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Biomedical subjects

L Guerra

Publications and source records attributed to L Guerra.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Pharmacokinetics of a new oral antibacterial agent, ofloxacin, in dentistry and oral surgery.

The new oral antibacterial agent, ofloxacin, was administered for prophylactic purposes to a group of 12 patients with dental and oral inflammatory processes requiring oral surgery. Drug concentrations in serum, saliva and gingival mucosa were assayed at different times after administration of the drug. Good serum, salivary and gingival mucosal tissue concentrations were achieved.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

[Neurotraumatology and post-traumatic epilepsy. Prevention, treatment and long-term follow-up. Barbexaclone + phenobarbital (maliasin) versus diphenylhydantoin, phenobarbital, primidone, carbamazepine].

A report is presented on 58 patients (46 males, 12 females) all suffering from post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and followed up for a minimum of 1 year to maximum of 23 years after the injury (mean 6.3 years). The type and site of the head injury, the nature of the brain lesions, the time elapsing before the first critical manifestation, the clinical character of the epileptic attacks, EEG, cerebral CAT and RMN data were performed are given for all patients. The therapeutic and prophylactic strategies adopted are then described in detail with particular emphasis on the use of diphenylhydantoin (DPH) and barbexaclone. The latter drug, used for the last 3 years was found to be particularly useful in the treatment of patients suffering from a post-traumatic psycho-organic syndrome in addition to the PTE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Laminin expression in colorectal carcinomas varying in degree of differentiation.

We are studying the ability of colorectal carcinomas, which vary in degree of differentiation, to assemble a basement membrane and the relationship between differences in this ability and perturbations in laminin expression. For these studies, we are using human colorectal carcinoma cells grown both in vitro and in nude mice as well as tumors obtained at surgery. Immunoperoxidase staining of human tumors indicates that laminin is present in a defined basement membrane in moderately to well-differentiated tumors. This staining pattern is absent in poorly differentiated tumors. In these tumors, staining is discontinuous and sometimes observed intracellularly. The laminin synthesized by in vitro cells was immunoprecipitated and analyzed by acrylamide electrophoresis. Neither poorly nor well-differentiated carcinoma cells exhibit marked differences in the rate of synthesis of laminin. Differences are present in the rate at which newly synthesized laminin is secreted. These differences may result from alterations in posttranslational processing. Such alterations may contribute, along with other factors, to the inability of poorly differentiated tumors to make a basement membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Relationship between blood pressure and plasma insulin in non-obese and obese non-diabetic subjects.

In this study, we have measured plasma insulin at fasting and following an oral glucose load and blood pressure after glucose load in 367 (247 non-obese, 120 obese) normotensive and untreated mildly hypertensive subjects. Overall, there was no independent association between fasting plasma insulin levels and blood pressure values. After controlling for age and body weight, a significant relationship between postglucose plasma insulin levels and diastolic blood pressure was found. When non-obese and obese subjects were examined separately, significant relationships were identified between postglucose plasma insulin levels and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure values in the former but not in the latter. A comparison of sex-, age-, and weight-matched hyperinsulinaemic vs normoinsulinaemic subjects showed that the former had significantly higher values of blood pressure only if not obese. These results demonstrate that the plasma insulin response to glucose is independently correlated with blood pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

ICU pneumonias: a multi-institutional study.

We conducted a prospective multi-institutional study of nosocomial and community-acquired pneumonias in 1378 patients admitted to the ICUs of six hospitals. We also investigated 1005 of these patients who were intubated and mechanically ventilated for a reason other than pneumonia, the risk of developing pneumonia, and the relationship between the incidence of pneumonia and the length of time during which the patients were mechanically ventilated. A bacteriologic diagnosis was made in 38% of the nosocomial and 21% of the community-acquired pneumonias. The total mortality rate was 40%; 47% of the patients with nosocomial and 17% of the patients with community-acquired pneumonias died. Because it was difficult to make an etiologic diagnosis in two-thirds of the cases, the treatment had to be based on an assumed causative organism.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Long-term results of surgically treated congenital intradural spinal arachnoid cysts.

The authors report long-term results in 17 patients with surgically treated congenital intradural spinal arachnoid cysts. Comparison between the immediate and long-term results demonstrates that surgical removal of the cyst allowed a significant neurological improvement in all cases, but clinical worsening of various degrees was observed later. The authors attempt to explain the results in terms of mechanical and vascular factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Critical study of radiculomedullary and neuromuscular complications of ankylosing spondylitis].

Medullo-radicular and neuro-muscular involvements of ankylosing spondylarthritis, often reported in an analytic fashion in the literature, deserve to be the subject of a critical study. Various neurological manifestations secondary to exceptional atlo-occipital and sometimes axis-atlas subluxations and medullary lesions as well as syndromes of the cauda equina. The medullary lesions have an epidural origin (3 cases in the literature, 2 cases from the authors) or are secondary to a spondylodiscitis (4 cases in the literature) or secondary to both (1 case reported by the authors). As for syndromes of the cauda equina the authors report 3 cases to be added to the 55 published previously. It concerns always old spondylarthritis. The lesions combine posterior diverticula and lesions of the lamina. The treatment is usually ineffective. A special case is represented by forms with trophic disorders. More debatable are the radicular lesions, which, except for intercostal pain, should be linked to local pain. Electromyographic abnormalities are of no significance. Alterations of the paravertebral muscles viewed on the scanner X have, for now, an uncertain significance. Finally, various associations, without significance such as multiple sclerosis, diffuse muscular lesions and the classic spondylotic pseudo-tabes, should be rejected.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Ofloxacin: in vitro and in vivo activity.

Ofloxacin is a new oral antibacterial fluoro-quinolone, endowed with potent bactericidal activity over a very broad bacterial spectrum. Ofloxacin's minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) proved to be equal to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) even at high inocula or in the presence of human serum with a high bactericidal rate. The effect of the presence of urine was that the bacteria were sensitive to higher drug concentrations, as in the case of other quinolones; these concentrations, however, are easily reached in the urinary tract after a single therapeutic dose in man. Ofloxacin proved to be extremely effective in curing experimental infections induced by both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens.

Animals↗