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Biomedical subjects

G Di Febo

Publications and source records attributed to G Di Febo.

70 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Pirenzepine in duodenal ulcer. A multicentre double-blind controlled clinical trial, First of two parts.

Eighty-four patients with endoscopically-proved active duodenal ulcer were admitted to a multicentre double-blind trial with either pirenzepine tablets (25 mg three times per day for 1 week followed by 25 mg two times per day for 3 weeks) or placebo. Seventy-nine patients completed the trial, 44 treated with pirenzepine and 35 with placebo. After 4 weeks, complete healing had been achieved in 52% of the pirenzepine-treated patients and in 34% of the placebo-treated ones. Symptomatic responses were signigicantly better in those receiving pirenzepine than in those receiving placebo. In addition, the supplementary antacid consumption was significantly lesser in the pirenzepine group than in the placebo group. No important side-effects were observed in the two groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Pirenzepine in duodenal ulcer. A multicentre double-blind controlled clinical trial. Second of two parts.

Ninety-six patients with endoscopically proved active duodenal ulcers were admitted to a multicentre double-blind trial with either pirenzepine (100 mg/day, 25 mg in the morning and midday and 50 mg at bed time) or placebo for 4 weeks. Ninety-two patients (46 in each group) completed the trial. After 4 weeks, complete healing had been achieved in 70% of the pirenzepine-treated patients and in 32% of the placebo-treated ones (P less than 0.01). No important side-effects and no abnormal changes in blood values or urinalysis were observed during treatment. The difference in the ulcer healing rates observed in the two parts of this multicentre trial is briefly discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Pirenzepine and carbenozolone in gastric ulcer. Preliminary results of a multicentre double-blind controlled clinical trial.

Pirenzepine (PRZ) 75 mg/day for 1 week followed by 50 mg/day for 3 weeks did not show a good activity in gastric ulcer healing in comparison to carbenoxolone (CB) (300 mg/day for 1 week followed by 200 mg/day for 3 weeks). The tolerability of PRZ seemed to be better than that of CB. The increase in the daily dose of PRZ to 100 mg/day for 4 weeks led to better results in the patients who have completed satisfactorily the treatment up to now. PRZ's tolerability was greater than CB's. The results of this study are preliminary to further trial.

Anti-Ulcer Agents↗
PubMed1978

[The aberrant pancreas in gastro-duodenal disease. A clinical, endoscopic-bioptic study].

30 instances of aberrant pancreas were noted in 13,620 routine gastroduodenoscopies (0.22%), usually in the antrum or duodenum (antrum 83.5%, cap 6.6%, D2 6.6%). Symptoms, where present, took many forms and were aspecific, since they were related to size and site. The difficulties surrounding conventional methods of diagnosis are explained. Radiology reveals local alteration in 80% of cases, though its offers formally useful data in only 10%. Endoscopy and oriented biopsy partly make up for this inadequancy, because an aberrant pancreas may present as an atypical, nonumbelicated form that cannot be endoscopically distinguished from other benign growths. In addition, biopsy of the pancreas may be difficult in a submucosal site. Given the relative inefficacy of even the most recent techniques, perendoscopic polypectomy is proposed as a means of combining optimum diagnosis and radical treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopic assessment of acute inflammation of the ileal reservoir after restorative ileo-anal anastomosis.

Forty-seven patients, undergoing ileo-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis (42) or familial polyposis (5), were endoscopically examined after protective ileostomy or after restorative ileo-anal anastomosis. The neorectum and the ileum above were examined in all cases and multiple biopsies were taken. No symptoms of pouch inflammation were found in 41 subjects; 80.5% of these had non-macroscopic lesions and 19.5% had focal lesions such as congestion, petechiae, mucous hypersecretion (5), or single ulcers (3). None of these developed pouchitis. Pouchitis was observed in the other six subjects, who all underwent surgery for ulcerative colitis and developed 14 clinical episodes of pouchitis during the follow-up. In these cases the entire neorectum mucosa was always affected by the lesions which, in 50%, also extended to the ileum above. The most common endoscopic features (71.4%) were congestion, potechiae, oozing areas, mucous hypersecretion, and multiple superficial ulcers. In half the remaining cases (14.3%) the neorectum showed the features, described above, while the upper ileum was affected by deep round or irregular ulcers within normal mucosa; Crohn's disease was excluded in these cases. In the remaining 14.3%, pouchitis showed a pseudomembranous feature. In our experience, the endoscopic pattern of pouchitis is polymorphic. Although an ulcerative colitis-like feature prevails, pseudomembranous and Crohn's ileitis-like features may also be present.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Superoxide dismutase in gastric adenocarcinoma: is it a clinical biomarker in the development of cancer?

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the pathogenesis of gastric malignancies is well known. Many human tumours have shown significant changes in the activity and expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which might be correlated with clinical-pathological parameters for the prognosis of human carcinoma. The aim of this study is the detection of MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and their expression in gastric adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. Gastric samples (adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues) harvested during endoscopy or resected during surgery were used to determine MnSOD and CuZnSOD activity and expression by spectrophotometric and Western blotting assays. The total SOD activity was significantly higher (p<0.05) in healthy mucosa with respect to gastric adenocarcinomas. No differences were found in MnSOD activity and, on the contrary, CuZnSOD activity was significantly lower (p<0.001) in cancer samples with respect to normal mucosa. The rate of MnSOD/CuZnSOD activity in adenocarcinoma was over ninefold higher than that registered in healthy tissues (p<0.05). Moreover, in adenocarcinoma MnSOD activity represented the 83% of total SOD with respect to healthy tissues where the ratio was 52% (p<0.001). On the contrary, in cancer tissues, CuZnSOD activity accounted for only 17% of the total SOD (p<0.001 if compared with the values recorded in normal mucosa). After immunoblotting, MnSOD was more expressed in adenocarcinoma with respect to normal mucosa (p<0.001), while CuZnSOD was similarly expressed in adenocarcinoma and healthy tissues. The SOD activity assay might provide a specific and sensitive method of analysis that allows the differentiation of healthy tissue from tumour tissue. The MnSOD to CuZnSOD activity ratio, and the ratio between these two isoforms and total SOD, presented in this preliminary study might be considered in the identification of cancerous from healthy control tissue.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphologic and cytoproliferative patterns of duodenal mucosa in two patients after long-term total parenteral nutrition: changes with oral refeeding and relation to intestinal resection.

The morphologic and cytoproliferative patterns of the duodenal mucosa of two adult patients, one of whom had a short bowel, were evaluated after more than 2 months of postoperative total parenteral nutrition and 2 and 12 months after the resumption of oral alimentation. Morphometric analysis was performed on routinely processed duodenal biopsies. Cell proliferation was evaluated by means of in vitro bromodeoxyuridine uptake. The results were compared with those obtained in five healthy controls. After parenteral nutrition, patients showed significantly lower villus height and crypt depth than those of controls and a normal bromodeoxyuridine labeling index. After 2 months of refeeding, villus and crypt returned to normal, and the labeling index was increased. After 12 months of oral refeeding, labeling index, villus height, and crypt depth were similar to those of controls. The patient with the short bowel showed a number of cells per unit length of villus and crypt significantly greater than those of the controls and of the patient who underwent shorter intestinal resection. In human duodenal mucosa, (1) hypoplasia develops after long-term total parenteral nutrition; (2) mucosal recovery occurs through an increased cell proliferation after oral refeeding; and (3) extensive small bowel resection determines the development of relative hyperplasia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation between endoscopic features of gastric antrum, histology and Helicobacter pylori infection in adults.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori induces histologic inflammation of mucosa variably correlated to different macroscopic features. Recent studies highlight that the presence of Helicobacter pylori could be assessed on the basis of the macroscopic pattern only, in particular nodularity. The present prospective study has correlated this and other endoscopic features, defined by Sydney classification of gastritis, both to Helicobacter pylori presence and histological patterns. RESULTS: Out of 532 patients, 364 were evaluable. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was 51.1% with a different distribution between the endoscopic features. Nodularity showed the highest positive predictive value in detecting the Helicobacter pylori presence (69.9%). The histological findings were: normal 26.9%, non atrophic gastritis 55.2%, atrophic gastritis 17.9%. There was a significant difference between abnormal endoscopic features in detecting the histologic gastritis, with endoscopic atrophy and nodularity showing the highest positive predictive value which reaches 96.7% and 91.8%, respectively. Helicobacter pylori infection and histologic gastritis were also present in 30.9% and 41.8%, respectively, of endoscopically normal subjects. Multivariate analysis has strictly correlated age with all abnormal endoscopic features, metaplasia with endoscopic atrophy, and chronic inflammation (gastritis) with nodularity. CONCLUSIONS: The single endoscopic features are poorly correlated with histologic changes and Helicobacter pylori status. Biopsies are mandatory in all cases. The causes of the different macroscopic findings are not yet fully understood.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New trends in non-absorbable antibiotics in gastrointestinal disease.

Numerous antibiotics have been used for several years in the treatment of intestinal diseases, the majority belonging to the class of aminoglycosides. These are effective against gram-positive and some gram-negative bacteria, above all aerobes, and do not therefore cover the entire range of microorganisms responsible for intestinal infections. With these antibiotics, moreover, it is not possible to exclude intestinal absorption which can lead to serious side effects. Other intestinal antibiotics, however, such as Vancomycin, have a restricted spectrum of action which limits their use. This study analyzes the pharmacological characteristics of a new non-absorbable antibiotics with particularly interesting properties from a clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic point of view: Rifaximin. This drug has an extremely broad spectrum of action covering all intestinal germs, and its absorption is practically zero. The results of some controlled clinical studies in gastrointestinal diseases are examined, such as the treatment of infectious diarrhoea, of acute or chronic portal-caval encephalopathy and of diverticular disease of the colon. The possible role of Rifaximin in some intestinal diseases, such as small bowel bacterial overgrowth and Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is also analyzed.

Bacterial Infections↗