Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Fini

Publications and source records attributed to M Fini.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[A case of human dirofilariasis (D. repens) of the spermatic cord].

A 52 year old man, living in the province of Trapani (Sicily), presented with right hydrocele and slight orchialgia. The patient underwent epididymectomy and resection of T. vaginalis. The "tunica" was involved by a granulomatous process, containing a parasite of genus Dirofilaria (D. repens). Dirofilaria repens is a filarial nematode. Dogs, foxes and cats are the definitive hosts and principal reservoirs of the parasite. In humans the parasite dies before reaching sexual maturity and the result is an inconspicuous granulomatous reaction in the subcutaneous tissue. S. Pampiglione et al. (Cattedra di Parassitologia Veterinaria dell'Università di Bologna-Italy) reported from 1971 more than 30 cases of human Dirofilariasis in Italy, suggesting that the parasite is able to migrate from the inoculation site to other districts (lung, eye etc.). The case is exceptional for the localization of the parasite (never reported) and can contribute to a better knowledge of the disease.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hyaluronan-based biomaterial (Hyaff-11) as scaffold to support mineralization of bone marrow stromal cells.

Various techniques are widely used to repair bone defects, association of hyaluronan-based biodegradable polymers (Hyaff-11) with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) promises to provide successful cell scaffolds for tissue-engineered repair of bone tissue. We evaluate in vitro and in vivo the potential of Hyaff-11 to facilitate mineralization of BMSC. Rat BMSC were seeded on Hyaff-11 and their differentiation were assessed at different time points. Osteogenic differentiation was investigated in vitro analysing the expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Mineralization of bone defects was evaluated also in vivo implanting Hyaff-11 scaffold combined with BMSC in large segmental radius defects. In vitro, we found a decrease expression of alkaline phosphatase and an increase of osteocalcin. In vivo, our data showed that mineralization was induced and basic fibroblast growth factor contributed to this process. These results provide a demonstration to therapeutic potential of Hyaff-11 as appropriate carrier vehicle for differentiation and mineralization of BMSC and for the repair of bone defects.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

In vivo study on critical defects using the sheep model.

Bone grafting procedures are widely used to repair large defects successfully in humans, but new surgical therapies can be designed to improve allograft integration. The objective of this study was to investigate the best surgical procedure to study bone graft integration in a large animal model. An osteoperiosteal defect of 3 cm in the tibia or in the metatarsal was made in 15 adult crossbreed sheep to investigate osteo-integration of a homologous bone graft in an intercalary critical defect. DCP plates, alone or in association with Scotchcast or external fixator were used as fixation devices. The Scotchcast as was applied after surgery and left for 2 months to avoid torsion stress of the limb during the stand up movement. Metatarsal defect fixed with 7-hole DCP plate and protected with Scotchcast was the best surgical approach to avoid early or late implant failures, and provided good radiographic results after 4 months.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparative and experimental study on different tendinous grasping techniques in rotator cuff repair: a new reinforced stitch.

Arthroscopic repair of wide rotator cuff ruptures is burdened by a percentage of recurrences that is greater than the repair carried out when an open technique is used. One of the main reasons for this difference can be searched for in the minor hold of stitching on the tendinous aspect obtained with arthroscopic repair. In fact, when an open technique is used, good hold can be guaranteed by using reinforced stitches such as the modified Mason-Allen. Thus, arthroscopic repair technique on the tendinous aspect, particularly in wide and massive injuries, must be improved. It was the purpose of this study to compare a new reinforced stitch that can easily be obtained in arthroscopy (simple stitch that orthogonally crosses a horizontal stitch previously knotted on the tendon: SS-HL), with traditional stitches (simple stitch, mattress-stitch and modified Mason-Allen stitch). Tests were carried out on sheep infraspinatus tendons in order to evaluate the resistance of pull-out. The SS-HL stitch showed resistance to loading that was similar to that when the modified Mason-Allen was used, but it was greater than that shown by the simple stitch (+48%) and the mattress stitch (+35%).

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Efficacy and tolerability of nimesulide in inflammatory diseases of the genito-urinary system].

In a controlled clinical trial 80 patients of both sexes, aged between 19 and 70 years, with acute or chronic reacutized flogistic bacterial affections of the genito-urinary tract, were randomly assigned to anti-inflammatory treatment with nimesulide (200 mg/day p.o.) or placebo for a mean period of 9 days, in association to the specific antibiotic therapy. In the group treated with nimesulide a significant clinical improvement of the symptomatology was observed in the majority of cases. The therapeutic activity appeared quickly and complete remission of the symptomatology was achieved in a number of cases significantly higher than in the reference group. The tolerability of nimesulide was good.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Retrobulbar optic neuritis as an initial symptom of multiple sclerosis. Results of a prospective study].

40 patients with idiopathic optic neuritis (ON) between 1st January 1967 and 31st December 1977 have been checked again from oculistic and neurological point of view between 1st January and 31st March 1983. 10 of 40 examined patients (25%) are found suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) at the time of check up. Our research points out that idiopathic ON evolutive risk towards MS is greater in females, in people between 20 and 40 years old, in people with one or more relapses as well as in people with neurological microsymptoms at the time of ON.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An experimental model to measure the torque of pin insertion and extraction for external fixation.

An original system used to measure torque of pin insertion and extraction in external fixation is presented. The system is made up of an electronic dynamometric key and an analogic/digital switchboard that may be linked up to a personal computer. The in vitro results show the simplicity of use and the versatility of the system, that is capable of providing the surgeon with accurate indicative values as to the mechanical resistance of the bone-pin interface during implantation of any fixator.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bone mineral density across the normal rat femour.

The post-ovariectomy osteoporotic rat model is widely used to mimic post menopausal human osteoporosis and to test the efficacy of the therapies used in its treatment An experimental study was performed in order to improve the reliability of bone mineral density (BMD) measurements by correcting also the relocation error. In addition, a BMD map of the whole femur was carried out to detect the areas of uniform density, where the reliability of measuring was improved. Right femurs were taken from 5 Sprague Dawley female rats, 10 months old, and tested every 2 mm from the supracondylar line to the peritrochanteric line (6 scans for each site). Repositioning error was tested for each site of measurement, and measurements done by 3 different operators in a double blind test were compared. At site 4 and 24 (where the differences are high) and site 10 (where the differences of BMD are low) the coefficient of variability (CV) was calculated repositioning the bone after each measurement scan for a total of 6 scans. The CV at sites 4 and 24 were significantly higher than at site 10 (p < 0.05). In our opinion, the bone segment between 8 and 14 mm from the supracondylar line is that which presents the highest homogeneity and where it is preferable to perform the measurements in order to obtain the maximum effect of the method (improvement of precision of about 30%) in comparison with the other femur sites tested.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Electromagnetic fields in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis: an experimental study conducted by densitometric, dry ash weight and metabolic analysis of bone tissue.

The authors conducted an experimental study on 32 female rats which had been castrated at 10 months of age in order to verify the ability of pulsating electromagnetic fields to prevent osteoporosis induced by surgical menopause. Two different values of intensity of PEMFs were used: 30 G and 70 G. After 4 months of treatment the following testing was done: monophotonic bone densitometry of the lumbar spine, quantitative measurement of the dry ash weight of the femurs, and hematochemical tests to evaluate bone metabolism. The experimental study showed that the PEMFs supplied at 30 Gauss were capable of slowing down the loss of bone mass, while the PEMFs supplied at 70 Gauss obstructed bone decay, providing values for Bone Mineral Density and dry ash weight which were very similar to those observed in the non-castrated control group. Hematochemical tests did not reveal significant variations between the two groups.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of experimental data obtained using new-generation CO2 laser in surgery].

In order to study the interaction between the laser and biological tissues, we realized an experimental "in vivo" model using 12 Wistar male adult rats (mean b.w. 300 gr.). On the animals, during general anesthesia and after an accurate shearing of the back, we performed a cutaneous lozenge in order to value the characteristics and the possibilities of a last generation laser. It concerns of a CO2 laser (EASY LASER SP5, CLASS IV F.D.A.) with the possibility of employing of different variables. During this study were evaluated the most interesting variables: frequency, power and duty cycle. Among the variables we identified the frequency of the application range of the superpulse effect and the selective photothermolysis. The histological and morphological studies performed on the cutaneous specimens after laser treatment, showed that the correct application of this kind of laser can be an effective help for the surgeon during clinical practice.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Tubulization in the reconstruction of the peripheral nervous system: the current status of experimentation].

The interest in developing a prosthesis that may be effective in nerve repair as an alternative to autologous grafts, promotes experimental investigations in order to improve the so called tubulization techniques. A review of the literature of the last 10 years is performed to draw an outline of the state of the research, pointing out three main topics: the animal model, the type of the conduit and the length of the repaired gap. The rat, the rabbit and non human primates are the species with which experimental models are most often fashioned for this purpose. Among the great number of investigated conduits, interesting perspectives are arrived at mainly by those obtained with biologic or degradable materials; until now, experimental nerve defects of 3 cm or less are better repaired with artificial guides while unsatisfactory results were reported for the repair of longer gaps. The introduction in the micro-environment of the conduit of neurotrophic substances represents a challenge for the future development of these investigations aimed at improving healing and obtaining nerve regeneration through extensive defects.

Absorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Experimental surgical model in osteoporosis study.

To induce osteoporosis in animals many different experimental models are suggested. Experimental animal models play an important role in improving the knowledge of the aetiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and preventive and therapeutical techniques regarding osteoporosis. These experimental models permit thorough and standardized data that would be difficult to obtain by experimental clinical studies because of the difficulty of evaluating the differences that exist among patients. The choice of an in vivo experimental model is conditioned by a lot of factors: the reliability, the reproducibility, the feasibility and often some factors linked to equipment and costs which are also very important. In the present study some experimental models are examined and discussed, and in particular an experimental surgical model, that was performed in the Department of Experimental Surgery of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, is described. Female Sprague-Dawley rats, 40 or 50 weeks old, 350 +/- 20 g b.w., underwent bilateral oophorectomy in order to obtain an oestrogen deficiency. During the postoperative period the animals were maintained at the same housing conditions and diet. Fourteen days after oophorectomy it was possible to observe an osteopenia, that became progressively more pronounced up to 100 days. Till now this model permitted the comparative evaluation of different therapeutical treatments in such a diffuse and still debated pathology. Many are the experimental models adopted for comparative experimental studies of osteoporosis. Our model can induce a constant decrease of bone mass both in 50 and in 40 week old rats.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of an experimental model of osteoporosis induced in the female rat through ovariectomy.

The present paper intends to check the possibility of improving convenience of the osteoporosis model from ovariectomy in the rat by anticipating the operation to the 40th week rather than the 52nd week of age, thought by some authors to be the optimum model. To this end two parameters have been examined: 1. the bone mass variation determined with the vertebral photon densitometer and weighing of the femur ashes; 2. the chemico-crystallographic characteristics of the bone determined through chemical analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The results obtained induce us to believe that ovariectomy carried out on rats of 40 or 52 weeks of age determine bone mass losses that are statistically comparable. The variations in the dry bone weight/ash bone weight ratio are superposable and the structural chemical characteristics, due to the increase in bone turnover are testified by the increase in osteocalcin. Moreover, it was observed that the most reliable evaluation of bone mass loss can be obtained with the vertebral photon densitometry. Thus, it is thought that the model which foresees ovariectomy of rats 40 weeks after birth compared with those operated 52 weeks after birth, represents a good model of osteoporosis from estrogen deficiency which, due to the evident practical advantages deriving from the use of younger animals it associates a decrease in the use of laboratory animals with statistically reliable results.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of pulsed magnetic fields in the therapy of osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy in the rat.

This paper presents preliminary results on the effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the therapy of post menopausal osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy in female rats aged ten months. In particular, the effects of the intensity of pulsed EMF applied at constant frequency has been studied. Magnetic fields pulsed at 50 Hz were used having a positive sinusoidal wave form with a maximum intensity of 30 and 70 Gauss. Treatment lasting one hour per day for 4 months showed that the pulsed EMF with 30 Gauss of maximum intensity are able to slow down the bone mass loss, keeping it within some 10%; with pulsed EMF with 70 Gauss of maximum intensity, instead, no significant bone mass loss was observed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevention of ischemia-reperfusion damage with polymerized superoxide dismutase.

The efficacy of preventing ischemia-reperfusion damage by employing native or modified (mPEG-SOD) superoxide dismutase in an experimental model of acute ischemia was tested in the left hind limb of 43 Wistar rats. A significative difference (p=0.004) of the survival leg rate was found in the group treated with mPEG-SOD (86.6%) compared with the control group (30%). This difference was confirmed both clinically and by TEM analysis of muscular specimens.

Animals↗