Biomedical subjects

G Ferrara

Publications and source records attributed to G Ferrara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Reinke's crystals in an interstitial cell tumour of a rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

One case of interstitial cell tumour in the testicle of a New Zealand White rabbit was reported. The rabbit was 9-years old and had monolateral testicular lesion. There was enlargement of left testis and the lesion were seen on the cut surface. Light microscopy revealed intracytoplasmic crystals of Reinke that resembled to the features observed for this tumour in human. Immunohistochemically, this tumour was positive for vimentin.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Association between parasitic intestinal infections and acute or chronic diarrhoea in HIV-infected patients in Caracas, Venezuela.

A cross sectional survey was conducted to determine the association between enteric parasites and diarrhoea in HIV-infected adults in Caracas. Three hundred and four patients were evaluated: 104 had acute diarrhoea, 113 chronic diarrhoea and 87 were controls. Isopora belli infection was associated with acute (P = 0.022) and chronic diarrhoea (P = 0.003), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar infection was also associated with both acute (P = 0.015) and chronic diarrhoea (P = 0.017). Strongyloides stercoralis (P = 0.003), and Cryptosporidium parvum (P = 0.017) infections were associated mainly with chronic episodes. Weight loss (P < 0.001), a non-infectious factor investigated, was significantly associated with diarrhoea. Eosinophilia, a laboratory parameter studied, was found to be associated with strongyloidiasis (P = 0.001), giardiasis (P = 0.001) and isoporiasis (P = 0.003). In summary, the presence of enteric parasites in HIV-infected patients from tropical urban areas with diarrhoea, with or without significant weight loss, must be considered. Similarly, eosinophilia might suggest parasitic infection in these patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMed2003

[Renal capsuloma: description of a case with predominantly muscular differentiation].

The Authors report a case of Renal Capsuloma with a histologic biphasic pattern constituted of epithelioid and spindle cells. The lesion is observed in a nephrectomy specimen as incidental finding concurrent with a Papillary Transitional Cell Carcinoma of calices and renal pelvis. The lesion presents a distinct muscular immunophenotype (actin+, desmin+), with coexpression of the melanogenesis marker (HMB45+) in a lower cellular population. This combined immunophenotype is a characteristic feature of the Perivascular Epithelioid Cell's (PEC) lesions. Actually Renal Capsuloma is a PEC's lesion (Pecoma) closely related to Angiomyolipoma (AML). Particularly Capsuloma is thought as a variant of AML predominantly composed by muscular spindle cells (monotypic spindle cell-leiomyoma like variant of AML). In the presented case the spindle cell component is associated with an epithelioid cellular population which also shows a distinct muscular differentiation. The Authors have not found in the literature the association between Renal Capsuloma and Papillary Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the renal pelvis.

Actins↗

PubMed2002

Macrolides for chronic asthma.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways in which inflammation of the respiratory mucosa plays a crucial role. The mechanisms responsible for the maintaining of this inflammatory response are only partially known and there is evidence that a role could be paid by chronic infection by intracellular pathogens (such as Chlamydia pneumoniae). Macrolides are antibiotics with both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities and thus their use in asthmatic patients could lead to reduction of the airways inflammation and therefore improvement of symptoms and pulmonary function. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether macrolides are effective in the management of patients with chronic asthma. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL up to May 2001. This was also supplemented by manually searching bibliographies of previously published reviews, conference proceedings, and contacting study authors. All languages were included in the initial search. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised, controlled clinical trials involving both children and adult patients with chronic asthma treated with macrolides for more than 4 weeks, versus placebo. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently examined all identified articles. Two reviewers reviewed the full text of any potentially relevant article independently. MAIN RESULTS: The initial search retrieved 95 studies. Preliminary evaluation identified 20 studies that were potentially eligible. Five (357 patients) met the entry criteria. The entry criteria for the primary trials differed, but all recruited a specific subgroup of patients (eg severe oral steroid dependent, aspirin intolerant or evidence of Chlamydia pnuemoniae infection). There was a positive effect on symptoms (Standardised Mean Difference -1.25, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) -1.80, -0.70) and markers of eosinophilic inflammation; eg sputum eosinophils Weighted Mean difference -78.5, 95%CI -90.8, -66.1). Tests of oral corticosteroid-sparing effects have not yet been performed on the newer agents such as roxithromycin and clarithromycin. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Considering the small number of patients studied, there is insufficient evidence to support or to refute the use of macrolides in patients with chronic asthma. Further studies are needed in particular to clarify the potential role of macrolides in some subgroups of asthmatics such as those with evidence of chronic bacterial infection.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

PubMed2002

Nitric oxide attenuates platelet-activating factor induced nasal airway plasma extravasation in healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Paranasal sinuses and the nose are important sources of nitric oxide (NO) in humans but the relevance of NO production to the control of nasal airway plasma exudation and its response to inflammatory mediators such as platelet-activating factor (PAF) in healthy subjects is not well known. DESIGN: In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on nasal airway plasma extravasation at baseline and after an acute challenge with PAF that induces most symptoms of rhinitis. Eleven healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Plasma extravasation in the nasal airway was assessed by measuring the albumin content of nasal lavage. RESULTS: PAF challenge caused a significant increase in concentrations of albumin in the nasal lavage fluid (from 0.59 +/- 0.13 mg dL(-1) to 2.46 +/- 0.45 mg dL(-1)) after placebo. Pretreatment with L-NAME significantly prevented the increase of albumin in the nasal lavage fluid induced by PAF as compared to placebo (from 0.53 +/- 0.11 mg dL(-1) to 1.70 +/- 0.28 mg dL(-1); P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Topical administration of a NO inhibitor is able to attenuate the nasal airway plasma extravasation induced by PAF, suggesting that NO release in vivo is involved in the nasal response to PAF.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed2002

[Epidemiological study on pathology and abnormalities of the external male genitalia].

The Authors report the outcomes of an epidemiology study concerning the external genital pathologies, carried out on 2400 young males, ranging between 18 and 22 years who underwent the medical inspection for admission to the Air Force Academy. Basing on an andrologic clinical and anamnestic protocol, 229 cases with genital abnormalities, and among them 171 cases of varicocele (8.16%), were detected. The presence of varicocele in all the selected cases was confirmed with proper instrumental investigations (CW Doppler, ecocolorDoppler, telethermography). A randomized sample of 240 out of the 2400 young males, underwent the same investigations as a routine. These investigations enhanced the accuracy in detecting the varicocele, and allowed to identify 3 new cases, all classified as 1st type, in addition to the 19 previously correctly detected by the clinical and anamnestic examination.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

[Pleomorphic adenoma in unusual anatomic sites: case reports and review of literature].

Pleomorphic adenoma is the most common neoplasm of the major salivary glands, in particular of the parotid gland. Only occasionally can it be found in the cervicofacial area outside the major and minor salivary glands of the oral cavity. The present article describes three cases of pleomorphic adenoma, respectively of the external auditory canal, the nose, and the larynx. The three tumors showed no clinical or radiological signs of malignancy and were surgically excised with a suitable margin of healthy tissue. Histologically, the typical features of pleomorphic adenoma were observed in the larynx case alone. The pleomorphic adenoma of the external auditory canal evidenced an extensive apocrine glandular component; the neoplasm of the nose was itself characterized by ample proliferation of fused cells. Immunohistochemical findings revealed focal or widespread positivity to cytokeratin, S100 protein and muscle-specific actin in both the epithelial and mesenchymal components of the neoplasm. Cases of pleomorphic adenoma in sites other than the major salivary glands show clinical and radiological signs of benignity. Their histopathological identification is, however, not always straightforward; immunohistochemistry can contribute significantly to the formulation of a definitive diagnosis and to the realization of an appropriate follow-up.

Adenoma, Pleomorphic↗

PubMed2002

Clinical use of Levofloxacin in the long-term treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) is a form of TB that is resistant to some of the first-line drugs used for the treatment of the disease. It is associated both with a higher incidence of treatment failures and of disease recurrence, as well as with higher mortality than forms of TB sensitive to first-line drugs. Levofloxacin (LFX) represents one of the few second-line drugs recently introduced in the therapeutic regimens for MDR TB. We report our experience concerning in vitro activity and clinical safety of LFX in long term second-line regimens for MDR TB. IN VITRO ACTIVITY ON MYCOBACTERIA: The in vitro activity of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and LFX was studied on 28 strains belonging to different species of Mycobacteria. In Dubos medium, LFX inhibited the growth of both library and MDR clinical Mycobacteria strains in a range of 0.25-1 mcg/ml. In International Union Tuberculosis Medium (IUTM) the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were slightly higher, but LFX activity was not affected by the higher complexity of the medium. CLINICAL EXPERIENCE: Four patients with MDR TB were treated with a second-line regimen comprising oral LFX 500 mg twice daily, for at least 9 months. Two isolates obtained from the patients reported here showed multi resistance to isoniazid and rifampin, one to rifampin and streptomycin and one to isoniazid and ethambutol. During therapy, no significant alteration of either liver function tests, blood tests or any other described side effect of the fluoroquinolone class was observed. The 3 patients with pulmonary MDR TB showed radiologic and clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: We confirm the higher in vitro activity of LFX compared to older fluoroquinolones. Furthermore, in a limited number of MDR TB patients, second-line regimens comprising LFX 500 mg b.i.d. administered in a range of 9-24 months were well tolerated and safe.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Aquatic humic substances inhibit clastogenic events in germinating seeds of herbaceous plants.

One humic acid (HA) and two fulvic acids (FAs) of aquatic origin have been tested for their capacity to inhibit clastogenic events caused by maleic hydrazide (MH) in germinating seeds of the herbaceous plant species Allium cepa and Vicia faba. Either HA or FA at concentrations of 50 and 500 mg L(-)(1) was interacted with 10 mg L(-)(1) MH for 24 h before addition to the seeds. The evaluation of genotoxic activity was made by counting micronuclei (MN) and aberrant anatelophases (AT) in root tip cells after treatment with HA or FA alone, MH alone, and interacted HA + MH and FA + MH. Regular AT were also counted as an index of mitotic activity. In all cases HA and FA interacted with MH showed an evident anticlastogenic action indicated by the marked reduction of genetic anomalies. In A. cepa, the anticlastogenic effect of HA and FA was more significant for aberrant AT than for MN, whereas the opposite was true in the case of V. faba. The protective effect exhibited for both anomalies by HA was slightly higher than that of the corresponding FA in A. cepa, whereas no significant differences between these HA and FA treatments were observed in the case of V. faba. The two FAs generally showed similar anticlastogenic behaviors with slight quantitative differences observed as a function of the type of anomaly and the plant species. The effects of HA and FA concentration differed depending on the type of anomaly observed, the plant species, and FA origin. In V. faba, cell division, that is, the number of regular AT, was generally depressed by HA and FA at either concentration with respect to the control. In A. cepa, HA and FA produced either stimulating or inhibiting effects on regular AT depending on their nature, origin, and concentration.

Allium↗

PubMed2001

Post-apopletic trigeminal trophic syndrome.

Trigeminal trophic syndrome is an uncommon clinical entity in which cutaneous trophic ulceration develops with continuous manipulation of trigeminal dermatomes. Patients spontaneously refer picking, rubbing and/or scratching at the affected areas because of hypo-anaesthesia, paraesthesia and/or pain following damage of the sensory trigeminal fibres or nuclei. We herein describe a patient who developed the syndrome as a sequela of brain stem infarction. Diagnosis by scrape cytology in ruling-out basal cell carcinoma and other ulcerative skin diseases is discussed and the importance of neurological examination in disclosing hemi-anaesthesia of trigeminal dermatome(s) is emphasized.

Biopsy↗

PubMed2001

Increased expression of the neuropeptide Y receptor Y(1) gene in the medial amygdala of transgenic mice induced by long-term treatment with progesterone or allopregnanolone.

The neurosteroid allopregnanolone, a reduced metabolite of progesterone, induces anxiolytic effects by enhancing GABA(A) receptor function. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and GABA are thought to interact functionally in the amygdala, and this interaction may be important in the regulation of anxiety. By using Y(1)R/LacZ transgenic mice, which harbour a fusion construct comprising the promoter of the mouse gene for the Y(1) receptor for NPY linked to the lacZ gene, we previously showed that long-term treatment with benzodiazepine receptor ligands modulates Y(1) receptor gene expression in the medial amygdala. We have now investigated the effects of prolonged treatment with progesterone or allopregnanolone on Y(1)R/LacZ transgene expression, as determined by quantitative histochemical analysis of beta-galactosidase activity. Progesterone increased both the cerebrocortical concentration of allopregnanolone and beta-galactosidase expression in the medial amygdala. Finasteride, a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, prevented both of these effects. Long-term administration of allopregnanolone also increased both the cortical concentration of this neurosteroid and transgene expression in the medial amygdala. Treatment with neither progesterone nor allopregnanolone affected beta-galactosidase activity in the medial habenula. These data suggest that allopregnanolone regulates Y(1) receptor gene expression through modulation of GABA(A) receptor function, and they provide further support for a functional interaction between GABA and neuropeptide Y in the amygdala.

Amygdala↗

PubMed2001

Facial granulomatous diseases: a study of four cases tested for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA using nested polymerase chain reaction.

The histopathologic diagnosis of cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) is often troublesome, because there are several other entities (tuberculids, demodicidosis, granulomatous rosacea, and acne agminata) that may display granulomatous inflammation with caseation necrosis. The current study describes four cases of granulomatous disease of the face. The final diagnosis (assessed on the basis of the clinical response to therapy) was CTB in three cases and granulomatous rosacea in one case. Histologically, epithelioid granulomas were a constant feature; in one case of CTB, they displayed a palisading (granuloma annulare-like) arrangement. Caseation necrosis was a prominent feature only in the case of granulomatous rosacea. Routinely processed biopsy specimens were evaluated with nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MBT) DNA. The correlation between nPCR results and clinical outcome was less than optimal; in fact, one case showed an excellent clinical response to the antituberculous drug therapy despite the absence of MBT DNA amplification. In granulomatous diseases of the face, the importance of evaluating not only nPCR but the overall clinicopathologic picture so as to avoid diagnostic misinterpretations is emphasized.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Epiluminescence microscopy for port-wine stains: pretreatment evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Port-wine stains (PWSs) are characterized by an increased number of ectatic vessels. The treatment of choice is the use of some lasers such as pulsed dye lasers. However, some lesions are nonresponsive to laser treatment. Perhaps the vessels' depth and diameter and the thickness of the vessel wall are important factors influencing the effectiveness of the laser treatment. METHODS: To investigate whether epiluminescence microscopy (ELM) could be useful in determining the effectiveness of laser treatment of PWSs, we studied a group of patients with PWSs using both ELM and histological analysis. RESULTS: A correlation existed between a gray-whitish veil seen by ELM and the vessel depth judged by histology: when the veil was absent, the vessels were always found to be located only in the upper third of the dermis. CONCLUSION: We think that the gray-whitish veil is a distinctive dermoscopic feature that is able to differentiate between superficial vessels (absence of veil) and deeper vessels (presence of veil).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Superficial black network: an additional dermoscopic clue for the diagnosis of pigmented spindle and/or epithelioid cell nevus.

Dermoscopy is a valuable method for improving the diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions. Specific dermoscopic criteria have been described for differentiating pigmented spindle and/or epithelioid cell nevi (SECN; Spitz nevi and Reed nevi) from cutaneous melanomas. In the present study, we report an additional dermoscopic feature of SECN, namely a distinctive type of pigment network, described as superficial black network, which was observed in 10.5% of SECN. Histopathologically, this network corresponds to focal areas of pigmented parakeratosis, producing a black reticulated appearance on the horizontal plane.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

[Bilateral hernioplasty: sonographic study of prosthetic integration as a function of fixation to the hernia opening].

The Authors report in this paper the outcomes of a post-operative study based on echo and echo-color imaging in 10 patients who underwent surgery for bilateral groin hernia. On both sides the operation was performed with a "patch and plug" implantation, according to the Rutkow technique. On right sides the polypropilene mesh was fixed to the inguinal orifice with cardinal stitches, while on left sides the mesh was shaped and spreaded on the orifice without any fixation. The U.S. postoperative pictures, performed up to 30 th p.o. day, showed a better stretching of the unfixed meshs, probably owed to a better adapting capability of the free mesh inside the tissues in standing position. The Authors consider significative the correlation between images showing in 7 patient's right sides little irregularities in mesh display, with presence of thin liquid filled spaces, and the moderate postoperative pain, that occurred in the same side in 6 of them.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Measuring contrast sensitivity in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy complicated by ocular hypertension and suspect glaucoma or dysthyroid optic neuropathy.

The present study compares contrast sensitivity functions of patients with uncomplicated Graves' ophthalmopathy, patients with ophthalmopathy and elevated intraocular pressure or suspect glaucoma, and patients with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). Aim of the study was to investigate the clinical potential for the contrast sensitivity functions (CSF) in distinguish between the groups. Contrast sensitivity measurements were obtained from twenty-seven subjects with endocrine ophthalmopathy. Group I included patients with uncomplicated ophthalmopathy (n=20 eyes); group II included patients with ophthalmopathy, intraocular pressure > or = 24 mmHg with and without early visual field defects, and no evidence of apical crowding on coronal computed tomography scan (n=14 eyes); group III included patients with DON (n=12 eyes). Contrast thresholds were determined for stationary and 6.87 Hz phase-alternating gratings at eight spatial frequencies from 0.18 to 15.7 c/deg. Data from each group was compared with data from age-matched normal subjects. Observers with uncomplicated ophthalmopathy had normal CSFs. Eyes affected with DON showed contrast sensitivity disruption at overall intermediate-high spatial frequencies. Eyes with elevated intraocular pressure or suspect glaucoma had pronounced sensitivity loss in the low frequency range (0.18-0.70 c/deg) as compared to eyes with DON. This study shows that CSF detects visual function abnormalities noninvasively in patients with complicated Graves' ophthalmopathy. Results also indicate that the clinical potential for CSF in distinguish between patients suffering from ophthalmopathy complicated by ocular hypertension or suspect glaucoma and patients with DON improves when a temporal modulation of 6.87 Hz and gratings of low spatial frequency (< 1 c/deg) are used.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Intramuscular clodronate in nonresponders to oral alendronate therapy for osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: Oral alendronate is effective in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and in reducing fracture incidence. However, a large proportion of patients under treatment do not show significant changes in BMD, or even bone loss. Incorrect administration, low intestinal absorption, and poor compliance are among factors that may account for this effect. In this subgroup of patients we evaluated whether intramuscular (im) clodronate increased the number of responders. METHODS: Using an open case-control design we studied 60 postmenopausal osteoporotic women (mean age 58.9 years +/- 4.8 SD) after one year of therapy with oral alendronate who had an increase in BMD that was lower than the in vivo densitometry measurement error (2%). Subjects were divided into 2 groups: the first continued aledronate treatment (AL group); the second began weekly im injections of clodronate 100 mg (CL group). BMD measurements were performed at the right femoral neck by the same operator, using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: After 12 months of therapy the prevalence of responders (increase in BMD > 2%) was 40% in the AL group and 66% in the CL group (prevalence rate ratio = 1.65; 95% CI 1.25-2.04). The treatment group was the only variable that showed a significant correlation with being a responder (beta = 1.13; p = 0.03), as analyzed by multiple logistic regression to account for the effect of confounding factors. In the CL group the difference in the mean value of BMD between time T0 and time T+12 was greater than in the AL group, but did not reach statistical significance. The mean percentage variation of BMD was significantly greater in the CL group (+3.21%) compared to the AL group (+0.98%) (p < 0.001, t test) (f value = 8.4; p < 0.01, by multiple linear regression analysis using the same covariates). CONCLUSION: Treatment with weekly intramuscular injection of clodronate in nonresponders to oral alendronate showed a higher number of subjects with a significant increase in BMD, compared to continuation of therapy with alendronate.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

PubMed1999

Fine-needle aspiration cytology and immunohistology of low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast.

Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast (LASCB) is a relatively recently-described, rare histotype of breast cancer that has a favorable prognosis. Its principal microscopic features are the presence of "syringoid" ("tadpole"-shaped) ductal profiles of tumor cells, a bland and modestly cellular stromal background, and the variable presence of keratinizing ("epidermoid") cell groups. As such, the basic image of LASCB is quite similar to that of microcystic adnexal or adenosquamous carcinoma of the skin or "syringomatous adenoma" of the nipple. We report the fine-needle aspiration cytologic (FNA) attributes of this neoplasm, as well as its immunohistochemical characteristics and differential diagnosis.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗