Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Bianco.
A case of trigeminal cystic neurinoma located solely in the cavernous sinus is reported. The patient's presentation is discussed. Certain diagnostic and surgical aspects of the tumor are highlighted.
The isokinetic strength of the knee extensor muscles of both limbs, at the speed of 30 degrees/second, was evaluated in 25 children and adolescents with Down syndrome. Comparison with two control groups of 40 intellectually average individuals and 30 individuals with mental retardation of unknown origin showed that both children and adolescents with Down syndrome were weaker than were the control subjects. Moreover, by the age of 14 years, adolescents with Down syndrome failed to show the muscle strength increase that physiologically occurs by this age. Interlimb comparison of knee extensor muscles showed a strength dominance in the 44% of individuals with Down syndrome, with a prevalence for the left leg. In conclusion, our data suggest the presence of a dysfunction of the neuromuscular system both at the level of the pyramidal system and/or of the neuromuscular junction, possibly as an expression of premature ageing.
Color-Doppler US is currently an extremely valuable tool in the study of abdominal circulation, cirrhosis of liver and its complications, different kinds of portal hypertension, vascular/avascular liver malformations and, finally, in the evaluation of liver transplants. Moreover, its use in experimental studies has yielded good results. Even spontaneous porto-systemic shunts can be demonstrated in most cases (up to 88%). Color-Doppler allows partial obstructions to be demonstrated and permits qualitative and quantitative dynamic evaluations the presence/absence of flow, vascular masses--e.g., mean velocity measurement and blood flow assessment. The interobserver variability of the method was calculated with a double-blind study carried out by our laboratory team cooperating with a study group from the University of Yale, USA. The study evidenced how color-Doppler US cannot be used to follow the single patient unless the variations to measure are higher than variability itself. Color-Doppler limitations depend on the subjectivity of the results and on its difficult application to obese patients or to those with severe intestinal meteorism.
A study was performed on hydroelectrolytic changes in neurosurgical patients operated for clipping anterior communicating artery aneurysm. The patients were observed during a seven day period in ICU, between the preoperative day and the sixth post-operative day. No statistically significant changes were observed, except for hyponatriemia on the day of surgery. The etiology of this phenomenon is not clear: it could be a change of ADH or "cerebral salt wasting syndrome". A wider number of patients and repeated haematological tests are necessary.
The possibility of a different clinical expression of Takayasu arteritis (TA) in different geographic areas has been discussed in previous reports. However, many aspects of this problem still remain unclear. A very atypical case of TA concerning the early onset and the unusually slow progress of the disease is reported. Referring to anatomicopathological, clinical, and therapeutic prognostic criteria reported in literature from oriental countries, many discrepancies appear evident. This is consistent with the hypothesis of two different clinical varieties of TA and suggests that, both in its prepulseless stage and after its actual recognition, this disease could show a less malignant progress in western countries.
In 44 euthyroid and goitre-free patients, 23 treated with amiodarone (group A) and 21 treated with other antiarrhythmic drugs (group B), antimicrosomal antibodies and antithyroglobulin antibodies were determined before the beginning of treatment and after 7, 15, 30, 60, and 180 days. In group A, none of the patients had antithyroid antibodies before treatment. 1 of 15 patients (6.7%) had antimicrosomal antibodies (titre 1:100) on day 7 only, and 1 of 18 (5.5%) had antithyroglobulin antibodies (titre 1:80) on day 180. In group B. 1 of 21 patients (4.8%) had antimicrosomal antibodies (IgG class) at titre 1:400 before the beginning of treatment, which was negative on day 180, and 2 of 17 (11.8%) had antimicrosomal antibodies (titre 1:100) on day 60 only. None of these patients showed clinical and/or laboratory signs of hyper- or hypothyroidism. These data indicated that antithyroid antibodies rarely appear in amiodarone-treated patients and do not differ significantly from patients treated with other antiarrhythmic drugs. The role of autoimmunity and the meaning of antithyroid antibodies in the pathogenesis of amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction (mainly of hypothyroidism) in patients without pre-existent thyroid diseases is still unclear.
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The influence of tube size, cuff inflation, and pharyngeal packing on development of sore throat after nasotracheal intubation was studied. Pharyngeal packing was found to be the most significant factor, followed by tube size and inflation of the cuff.
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The health manpower situation in Argentina is characterized by a lack of proportion among categories of personnel, an unbalanced geographic distribution, the incorporation of health activities in certain categories of personnel, and a lack of coordination among personnel-training institutions. The different categories of personnel have evolved without any coherent or sustained policy (the number of nonmedical professional personnel increased by more than 100% between 1969 and 1980). The most recent data reveal a persistent trend toward clustering in capital cities and major commercial centers, although the large number of physicians in these places has compelled professionals to practice in small rural localities as well. While this maldistribution is widespread in the country, Buenos Aires province is a classic example of an imbalance between the proportions of physicians and nurses (in 1983 there were reportedly 27,307 physicians and 11,722 nurses). Moreover, there is no coordination whatever between the demand for physicians and the numbers of physicians graduating, not is there any planning for the posts of other health professionals. The authors note that, while women account for 60% of the personnel, they are clustered mainly in the categories of auxiliaries and aides (in 1980, 80% of the professional and directorial positions were held by men). Rectification of this system-wide manpower imbalance is part of the National Health Insurance plan proposed in 1985 and based on five principles: universal coverage, the national will, pluralism, community participation, and federalism.
The transference by conjugation of protease genetic information between Proteus mirabilis strains only occurs upon mobilization by a conjugative plasmid such as RP4 (Inc P group). Upon receiving the RP4 plasmid, the level of proteolytic activity of the protease-excreting P. mirabilis is reduced to about 50%. A similar phenomenon occurs when the protease character is mobilized by the RP4 plasmid from the above transconjugant to a non-protease-excreting recipient strain. The molecular mechanism underlying the interference of R plasmids with proteolytic activity remains to be elucidated but there is evidence suggesting that some alteration in the bacterial envelope might be involved.
Taking advantage of the availability of an archive of consanguineous marriages that gives accurate estimates of consanguinity in Italy, it has been possible to calculate the increase of first- and second-cousin marriages among 624 couples of cystic fibrosis (CF) parents over the general population. From these estimates, the incidence of CF in Italy has been found to correspond approximately to 1/2,000. In turn, the same data have been used to test the hypothesis of genetic heterogeneity of CF, recently proposed, which is based on the presence of two distinct genetic disorders having similar frequencies. If such a hypothesis were true, the number of first-cousin marriages among CF parents should be significantly higher than that observed in our present study. Finally, the segregation analysis of 624 CF sibships has yielded under multiple selection a segregation ratio of 0.252, confirming the recessive mode of inheritance.
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