Biomedical subjects
G Ceccarelli
Publications and source records attributed to G Ceccarelli.
[Obstetrics and neonatology in the Bible].
Biblical quotations related to obstetrics and to the problems of newborn are reviewed and commented. So, we may have an idea on how such problems were understood at the time of composition of the Holy Bible.
[Role of digestive endoscopy in the diagnosis of primary intestinal lymphangiectasis. Presentation of 2 cases].
This article describes two new cases of primary intestinal lymphangiectasia: the first one refers to a 10-years-old girl, who failed to thrive, while the second one was discovered in a 19-months-old female infant, who presented with anasarca. In both cases gastroduodenal endoscopy allow us to put the diagnosis, revealing the presence of the typical duodenal lesions, due to dilatation of the lymphatic vessels and loss of the lymph. The typical endoscopic features found in both cases are here described; at the same time, the major role of the intestinal biopsy via endoscopic route is outlined, since this is the only method which allow to perform targeted biopsies.
[Decrease of blood lead in the Marche population, 1979-1989].
Blood lead concentration was measured from 1979 to 1989 in 1148 subjects (834 males and 314 females) living in Regione Marche of Italy. Blood concentration lowered in the time from 34.6 mcg/100ml in 1979 to 12.3 mcg/100ml in 1989. The greatest decrease was measured after 1982 and this appears to be related to the reduction, on the basis of CEE dispositions, of lead concentration in gasoline. Blood lead concentration was higher in males than in females (18.2 mcg/100ml vs 16.5 mcg/100ml) and in people living in the cities with more than 50.000 inhabitants (18.3 mcg/100ml). The smoking habit, the wine assumption and the use of canned foods do not influence blood lead concentration, which is instead increased in subjects which usually drink water drawn from artesian wells.
Drug monitoring study of a product containing ferritin.
A drug monitoring study was carried out co-operatively by industry, a university department of clinical pharmacology and a randomly selected sample of general practitioners throughout Italy to collect case history and clinical data on over 10,000 patients with anaemia treated for 2 to 4 months with a preparation containing ferritin plus vitamin B12 co-enzyme and folinic acid. Analysis of the data generated, whilst confirming the effectiveness and tolerability of the study medication, highlighted the usefulness of the research methodology for describing the pattern of use of a drug widely prescribed in general medicine.
Flupirtine: the first Italian experience.
This paper reports the results of five single-dose short-term, controlled clinical trials conducted in Italy with the structurally new analgesic flupirtine. A total of 200 patients were enrolled in the trials. One hundred and two patients received flupirtine, 61 were treated with reference drugs (suprofen and paracetamol) and 37 were on placebo. Analgesic efficacy was evaluated in post-episiotomy pain (2 studies and 70 patients), post-traumatic pain (2 studies and 100 patients) and in 30 post-operative patients. Flupirtine was given as a single dose of 100 mg (one capsule) or as a single day's treatment (100 mg t.i.d.). For suprofen and paracetamol, oral doses of 200 mg and 500 mg respectively were used. A semi-quantitative four- or five-point scale or a linear analogue scale was used to determine the degree of pain. In post-episiotomy pain, the time required to achieve a reduction of 50% of the initial pain was also used. In post-operative pain, flupirtine induced a 69% reduction in the pain score 6 hours after administration, compared with 26% in the placebo group. In post-episiotomy pain and pain due to sport injury, flupirtine showed greater efficacy as judged by the number of patients reporting good and acceptable pain relief, and a faster onset of pain relief than suprofen (episiotomy) or paracetamol plus massage (sport injury). The adverse reaction, nausea, was complained of once only during treatment with flupirtine.
Antianxiety properties of lormetazepam. A double-blind crossover trial versus diazepam.
A double-blind crossover trial was carried out to compare the anxiolytic activity of lormetazepam vs diazepam. After 1 week of placebo, the drugs were administered for 4 weeks (10 drops twice daily) to 10 subjects with anxiety disorders. Each patient received either lormetazepam or diazepam and modifications of symptoms were evaluated through a series of tests at various intervals (days 0, 8, 16, 24, 32 and 40 of the study). Both drugs proved to be effective and significantly superior to placebo. They were both well tolerated.
Ferritin versus ferrous sulphate preparations: a controlled study in sideropaenic patients.
A double-blind study was carried out in 54 patients requiring iron therapy to compare the effects of orally administered bivalent and trivalent iron over a period of 12 weeks. Patients were allocated at random to receive ferrous sulphate (100 mg/day), ferritin (80 mg/day as Fe3+) or a combination of ferritin (80 mg Fe3+/day), folinic acid and vitamin B12 coenzyme. Haematological measurements made before and during treatment showed that, whilst there were significant improvements in all of the parameters studied with both the bivalent and trivalent forms of iron, the results were more progressive and consistent with the two ferritin preparations, indicating that ferritin is clinically effective as a physiological iron donor in sideropaenic conditions.
Efficacy of iron therapy: a comparative evaluation of four iron preparations administered to anaemic pregnant women.
The authors conducted a clinical investigation on sixty-nine pregnant women, anaemic and non-anaemic, the purpose being to assess the effect of 50 days treatment with four different medicinal iron preparations, namely, ferrous sulphate, iron chondroitinsulfuric acid complex, and ferritin alone or associated with folinic acid and cobamamide, on various haematological parameters (Hb, RCC, Ht, CV, Iron, and Transferrin IBC). The four products demonstrated a similar efficacy in maintaining anaemic conditions under control; moreover, the results confirmed our hypothesis of the absorption of iron ferritin. While three products were well tolerated, ferrous sulphate induced, in some cases, side-effects.
Relative bioavailability in humans for oral tablets and solutions of lormetazepam.
A study was carried out to estimate the relative bioavailability of 7-chloro-5-(2-chlorophenyl)-3-hydroxy-1-methyl-1, 3-dihydro-1H-1,4-benzodiazepine-2-one (lormetazepam, Minias) in humans after administration of oral tablets and solutions. Plasma concentration of the drug was measured by gaschromatography with electron capture detector. Six healthy males were each given both formulations. With the oral solution higher plasma peak concentration and a shorter peak time were observed than with tablets. Also the elimination half-life was shorter with the oral solution, while no difference was found with the AUC.
Reproterol for refractory heart failure.
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Clinical pharmacokinetic evaluation of bacampicillin.
Bacampicillin is a recently synthesized prodrug of ampicillin. It differs from ampicillin in having an ethoxycarbonyloxyethyl group attached to the carboxyl group in C3 of the penicillin nucleus, thus forming an ester with higher bioavailability than ampicillin. The present study was carried out in 30 patients suffering from acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. Bacampicillin was administered orally according to the following outline: Group A--800 mg, group B--1,200 mg, and group C--1,800 mg. The peak mean serum levels were 9.50, 12.07, and 15.83 micrograms/ml, respectively, and were reached in one hour with all doses. The peak mean bronchial mucus levels were 0.49, 0.62, and 0.95 micrograms/ml, respectively, and were achieved in four hours with all doses. During the eight hours after administration of the antibiotic, 71%, 68%, and 73% of the administered doses were excreted in the urine. Blood levels versus time curve were interpreted in terms of a one-compartment open model. Bronchial mucus and serum peaks were in good correlation with progressive doses.
Effects of prazosin on the cAMP system in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) aorta.
3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), adenylate cyclase and cAMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity were measured in aorta homogenates from normal and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) during treatment with prazosin, an antihypertensive drug. cAMP levels were lower in SHR than in normal rats. In SHR prazosin treatment induced marked inhibition of PDE activity thus causing an increase in cAMP levels; adenylate cyclase activity remained unaffected. This effect was only present for the first 32 days of drug administration.
[Potter's syndrome: presentation of an unusual case with a review of the more recent literature].
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[Effects of some chemical additives, temperature and preservation time of the blood on determination of serum cholesterol and triglycerides and on the electrophoretic mobility of the lipoproteins].
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Stereochemistry of cis-2-hydroxy-2-phenyl-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (cicloxilic acid).
The configuration of cis-2-hydroxy-2-phenyl-cyclohexanecarboxilic acid (cicloxilic acid) was deduced by comparing its NMR and IR spectra with those of its diastereoisomer and of their respective analogs, the 1-hydroxy(bicyclohexyl)-2-carboxylic acids. The diastereoisomer was prepared by converting cicloxilic acid to the corresponding 2-chloro-2-phenyl-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid and subsequent hydrolysis of the latter with aqueous solvents in the presence of wet silver oxide, or by simple solvolysis. The pair of 1-hydroxy(bicyclohexyl)-2-carboxylic acid was prepared from the respective phenylic terms by catalytic hydrogenation. Comparison of the NMR spectra revealed the spatial arrangement of the -H and -COOH groups on the carbon-alpha atom and the study of the interaction between the substitutents -OH and -COOH by IR spectrography revealed the position of the -OH group with respect to the -COOH group, as a result of which the configuration and conformation of the compounds under study were established. Cicloxilic acid is thus represented by the steric formula 4.
[Urinary levels of carbenicillin in childhood].
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[Levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the umbilical cord blood of inhabitants of southern Italy].
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