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Biomedical subjects

M Francesconi

Publications and source records attributed to M Francesconi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Methicillin- and gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: susceptibility to fosfomycin, cefamandole, N-formimidoyl-thienamycin, clindamycin, fusidic acid and vancomycin.

The in vitro activity of fosfomycin against 90 strains of methicillin- and gentamicin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was studied in an in vitro microtitre system using Mueller-Hinton broth supplemented with glucose-6-phosphate. In parallel the antistaphylococcal activity of cefamandole, N-formimidoyl-thienamycin, clindamycin, fusidic acid and vancomycin was determined with the same organisms. The following MIC50 (MIC95) values were obtained: fosfomycin 8 (128) mg/l, cefamandole 8 (greater than 64) mg/l, clindamycin 0.25 (16) mg/l, fusidic acid less than 0.25 (less than 0.25) mg/l, vancomycin 1 (2) mg/l and N-formimidoyl-thienamycin 4 (16) mg/l. A high MIC/MBC ratio was noted for cefamandole, in contrast to fosfomycin.

Cefamandole↗
PubMed1985

[Inpatient rehabilitation of diabetic patients--immediate metabolic effects].

In 1981 the Rehabilitation Centre Laab (A-2381 Laab im Walde, Austria) had admitted a total of 1149 patients. These included 968 patients with diabetes mellitus (431 male, 537 female), of whom 428 (44.21 percent) had been insulin-dependent (IDDM) and 540 (55.79 percent) non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM). The mean blood glucose (MBG) levels present at the time of admission indicated that glycemic control was better in patients with IDDM than those with NIDDM. The poorest glycemic control was encountered in NIDDM of (A) age 31-40 (MBG = 187 mg/dl) and (B) over age 70 (MBG = 194 mg/dl); it had been possible in these patients to lower MBG to (A) 138 mg/dl and (B) 147 mg/dl. Juvenile IDDM patients (under age 30) had poorer glycemic control (MBG = 190 mg/dl) than the older IDDM patients (MBG = 181 mg/dl), and therapeutic success was greater in the latter group. Concluding from the glycohaemoglobin changes found, improvements in glycemic control were achieved in 35.32 percent (IDDM: 15.39 percent; NIDDM: 19.93 percent); in 62.08 percent (IDDM: 26.65 percent; NIDDM: 35.43 percent) it had remained unchanged, and had deteriorated in 2.16 percent (IDDM: 1.75 percent; NIDDM: 0.41 percent). For 13 patients treated so far by diet alone, oral medication had to be started; 2 patients (0.2 percent) required immediate introduction of insulin. In 126 patients (12.9 percent) on oral medication, insulin therapy had to be initiated, whereas in 32 cases (3.3 percent) oral medication was discontinued in favour of purely dietetic control.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[Study of left ventricular function using systolic time intervals in a group of patients with polycythemia vera (Vaquez-Osler disease)].

Left ventricular performance has been studied in 50 patients affected by primary polycythemia (P.V.) by determining systolic time intervals. 50 normal subjects were used as control group. All cases underwent a pharmacodynamic test with Amyl Nitrite. The results indicate that patients with P.V. present an abnormal behaviour of left ventricular performance after Amyl Nitrite; this alteration is more evident in patients with arterial hypertension. Amyl Nitrite, through its pharmacological action, causes changes in systolic time intervals and reveals a state of latent cardiac failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Poly (C) avid ribonuclease estimation in patients with solid tumors. A critical evaluation.

Activity of Poly (C) avid ribonuclease was estimated in sera of 129 patients with different malignancies. All patients had histologically verified carcinomas, normal renal function, and no signs of acute catabolic condition. Activity values were compared with those of normal subjects (U-test, Mann and Whitney) separately for each age decade and type of carcinoma. Patients with ovarian and bronchus carcinoma had statistically elevated activity values throughout all age groups. Colon carcinoma patients showed elevated values in most instances. In patients with pancreatic carcinoma a difference could be detected in only one age group (51-60 years of age). No significant elevation of enzyme activity was detected in carcinoma of the stomach and of the prostate. It is concluded that there are carcinomas leading to elevated ribonuclease activity, although the biological basis of this phenomenon is not understood. No special sensitivity nor specificity of ribonuclease elevation could be demonstrated in pancreatic carcinoma patients. Up to now the usefulness of ribonuclease estimation in prospective carcinoma detection remains questionable.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Detection of drug-dependent IgG antibodies with antiplatelet activity by the antiglobulin consumption assay.

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a common acquired hemorrhagic disorder. In this study 32 patients with drug-induced thrombocytopenia were examined with the antiglobulin consumption assay. Platelet-associated IgG was elevated in 19 of 20 patients that were analyzed. An increase in serum platelet bindable IgG was observed in 24 subjects after the addition of various drugs (acetylsalicylic acid, noraminopyrine, antibiotics, sulfamides, digoxin, heparin and chenodeoxycholic acid). These findings are significant for the presence of drug-dependent platelet antibodies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

[Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels and their clinical significance in Crohn's disease].

25 patients with Crohn's disease were followed up with serial serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determinations during hospitalization and at a control investigation eight weeks following discharge. The CEA level was compared with extent, duration and clinical activity of disease, as well as with Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and several acute phase reactants. The distribution of positive CEA levels (greater than 5 ng/ml) was similar in phases of acute inflamation and in remission. CEA levels did not show any significant correlation with CDAI, acute phase reactants, extent of involvement, duration of disease or histological findings. In this study CEA levels did not prove to be helpful indicators of disease activity or of cancer risk in Crohn's disease.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1982

Age-dependent excretion of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid (HMG) and ketone bodies in the urine of full-term and pre-term newborns.

Total ketone bodies and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid (HMG) were determined in urines of full-term and pre-term newborns from the first day after birth to an age of 17. Significantly higher levels of the two catabolites were observed in the first two weeks of life of the pre-term newborns. A peak of excretion of both ketone bodies and HMG was found between the 7th and the 10th day after birth in both groups of newborns. After the 3rd month there is no significant difference between full-term and pre-term children as far as the excretion of the two analytes is concerned.

Aging↗
PubMed1982

[WPW syndrome combined with AV block 2 in an adult with glycogenosis (Type II)].

A 31 year-old female with a five year history of muscle weakness, cardiac palpitations and elevation of activity of some serum enzymes of muscular origin, showed signs of the WPW syndrome on ECG, often in combination with grade 2 A-V block. Type II glycogenosis (Pompe's disease) was diagnosed on the basis of the results of physical examination, laboratory findings--especially subtotal deficiency of acid maltase (a-1,4 glucosidase) activity-and morphological aspects of light and electron microscopy of a quadriceps muscle biopsy specimen. To our knowledge the coincidence of such a rarely encountered arrhythmia with glycogenosis type II in an adult has never been reported so far.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

The value of prognostic parameters for the stratification of advanced breast cancer patients.

One hundred seventy-five patients with metastatic breast cancer, treated with a combination chemotherapy (Cooper regimen), were analyzed retrospectively to identify the value of the traditional prognostic parameters (disease-free interval; menopausal status; dominant site of metastatic lesion) for the stratification of patients before randomization. Response rate and survival time were not significantly affected by the disease-free interval and menopausal status. A significant difference was detected among the three categories of dominant disease (locoregional; osseous; visceral). However, an estimate of total extent of disease (according to Swenerton) was found to be the most important factor for predicting response and survival time after combination cytotoxic treatment. The differences between the dominant size of metastatic disease are mainly influenced by different size of metastatic spread. Therefore, there is found a significant correlation between the different types of dominant lesions and total extent of disease. In conclusion, the particular sites of metastatic spread seem to be of less importance than overall extent of disease in predicting the outcome. A critical evaluation of the three traditional stratification parameters and introduction of a semiquantitative estimation of total tumor burden as a new stratification parameter seems to be necessary when planning and comparing future trials.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Plasmapheresis: its value in the management of patients with antibodies to factor VIII.

12 plasmapheresis were carried out in 5 patients with antibodies to F VIII (3 haemaophilic antibodies; 2 spontaneous antibodies). Plasmapheresis led in all instances to a marked reduction of the antibody level there was a good correlation between the amount of plasma exchanged and the decrease of the antibody level. About 40 ml of plasma/kg body weight have to be removed to reduce the antibody level to half. In patients with low titre antibody who need treatment for serious bleeding, plasmapheresis is a more rapid and less expensive procedure than neutralisation of the inhibitor by high doses of F VIII. In one haemophiliac repeated plasmapheresis and subsequent high dose F VIII treatment eliminated the antibody within a short time. Plasmapheresis should always be considered when patients with antibodies to F VIII have to be treated because of severe bleeding.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Evidence of age-dependent activity increase of poly(C)-avid-serum ribonuclease in man.

The activity of ribonuclease (E 3.1.4.22) was estimated in sera of 401 normal subjects (normal renal function, no signs of catabolism), age ranging from 16 to 100 years (mean: 50.25 +/- 19.98) with Poly (C) as substrate. Further activity was measured with the substrates Poly (U), Poly (A) and Poly (G) in 10 sera from each age decade between 21-30 years and 81-90 years. Greatest activity was found with Poly (C) as substrate (mean: 15.88 kU/l +/- 9.57). Covariant analysis (age as covariant) revealed no sex-related activity distribution at any age, whereas the age-dependent activity increase was highly significant (p less than 0.001; 11-20 years: 9.48 kU/l +/- 3.07; 81-90 years: 34.72 kU/l +/- 5.88). Activity with the other substrates was very low and constant throughout all ages. It seems to be mandatory to consider the age of the patient when interpreting ribonuclease activity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Developments in the serological diagnosis of malignant diseases].

The present study gives an evaluation of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), macrophage electrophoretic mobility test (MEM), sialyltransferase, galactosyltransferase isoenzyme (SGT), ribonuclease and reverse transcriptase as diagnostic aids in malignant diseases. CEA and sialyltransferase are of certain value in the monitoring of cancer, as their values in the serum may rise before progression of disease or relapse. Both tests are not reliable parameters in the early diagnosis of malignancy. Our results with regard to the MEM test have not proved in any way useful in the diagnosis of cancer. Our preliminary results appear to indicate that, provided further simplification of the method can be achieved, SGT isoenzyme determination seems to be a better means of diagnosing cancer. In view of inherent-methodological difficulties reverse transcriptase has, at present, no clinical application in the diagnosis of cancer.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen↗
PubMed1980

[Phase 2 study with cis-dichlorodiaminoplatinum (II) in advanced solid tumors].

cis-Dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) was administered in 23 patients with far advanced solid malignancies using a dose schedule of 50 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. All patients previously had progressive disease using conventional cytotoxic therapies. More than 50% of the patients had been pretreated with at least four different drugs, 9 patients had additionally been irradiated. IN 4 patients there was objective tumor regression (duration 1-4 months); in 7 patients tumor progression could be stopped for at least 1 month; 12 patients did not respond. By sufficient fluid administration combined with electrolyte substitution, furosemide and mannitol, no severe toxic side effects were encountered.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1979

[Prognostic factors in the drug therapy of metastasizing breast cancer].

175 patients with metastatic breast cancer, treated with chemotherapy, were analyzed retrospectively to identify the characteristics of prognostic importance in predicting response to chemotherapy and survival from onset of the chemotherapy. The most significant factors were the sites of metastatic disease and an estimate of the total extent of disease.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1979

[Experiences with cis-dichlorodiaminoplatinum (II) in the treatment of advanced solid tumors].

Cis-Dichlorodiammineplatinum (II) was administered in 23 patients with far advanced solid malignancies using a dose schedule of 50 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. All patients had previously progressive disease using conventional cytotoxic therapies. More than 50% of the patients had been pretreated with at least 4 different drugs. 9 patients, additionally, had been irradiated. In 4 instances there was objective tumor regression (duration: 1 to 4 months), in 7 patients tumor progression could be stopped for at least one month, 12 patients did not respond. By sufficient fluid administration combined with electrolyte substitution, furosemide and mannitol, no severe toxic side effects could be observed.

Adenocarcinoma↗