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Biomedical subjects

G Verme

Publications and source records attributed to G Verme.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis. A clinico-pathologic study.

Authors report 6 cases of benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC), a rare disease of unknown etiology first described 30 years ago by Summerskill and Walshe, and thought to represent a study model for human cholestasis. Clinical, biochemical and pathologic findings of BRIC are briefly summarized in this paper in order to emphasize some triggering factors of the cholestatic attack (e.g., flu-like episodes and pregnancy), the diagnostic problems and the importance to avoid a surgical procedure. Finally, the 'state of the art' of the pathogenesis of BRIC is briefly summarized.

Adult↗

Application of nucleic acid hybridization to the hepatitis delta virus research.

Cloning and sequencing of the genome of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) represented a remarkable progress in the knowledge of HDV infection and made available cDNA and RNA probes which can be successfully used to identify HDV-RNA in biological specimens. We review here the methods currently used for detecting HDV nucleic acids and report the most recent advances of the molecular biology of HDV. Finally, we examine the number of compelling reasons for the diagnostic laboratory to pursue this technology. Testing for HDV-RNA has become essential for the screening and the follow-up of both chronic HDV carriers, undergoing antiviral therapy and patients with terminal disease, eligible for liver transplant.

Hepatitis D↗

[Endoscopic therapy of giant choledochal calculosis].

The paper reports the results of conventional endoscopic treatment in 100 consecutive cases of giant lithiasis of the common bile duct. A giant calculus is one whose dimensions exceed 2 cm. Endoscopic therapy proved successful in 73% of cases, with an 8% incidence of complications. The success of endoscopic treatment is related to the anatomical conditions of the biliary tract and the diameter of calculi. Mechanical lithotripsy has proved efficacious in all cases where it was used, whereas poor results were obtained using MTBE infusion through a naso-biliary tube. ESWL provided encouraging results. Cases which were not resolved using endoscopic methods were treated using intervention radiology or surgery, or both.

Adult↗

[Early gastric cancer. Survival and prognostic factors in 95 consecutive cases].

In order to characterize prognostic factors and therapeutic strategies for EGC, we have studied 95 patients operated on from 1980 to 1988. EGC was limited to the mucosa in 36% and extended to the submucosa in 64% of the cases. Lymph nodes involvement was observed in 13 patients; in 12 of them EGC extended to the submucosa. Gastric resection was performed in 73 and total gastrectomy in 22 patients with a postoperative mortality of 6% and 16% respectively. During the follow-up 8 patients died for causes related to EGC, 8 for unrelated causes. The 5 years survival rate was 79, without differences according to site, type, size and histology of EGC, lymph nodes involvement, type of gastrectomy; only EGC limited to the mucosa was associated with a better survival experience (96% vs 70% of tumors extended to the submucosa p less than 0.05). The prognosis of EGC is good and a curative surgery may be accomplished, especially if the lesion is limited to the mucosa. In EGC extended to the submucosa an accurate lymphadenectomy may further improve the prognosis, while total gastrectomy--de principe--carries a higher postoperative mortality, without significant improvement of the long term prognosis.

Adult↗

[Intestinal ischemia: nosographic framework and risk factors].

The diagnosis of intestinal ischaemia still presents numerous problems in terms of nosography, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment with the result that it is more often excluded than diagnosed. The aim of the present study was to discover whether intestinal ischaemia was clinically identifiable by any specific early signs and symptoms and whether there were any concomitant risk factors. The medical reports on 44 patients consecutively admitted to the San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Turin in 1985-86 with suspected intestinal ischaemia were therefore examined. It was found that intestinal ischaemia was only occasionally (30% of cases) diagnosed at the onset of clinical symptoms. In the 10 patients with ischaemic colitis, the risk factor linked to the causes of the disease was systemic hypovolaemia arising in diffuse atherosclerosis. In the 8 cases of chronic ischaemia and the 26 of intestinal infarction the remote anamnesis revealed symptoms that should have aroused suspicion of intestinal ischaemia partly because the patients were suffering from widespread atherosclerosis. In fact a review of the risk factors for the onset of atherosclerosis (i.e. high blood pressure, smoking, dyslipidemia, obesity and age over 65) revealed that about 60% of the patients under study presented 3 or 4 them simultaneously. To conclude, the data emerging from the study indicate the existence of symptoms and risk factors to diffuse atherosclerosis that should permit the early diagnosis of intestinal ischaemia.

Aged↗

Patterns of natural killer cell function activation in response to interferon in chronic HBsAG positive hepatitis: relationship with the state of viral infection and with the early clinical response.

In an effort to define immunobiological parameters identifying "responders" vs "non-responders" to IFN among hepatitis patients, 16 patients with chronic active hepatitis were screened for changes of Natural Killer cell activity (NK). 10/16 patients replicated the hepatitis B virus (HBV-DNA positive) whereas 6/16 replicated the defective B virus associated delta virus (HDV-RNA positive). Patients received 9 MU/3x/weekly/3 months of recombinant IFN alpha A. Mean NK activity of the HBV-DNA patients rose significantly from 29.9 +/- 5.3 to 45 +/- 4.7 during therapy, whereas the 6/16 HDV-RNA positive patients did not show any significant increase of NK activity. Interestingly, individual HDV-RNA positive patients exhibiting boosted NK activity also showed improvement of disease confirmed by clearance of intrahepatic delta antigen at one year. No such a correlation was found amongst the HBV-DNA positive patients. These data indicate that in spite of widespread individual variability, IFN-mediated NK boost may herald delta clearance and help in identifying "responders" and "non-responders" in IFN trials.

Adult↗

[Treatment of recurrences of duodenal ulcer: seasonal or long-term therapy?].

Many recently published papers have focused on the problem of the treatment of recurring duodenal ulcers and time trends, given the rate of late recurrences observed with long-term protocol. The results of trials with seasonal protocols are therefore presented. Given the seasonal trends in duodenal ulcer recurrence, a stable oscillatory behaviour with fluctuations of 6-month periodicity was demonstrated with the use of conventional statistical methods. With the utilization of the more sophisticated spectral analysis of data from many centers in Italy, the time trends of this condition have been characterized in greater detail, and cycles of increased recurrences every 4, 6 and 12 months have been evidenced. On the basis of these data, a randomized controlled trial in 60 patients treated with cimetidine, 30 patients in long-term and 30 in seasonal treatment showed similar results: the recurrence rate was 30% in both groups over a 12-month period. Preliminary results of a new multicenter trial in 110 patients with the same protocol (cimetidine 400 mg nocte), confirm these results. In conclusion, the two trials tend to confirm the validity of preventive protocols that respect seasonal fluctuations.

Adolescent↗

HLA antigens and clinical manifestations in Crohn's disease.

A clinical, radiological and immunogenetical study was carried out on 51 Crohn's patients. Rheumatological disorders were found in 16 of them, with higher frequency in those with colon involvement only. A statistically significant increase in the frequencies of HLA-A9 and HLA-Cw3 was noted: Cw3 showed a particularly high frequency in males, and A9 in younger patients. The frequency of HLA-B27 was significantly increased in the patients with colon involvement. In the group of 16 patients with rheumatic diseases HLA antigen frequencies were not significantly different from the control population.

Adult↗

[Duodenitis].

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Adult↗