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Biomedical subjects

Marco Rossi

Publications and source records attributed to Marco Rossi.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-negative adults: a retrospective analysis of 64 consecutive cases (1995-2001).

AIM: To evaluate in a retrospective analysis cases of Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis (VL) diagnosed in HIV-negative adults during a 7-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Demographic data, previous or underlying diseases, clinical and laboratory features and therapeutic findings were considered. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were included, of whom 10 (16%) had underlying diseases and two were pregnant. Fever and hepatosplenomegaly were the main presenting symptoms, whereas pancytopenia and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate were observed in all cases. Smears from bone marrow aspirate were positive at microscopy in 62 cases (97%). Twenty-four patients received meglumine antimoniate (MA) given during 21 consecutive days (20 mg/kg per day), and 40 patients liposomal amphotericin B (l-AmB) given at days 1-5 and 10 (3 mg/kg per day). Both groups' clinical and laboratory findings improved, but patients on l-AmB therapy had a faster recovery (85% on l-AmB therapy and 50% on MA therapy showed defervescence at day 5, P < 0.01). Treatment failures were observed in five cases, three (12%) on MA and two (5%) on l-AmB therapy. No significant toxicity was observed in patients treated with l-AmB, whereas three (12%) patients treated with MA showed electrocardiographic abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: l-AmB therapy may be considered the treatment of choice for any adult patients with Mediterranean VL, since it permits a faster recovery, has a lower incidence of side effects and is useful also in immunosuppressed patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Acute effect of exercise-induced leg ischemia on cutaneous vasoreactivity in patients with stage II peripheral artery disease.

Conflicting data are available regarding the acute effect of exercise-provoked leg ischemia on the endothelial function in patients with stage II peripheral artery disease (PAD). In order to clarify this issue, cutaneous hyperemic responses to iontophoresis delivery of an endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine, ACh) and an endothelium-independent (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) vasodilator were evaluated under resting conditions, and before and after a treadmill test, using laser Doppler flowmetry, in 14 males (aged 68 +/- 4 years) affected by stage II PAD; 14 age-matched healthy males served as controls. At resting, a significantly reduced skin hyperemic response to ACh and to SNP was observed in PAD patients when compared to controls. Following treadmill, the leg skin hyperemic response to ACh delivery was significantly lower at peak of claudication than prior exercise (139 +/- 10 vs 213 +/- 25%, P = 0.01) in PAD patients, whereas no difference was observed in controls. The hyperemic response to SNP after exercise did not differ from baseline in either PAD patients or controls. The present data are in keeping with a reduced skin vasodilator capacity in stage II PAD patients at resting. In addition, the further impairment of skin endothelium-dependent vasodilation at the peak of claudication could indicate an acute endothelial dysfunction associated with exercise-induced leg muscle ischemia. These preliminary results also suggest that the threshold of claudication should not be exceeded during rehabilitation programs for PAD patients.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2002

Endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent skin vasoreactivity in the elderly.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: It was demonstrated that endothelium-dependent vasoreactivity, an aspect of endothelial functioning, is impaired in coronary and brachial arteries, and in skeletal muscle resistance vessels of elderly people. However, little data is available about the influence of aging per se on the endothelial function of the skin microcirculation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the endothelial function and intrinsic vasodilatory capacity of the skin microcirculation in elderly people with a low atherosclerosis risk profile. METHODS: Using laser Doppler flowmetry, we measured the cutaneous hyperemic responses following local iontophoresis delivery of an endothelium-dependent vasodilator, acetylcholine (ACh), and an endothelium-independent vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in 15 subjects older than 65 years and in 15 subjects younger than 50 years. Exclusion criteria were diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, arterial hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. RESULTS: Skin maximal hyperemic responses induced both by ACh and by SNP delivery did not differ between the younger and the older groups. Cutaneous blood flow progressively increased in response to the 8 ACh delivery steps, both in the older and younger groups; however, the dose-response curve following ACh delivery was significantly lower in the former (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: While these results should be viewed as preliminary due to the small sample size, they suggest that aging in itself is associated with a mild endothelium dysfunction in the skin microcirculation, whereas its overall vasodilatory capacity is preserved.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed2002

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells: do they have a role in immune responses after hematopoietic cell transplantation?

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells (APC) and are able to modulate immune responses. Investigators are studying methods to exploit the immunogenic and tolerogenic properties of DC. In the context of hematopoietic cell transplantation, DC might be helpful to facilitate engraftment and prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) reactions. In this paper, we review circumstantial evidence that immature plasmacytoid DC might affect immune responses after transplantation of hematopoietic cells from allogeneic donors.

Dendritic Cells↗
PubMed2002

Carotid ultrasound backscatter analysis in hypertensive and in healthy subjects.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate, by integrated backscatter (IBS) analysis, the influence of arterial hypertension on the carotid ultrasound (US) reflectivity and the age-related changes of this parameter. We recruited 20 middle-aged hypertensive patients free from other major cardiovascular risk factors and 20 gender- and age-matched healthy control subjects. An additional 30 healthy subjects, 15 younger than 30 years old and 15 older than 65 years old were also recruited. The "calibrated" IBS (C-IBS) of the left carotid "distant" wall, calculated as the difference between the IBS mean value (62 measurements) of intima-media (IM) complex and the IBS mean value of adventitia (62 measurements), was significantly higher in those with hypertension than in the age-matched controls, but similar between those with hypertension and the elderly subjects. In the 50 healthy subjects, the C-IBS was positively related to age (r = 0.40; p < 0.01) and to carotid IM thickness (r = 0.33; p < 0.05). Our study shows an increased US reflectivity of carotid wall in hypertensive patients and a positive relation of this parameter to age in the healthy population, suggesting that IBS analysis can be an useful tool to detect a vascular change related to hypertension and to aging.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2002

Ultrasonic tissue characterization of the carotid artery in chronic renal failure patients.

The ultrasonic reflectivity of the carotid wall, measured by means of integrated backscatter (IBS) analysis, has recently been evaluated in patients with atherosclerotic diseases and it was considered to be a prognostic marker. We performed B-mode measurement and IBS analysis of the carotid wall in 30 chronic renal failure (CRF) patients (serum creatinine 548 +/- 230 micromol/l) on conservative treatment and free of clinical evidence of cardiovascular complications; 14 were normotensives (NT) and 16 were treated hypertensives (TH). Thirty sex- and age-matched healthy subjects served as controls. The IBS carotid index was significantly higher in CRF patients than in controls (31.7 +/- 3.5 vs. 28.9 +/- 2.3 dB; p < 0.001), and no difference was observed between TH and NT CRF patients. The IBS index was negatively correlated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol plasma levels (r = -0.46, p < 0.05), and within the group of TH CRF patients the IBS index was also negatively correlated with the body mass index and diastolic blood pressure. The carotid intima-media thickness was similar between uremic patients and controls. This study demonstrates an increment in carotid ultrasonic reflectivity in CRF patients, independent of the presence of overt atherosclerotic damage, and probably related to vascular remodelling linked to CRF. IBS analysis can be a useful tool to detect early changes in arterial wall structure. However, prospective studies should be planned to define its prognostic importance in uremic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Complete remission induced by high dose erythropoietin and granulocyte colony stimulating factor in acute erythroleukemia (AML-M6 with maturation).

Alternative therapeutic approaches with low dose chemotherapy and differentiative-maturative treatment by growth factors are under consideration for elderly patients with acute leukemia. Two patients with AML-M6 with maturation, one refractory to standard chemotherapy and the other ineligible for cytoxic treatment, obtained complete remission from leukemia using high dose recombinant erythropoietin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

[Non post-operative spondylodiskitis. Our experience during the period 1990-2001].

UNLABELLED: Aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of non operative spondylodiskitis (SD) in our geographic area. METHODS: We evaluated retrospectively epidemiological, clinical, laboratory and radiological features of patients with non operative SD observed between 1990 and 2001 in our department of the "D. Cotugno" hospital - Naples. RESULTS: Eighteen patients with diagnosis of SD were evaluated. Etiologic agent was identified in 17 patients: M. tuberculosis in 5, brucella spp. in 4 and pyogenic bacteria in 8. Ten patients had underlying diseases or risk factors (4 diabetes mellitus, 3 arthrosis, 1 CRF, 1 IVDA and 2 previous back trauma). Symptoms preceded observation between 2 days and 12 months (median value 15 days). Seventeen patients presented fever, 13 back pain, 6 meningitis, 3 were comatous and 2 had severe sepsis. Ten patients showed high white blood cells count with granulocyte prevalence. Eritrosedimentation rate or C reactive protein were elevated in all patients. Diagnosis was confirmed in 8 patients only with radiographs of the spine, while 3 needed a CT and 11 a RMN imaging. Antimicrobial therapy was perfomed for at least 6 months in patients with brucellosis, 12 months in patients with tuberculosis and 2 months in patients with pyogenic SD. Persistent neurological deficit were observed in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Neurological deficit may be avoid in patients affected by SD only with a carefull diagnosis and an accurate antibiotic therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunohistochemical study of apelin, the natural ligand of receptor APJ, in a case of AIDS-related cachexia.

Apelin, a peptide first isolated from bovine stomach extracts, was discovered as an endogenous ligand for the APJ receptor. APJ has been shown to be a co-receptor for human and simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV and SIV). Apelin specifically inhibited the entry of primary T-tropic and dualtropic HIV-1 isolated from different clones expressing antiviral CD4 and APJ. On the basis of these results, we decided to compare the apelin expression level between normal and AIDS-infected tissues by immunohistochemistry. We found that apelin expression was less intense in AIDS-infected tissues compared to normal tissues, in particular in the pancreas, kidney, adrenal glands and lymphoid organs. These results suggest an involvement of this peptide in immunodeficiency and in the immune response to AIDS.

Adult↗