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Biomedical subjects

G Celle

Publications and source records attributed to G Celle.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Modifications in the serum concentrations of prolyl hydroxylase in patients with chronic hepatitis B during and after interferon therapy.

A total of eight patients with chronic active HBsAg-positive hepatitis was treated with recombinant interferon-alpha 2b for 12 months and serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-globulin and prolyl hydroxylase concentrations were determined every 3 months. Liver biopsies after 12 months' treatment revealed a significant (P less than 0.05) reduction in the histological activity score. After 6 months, alanine aminotransferase (P less than 0.01) and aspartate aminotransferase (P less than 0.05) concentrations fell significantly compared with baseline concentrations. Serum prolyl hydroxylase concentrations declined significantly (P less than 0.05) after 15 months and remained depressed. It is concluded that interferon-alpha 2b therapy reduced fibrogenetic activity in chronic active hepatitis B.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Experimental study of the relationships between activation of erythropoiesis and hematotoxicity of some antitumoral agents (author's transl)].

The changes in the blood toxicity of some antitumoral chemotherapeutic agents in the presence of erythropoiesis activation by bleeding are evaluated. The general toxicity seems to be unaffected but the damage to erythropoiesis proved, in absolute terms, to be more severe in the bled animals. The recovery of hematopoiesis was slower after some drug than others. These results are discussed in the light of present knowledge of hematopoietic kinetics and of the relationships between antiblastic drugs and staminal hematopoietic compartments.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Histological and functional recovery in patients with multifocal atrophic gastritis after eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on gastric histology and physiology in patients with multifocal atrophic gastritis over 1-year period. PATIENTS: Fourteen consecutive patients with histological evidence of chronic gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection diagnosed by histology and serology entered this study. Patients with pernicious anaemia, gastric ulcer or carcinoma, duodenal ulcer, reflux oesophagitis and regular intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were excluded. METHODS: Patients underwent triple anti-Helicobacter treatment for one week, which resulted successful in all subjects on the basis of negative CLO test and histology as well as 50% decrease in IgG antibodies after 4 weeks and 6 months of treatment, respectively. Histological and functional investigations were performed at baseline, 6 and 12 months after Helicobacter pylori eradication. Histological assessment of inflammatory cell infiltrates was performed on multiple biopsy specimens of the corpus and fundus. Functional tests were 24-hour continuous gastric pH-metry, fasting serum gastrin assay and pepsinogen I levels. RESULTS: There was a progressive significant improvement (p < 0.01-0.001) in acute and chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates in the gastric mucosa throughout the 12-month period. Functional recovery with increase in gastric acidity (p < 0.01) and decrease in gastrin and pepsinogen I levels (p < 0.001) was more evident at the 6-month than at the 12-month checkpoint after Helicobacter pylori eradication (p = NS for gastric pH and p < 0.02 for the other two variables) between 6 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection significantly improves the inflammatory status of oxyntic mucosa and this promotes an almost complete functional recovery. However, the non-parallel behaviour of gastric acidity, which was maximal at 6-month checkpoint, and histological parameters which continued to improve throughout the entire 12-month observation period, seems to indicate that removal of acid-inhibitory substances induced by Helicobacter pylori infection was also responsible for the more rapid recovery of gastric secretory function.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Probability of non-response during interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: About 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis C do not respond to interferon therapy and this failure is expensive. The aim of this study was to identify possible predictive factors of biochemical non-response during interferon therapy among biochemical, virological (HCV genotype), histological (Knodell's score) and pharmacokinetic (monoethylglycinexylidide formation test) pre-treatment parameters. METHODOLOGY: Our study included 60 patients with chronic hepatitis C undergoing a course of Interferon therapy. Patients whose serum ALT levels were normal at the 3rd month of therapy and remained so until the end of treatment were regarded as responders. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, only the gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) and the gamma-GT/alanine aminotranferase ratio were significantly higher in non-responder patients. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that high gamma-GT levels, high histological activity index, low monoethylglycinexylidide formation rate and viral genotype 1 were the best combination for the identification of non-responder patients (16.7% error rate). By adding alanine aminotranferase modification at the 1st month of therapy the probability error was reduced to 5%. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the combination of biochemical, histological, virological and pharmacokinetic pre-treatment variables, associated with alanine aminotranferase modification at the 1st month of therapy, can predict non-response to interferon and allow therapeutic modifications.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

13CO2 excretion in breath of normal subjects and cirrhotic patients after 13C-aminopyrine oral load. Comparison with MEGX test in functional differentiation between chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver function can be evaluated using 13C breath tests that explore liver Cytochrome P450 activity. Aminopyrine is one of the first compounds used in liver function testing. Lidocaine metabolism to monoethylglycinexylidide is also a valid tool to assess liver function. Although liver Cytochrome P450 metabolizes both compounds, lidocaine metabolism is flow-dependent while aminopyrine metabolism does not depend on liver blood flow. METHODOLOGY: The 1st part of the study evaluated the appearance and disappearance rate of 13CO2 in the breath of both normal subjects and in cirrhotic patients, so as to establish optimal sampling times and to evaluate the amount of time needed before performing a subsequent breath test. The 2nd part of the study compared the aminopyrine breath test with the monoethylglycinexylidide test in patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. RESULTS: Complete 13CO2 disappearance was recorded 24 hours after the test in normal subjects, while it took 3 days to disappear from the breath of cirrhotic patients. Breath sampling at 60, 120 and 180 min were equally valid in differentiating chronic hepatitis from cirrhosis. The aminopyrine breath test and monoethylglycinexylidide test showed a good yet not close correlation. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that in cirrhotic patients a 13C breath test can be performed 3 days after the previous one. In chronic hepatitis and cirrhotic patients, the aminopyrine breath test and the monoethylglycinexylidide test evaluated similar, but not identical, hepatic subfunctions, suggesting that multiple 13C breath test using different substrates could explore liver function better.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Does surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV cirrhotic patients improve treatment outcome mainly due to better clinical status at diagnosis?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C virus infection are a group at higher risk for hepatocellular carcinoma. Conventional screening programs detect only few early hepatocellular carcinomas that are eligible for radical treatment. Our aim was to compare characteristics of patients, modality of treatment, and outcome in anti-HCV positive cirrhotics with hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed during follow-up, or incidentally. METHODOLOGY: Sixty-one hepatocellular carcinomas were consecutively diagnosed in cirrhotic anti-HCV patients from 1993-1998 among which 34 during biannual ultrasonographic-biochemical follow-up and the others incidentally. Child-Pugh's score, alpha-fetoprotein levels, uni- or multifocality of the tumor, and treatment and survival of the patients were then analyzed on the basis of modality of diagnosis. RESULTS: Surgical treatment was feasible only in a minority of patients. Radical and palliative treatment was more frequent among patients with HCC diagnosed during follow-up. Child-Pugh's score was lower in these patients, moreover their survival rate was better. Analysis of survival of patients treated with the same procedure and grouped by modality of diagnosis did not demonstrate any differences. Regression analysis showed that patients with a lower Child-Pugh's score, one nodule, with a tumor diagnosed during follow-up and who were treated had a better survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: In our population surveillance did not detect a higher percentage of curable HCC. Nevertheless the results of palliative treatment and of curative treatment overlapped. Overall better outcome was observed in patients with preserved liver function whatever the treatment. Surveillance allowed us to diagnose HCC in patients with these characteristics thus leading to an improved survival rate.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of triglycylvasopressin on portal pressure and portal bile acid concentration in normal and cirrhotic rats.

The effects of triglycylvasopressin on portal vein pressure and portal bile acid concentration after oral loading with chenodeoxycholic acid were evaluated in normal and cirrhotic rats. Triglycylvasopressin significantly reduced the portal vein pressure and portal bile acid concentration in both populations (normal: portal vein pressure 21.2%, p less than 0.05; portal bile acid concentration 43.2%, p less than 0.005; cirrhotic: portal vein pressure 19.8%, p less than 0.025; portal bile acid concentration 20.3%, p less than 0.05). Both in normal and cirrhotic rats, portal vein pressure and portal bile acid concentration resulted correlated. These results support that the combined determination of portal vein pressure and portal bile acid concentration could represent an interesting approach to the study of drugs which are potentially active on portal circulation and could indirectly provide information as to portal flow.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fine-needle aspiration cytodiagnosis: a simple and safe procedure for cancer of the pancreas.

One hundred fine-needle aspirations (45 percutaneous ultrasonically-guided and 55 intraoperative) were performed in 82 patients suspected of having pancreatic cancer, in order to evaluate the contribution of cytologic data to definitive diagnosis of this tumor. The overall success rate of both cytologic methods was 90.6 p. 100 in our 64 patients who were histologically proved to have pancreatic cancer. Sensitivity was 77.4 p. 100 with percutaneous and 75.5 p. 100 with intraoperative aspirations. In all 18 cases with the final diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis results of both techniques were negative. Neither relevant morbidity nor mortality were recorded in any of the 82 patients. These cytologic studies are at present reliable, rapid, highly cost-effective (especially percutaneous aspiration) and most important, safer than histologic examinations. We believe that fine-needle aspiration cytology has gained a primary role in the diagnostic process of pancreatic carcinoma. Therefore the old view of considering examination of cytologic material only as a screening procedure should be abandoned.

Adult↗