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Biomedical subjects

P Berti

Publications and source records attributed to P Berti.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Benign ovarian fibroma associated with free peritoneal fluid and elevated serum CA 125 levels.

This paper reports the clinical case of a patient with ovarian neoplasia, ascites effusion, and elevated serum CA 125 levels (411 U/ml). This condition simulated a malignant pathology on the grounds of preoperative diagnostic examinations. Surgical investigation diagnosed an ovarian fibroma and ascites. Ascites was resolved rapidly and the serum CA 125 levels decreased after surgical neoplasia removal. An ovarian neoplasia associated with ascites effusion and elevated serum CA 125 levels (also in the presence of suspect ecographic and tomographic features) do not necessarily imply a malignant neoplasia.

Ascites↗
PubMed1997

An FFT-based flow profiler for high-resolution in vivo investigations.

Pulsed Doppler spectral analysis is a well-established diagnostic technique in the assessment of arterial diseases. Because of hardware limitations, its use has been so far restricted to the analysis of a single sample volume located along the ultrasound beam axis. In this paper, we discuss the operation of a newly developed multigate instrument capable of performing, in real time, 64-point fast Fourier transforms of Doppler signals sampled from 64 different range cells. The new instrument is capable of accurately detecting the actual blood flow behavior in major human vessels. Significant examples of velocity profiles obtained in real time from carotid arteries in healthy subjects are reproduced here for the first time. Multigate extension of spectral analysis is demonstrated to be a suitable means for detailed in vivo investigation of blood flow dynamics.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed1996

Flow cytometric measurement of DNA content in human solid tumors: a comparison with cytogenetics.

The aims of this study were: (1) to test the accuracy of flow cytometery (FC) in the measurement of DNA content in human solid tumors, (2) to correlate the FC DNA-index (DI) with the chromosome modal number (CMN) provided by cytogenetic analysis (CG), and (3) to investigate the most frequent pitfalls in FC histograms classification. FC and CG analyses were performed in parallel on 113 samples of human solid tumors of different origin. FC provided an evaluable histogram in 110 out of 113 cases (97%), whereas a successful CG culture was obtained in 79 out of 113 samples (72%). In the 79 cases evaluable by both FC and CG, a concordant ploidy status was found in 66 cases (84%) (47 diploid and 19 aneuploid) (P < 0.001, chi-square test). In the 19 concordant aneuploid tumors a close correlation between the CMN and the DI was found (y = 0.019 x + 0.151; r = 0.860). Concerning the 13 discordant cases, 11 (85%) were classified as aneuploid by FC and as diploid by CG, while 2 cases (15%) were CG aneuploid (1 near-diploid and 1 tetraploid) and FC diploid. The current study suggests that FC is a reliable method for the measurement of tumor DNA content of the studied solid tumors. Special attention should be paid to the improvement of DNA histograms quality, in order to reduce the difficulties in the detection of near-diploid and near-tetraploid cell populations. Multiple sampling should be warranted whenever possible.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1995

Symptomatic adrenal myelolipoma: therapeutic considerations.

Four cases of symptomatic myelolipoma of the adrenal gland are presented. Three were treated at laparotomy and one with a laparoscopic approach. On the basis of these four cases we discuss the aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of this rare disease. We also report the follow-up of a patient with bilateral myelolipoma, who underwent monolateral excision. We conclude that myelolipoma, if correctly diagnosed, can be treated conservatively with careful follow-up, limiting surgery to symptomatic cases.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1994

Prognostic value of flow cytometric deoxyribonucleic acid index in endometrial carcinoma: comparison with other clinical-pathologic parameters.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the current study were to verify the impact of flow cytometric deoxyribonucleic acid index on clinical outcome in endometrial carcinoma and to assess whether its value is independent from the other clinical-pathologic features. STUDY DESIGN: In a prospective series 74 cases of endometrial carcinoma with surgery performed at our institution were studied. Flow cytometry was performed on fresh tumor samples. The median follow-up period was 31 months (range 8 to 52). Disease-free survival and actuarial survival were the end points of the study. RESULTS: Among the 74 patients (53 with diploid and 21 with aneuploid tumors) there were 14 recurrences and 10 deaths caused by the disease. The recurrence rate was 7.5% for the diploid and 47.6% for the aneuploid tumors (p < 0.001). Mortality was 3.8% for diploid and 38% for aneuploid cases (p < 0.001). Disease-free survival was 89.1% in the former group and 36.3% in the latter. Actuarial survival (Kaplan-Meier method) was 94.7% and 49.5%, respectively. Deoxyribonucleic acid index, stage (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), and grade of differentiation were significantly correlated with survival, whereas age, depth of myometrial invasion, and histologic type were not. In a multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazards) deoxyribonucleic acid index was the strongest independent predictor of clinical outcome, followed by International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, whereas grade of differentiation yielded no independent prognostic information. CONCLUSIONS: The flow cytometric deoxyribonucleic acid index is an important independent prognosticator, and its determination should be included in the standard management of endometrial cancer.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1994

[The postoperative hemorrhagic complication in thyroid surgery].

Hemorrhage is a complication of thyroid surgery less important than recurrent laryngeal nerve injury or hypoparathyroidism, but extremely dangerous. Hemorrhage may be early or delayed. Early hemorrhage occurs generally in the operating theatre and is made easier by vomiting and coughing after removal of the tracheal tube. For this reason it is indispensable for the surgeon to remain until the patient is awake and carefully control the drainages. Delayed hemorrhage generally occurs some hours after the surgical operation with a swelling of the neck associated with difficulties in the breathing, due to tracheal compression. In our institution, from 1988 to 1992, we performed 1800 surgical operations for thyroid diseases and we observed 9 early hemorrhages and 10 delayed hemorrhages. In all cases we performed reoperation in general anaesthesia. In our series the hemorrhage was due to the vessels of the pre-thyroidal muscles and of the inferior pole, rarely of the superior pole. We had no complications after the reoperation. To prevent this complication, we have to respect some technical aspects: accuracy in the ligature of the blood vessels of the superior and inferior pole; partial section of the pre-thyroidal muscles; to bring the remaining thyroid (in case of subtotal thyroidectomy) near to the trachea with some stitches.

Female↗
PubMed1994

[Carcinoma of the parathyroids. Surgical experience in 3 cases].

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of hyperparathyroidism (rate of occurrence of 0.5% of all parathyroid neoplasms). In this report we describe three cases of parathyroid carcinoma seen in our Institution and we analyse the clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and pathological findings of this disease. The three patients were 14, 22 and 45 year old respectively. Familial history was negative for endocrine diseases. The laboratory and instrumental findings of thyroid and adrenal glands were negative. Predominant symptoms were in all cases weakness, lethargy, bone and muscular pain, nausea, vomiting. The two young patients presented fractures of the inferior limb and of the forearm respectively, five years and one year before the diagnosis. X-ray examination and MNR easily demonstrated the "brown tumors". In two cases a symptomatic nephrolithiasis was present. The 14 year old child presented polyuria and polydipsia. In all cases a mass was palpable in the neck (two in the right side and one in the left one). The elevated serum calcium concentration (15, 18, and 20.2 mg/dl respectively) and the elevated serum PTH (480, 651, and 680 pg/ml respectively) allowed the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism. Ultrasound scan and thallium-technetium scanning identified in all cases a mass adjacent the thyroid. A radical resection of the malignant parathyroid gland and the ipsilateral thyroid lobe was performed in two cases, while only a resection of the involved parathyroid gland in one case. The diagnosis of parathyroid cancer was established using pathologic criteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Cardiac echinococcosis. Case report and review of the literature].

Cardiac echinococcosis is a rare disease. We report the case of a patient affected by cardiac echinococcosis who underwent surgical treatment successfully. A forty year old woman was hospitalized referring palpitation and dyspnea. The patient had undergone surgical pericystectomy of the right lobe of the liver for echinococcosis 6 month before. Chest X-ray film showed a round opacity well delineated on the left side of the heart, Ghedini reaction was negative, ECG was normal. After a review of literature we analyze anatomo-clinic and therapeutic aspects of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Multicentre evaluation of the Bayer DAX system.

The analytical performance of the DAX, a high-throughput random access analyser, was studied according to ECCLS guidelines (ECCLS Document Vol. 3, No. 2, Beuth Verlag, Berlin, 1986) in a multicentre evaluation involving four laboratories. The trial took about 4 months. Determinations of 12 analytes produced more than 60,000 data. The imprecision study on 3 control sera for all analytes gave a within-run CV (median of 4 laboratories) which never exceeded 3% and was below 2% in 94% of the results. The median between-day CV was less than 3% in 92% of the results, with a highest value of 5.0%. No significant drift was detected during the 5-hour work period. No relevant sample- and cuvette-related carry-over was found. The manufacturer's claims concerning linearity were fulfilled or exceeded. The recovery of the assigned values for the control sera (median of 4 laboratories) ranged from 94 to 106%. In the method comparison on patients' samples, deviations were statistically significant in some cases, due to differences either in the methods used or in the calibration of the systems used for comparison; the regression lines, as inspected visually, and the coefficients of correlation were, however, generally acceptable. Imprecision and inaccuracy were within the acceptability limits as recommended by the Société Française de Biologie Clinique (SFBC) (Biochim. Clin. 12 (1988) 284-327) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Chemie (DGKC) (Dt. Arztebl. 85 (11) (1988) A697-A712). The limits of acceptance, proposed more recently by Fraser et al. (Eur. J. Clin. Chem. Clin. Biochem. 30 (1992) 311-317), were met in thirty-three of thirty-six cases. The alpha-amylase assay was significantly affected by bilirubin and haemolysis; interferences for the remaining analytes were predictable and well-known from the literature. The rate of sample throughput was found to be in agreement with that claimed by the manufacturer. The software did not present problems and was readily accepted by the operators. The practicability of the instrument was rated very good. Since the DAX is the primary chemistry analyzer in all four participating laboratories, the present experiments were necessarily intermixed with a large routine workload. Therefore, the system performance was assessed under definitely "usual" conditions. Because of its high productivity and reliability, the DAX is highly suitable for routine use in medium to large sized hospitals.

Blood Chemical Analysis↗
PubMed1992

Carotid body tumours. A review of eight cases.

Between 1968 and 1988, eight patients with carotid body tumour have been operated on at Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica at the University of Pisa. We undertook the follow-up of all these patients. Two of them presented with bilateral and familial lesions. There was no mortality or morbidity, except in one patient, who had the vagus resected because it was invaded by tumour. For investigation of familial occurrence we have found ultrasound very useful for screening.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Multicentric breast tumour: an anatomical-clinical study of 100 cases.

Multicentric tumours (MT) represent a potential limit to the treatment by conservative surgery of cancer of the breast. In order to determine which anatomical-clinical features of breast cancer would indicate the highest risk of MT, we studied 100 patients with MT and 452 patients with unicentric tumours (UT), all of whom had been subjected to radical mastectomy during the period 1980 to 1988. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between the two groups of parameters for bilateral breast cancer (with regard both to metachronous and synchronous lesions), for primary tumours of over 2 cm in size, for both lobular and invasive ductal histotypes and for involvement of the nipple-areola complex. Therefore, if the indications in favour of conservative surgery are applied accurately in combination with radiation therapy, the clinical and biological significance of multicentricity is minimized.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Analysis of leucocyte populations with the Coulter S-Plus STKR as a screening tool for haematological abnormalities.

In two institutions at Rome and Florence we evaluated the clinical sensitivity of two Coulter STKR systems using the NCCLS standard H20-T for leucocyte differential count in a patient population with high prevalence of haematologic abnormalities. Reference ranges of normal leucocytes were obtained on 278 adult subjects. On a population of 455 patient specimens, 200 specimens (44%) were flagged by the STKR because of a distributional abnormality, and 122 (27%) because of a morphological abnormality. Percentage of subtotal agreements between the STKR and the reference manual differential count was 85.4%, with 67.5% full and 20.9% partial agreements. Eight specimens that showed a morphological abnormality with the reference manual differential count were classified as normal by the STKR, with a false normal rate of 6.6%. Analysis of the STKR performance for morphological abnormalities showed acceptable sensitivity (82.0%) and rather low specificity (71.5%), low predictive value of positive results (51.3), high predictive value of negative results (91.5%) and efficiency of 74.3%. The main problems of the STKR differential count were a high rate of false monocyte count, and the misidentification of eosinophilias and low-concentration abnormal cells.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗