Bone and bone marrow scintigraphy in the diagnosis of neoplastic involvement of the skeletal system. A comparative analysis.
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Aged↗
Biomedical subjects
G Rinaldi
Publications and source records attributed to G Rinaldi.
[B complex vitamins in buffaloe milk and in their transformation products. Experimental research].
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Animals↗
Gastric cancer cell DNA content correlates with early and late results after gastrectomy.
The DNA content of 59 adenocarcinomas of the stomach in patients who had undergone subtotal or total gastrectomy more than 5 years before was measured. The DNA measurements were done by flow cytometry performed on Propidium Iodide--stained cells disaggregated from paraffin-embedded tissues. Fifty-nine evaluable good quality histograms of DNA ploidy patterns were obtained. The Proliferative Index (PI) was determined in 35 cases. The remaining 24 cases didn't show a reliable reading histograms. Of the 59 tumors, 33 (56%) were diploid and 26 (44%) were aneuploid; 19 showed a high PI (> or = 3.8%) and 16 a lower one. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups (diploid/aneuploid and low/high PI) compared to the prognostic values known as T, N and Stage. 65% of the T3-T4 cancers, 54% of the N1-N2 lesions and 58% of the stage III and IV were found to be aneuploid. 73.7% of the 19 tumors presenting high PI, showed an aneuploid pattern. A high PI was found in 71.4% of the T3-T4 tumors. 77.4% of patients of the diploid group (any stage) survived at 5 years against 36% of those presenting aneuploid patterns. Patients with PI > or = 3.8% showed a 42.1% 5-year survival rate. A 94.4% 5-year survival rate of diploid and early stage cancers was documented against a 33.5% of aneuploid and advanced stage cancers.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Correlation between positive CA 72-4 serum levels and lymph node involvement in patients with gastric carcinoma.
CA 72-4 serum marker has been shown to be one of the most specific and sensitive markers for monitoring gastric cancer. In the present study we evaluated the correlation between CA 72-4, CA 19-9 and CEA serum levels, and tumor size and lymph node involvement in gastric carcinoma patients. One-hundred sixty-one patients with primary or recurrent gastric carcinoma were studied. Elevated CA 72-4, CA 19-9, and CEA serum levels were found in 42.2%, 32.3% and 24.2%, respectively. As previously shown, the combination of CA 72-4 and CA 19-9 increased positive samples to 56.5%, while the addition of CEA did not further improve this percentage. Unlike what has been previously published, none of the markers showed a significant correlation with serosal involvement. In fact, elevated serum levels were observed for the three markers in a very low percentage of cases either in T1-T2N0 or T3-T4N0 patients. In contrast, CA 72-4 showed a highly significant correlation with lymph node involvement: T1-T4N0 patients had positive CA 72-4 levels in 5 out of 37 (13.5%), while T1-T4N1 in 12 out of 32 (37.5%), and T1-T4N2 in 20 out of 40 (50%) (p < 0.003). CA 19-9 and CEA serum levels were not significantly correlated. Since the presence of lymph node metastases is considered a negative prognostic factor, these results suggest that the measurement of CA 72-4 serum levels may be an important parameter in the diagnosis and clinical follow-up of patients with gastric carcinoma.
Adult↗
The natural history of cryoglobulinemia: symptoms at onset and during follow-up. A report by the Italian Group for the Study of Cryoglobulinemias (GISC)
OBJECTIVE: The cryoglobulinemic syndrome (CS) may be associated with other diseases; when it is not, it is termed essential. Recently the natural history of this disease has been re-evaluated on the basis of its close association with HCV markers. In this context, the GISC has studied a large series of patients from several Italian centres. METHODS: In a multicentric retrospective study of 913 cases, we evaluated the clinical and laboratory signs at onset in patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemias (EMC) (654 cases) or secondary cryoglobulinemias (SC) (259 cases) and sought to define possible diagnostic criteria typical of the different CS. We also carried out a retrospective 5-year cohort study on 192 patients selected randomly from the 913 cases described above. In particular, we examined the correlation between the presence/absence of concomitant diseases and the presence of HCV markers on the clinical evolution and survival of the patients. RESULTS: Purpura, rheumatoid factors (RF), significant C4 consumption, and Brouet's classification type II were more frequent in EMC. Purpura, Meltzer's triad, and Raynaud's phenomenon improved, while renal involvement tended to worsen over time. During the follow-up we did not note a significant change in clinical staging in the patients with Brouet's type II cryoglobulins, in the patients with HCV-related markers, or in the overall series. The most frequent causes of death in 34 patients were liver, cardiovascular, renal, and lymphoproliferative diseases. Lymphomas were diagnosed in 11 patients during follow-up, with particular frequency in the HCV-marker positive patients. CONCLUSION: Specific clinical and laboratory features typical of the different CS subgroups could not be identified on the basis of these data. Our follow-up data seem, however, to confirm a role for HCV in the mixed cryoglobulinemias.
Aged↗
Hepatitis C antibody and cryoglobulins in patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE: To assess: (1) the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcoholism as risk factors for hepatocarcinoma (HCC) in patients with liver cirrhosis, and (2) the presence of cryoglobulins in HCV + patients with and without HCC. PATIENTS: 82 cirrhotic patients, 41 with and 41 without HCC, who were admitted consecutively to our General Medicine Division from January 1992 to June 1994, were studied. RESULTS: The prevalence of HBV markers, anti-HCV and alcoholism in patients with liver cirrhosis and HCC was 39%, 63.4% and 24%, and in cirrhotics without HCC it was 31.7%, 51.2% and 63.4%, respectively. Cryoglobulins were present in 87.5% of the patients with HCC (78.5% anti-HCV +) and in 57.8% of the patients without HCC (81.8% anti-HCV +). The cryoglobulins, as characterized in 11 cases, were type III in nine cases and type II in two. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cirrhosis, especially when associated with HCV and HBV infection, are at high risk for HCC and therefore require careful follow-up. Moreover, a strong association between HCV and the cryoglobulins in cirrhotics with and without HCC was evident, thus supporting the possible role of this virus in stimulating lymphocytes to produce cryoglobulins.
Aged↗
Anti-GOR antibodies, HCV, liver disease and cryoglobulinemia.
OBJECTIVE: We investigated the presence of anti-GOR antibodies in patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia, since both autoimmune pathogenetic processes and a high prevalence of HCV infection are present in this syndrome. METHODS: We compared these cases to patients with HCV-related chronic active hepatitis or alcoholism, and to ex-blood donors. A total of 60 patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver disease were studied. RESULTS: HCV related markers, cryoglobulins, anti-GOR antibodies and ANA were detected in all of the groups. CONCLUSION: Our data would appear to indicate that anti-GOR are related to the presence of HCV chronic hepatitis and not to cryoglobulinemia or chronic liver damage.
Cryoglobulinemia↗
Colchicine in the treatment of mixed cryoglobulinemia.
OBJECTIVE: The best treatment for cryoglobulinemic syndrome (CS) is still an unsolved problem. Recently colchicine has been successfully used to treat vasculitides and other immune-mediated diseases. Therefore, we undertook to treat 17 CS patients with colchicine (1 mg/day for 6-48 months), 8 of them with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC) and 9 with CS secondary to liver disease. METHODS: In all patients the clinical and laboratory features were evaluated at the beginning of the study and during the first 6-12 months; 10 cases were followed for a longer period (18-48 months). RESULTS: During the first period symptoms improved as follows: purpura in 15 of 17 patients, weakness in 9 of 14 and leg ulcers in 3 of 5. Hepatic and renal function tests, hypocomplementemia, rheumatoid factor (RF) titres and the cryocrit also improved. Prolonged follow-up showed a relapse in the different variables, although they remained at better levels than at the beginning. Only the cryocrit showed a further reduction. CONCLUSION: Though this was a preliminary open study it shows that colchicine is an efficient treatment in CS and suggests that a controlled clinical study should be performed to assess its real value.
Adult↗