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Biomedical subjects

G Messina

Publications and source records attributed to G Messina.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of postoperative mucosa and skin temperature after surgery for impacted third molar].

Surgery for impacted third molar is often characterized, in the postoperative period, by pain, trismus and swelling. The study evaluates temperature variations of mucosa and skin after application of ice packs, in three different modalities, to the region overlying the surgical site. The goal was to identify any correlation between variations of temperature and postoperative clinical symptoms. For this purpose we selected 54 patients programmed for impacted third molar surgery. The patients were divided into three groups of 18. Time and frequency of application of the ice pack varied in the three groups; 5'/30' (group 1); 10'/60' (group 2); 20'/60' (group 3). During the four hours following surgery, temperatures of mucosa and of skin at the surgical site were measured with high-precision thermocouples, maximum response 5". The results indicate that application of an ice pack for 5'/30' or for 10'/60' controls the temperature of the mucosa post-surgery more effectively, and that the duration of surgery appears not to influence temperature variations. In the postoperative phase we recommend a rational application of ice packs appropriate to the constitution of each patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A psychoneuroendocrine study of brain dopaminergic sensitivity in locally limited or metastatic cancer patients.

In addition to the occurrence of pain, the evidence of a diminished capacity to feel pleasure is one of the most common cancer-related symptoms. Recent advances in psychoneuroendocrinological knowledge has shown that the perception of pleasure is mainly mediated by the dopaminergic pathways in the brain. Moreover, it has also been demonstrated that the brain dopaminergic sensitivity may be clinically explored by evaluating the endocrine response to the administration of dopaminergic agents, such as apomorphine, which consists of a decline in PRL concentrations and an increase in GH and cortisol levels. The present study was performed to evaluate dopaminergic sensitivity by the administration of apomorphine in cancer patients in an attempt to document possible cancer-related neuroendocrine anomalies, which could explain the psychological status of the patients. The study included 24 cancer patients (breast cancer: 12; colorectal cancer: 7; non-small cell lung cancer: 5), 12 of whom showed distant organ metastases. Apomorphine was given orally at 0.01 mg/kg b.w., by collecting venous blood samples before and after 20 and 60 minutes. A normal decline in PRL levels was seen in both non-metastatic and metastatic cancer patients. No cortisol increase in response to apomorphine was achieved and the lack of cortisol response was particularly evident in metastatic patients. No GH rise occurred in either metastatic or non-metastatic cancer patients. Finally, no significant difference in the endocrine response to apomorphine was seen in relation to the histotype of tumor. The results of this study show that the neoplastic disease is characterized by neurochemical alterations involving pleasure-related dopaminergic pathways, which are more evident in the metastatic disease, without particular differences in relation to tumor histotype. Therefore, the psychological condition of cancer patients would not depend only on psychological factors, but it could be due at least in part to cancer-related neuroendocrine alterations involving the dopaminergic system.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A psychoncological study of lymphocyte subpopulations in relation to pleasure-related neurobiochemistry and sexual and spiritual profile to Rorschach's test in early or advanced cancer patients.

According to recent advances in psychoneuroimmunology concerning the neurobiochemistry of emotions, the pshychological status of cancer patients should be investigated in relation to the function of the psychoneurodocrine system, in an attempt to put into evidence possible cancer progression-related alterations, particularly those involving the dopaminergic pathways, which play a fundamental role in the perception of pleasure. In fact, the decreased capacity of feeling pleasure is one of the most frequent psychic symptoms occurring in cancer patients. Rorschach's test has been proven to be an appropriate psychological tool to investigate psychic condition including sexual and spiritual profiles. On this basis, a study was planned to evaluate if a relation exists between psychological response to Rorschach's test and immunoneuroendocrine status of cancer patients. The immune status was investigated by measuring lymphocyte subsets and serum levels of IL-2 and IL-10. The neuroendocrine status was analyzed by evaluating the endocrine response of PRL, GH and cortisol to an oral administration of apomorphine (0.01 mg/kg b.w.), a dopaminergic agent able to explore dopaminergic sensitivity. The study included 40 cancer patients (breast cancer: 15; colorectal cancer: 14; lung cancer: 11), 21 of whom showed distant organ metastases. Rorschach's test demonstrated a simultaneous suppression of sexual and spiritual profiles in 31/40 (78%) patients, without significant differences in relation to either tumor histotype or disease state. A normal decline in PRL levels and a normal increase in those of GH and cortisol was observed in 29/40 (73%), 5/40 (13%) and 9/40 (23%) patients. The percent of normal responses of PRL, GH and cortisol was higher in patients with normal than in those with altered response to Rorschach's test, even though only the difference in PRL and cortisol response was statistically significant. Patients with normal sexual and spiritual expression at Rorschach's test showed a significantly higher number of total lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, T helper lymphocytes and NK cells with respect to the patients with altered psychological response, whereas no difference was found in T cytotoxic lymphocyte mean number. IL-2 and IL-10 mean serum concentrations were lower and higher, respectively, in patients with altered than in those with normal response to Rorschach's test, even though only the difference in IL-10 values was statitistically significant. This preliminary study, carried out to analyze the psychological status of cancer patients in relation to neuroendocrine and immune conditions, would suggest that neoplastic disease is characterized by a simultaneous suppression of sexual and spiritual profiles, and that this is associated with neuroendocrine alterations and immunosuppression.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical evaluation of the Paired Filtration Dialysis in children].

PURPOSE: An important challenge for a pediatric nephrologist is to achieve in children the innovations of current adult dialytic technology. METHODS: Five children, mean age 14.1 +/- 1.5 yrs, mean weight 31.5 +/- 5.8 kg, mean dialytic age 32 +/- 20 months, were evaluated after a 6-month treatment with paired filtration dialysis (PFD). We used two capillary membranes: a 0.4 m 2 polysulfone hemofilter and a 0.8 m 2 cuprophan dialyzer. There was a reinfusion system (1540 +/- 150 mL/h) between these two filters. QD 500 mL/min and QB 230 +/- 10 mL/min. Ultrafiltration (UF) 2400 mL/h was planned for the hemofilter. At base-line and after 6 months of treatment, in addition, we evaluated routine clinical parameters, and other parameters such as beta2-microglobulin, dialytic adequacy (Kt/V) and nutritional status (dietetic diary). The data were analyzed using the Student's t-test for paired values. RESULTS: Medium values of small molecules did not demonstrate meaningful variations after 6 months of treatment. The extraction percentage after each session was between 63% phosphorous and 76% for urea, but only 25% for convection. Instantaneous urea clearance after 60 min was 178 +/- 10 mL/min. Dialytic efficiency and nutritional intake were appropriated: Kt/V 1.66 +/- 0.2; PCRn 1.65 +/- 0.2; protein intake 2.2 +/- 0.5 g/kg/die; caloric balance 71.2 +/- 15 Kcal/kg/die; protein balance 0.53 +/- 0.4 g/kg/die; and azotic balance 85.8 +/- 74 mg/kg/die. We confirmed the good depuration capacity from the middle molecules with convective treatments: beta2-microglobulin extraction was 53%. Moreover, in children we found good clinical tolerance to PFD with modest interdialytic symptomatology: headache (8%), hypotension (6%), and cramps and vomiting (<2%). Increased priming of the extracorporeal circuit was not a significant technical problem. The cuprophan membrane has been subsequently replaced with the polysulfone membrane. CONCLUSIONS: We can assert that this technique can also be performed in the pediatric age with similar results as in the adult age: good depuration of the small and averages molecules, good clinical tolerance, and shortening the dialytic sessions.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cortisol response to an acute injection of IL-2 in healthy subjects and cancer patients: a first immunoneuroendocrine standardized clinical test to explore the interactions between immune and neuroendocrine systems.

Preliminary clinical studies would suggest that the immune alterations characterizing severe human illnesses, such as autoimmune diseases and cancer itself, may depend at least in part on an anomalous psychoneuroendocrine regulation of the immunity. Unfortunately, at present the psychoneuroimmune interactions may be clinically investigated only by separately analyzing the neuroendocrine and the immune systems, since there is no standardized clinical test capable of detecting the physiological response of the endocrine secretion to an immune stimulation. One of the main endocrine functions influenced by the immune activation is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In fact, several cytokines have appeared to stimulate cortisol secretion by acting at a central site. On this basis, a study was planned to evaluate cortisol response to an acute IL-2 injection in healthy subjects and metastatic cancer patients, in an attempt to standardize a clinical neuroendocrinoimmune test capable of documenting possible alterations of the link between neuroendocrine and immune systems. The study included 10 healthy subjects as a control group and 10 cancer patients with metastatic disease. Control subjects were evaluated in basal conditions to determine the physiological circadian rhythm of cortisol, and after the subcutaneous (SC) injection of IL-2 (3 and 9 million IU). IL-2 at 3 million IU stimulated cortisol release in all healthy controls and in none of the cancer patients. IL-2 at 9 million IU induced a significant increase in cortisol mean levels in cancer patients, whose values, however, were still significantly lower with respect to those seen in controls in response to IL-2 at 3 million IU. No important IL-2 related side-effect occurred. This study shows that an acute SC injection of low-dose IL-2 with a following evaluation of cortisol secretion may constitute a first standardized immunoendocrine test, capable of exploring the status of the physiological link between neuroendocrine and immune systems, and of documenting the existence of important alterations in human diseases related to an immune dysfunction, such as advanced cancer, which has appeared to be characterized by a hyposensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to an acute cytokine administration.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Modern views on treating tooth discoloration from tetracycline].

The Authors, having widely examined literature about genesis and methods of treatment of the tetracycline-induced discoloration of the teeth, had clinically studied a new way of bleaching discolored teeth called B.V. Bleaching Vital, they also described the execution's technique of this method.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Some histological preparation methods of dental significance].

The authors inspect some of the most usual methods used in the preparation of histological sections of odontological interest. Then they describe a recent method of preparation of histological sections invented by the Prof. K. Donath. It makes use of modern instruments and allows the preservation, in the specimen, of tissues of different nature and consistence, and of eventual materials of restoration and of implant, present in the teeth or in the bone.

Fixatives↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[An assessment of middle ear involvement in children with allergic rhinitis: a comparison with chronic hypertrophic adenoiditis].

The allergic inflammation may contribute to the development of otitis media with effusion (OME). For this reason we have examined two groups of children: the first (group A) formed by 12 children with allergic rhinitis, the second (group B) by 15 children with hypertrophic adenoids. We have found respectively: pathologic otoscopy in 75% and 93% of cases; pathologic tympanometry in 83% and in 90%; pathologic audiometry in 60% and in 83%. This values are not significant according to a statistic analysis. Instead, the degree of compromission has been significant: in fact 16% of the children belonging to group A had a retracted and atelectatic eardrum in comparison with 33% of the children belonging to group B. Also tympanometry has confirmed this aspect: in fact 33% of group A showed type C and B tympanograms in comparison with 77% of group B. Besides, audiometry has confirmed the presence of hearing loss in the subjects with tympanometry of type C and B, belonging to both groups. For this reason the allergic rhinitis, because it may cause OME, must be treated in order to limit the negative effects of allergic nasal obstruction on the functionality of the middle ear.

Adenoids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Periodontal disease during pregnancy].

The authors have reported three clinical cases of gingivitis during the pregnancy in the women. These gingivitis were noticed more frequently during the end of the second and the third quarter. The patients were educated to maintain a better oral hygiene and they were treated with scaling and root-planing to obtain the periodontal healing.

Adult↗