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Biomedical subjects

M Testa

Publications and source records attributed to M Testa.

99 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of 25%, 50%, and 67% nitrous oxide with halothane-oxygen for general anesthesia in horses.

Twenty-five percent, 50%, and 67% nitrous oxide was administered to 12 horses anesthetized with halothane and oxygen. Compared to halothane-oxygen alone, there was no significant difference in heart rate, systolic, diastolic, or mean blood pressure values, arterial pH, PaCO2, or plasma bicarbonate values when nitrous oxide was included. A significant linear reduction in PaO2 values could be correlated with N2O:O2 concentrations. The halothane level required to maintain surgical anesthesia was reduced when nitrous oxide was administered, but it was not affected by changing the nitrous oxide concentrations. Nitrous oxide concentrations greater than 25% provide no additional reduction in halothane requirement and may be accompanied by PaO2 values that pose risk to the horse.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quality of life as a therapeutic end-point. An analysis of therapeutic trials in hypertension.

The term 'quality of life' is finding increasing use in the popular press and the medical community. In both areas, its use often lacks precision: a comprehensive and universal definition probably does not exist. Indeed, the precise elements contributing probably vary from person to person and from time to time. There is broad agreement that 5 major areas always need assessment, including physical and emotional state, performance of social roles, intellectual function and general feelings of well-being or life satisfaction. A wide range of instruments has been employed in a large number of studies on the effects of antihypertensive agents on quality of life in the patient with hypertension. Hypertension represents a special problem in which the patient is thought to be free of related symptoms, and treatment designed to improve natural history brings with it the burden of adverse reactions. Although some insights have been gained on the relative influence of various therapeutic regimens on the quality of life of treated patients, in many of the studies too little consideration has been given to the use of instruments that have been validated in the patient population to be studied, to the power of the study and its design, to the contribution of confounding variables such as age and gender, and to evidence that short term trials (measured in weeks) can miss important changes that occur over months in a process where treatment is life-long. For these reasons, we believe, the literature on the subject is burdened by many reports that describe no difference among treatment regimens where important differences might exist. On the positive side, important advances have been made in our understanding of the elements that contribute to quality of life and in approaches to its assessment.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of rHuEpo on blood transfusions in preterm infants after the fifteenth day of life.

The specific aim of the study was to assess the safety and efficacy of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) in reducing the need for blood transfusions in preterm infants after the 15th day of life. Between 1 October 1994 and 1 October 1995, 107 preterm infants, gestational age < or = 34 weeks, were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and received rHuEpo subcutaneously, 900 U/kg week-1, 3 times weekly, supplemented with iron and vitamin E. Treatment was started at 8 days of life and lasted from a minimum of 6 weeks to a maximum of 3 months. A total of 116 preterm infants of the same gestational age, admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1992, served as controls. Entry criteria were gestational age < or = 34 weeks and no major congenital malformation. There were no differences in routine care between the two groups. Hematological measurements and transfusion requirements were followed during therapy. The infants were divided into two groups according to birth weight (< 1500 g and > or = 1500 g), and for each group the number of patients who received blood transfusions and when blood transfusions occurred, before or after the 15th day of life, was recorded. There was a statistically significant difference only for transfusions carried out after the 15th day of life (p < 0.002). No adverse effects attributable to rHuEpo during the treatment were noted. The results indicate that early rHuEpo treatment, in combination with iron supplements, is effective in reducing the need for blood transfusions in preterm infants after the 15th day of life.

Anemia, Neonatal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The sterno-clavicular joint: anatomy, biomechanic, clinical features and aspects of manual therapy].

The sterno-clavicular joint covers one remarkable importance in the complex of the shoulder girdle. This review investigates the anatomy, biomechanics, main affections and involvement of this joint in the pathological processes of the shoulder girdle in its complex. Moreover, it focuses on the opportunities offered from the conservative treatment, using in particular the manual therapy. Active and passive, as well as against isometric resistance movements, are discussed. In particular, the passive mobilization is demonstrated effective in the restoration of joint mobility. The sterno-clavicular joint is not structured in order to complete great work loads and has the tendency to become hypermotile or unstable, if subordinate to overload works, becoming painful. In this case, the techniques of passive mobilization and of modulation of the pain turn out effective.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 094: a phase I/II trial of ABV chemotherapy with zidovudine and recombinant human GM-CSF in AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.

PURPOSE: To define the maximum tolerated dose of doxorubicin when combined with fixed doses of bleomycin, vincristine, zidovudine, and recombinant human granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) in patients with advanced AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty male patients were treated with zidovudine at doses of either 100 or 200 mg by mouth every 4 hours, and cytotoxic chemotherapy with bleomycin 10 U/m2 and vincristine 1.4 mg/m2 by vein every 2 weeks. Four successive cohorts received fixed doses of doxorubicin given intravenously every 2 weeks: two cohorts each received 10 mg/m2 (levels 1, 2) or 20 mg/m2 (levels 3, 4). The first cohort received rhGM-CSF at a dose of 10 micrograms/ kg, given subcutaneously on days 2 through 11 (level 1). Due to toxicity, the dose of rhGM-CSF was reduced to 5 micrograms/kg (levels 2, 3) and then to 2.5 micrograms/kg (level 4). RESULTS: The dose-limiting toxicity was severe neutropenia, occurring in 10 patients. Severe neutropenic episodes occurred after a median of three cycles of chemotherapy, with the nadir occurring after 14 days (median). Moderate neutropenia occurred in 14% of all cycles administered. Constitutional toxicities of moderate or greater severity occurred in four patients. Five of 10 patients at a doxorubicin dose of 20 mg/m2 (levels 3 and 4) experienced severe neutropenia. Thus, doxorubicin at 10 mg/m2, with BV (bleomycin, vincristine chemotherapy), zidovudine (100 mg five times daily), and rhGM-CSF (5 micrograms/kg/day), was defined as the maximum tolerated dose. CONCLUSIONS: The maximum tolerated dose of doxorubicin is 10 mg/ m2 every 2 weeks when given in combination with BV chemotherapy, zidovudine, and rhGM-CSF. While the addition of rhGM-CSF at doses of 2.5 to 5 micrograms/kg decreased the duration of neutropenia, it did not prevent the occurrence of severe neutropenia from combined myelotoxic therapy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗