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Biomedical subjects

M Torella

Publications and source records attributed to M Torella.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Pharmacology of ritodrine].

Tocolytic drugs are used in order to delay or to abolish preterm labour. These drugs inhibit uterine contractions and have different pharmacological properties. The most used tocolytic agents today are beta 2-adrenergic agonists (isoxuprine, ritodrine). The pharmacological actions, pharmacokinetics, toxicological and clinical aspects of ritodrine, a synthetic beta 2-adrenergic agonist with tocolytic properties are described. Findings of many clinical trials are also discussed.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1995

Behçets disease in children.

Ophthalmic and clinical analysis were carried out on 16 children and 122 adult patients affected by Behçet's disease (BD) to delineate the clinical features of BD in childhood and to investigate the differences between the expression of the disease in children and adults. The mean follow-up period was 7.8 and 7 years, respectively. Pediatric onset of BD was found in 7.6% of all the cases with a male:female ratio of 1.29:1. The complete type of the disease was observed in 50% of the children. No statistical significant differences were noted between children and adults in the incidence of oral aphthae, genital ulcers, skin lesions, arthritis, gastrointestinal involvement, neuropsychiatric symptoms and the presence of HLA-B51. Thrombophlebitis was associated with the onset of the disease in adult age (P=0.022). Uveitis alone or in combination with other major symptoms was the presenting sign in a higher percentage of children (P=0.077), As in adults, in children diffuse uveitis was the most common type of ocular inflammation, while ocular complications have been found mainly in children (P=0.021), who more frequently developed cataract, maculopathy and retinal detachment (P=0.024). Both adult and young male patients have shown a lower age at onset and higher rate of optic atrophy than females. In conclusion, no significant differences have been found between children and adults in the expression of the major and most of the minor symptoms of BD. Ocular involvement in childhood may be very severe, as was confirmed by the high frequency of diffuse uveitis and ocular complications. Young males, as adult males, showed an earlier onset of the disease and a worse ocular prognosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Hypercupremia: a marker of articular phlogosis?].

Serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin concentrations were determined in 45 subjects (20 males and 23 females, medium age 50.3, range 25-76) diagnosed as psoriatic arthritis patients, 63 patients (30 males and 33 females, medium age 32.4, range 10-78) with psoriasis, and in 60 blood donors (32 women and 28 men) as reference value group. Mean serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin were significantly different (p less than .001) in psoriatic arthritis when compared with controls or subjects with psoriasis alone. The number of synovial joints affected was significantly correlated to changes in these serum parameters. Indeed serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin were found significantly different from normals in the polyarticular subgroup, (p less than .001) while only copper and ceruloplasmin were different in mono-oligoarticular form (respectively p less than .001 and p less than .01). No significant changes were found in the spondiloarticular subgroup. In the polyarticular subgroup a direct correlation was found between another disease activity marker (e.g.ESR) and serum changes in iron, cerulosplasmin and copper (p less than .001).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Supportive laboratory findings in psoriatic arthritis.

Serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin concentrations were determined in 45 subjects (22 males and 23 females, medium age 50.3, range 25-76) diagnosed as psoriatic arthritic patients (20 with poliarticular, 12 with mono-oligoarticular and 13 with spondyloarticular form), in 63 patients (30 males and 33 females, medium age 32.4, range 10-78) with psoriasis, and in 60 blood donors (32 women and 28 men) as reference group. Mean serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin was significantly increased (p less than .001) in psoriatic arthritis as compared with controls or subjects with psoriasis alone. The number of synovial joints affected was significantly correlated to changes in these serum parameters. Indeed, serum copper, iron and ceruloplasmin were found to be significantly different from that of normals in the polyarticular subgroup (p less than .001), while only copper and ceruloplasmin were different in the mono-oligoarticular form (p less than .001 and p less than .01 respectively). No significant changes were found in a spondyloarticular subgroup. In the polyarticular subgroup a direct correlation was found between another disease activity marker (e.g. ESR) and serum changes in iron, ceruloplasmin and copper (p less than .001). Our data indicate that psoriatic arthritis is a multifaceted disease: the polyarticular form behaves like seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, while the monoarticular forms shows a lesser involvement of serum iron; spondylitic arthritis does not show any significant change in serum copper, ceruloplasmin and iron concentrations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Psoriatic arthritis in psoriatic patients.

One hundred and eighty patients with psoriasis have been studied in the Neapolitan area to find the prevalence of arthritis in psoriasis. Wright and Moll's criteria for the diagnosis of arthritis were applied. Of 180 psoriatic patients, 62 exhibited arthritis (34.4% of total cases) According to Moll and Wright's five broad clinical forms of arthritis, the following distribution was found: polyarticular in 38.7% of arthritic patients, mono-oligoarticular in 16.1%, distal interphalangeal in 7.5%, deforming or mutilans in 2.3% and spondylitic and/or sacro-iliitic in 20.9%. In 14.5% of arthritic patients an overlap of the spondylitic form and peripheral involvement was also found. Stratification by age of patient populations shows that cutaneous pathology has a homogeneous distribution in the various age decades, while joint symptoms are seen maximally in the sixth decade and are absent in the first two decades. The relationship between the onset of skin lesions and joint pathology demonstrates that skin lesions preceded arthritis in 64.5% of the cases, whilst arthritis antedated psoriasis in only 19.35%. In 16.1% of cases psoriasis and arthritis began almost simultaneously. Nail changes were present in 63% of arthritic patients and in 37% of psoriatic subjects without arthritis. Furthermore, in 88% of arthritic patients in whom arthritis preceded skin lesions, nail changes antedated the onset of clinically apparent psoriasis. Extra-articular features were not found. This absence might be associated with the usual seronegativity for rheumatoid factor in psoriatic arthritis, also confirmed in this survey.

Adolescent↗