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Biomedical subjects

M Martelli

Publications and source records attributed to M Martelli.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Intraarticular sodium hyaluronate injections in the Pond-Nuki experimental model of osteoarthritis in dogs. II. Morphological findings.

The effect of the intraarticular sodium hyaluronate (HA) injection on the osteoarthritic knee joint has been evaluated in dogs using an experimental model of osteoarthritis induced by sectioning the anterior cruciate ligament. Seven weeks after surgery, the damage, graded according to Mankin's scale, was significantly reduced in knee joints treated with HA from the second week postsurgery compared to untreated joints. When intraarticular HA therapy was initiated after the seventh week, osteoarthritis progression was still reduced compared to controls. Both morphology and morphometry showed a beneficial effect of HA on the cartilage response to the damage, as well as a clearcut inhibitory effect on the development of the fibroblastlike cell layer on the articular cartilage in untreated joints. The beneficial effects on the cartilage integrity and response to osteoarthritic damage might be related to a primary effect of HA on the cartilage surface. However, these effects do not exclude the possibility that, in addition, HA might act on the synovial membrane by limiting the synovial reaction.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Intraarticular sodium hyaluronate injections in the Pond-Nuki experimental model of osteoarthritis in dogs. I. Biochemical results.

An established anterior cruciate ligament deficiency-induced articular cartilage degeneration was used to evaluate the effects of intrasynovial injection of hyaluronic acid upon cartilage destruction. In this study, proteoglycan solubility under associative and dissociative conditions was compared in two treatment protocols at intervals of seven, 13, and 17 weeks after surgical breakage of the anterior cruciate ligament in 2.5-year-old Beagle dogs. Untreated joints showed a marked increase in both total soluble glycosaminoglycan (GAG measured as uronic acid) and in the associative fraction. In both treated groups, there was a reduced amount of soluble GAG. Cessation of treatment after seven weeks caused gradual regression, with an increasing amount of CaCl2-soluble material in the associative fraction, while inception at seven weeks gave biochemical evidence of reversal, with increasing GAG present in the guanidine-soluble (dissociative) fraction on the insoluble residue. The protective effects of hyaluronic acid suggest the potential clinical application of this therapy in retarding the advance of osteoarthritis.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Thymoma: a clinico-pathologic study based on newly developed morphologic criteria.

A retrospective study of 28 cases of thymoma classified according to Marino and Müller-Hermelink (cortical, medullary, mixed common, mixed with cortical predominance, mixed with medullary predominance thymoma) was undertaken to determine the existence of correlations between histology and clinical behavior. Cortical thymoma was observed in 11 cases (39.2%), mixed common thymoma in 9 (32.1%), mixed with cortical predominance in 5 (18%), and medullary thymoma in 3 (10.7%). In patients with cortical thymoma the tumor was always invasive (stages II and III according to Bergh), whereas medullary thymomas were noninvasive in 2 cases (stage I) and slightly invasive with a moderate infiltration of the capsule in the remaining case (stage II). Mixed common and mixed with cortical predominance thymomas displayed intermediate behavior. Twelve patients were affected by myasthenia gravis: 1 had medullary thymoma, 6 had mixed common thymoma, 3 had mixed thymoma with cortical predominance, and 2 had cortical thymoma. One patient with cortical thymoma had superior vena cava syndrome and 1 had erythroid hypoplasia; mixed common thymoma was associated with Cushing's syndrome in 1 patient. These data confirm previously reported observations (16) showing a higher degree of malignancy in patients with cortical thymoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Computed tomographic staging of anterior mediastinal neoplasms.

Sixty patients with anterior mediastinal neoplasms undergoing computed tomography before surgical exploration were entered in a prospective study to assess the value of computed tomography in the preoperative staging of anterior mediastinal tumours. Correct prediction of location, size, and tissue density was obtained in all 60 cases. Correct identification of the nature of the tumours was achieved by computed tomography in 37 of the 54 previously undiagnosed cases. Particular attention was given to the evaluation of the relation of the tumour to adjacent mediastinal structures, to predict the feasibility of radical surgical procedures. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in identifying resectability were 46%, 85%, and 64%, with positive and negative predictive indices of 78% and 58%. Capsulated or highly invasive lesions were clearly distinguished, and the presence or absence of infiltration of mediastinal vessels, pericardium, and chest wall was correctly recognised in most cases. It is suggested that the evaluation of anterior mediastinal neoplasms should include computed tomography because of its accuracy in predicting size, location, and tissue density of the neoplasm. Computed tomography may suggest, often with good reliability, the histological type of the tumour and its relation to contiguous mediastinal structures, thus contributing to the choice of the appropriate surgical approach or route for biopsy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Incidence and prognostic significance of autoantibodies against erythrocytes and platelets in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Antiglobulin Test (AT), and Dixon Tests (DT) have been studied in 100 patients with CLL. Thirty-five patients were Rai stage 0 and I, 19 patients stage 2, 13 patients stage 3 and 33 patients stage 4. Twelve patients showed a Red Blood Cells Autoantibodies (RBCAb) positivity; a positivity (direct, indirect, or both) of DT was present in 74% of patients. The presence of autoantibodies against erythrocytes and platelets did not influence survival curves, but anemia and thrombocytopenia are risk factors for survival, independently of the presence of an autoimmune disorder. Nine patients RBCAb positive and DT positive showed the worst survival curve, five out of these were anemic and one thrombocytopenic and anemic.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Immunological and molecular studies in a case of follicular lymphoma with an extra chromosome 12 and t(2;8) translocation.

Two sequential lymph node biopsies taken from a non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient revealed two karyotype abnormalities peculiar to B cell neoplasias: trisomy 12 and t(2;8)(p12;q24) translocation. The first was documented in all cells analyzed, while the second was present in 20% of the metaphases from the first biopsy and in 100% from the second. This suggests that the t(2;8) translocation arose as a secondary karyotypic change. In addition, although immunological characterization of the neoplastic cells disclosed a monoclonal B cell population that expressed immunoglobulin kappa light chains, as usually found in Burkitt's lymphoma with t(2;8) translocation, Southern blot analysis provided evidence of rearrangement in only one kappa chain allele.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1988

Successful resection of a thymoma in an elderly patient.

The case of an 83 year-old male patient undergoing resection of a bulky thymoma situated in the anterior mediastinum is presented. A standard mid-line sternotomy approach was chosen and the left pleural space was widely opened in order to control the left edge of the tumor bulging in the left hemithorax. Macroscopic and histologic examination of the resected specimen evidenced a medullary thymoma without infiltration although tight adhesions between the tumor and the left brachiocephalic vein were present. Postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged in good general condition nine days after surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

Prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a retrospective multicentric study from the GIMEMA group.

Clinical and biological data were evaluated using Desu univariate analyses or Cox multivariate analyses in a series of 1,777 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients from an Italian Cooperative Group. In univariate analyses, age and sex of patients, presence of bone marrow (BM; greater than or equal to 50%), and peripheral blood (PB; greater than or equal to 60,000/microL) lymphocytosis, anemia (hemoglobin [Hb] less than 11 g/dL), thrombocytopenia (less than 100,000/microL), direct Coombs' test positivity, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and extent of lymph node involvement were shown to be of significant prognostic value. Multivariate analyses, through a stepwise procedure, showed that the most important prognostic variables are Hb, hepatomegaly, lymph node involvement, PB lymphocytosis, and age and sex of patients. Further covariates would produce an improvement having a nonsignificant P value. Based on the results of multivariate analyses, a four-step staging using the significant variables of the Cox model is proposed.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Effects of age on pain perception: thermonociception.

The effect of age on pain sensitivity is unclear. Some studies suggest a loss of pain perception with age, whereas other studies indicate either no change or an increase in pain sensitivity with age. The present study assessed perceived intensities of six levels of painful contact thermal stimuli (43 degrees C, 45 degrees C, 47 degrees C, 48 degrees C, 49 degrees C, and 51 degrees C). Magnitude estimation procedures were used, and participants were instructed to provide separate ratings for the perceived sensory intensity and the perceived unpleasantness (affective intensity) of the thermal stimuli during separate sessions. Middle-age adults showed the lowest sensory sensitivity and greatest affective pain ratings. Although results indicate a significant but small tendency for older adults to underrate low and overrate higher intensity contact heat compared with younger adults, similarities in pain perception were stronger than differences among the age groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The analysis of expanded cells from patients with lymphoproliferative disorders of granular lymphocytes may help to clarify the NK cell differentiation.

Surface phenotype and functional in vitro activities were studied in 2 cases of lymphoproliferative disorders of granular lymphocytes. Cells from both patients presented the same, previously unreported, surface phenotype (i.e. T3+, T8+, T4-, HNK-1-, NK-15+, M1-), were unable to display either Natural Killer (NK) activity or suppressor function in a poke-weed-driven system, and showed a defective response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). On the basis of available schemes for NK cells ontogenesis, we will discuss the phenotype and functional activities of patients' cells suggesting that the cell population expressing the T3+, T8+, HNK-1-, NK-15+, M1- phenotype might represent a discrete stage along the NK-cell differentiation pathway.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed1985

A case of Burkitt lymphoma-L3ALL with t(8;14) translocation, developed 10 years after Hodgkin's disease.

We report the case of a 38-year-old man, previously treated for Hodgkin's disease (HD) with chemo-radiotherapy who, 10 years later, developed a Burkitt lymphoma (BL) as a tumour mass of the ascendent colon and regional lymph nodes and, subsequently, on leukaemic bone-marrow cells, on the basis of histological, immunological (B phenotype, IgM-lambda) and cytogenetic, translocation t(8;14) features. The patient died a few days later; at autopsy no evidence of HD was found. This is the 2nd case of BL developing after HD so far described. The relationship between the 2 diseases is discussed and the importance of the immunodepression in the pathogenesis of the secondary Burkitt lymphoma is emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Pattern visual evoked potentials and flash electroretinogram in clinically definite multiple sclerosis.

The authors have studied, by means of pattern visual evoked potential (VEP) and flash electroretinogram (ERG) recordings, a group of 15 patients affected by definite multiple sclerosis. All of the subjects examined presented a clinical history indicating involvement of the visual pathways; VEPs were altered in a high percentage of eyes examined (93.3%), while a lower percentage of abnormal ERGs was seen (20% of eyes examined). The only type of ERG alteration found consisted of a pathologic b wave voltage increase, observed mainly with red flash stimuli. This finding could be attributed to an involvement of centrifugal optic nerve fibers having inhibitory functions on retinal cells.

Adult↗