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Biomedical subjects

L Serra

Publications and source records attributed to L Serra.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

In vivo endocrine studies and morphological features in a case of hilus cell tumor in mesovarium.

In a 38-year-old white woman with a virilizing mesovarium hilus cell tumor and polycystic ovaries, serum levels of 13 hormones were measured under different conditions. Endocrine studies showed that testosterone was the principal secretory product of tumor cells. Androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were normal. Light and electron microscopic investigations of the tumor showed polygonal cells containing intracytoplasmic Reinke crystalloids. Immunoperoxidase studies demonstrated the presence of testosterone within tumor cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: results of treatment with the modified LSA2-L2 protocol.

From June 1976 to May 1980, 25 previously untreated children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) were studied and treated with a protocol modified from the one (LSA2L2) proposed by Wollner [8]. Stage III and IV had, in addition, prophylactic treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) with cranial irradiation (2,400 rad plus intrathecal methotrexate). The complete remission rate is 96%. Of these patients, 76% are disease free surviving after a median observation time of nearly two years. The disease-free actuarial survival is 100% for 6 children with Stage I-II disease and 68% for 19 Stage III-IV children after median observations times respectively 25 + and 19 + months. None of the 19 high-risk patients developed CNS disease after prophylactic treatment. Mediastinal involvement and leukemia conversion at diagnosis were not unfavorable prognostic factors, but primary skeletal or subcutaneous disease and Burkitt-tupe histology were ominous features in patients treated by this regimen. It is concluded that good results are obtained when an aggressive multimodal and multiple drug regimen like the LSA2-L2 is coupled with CNS prophylaxis and is used assiduously to maintain complete remission during the first 12 months of treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Signet ring cell lymphoma: a case report.

The authors report a case of signet ring cell lymphoma, a rare variety of germinal (follicular) centre cell neoplasm. It clinical, histological and ultrastructural findings are compared with those of the nine cases previously described. Original immunocytochemical results are presented and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Müllerian adenosarcoma of the uterus: a report of 5 cases.

The clinicopathologic features of 4 cases of Müllerian adenosarcoma of the uterine body and 1 of the cervix are reported. They showed the characteristic pattern of benign epithelial growth within sarcomatous stroma. In the cervical tumor, malignant heterologous stromal cells were also present. All the patients are alive and well, confirming the good prognosis of this neoplasm. The authors think that the presence of a malignant heterologous component probably does not imply a worse prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Endodermal sinus tumor arising in the endometrium.

A case of primary endodermal sinus tumor (EST) of the endometrium in a 28-year-old woman is described. EST has been reported to arise in several extragonadal sites, but to the authors' knowledge this is the first documented instance of origin in the endometrium. The histologic study is verified by the detection of alpha-fetoprotein in the tumor by an immunoperoxidase-peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique reported here. Displaced germinal cells, abnormal ovum, and residual fetal tissues are considered as possible origins of the neoplasia.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

The use of pronase enhances sensitivity of the PAP method in the detection of intracytoplasmic immunoglobulins.

Application of immunocytochemistry to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material tends to provide capricious results, even when employing the unlabelled antibody peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) method. This study shows that treatment of tissue sections with pronase, a protease isolated from a strain of Streptomyces griseus, prior to performance of the PAP procedure greatly enhances its sensitivity. The optimum conditions for use of this enzyme in detecting intracellular immunoglobulins are given.

Humans↗
PubMed1980

[The first stage of sarcoidosis: the actual diagnostic possibilities (author's transl)].

A correct staging of sarcoidosis is of the uppermost importance in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. In the last few years new concepts have been stated: --radiological staging of sarcoidosis is particularly difficult --in no one phase the radiological pattern can be considered typical but sometimes it is highly suggestive for sarcoidosis --anatomical studies recently showed that sarcoid disease seems to begin with a non granulomatous interstitial pneumonia. Following this individual microscopic deposit may conglomerate to form the typical non caseating granulomas. In the lung the disease seems to procede from the interstitium to the lymphnodes. Usually, in the first stage, possible sarcoidosis is diagnosed by the radiologist, but a confident diagnosis needs a pathological confirmation. Transbronchial biopsy guided by fluoroscopy is the first diagnostic choice for obtaining confirmation of the disease and for determining the type and entity of parenchymal lesions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of inbreeding in a colonizing population of Drosophila subobscura.

An analysis of the effects of inbreeding on the genetic structure of a colonizing population of Drosophila subobscura has been carried out. Species of Drosophila, particularly D. subobscura, may have lethal alleles associated with chromosomal inversions and our aim was to assess the extent to which the genome is balanced in this way. The frequencies of chromosomal inversions were compared between a large population and a set of 72 lines that were maintained by brother-sister mating for 10 generations. Fisher's matrix method was used to calculate the expected homozygosity in these inbred lines for 5 allozyme loci (Aph, Hk-1, Lap, Odh, and Pept-1) used as markers of large chromosomal segments. Furthermore, the expected rates of fixation corresponding to these allozyme loci were also calculated. The results show that the amount of homozygosis observed did not differ significantly from expectations (with the corresponding loss of lines as a consequence of the reduction in viability). However, two deviations from strict neutrality were observed: there was a heterozygote excess at the Lap locus, and the frequency of the O5 inversion (always associated with a lethal gene in colonizing populations) was higher than expected.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Trends in mortality and years of life lost related to alcohol in the Canary Islands, Spain [1980-1998]].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article was to describe death rates and years of life lost prematurely (YLLP) in relation to alcohol consumption in the Canary Islands. The study covered the period between 1980 and 1998. METHODS: Deaths from 1980 to 1998 were classified by age, sex, and cause using data obtained from the National Institute of Statistics (Natural Changes in the Population). The number of alcohol-related deaths was calculated by year, sex, and age group using the attributable population fraction as proposed by the Centers for Disease Control (USA). The YLLP attributed to alcohol consumption were calculated for each cause of death by multiplying deaths by the attributable population fraction in 5-yearly age groups for both sexes (average span of five years), up to the age of 65 years. RESULTS: Between 1980 and 1998, the number of alcohol-related deaths was 12,614, averaging 6.4% per year and with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 2:1. The main causes of death and YLLP in both men and women were malignant neoplasms, diseases of the digestive system, and alcohol-related accidents, although accidents were by far the main cause producing 50.6% of alcohol-related YLLP in men and 55.5% in women. Over the study period, the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver and that of other chronic liver diseases (CIE 571) decreased in men whilst remaining stable in women. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that the percentage of alcohol-related deaths and cirrhosis of the liver remained high in the Islas Canarias between 1980 and 1998 highlights the need for educational strategies on the effects of alcohol, together with policies designed to reduce its consumption, particularly among the young.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Colonization of America by Drosophila subobscura: the founder event and a rapid expansion.

The recent colonization of the American continent by Drosophila subobscura offers a unique opportunity to analyze the response of different genomic entities to a new environment. Here, results from a study of 15 allozyme loci in six North American and seven South American populations are compared with existing data from Palearctic populations. In general, only alleles with a frequency higher than 0.1 in European populations are present in America. The observed alteration in allele frequencies can be explained by a founder event. Although some significant latitudinal clines for allozyme frequencies have been detected, the results obtained are not as clear-cut as are those for chromosomal inversions. Overall heterozygosity is similar between North and South American populations and does not differ from that of Palearctic populations. This observation experimentally corroborates the results provided by theoretical models in which the average heterozygosity per locus depends not only on the size of bottleneck but also on the rate of population growth. The resemblance between North and South American populations is clearly manifested by a geometrical representation using Bhattacharyya's distance and a multidimensional scaling technique. Furthermore, these American populations are clearly differentiated from the Palearctic populations.

Alleles↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Haemorrhagic pericardial effusion in an asbestos worker.

BACKGROUND: Occupational exposure to asbestos may cause pleural and lung disorders and, less frequently, diseases of the peritoneum and pericardium. An exceedingly small number of cases of benign pericardial effusion have been described so far in the medical literature. OBJECTIVES: To report a rare case of haemorrhagic pericardial effusion caused by occupational asbestos exposure in a patient with pre-existent aortic regurgitation, bilateral pleural plaques and no signs of interstitial lung involvement due to asbestosis. METHODS: A thorough clinical and instrumental evaluation (laboratory tests, tuberculin skin test, chest X-rays, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, contrast coronary and aortic angiography, a histological examination of pericardial and pleural surgical specimens) was performed to examine all the known causes of pericardial effusion. RESULTS: The tests performed did not demonstrate any specific cause of pericardial effusion. Surgical assessment three months later, during an aortic valve replacement, showed no signs of aortic dissection or intraparietal hematoma. A nine-year follow up did not reveal any reoccurrence of pericardial effusion. CONCLUSIONS: Asbestos related pericardial effusion is rarely described in the medical literature but must be considered in patients with previous occupational asbestos exposure. There are no specific clinical or pathological aspects indicative of this etiology and the diagnosis remains one of exclusion. A thorough occupational history should be obtained in patients with pericardial effusion of unknown etiology.

Aortic Valve Insufficiency↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sensitivity and accuracy of health databases in determining incidence of lymphoid malignancies in an Italian population].

We examined the sensitivity and the accuracy of three health databases (hospital discharge data, death certificates and pathologic records) between 1997 and 2001 in an Italian community, to evaluate their accuracy for the diagnosis of lymphoid malignancies and their ability to detect newly diagnosed patients affected by these diseases. Hospital discharge data showed the best sensitivity among the examined databases, though they exhibited an unexpectedly high number of diagnostic errors, even when limiting the analysis to patients with repeated hospital admissions over time. Overall, the pathologic registry and the death certificate file showed a higher diagnostic accuracy, though their sensitivity was considerably lower than hospital discharge data.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interactions between endogenous and exogenous insulin and human pancreatic polypeptide secretion.

The relationships between exogenous and endogenous insulin and plasma human pancreatic polypeptide (hPP) were investigated. Three tests were performed in 8 healthy subjects: 1 degree--1 g tolbutamide was injected i.v. in 1 min., 2 degrees--50 ml 50% glucose solution and 7 U of Insulin were contemporaneously infused at constant rate for 60 min., 3 degrees--50 ml saline solution were infused as control. After the tolbutamide injection plasma glucose levels were unchanged between 0-10 min. At 5, 10, 15 min. an increase in C-Peptide (CPR) value and a significant decrease of hPP were observed. At 15, 30 and 45 min. plasma glucose was significantly lower than baseline and hPP levels strongly rose until the end of the test. The glucose-insulin infusion testing resulted in a rise in plasma glucose and CPR levels at 15 min. and a fall in plasma hPP at 30 min. The present findings suggest that in the first part of tolbutamide test, the endogenous insulin secretion, valued as CPR, seems to inhibit hPP release probably through a paracrine pathway.

Adult↗