Biomedical subjects

Marco Leonardi

Publications and source records attributed to Marco Leonardi.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Assessment of inter- and intra-specific variability in the main species of Boletus edulis complex by ITS analysis.

The Boletus edulis species complex includes ectomycorrhizal fungi producing edible mushrooms appreciated worldwide. However, species delineation is very difficult in these fungi, because it is based exclusively on a few, highly variable morphological features. As a consequence, a high number of taxa--including several varieties, subspecies and/or species sensu stricto--have been described in this species complex. In this paper we report on an extensive analysis of internal transcribed spacer of the nuclear rDNA region on a large sample of species of the B. edulis complex, mainly harvested in Italy, and representative of the European variability of this group. The molecular analysis allowed us to discriminate among and within B. edulis, B. aestivalis, B. pinophilus and B. aereus spp. and resolve their phylogenetic relationship.

Basidiomycota↗

PubMed2005

Intraforaminal O(2)-O(3) versus periradicular steroidal infiltrations in lower back pain: randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Reports about steroids and oxygen-ozone therapy to treat lower back pain have been increasing. The purpose of our study was to compare the clinical outcomes in patients treated with infiltrations of O(2)-O(3) gas or steroids at short-, medium-, and long-term follow-up. METHODS: A total of 306 patients (166 with primarily disk disease, 140 with nondisk vertebral disease) with acute or chronic low back and sciatic nerve pain received a CT-guided intraforaminal infiltration of an O(2)-O(3) gas mixture or an periradicular infiltration of steroids. Neurologists unaware of the type of treatment assessed the patients. RESULTS: At 1-week follow-up, most patients had a complete remission of pain, regardless of the treatment. At 6-month follow-up, differences in favor of O(2)-O(3) treatment were significant in patients with disk disease (P = .0021) but not in those without disk disease (P = .0992). Clinical outcomes were poor in 13 (15.1%) of 86 patients receiving O(2)-O(3) infiltration and in 18 (22.5%) of 80 patients receiving steroid injection (P = .2226). Among patients without disk disease, six (8.6%) of 70 patients receiving O(2)-O(3) infiltration but 21.4% of the patients receiving steroid injections had poor outcomes (P = .0332). CONCLUSION: Oxygen-ozone treatment was highly effective in relieving acute and chronic lower back pain and sciatica. The gas mixture can be administered as a first treatment to replace epidural steroids.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Interventional spinal procedures.

The interventional procedures for disk herniation and protrusion by percutaneous techniques are decompressive such as chemodiscolysis with chimopapain, nucleo-discectomy introduced by Onik, LASER discectomy, and recently nucleoplasty, and decompressive and direct antinflammatory such as chemiodiscolysis with an Oxygen-ozone mixture. These techniques have minimized the invasive nature of surgery and avoid or decrease complications like infection linked to surgery. Reducing intervertebral disc size by mechanical aspiration of a part of the disc or partially dissolving the herniation by drying reduces the conic pressure on the torn annulus and creates the space necessary for retropulsion whenever the circular fibres of the annulus regain a minimum capacity to contain the disc under tension. The proposed suggestion in these techniques is that a small change in volume produces large change in pressure. The success rates reported in different studies vary from 65 to 80% of excellent or good results with chemonucleolysis and aspiration. Vertebroplasty (VP) is done by percutaneous injection of acrylic cement (polymethylmetacrylate-PMMA) into the vertebrae under fluoroscopic and/or CT control to achieve an antalgic effect and stabilize the vertebral body. VP has been used for vertebral collapses caused by osteoporosis, long-term steroid treatment, aggressive symptomatic angiomas and lytic metastasis. The reported figures in literature are 80-95% of pain relief, within 7 days after procedure, commonly on the same day.

Bone Cements↗

PubMed2003

Minimally invasive oxygen-ozone therapy for lumbar disk herniation.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Oxygen-ozone therapy is a minimally invasive treatment for lumbar disk herniation that exploits the biochemical properties of a gas mixture of oxygen and ozone. We assessed the therapeutic outcome of oxygen-ozone therapy and compared the outcome of administering medical ozone alone with the outcome of medical ozone followed by injection of a corticosteroid and an anesthetic at the same session. METHODS: Six hundred patients were treated with a single session of oxygen-ozone therapy. All presented with clinical signs of lumbar disk nerve root compression, with CT and/or MR evidence of contained disk herniation. Three hundred patients (group A) received an intradiscal (4 mL) and periganglionic (8 mL) injection of an oxygen-ozone mixture at an ozone concentration of 27 micro g/mL. The other 300 patients (group B) received, in addition, a periganglionic injection of corticosteroid and anesthetic. Therapeutic outcome was assessed 6 months after treatment by using a modified MacNab method. Results were evaluated by two observers blinded to patient distribution within the two groups. RESULTS: A satisfactory therapeutic outcome was obtained in both groups. In group A, treatment was a success (excellent or good outcome) in 70.3% and deemed a failure (poor outcome or recourse to surgery) in the remaining 29.7%. In group B, treatment was a success in 78.3% and deemed a failure in the remaining 21.7%. The difference in outcome between the two groups was statistically significant (P <.05). CONCLUSION: Combined intradiscal and periganglionic injection of medical ozone and periganglionic injection of steroids has a cumulative effect that enhances the overall outcome of treatment for pain caused by disk herniation. Oxygen-ozone therapy is a useful treatment for lumbar disk herniation that has failed to respond to conservative management.

Adult↗