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Biomedical subjects

G Tortorolo

Publications and source records attributed to G Tortorolo.

95 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ineffectiveness of vitamin 25(OH)D3 in the prevention of hypocalcemia induced by phototherapy].

Phototherapy causes a higher incidence of hypocalcemia in preterm infants by still unknown pathogenetic mechanism. The authors studied 100 preterm newborns in order to verify whether Calcifediolo (25-OH-D3) could be useful to prevent the phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia. Results obtained show that Calcifediolo is not able, anyway, to lower the increase of the phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia in preterm infants. Vit D is therefore unlikely to play any important role in the patogenesis of phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia.

Calcifediol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hypothyroxinemia in the low birth-weight infant in the screening of congenital hypothyroidism].

Inside a pilot screening program for Congenital Hypothyroidism, T4 and TSH have been tested in sick and healty preteam and fullterm low birth weight (LBW) newborns during the first two months of life, 36 newborns affected by respiratory distress syndrome and 15 by sepsis have been included in the study. Blood samples were collected by heel puncture on 3rd, 10th, 20th, 40th and, in some cases, up to 60th day of life, and adsorbed on filter paper. Our findings show that hypothyroxinaemia in LBW newborns is strictly related to gestational age. In fact, among preterm infants with GA less than or equal to 33 weeks, 25 subjects (69,44%) showed T4 levels less than or equal to 6 micrograms/dl and 5 infants (13,88%) had T4 concentrations less than or equal to 2 micrograms/dl. The incidence of subjects with T4 values less than or equal to 6 micrograms/dl falls to 42,18% in the group of infants with GA = 34-36 weeks and to 17,27% in the group of fullterm LBW infants. None of these newborns showed thyroxine levels less than or equal to 2 micrograms/dl. All the examined infants showed normal TSH levels. The low T4 values may appear soon after birth or later (3rd-20th day of life) and sometimes persist up to 40th or 60th day, despite of always normal TSH levels. The mean of low T4 values at each sampling time is strictly and directly related to gestational age. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Congenital Hypothyroidism↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Anemia of prematurity: risk factors influencing red cell transfusions].

To investigate the importance of transfusion practice with packed red cells (PRCs) in premature infants and to identify risk factors significant influencing transfusion practice, we analyzed 75 preterm infants (gestational age: 31 +/- 2 weeks; birth weight: 1459 +/- 402 g) admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Catholic University of Rome. Fifty-three (70.7%) of the infants received one or more PRCs transfusions (in total 246 transfusions). The variables associated with an increase in number and frequency of PRCs transfusions were: a) gestational age < or = 30 weeks; b) birth weight < or = 1000 g; c) severe neonatal pathology (ie a respiratory disease requiring ventilatory support and/or a clearly documented or suspected sepsis). Repeated PRCs transfusions during the first week of life significantly (p < 0.01) influenced the need for late transfusions, after 4 weeks of age, for the treatment of the anemia of prematurity. These data indicate that preterm infants with a gestational age < or = 30 weeks, a birth weight < 1000 g and a severe respiratory or infectious disease represent natural candidates for administration of recombinant human erythropoietin to reduce the need for late PRCs transfusions.

Anemia, Neonatal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in liver protein synthesis in the preterm newborn infant of a pre-eclamptic mother and/or with intrauterine growth retardation].

To verify in the preterm newborn the hypothesis, recently proposed by some authors, of an hepatosynthetic deficiency, blood fibrinogen (FIB), prothrombin time (PT) and albumin (ALB) levels at birth were studied in 44 neonates, selected to obtain 4 groups of the same number and gestational age, different only for the presence of intrauterine growth retard and preeclampsia during pregnancy. In the newborns born of preeclamptic pregnancies, FIB, PT and ALB blood levels at birth resulted lower, but not significantly, than in those born of normal pregnancies; in SGA newborns the values (except for albumin) resulted significantly lower than in AGA newborns (FIB = 168 +/- 63 mg/dl vs 223 +/- 55 mg/dl; p < 0.01; PT = 51 +/- 15% vs 71 +/- 19%; p < 0.001). Besides, PT values resulted significantly lower (p < 0.01), in presence of normal pregnancy, in SGA than in AGA newborns, while FIB values resulted significantly lower (p < 0.01), in presence of preeclampsia, in SGA than in AGA newborns. It seems that, in preterm newborn, the intrauterine growth retard, rather than preeclampsia, would condition lower blood levels of the examined seric proteins. These results could be explained by hypothesizing, in the SGA preterm newborn, 3 possible etiopathogenetic mechanisms: 1) increased turnover of hepatosynthetized seric proteins, such as albumin; 2) deficiency of liver enzymes involved in proteic synthesis, already demonstrated for some coagulation factors; 3) diminished amino acidic substratum, necessary for proteic hepatosynthesis, caused by poor amino acidic passage through placenta, possible in presence of intrauterine growth retard. This would probably be the most important mechanism in causing low levels of the examined seric proteins.

Adult↗