Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Biondi

Publications and source records attributed to M Biondi.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Can loss and grief activate latent neoplasia? A clinical case of possible interaction between genetic risk and stress in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nineteenth-century physicians working with cancer patients frequently reported that severe emotional losses and grief occurred in some cases before cancer. Research on psychoneuroimmunology seems to reactivate this interest and could give a possible convincing background. METHOD: We recently observed the case of a 45-year-old woman who developed symptoms of breast cancer (ductal infiltrating carcinoma, T1, N1, M0) 3 years after the loss of her only child. The affection for the child compensated inadequacies of her marriage, which became increasingly unstable. The child died in a dramatic accident at home, while his mother was near him but unable to help. RESULTS: The patient had a moderate genetic-familial risk of mammary cancer. Animal studies strongly suggest that stress, through neuroimmunomodulatory mediatory mechanisms, can significantly affect appearance and progression of mammary cancer. The patient developed long-lasting intense grief, despair and hopelessness. DISCUSSION: We discuss the case from three main standpoints: genetic and risk factors for breast cancer; findings which demonstrated a relationship between stress, neuroimmunomodulation and cancer in animals; data from autopsy studies which found foci of latent breast cancer in 20% of healthy women in the same age range. Stress does not create cancer. However we hypothesize that in this case it could have contributed by the activation of a latent neoplasia and/or by impairing immunosurveillance during a critical life phase.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosomatic factors in first-onset alopecia areata.

Although the onset of alopecia areata has often been anecdotally linked with emotional stress, findings from the few controlled studies have not been univocal. The authors compared outpatients experiencing a recent onset of alopecia areata (N=21) with outpatients affected by skin conditions commonly believed as having a low psychosomatic component (N=102). Participants were administered Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events, the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multiple logistic regression was used to control for age and gender. The total number of recent life events (last 12 months) was not different between the alopecia patients and the comparison subjects. Also, the alopecia patients and the comparison subjects did not differ in terms of the number of undesirable or major events. The comparison subjects even experienced a greater number of uncontrollable events. Alopecia areata tended to be associated with high avoidance in attachment relationships, high alexithymic characteristics, and poor social support. The results suggest that personality characteristics might modulate individual susceptibility to alopecia areata.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stress, social support, emotional regulation, and exacerbation of diffuse plaque psoriasis.

The authors' aim was to investigate the role of stressful events, perceived social support, attachment security, and alexithymia in triggering exacerbations of diffuse plaque psoriasis. Inpatients experiencing a recent exacerbation of diffuse plaque psoriasis (N=33) were compared with inpatients with skin conditions believed to have a negligible psychosomatic component (N=73). Stressful events during the last year were assessed with Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. Attachment style, alexithymia, and perceived social support were assessed with the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to control for age, gender, education, marital status, and alcohol consumption. In relation to comparison subjects, the patients with psoriasis had lower perceived social support and higher attachment-related avoidance. Also, they were more likely to have high alexithymic characteristics. There were no differences between the patients with psoriasis and the comparison subjects in scores on the Experiences in Close Relationships anxiety scale, the total number of stressful events, and the number of undesirable, uncontrollable, or major events. Although caution should be applied in generalizing these findings to outpatients, this study suggests that alexithymia, attachment-related avoidance, and poor social support might increase susceptibility to exacerbations of diffuse plaque psoriasis, possibly through impaired emotional regulation. Several physiological mechanisms involving the neuroendocrine and the immune system might mediate the interplay between stress, personality, and diffuse plaque psoriasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlation between a psychometric test and biochemical indices of hepatic encephalopathy in alcoholics.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In alcohol abusers an alteration of responses to psychometric tests has been reported, even when clinical symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are absent. Our research was intended to individualize a simple psychometric test, easy enough to be performed also at the patient's home, able to reveal an impending encephalopathy and, consequently, to facilitate earlier treatment. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-six consecutive male alcoholics were engaged and, after informed consent, the following schedule was applied: administration of a psychometric test, followed by a drawing of blood for the determination of many blood parameters. After 15 days of treatment to detoxicate patients, psychometric tests and blood examinations were repeated. RESULTS: The results confirmed that common blood examinations are not useful to monitor brain damage in chronic alcoholism, that a psychometric test is able to demonstrate a therapeutic improvement and that a positive and significant correlation has been observed between BBCA/AAA ratio and WAIS Score. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results suggest that it is possible to suspect dangerous biochemical changes by means of a simple psychometric test.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Microbiological quality of the Catania coastal sea water].

This study was carried out from 1997 to 1998 along a selected coastal area near Catania to ascertain bacteriological and virological quality of marine waters. 44 seawater samples, collected from 4 stations, were assayed for the presence of total and fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, coliphages, Salmonellae and enteric viruses. Two stations localized at canal outfalls showed high levels of fecal pollution. The other stations were of good microbiological quality and showed a limited number of samples exceeding the standards laid down as guide values for bathing waters by Italian normative during the bathing period. Salmonellae were isolated in 8 out of 44 sea water samples (18%). Their presence was ascertained mainly in samples of the two polluted stations. Enteroviruses were not isolated. Enteric viruses such as Reoviruses were isolated from all stations, in 12 out of 44 samples (27%). The presence of these viruses was ascertained only during autumnal and winter seasons. The results of this study showed that, notwithstanding some stations showed high levels of bacteriological indicators of fecal pollution and presence of Salmonellae, enteroviruses growing on cell cultures were not isolated. Reoviruses confirmed their high diffusion in marine waters.

Bathing Beaches↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hyperdense mucoid impaction in allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: CT appearance.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is an immunologic pulmonary disease characterised by proximal bronchiectasis with normal peripheral branchings and mucoid impactions in patients with asthma. The pathologic damage consists of mucoid impaction containing macrophages, several eosinophils, fungal hyphae, scaled-off epithelium (Curshman spirals) and calcium oxalate crystals. On CT, the mucoid impaction of the bronchial tree generally shows slightly hyperhydric density. The originality and peculiarity of our case is the presence of high-density mucoid impaction inside an atelectatic area.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Eight isolated cases of KBG syndrome: a new hypothesis of study.

We report on eight cases of patients affected by KBG syndrome (KBG stands for the initials of the affected patients in the original report), a rare genetic disease, that we find only in 40 cases mentioned in the scientific literature. In this work we present the minimum diagnostic criteria of diagnosis due to identify the syndrome and a hypothesis of study for the research of the involved factors.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗