow-up study using [123I]MIBG.

Previous studies in dogs have shown that experimental infarction produces myocardial sympathetic denervation not only in the infarcted area, but also in a region apical to the infarction. In these dogs MIBG myocardial scintigraphy detected denervation but returned to normal in a few months at which time reinnervation was shown to have occurred. Myocardial sympathetic denervation was studied with MIBG scintigraphy in ten patients after their first acute transmural myocardial infarction; scans were repeated at 4 months, one year and 30 months to follow the time course of possible reinnervation. Except during the first 48 hours following the infarction, no therapy except for antiaggregants was administered to the patients; during this follow-up period no cardiac events were seen. One week after infarction, comparison of MIBG images with perfusion scans revealed that the denervated area was larger than the infarcted area; no difference in MIBG uptake by the infarcted myocardium was found during the 30 months follow-up.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine↗
PubMed1994

Plasma arginine vasopressin response to oral, gastric, and intravenous water load in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic osmoreceptors are sensitive to changes in portal blood osmolality and cause variations in plasma antidiuretic hormone and water diuresis, which prevent major systemic osmotic changes. Insensitivity of hepatic osmoreceptors might contribute to maintaining increased plasma levels of antidiuretic hormone and negative free water clearance after oral hydration in some cirrhotic patients. METHODS: We measured free water clearance and plasma arginine vasopressin levels in basal conditions and after oral, intravenous, and intragastric water overload in control subjects (group I) and patients with cirrhosis (some with a positive [group II] and some a negative [group III] free water clearance). RESULTS: In groups I and II, no significant differences in plasma arginine vasopressin levels were found regardless of the route used for hydration. In group III, plasma levels were significantly higher between 0 and 75 minutes after intragastric hydration than after oral or intravenous hydration. No significant changes in plasma osmolality were detected between minute 0 and 20 after the end of oral or intragastric hydration, although plasma arginine vasopressin decreased significantly only 5 minutes after the oral hydration. Group III patients showed evidence of autonomic neuropathy. However, this dysfunction was unrelated to the insensitivity to gastric hydration. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic osmoreceptors seem to be disturbed in some cirrhotic patients, although this dysfunction may be compensated for by normally functioning oropharyngeal and hypothalamic osmoreceptors.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Caustic sclerosing cholangitis. Report of four cases and a cumulative review of the literature.

We report on four patients of our own and another thirty-six from the literature, who developed almost identical and unusual clinical syndromes after surgical treatment of hydatid disease of the liver, with the aim of showing the extremely serious nature of the problem that can ensue. An association of four factors seems to be necessary to promote caustic sclerosing cholangitis: a) injection of a scolicidal agent (formalin, hypertonic saline, ethanol, silver nitrate or iodine solution) into the cyst cavity; b) a communication between the cyst and the biliary tree; c) a condition that prolongs the exposure of the biliary tree to the scolicidal; and d) a particular sensitivity to the scolicidal agent. While this last condition cannot be anticipated, we may justifiably conclude that surgeons should not inject a scolicidal solution into the hydatid cyst, but prevent intra-abdominal diffusion of the parasite by using hydrogen peroxide, gauze pads moistened by a scolicidal solution or by preoperative chemotherapy with albendazole. Caustic sclerosing cholangitis has an earlier onset of symptoms and a more rapidly progressive nature than primary sclerosing cholangitis. In foresight, serum alkaline phosphatase should be monitored and, when raised, a retrograde endoscopic cholangiogram and/or a liver biopsy should be performed. Digestive shunt surgery should be avoided and the possibility of liver transplantation has to be periodically evaluated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Granular cell tumor of the esophagus].

We report a new case of granular cell tumor (GCT) is a benign neoplasm in the esophagus (a rare location of which there are only described 80 cases. The tumor was diagnosed in a man aged 55 by endoscopy (asymptomatic from the esophagus point of view) during a chronic liver disease survey. The biopsies of the 3 cm polyp suggested a GCT. The patient died and the necropsy confirmed the presence of a submucous tumor with polygonal cells, wide cytoplasm, eosinophil, granular and ovoid nucleus. The cytoplasm granules were positive PAS and a resistant diastase, without signs of malignancy. In our case, the endoscopy resection was not possible because the state of the patient, although it is the most reasonable therapeutic choice in the most cases.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

The role of cortex in central pain syndromes: preliminary results of a long-term technetium-99 hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime single photon emission computed tomography study.

The role of the somatosensory cortex in central pain syndromes is widely questioned. Two recent position emission tomography studies detected a strong activation of the parietal and cingular cortices after brief nociceptive stimuli. On the other hand, a recent single photon emission computed tomography study found no cortical activation in five patients affected by central poststroke pain and algodystrophia. In this study, we present the single photon emission computed tomography findings in five patients suffering from central pain syndromes. Two of these, one with facial postrhizotomy anesthesia dolorosa and the other with central poststroke pain, showed a decrease of blood flow in the parietal lobe, further decreasing after stimulation by nonpainful maneuvers. Our results suggest that somatosensory cortical areas might be involved in the generation of anomalous pain states in some cases of central pain syndromes.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Diagnostic value of the hepatic echo-histogram in chronic hepatopathy].

The aim of this study was to determine the histogram patterns and the diagnostic efficacy of liver echohistogram in chronic diffuse liver diseases. Abdominal ultrasound and liver echo-histogram were prospectively and blindly performed on 21 healthy controls, 24 patients with chronic hepatitis, 26 patients with liver cirrhosis, and 22 patients with fatty liver disease. Maximum liver echo intensity and echogenicity were decreased in chronic hepatitis. Increased anterior maximum liver echo intensity and echogenicity, decreased posterior maximum liver echo intensity and echogenicity, and reduced posterior/anterior maximum liver echogenicity ratio were found in fatty liver disease. The diagnostic efficacy indexes of abdominal ultrasound were enhanced by some echo-histogram data: anterior maximum echo intensity of the liver less than 20.52 decibels for chronic hepatitis and posterior/anterior maximum liver echogenicity ratio less than 0.231 for fatty liver disease. In liver cirrhosis, echohistogram showed a high dispersion of values and not enhanced the abdominal ultrasound diagnostic efficacy. In fatty liver disease, a positive correlation was found between percentage of hepatocytes with fatty change and anterior maximum echo intensity of the liver (rs = 0.47, p < 0.05), as well as between percentage of hepatocytes with fatty change and anterior maximum echogenicity of the liver (rs = 0.68, p < 0.01). These findings indicate that the liver echo-histogram improves the diagnostic efficacy of abdominal ultrasound in chronic hepatitis and fatty liver disease. We suggest that combined abdominal ultrasound and liver echo-histogram should be performed in the investigation of chronic diffuse liver diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Serum aminoterminal procollagen type-III peptide in the diagnosis of chronic hepatopathies].

BACKGROUND: The aims of the present study were to 1) compare the serum levels of the aminoterminal peptide of procollagen type III (PIIIP) in patients with different chronic liver diseases, 2) correlate their concentrations with histologic features in liver biopsy and 3) evaluate their use in the diagnosis of liver diseases and in recognition of fibrosis. METHODS: With these aims PIIIP was determined in 57 patients with different chronic liver diseases and in 50 healthy donors. RESULTS: PIIIP was significantly elevated in patients with chronic active hepatitis (18.3 +/- 5.5 ng/ml; p less than 0.01) and with liver cirrhosis (27.8 +/- 11.7 ng/ml; p less than 0.001). The serum levels of this peptide related significantly with the severity of liver disease (p less than 0.001) in addition to the degree of morphometric liver fibrosis (Rs: 0.736; p less than 0.001) and with the degree of histologic activity (Rs: 0.78; p less than 0.001). The correlation between PIIIP and fibrosis was due to the relation between the same and inflammation. The levels of this peptide which were higher than 15 ng/ml were a sensitive test for the diagnosis of active liver disease (0.80) and cirrhosis (0.87) permitting differentiation between chronic and persistent active hepatitis. The differentiation between chronic active hepatitis and cirrhosis was only possible when 24 ng/ml were taken as a discriminative level. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison of serum levels of the aminoterminal peptide of procollagen type III (PIIIP) in patients with different chronic liver diseases can predict moderate or high degrees of inflammatory activity when PIIIP are higher than 15 ng/ml. This test is of use for evaluating chronic hepatopathies although the levels reflect the activity of inflammation better than the degree of hepatic fibrosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Wilson's disease. A histological review of 7 patients and the value of histological copper positivity in relation to other hepatopathies].

BACKGROUND: Wilson's disease is an infrequent entity. Biopsy is essential for establishing its presence and degree of hepatopathy but it lacks diagnostic specificity. It is necessary to know the significance of positivity or negativity of histochemically demonstrated copper when faced with the diagnosis of Wilson's disease and cholestatic diseases. METHODS: Nine hepatic sample from 7 patients with clinical-biochemical Wilson's disease were reviewed. The rodanine histochemical technique was used for demonstration of copper in the samples aforementioned and in another 3 kinds of liver diseases: 16 biopsies of primary biliary cirrhosis, 86 biopsies of cholestatic hepatopathies (serum bilirubin greater than 68 mumol/l) and control biopsies with serum bilirubin less than 42.5 mumol/l. RESULTS: Among the 7 patients with Wilson's disease, 6 were diagnosed with cirrhosis and one chronic active hepatitis. The incidence of erosive necrosis (86%), Mallory hyaline (86%), macrovacuolar steatosis (71%), glucogenated nuclei (71%) and giant mitochondria (29%) was evaluated. Histologic copper deposit with Shikata orcein was objectified in 3 cases (43%) and with rodanine in 5 (83%). Positivity with rodanine was 69% among the series of primary biliary cirrhosis, 20% among the cholestatic hepatopathies and 0 in the control series. CONCLUSIONS: Histology of Wilson's disease remains without definitive diagnostic criteria. The disease is diagnosed in a late phase in Spain. The sensitivity of the histochemical demonstration of copper with rodanine is high (6/7) but its specificity is low, being positive in 68% of primary biliary cirrhosis and 19% of other cholestatic hepatopathies.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1992

Metabolic clearance rate of arginine vasopressin in patients with cirrhosis.

Metabolic clearance rate and half-time of arginine vasopressin were measured in 43 cirrhotic patients and 10 control subjects. Synthetic arginine vasopressin was infused intravenously at a rate of 500 pg/min/kg of body weight for 75 min. The metabolic clearance rate was significantly reduced, and the half-time of arginine vasopressin after stopping the infusion was significantly increased in patients with cirrhosis, particularly in those with ascites and in those with moderate or severe liver dysfunction. Changes in metabolic clearance rate and half-time of arginine vasopressin correlated with the score of the liver dysfunction, prothrombin activity and levels of serum albumin and bilirubin but not with parameters of kidney function (serum creatinine levels and clearance of creatinine). We conclude that reduced metabolic clearance rate and prolonged half-time of vasopressin in plasma are frequent findings in cirrhotic patients with poor liver function. This impaired catabolism of antidiuretic hormone may contribute to maintaining elevated plasma levels of this hormone in these patients and may be an additional factor leading to fluid retention and to dilutional hyponatremia.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Value of exercise stress test, radionuclide angiography and coronary angiography in predicting new coronary events in asymptomatic patients after a first episode of myocardial infarction.

One-hundred-and-fifty-five consecutive symptom-free patients underwent maximal treadmill exercise testing, rest and stress radionuclide angiography at least two months after an uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction; of these, 90 underwent coronary angiography. All patients were followed-up for a mean of 32 +/- 13 months regarding the prediction of hard (death and reinfarction) and soft (angina and coronary surgery) coronary events. The specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive value of exercise stress test were 47%, 76% and 41% for any coronary events; none of the patients who incurred a hard coronary event showed ischemia during electrocardiographic exercise tests. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value for failure to increase the ejection fraction of at least 5% were 60%, 45% and 30% for any coronary event and 25%, 49% and 2% for any hard coronary event. The presence of multivessel disease at coronary angiography showed a sensitivity of 62% for any coronary event and of 67% for hard coronary events; specificities were 66% and 57%, and predictive values were 52% and 10%, respectively. It is concluded that electrocardiographic exercise testing, radionuclide angiography and coronary angiography are not helpful two months after an episode of uncomplicated myocardial infarction in order to identify patients who will suffer a new coronary event.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Malignant lymphoma of jejunum with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia and diffuse nodular hyperplasia of the small intestine. A case study and literature review.

We report a patient with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia and diffuse nodular lymphoid hyperplasia of the small intestine complicated by a jejunal malignant lymphoma. Immunopathological and histological studies showed a polymorphous centroblastic lymphoma with intracytoplasmatic IgM immunoglobulin and lambda light chains. Some mucosal nodules separate from the tumor mass showed atypical lymphoid cell populations similar to lymphoma cells, suggesting a transition between hyperplastic nodules and lymphoma nodules. Four similar cases, and six other patients with malignant lymphoma of the small intestine, associated with diffuse nodular lymphoid hyperplasia, but without immunodeficiency, have already been described. All these cases suggest that nodular lymphoid hyperplasia increases the risk of small intestine lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[The diagnosis of peptic ulcer penetration into the liver by endoscopic biopsy. A report of 2 cases and a review of the literature].

We report two patients and review six additional published cases with liver penetrating peptic ulcer diagnosed by the finding of hepatic tissue in endoscopic biopsies. Clinical and laboratory data were non-specific. The presence of a large (2 cm) gastric or duodenal ulcer, with malignant appearance, or a protruding mass, with secondary ulceration and located in the gastroduodenal posterior wall or in the lesser curvature of the stomach, may suggest the endoscopic diagnosis of this complication. Definitive diagnosis is established by endoscopic biopsies of the ulcer base and/or of the associated mass.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Wilson's disease. A retrospective analysis of 12 cases].

We reviewed retrospectively 12 patients with Wilson's disease diagnosed during a 16-year period (1974-1989). The prevalence rate was 0.6 per 100,000 individuals. Clinical onset was hepatic (50%) or neurologic (50%), but at diagnosis (6.4 years later) 67% of patients showed several clinical manifestations: hepatic, neurologic, renal and haematologic. Among the essential diagnostic indices we find false negative results for Kayser-Fleischer ring (25%), serum ceruloplasmin (8%) and total serum copper (34%). Ten patients were treated with penicillamine. This drug was effective and well tolerated, although one patient (10%) developed membranous nephritis and required to change successively to BAL and trien. In a 61 months follow-up 5 patients (42%) died from severe liver failure. Patients with poor prognosis had a diagnostic delay and a liver failure degree significantly greater than patients with good prognosis. Our results suggest the following conclusions: a) in Spain the prevalence rate of Wilson's disease is near the lower reported rate; b) the early diagnosis of Wilson's disease is rare; c) diagnosis should be made only when several essential indices are positive; d) early hepatic transplantation showed carried out in patients with acute or chronic severe liver failure.

Age Factors↗