Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Mastrantonio.
The Authors report a rare clinical case of mixed müllerian tumor of the endometrium. They propose the possibility of an echographic diagnosis on the basis of a careful examination of the reports indicated in Literature.
Two hospital outbreaks of Clostridium difficile diarrhoea in two general surgery units of different hospitals are described. Moreover, the results of a study on the circulation of C. difficile in a neurosurgery unit following two cases of colitis are reported. C. difficile strains isolated from patients and environment have been typed using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and electrophoretic profiles of EDTA-extracted proteins. The majority of strains isolated in each hospital shared the same protein profile and the same pattern of antibiotic susceptibility. This provides strong evidence of cross-infection and hospital acquisition of C. difficile.
Twenty-three previously untreated ovarian cancer patients were treated, from January 1986 to March 1987, with combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin, cyclophosphamide and cytarabine (DAC regimen). All patients had advanced disease, which included 18 stage III and 5 stage IV patients. Sixteen patients had serous, 6 undifferentiated and 1 mixed histotype. Surgery consisting of total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, partial omentectomy and appendicectomy was performed in only 11/23 patients. Seventeen patients had bulky disease when the treatment was started. Four courses of chemotherapy were initially administered to all patients; second look laparotomy was performed in patients with no clinically measurable disease or with presumable entirely resectable tumor. Vomiting was the major side effect of chemotherapy: myelotoxicity was mild and in only one patient permanent renal damage occurred. A total of 14 objective clinical responses (73.7%) were observed, of which 9 were complete (47.4%). Six clinical complete remissions (37.5%) occurred in the group of patients with bulky disease. At second-look laparotomy six patients were found disease free (26%), 4 of whom originally had bulky disease (25%). Short-term DAC regimen seems to be a very effective treatment, with acceptable toxicity, in patients with ovarian cancer.
A case of bilateral ovarian Brenner Tumor of above average size with smooth surface, is reported. The Authors describe symptomatology and diagnostics, considering the uncertainty and rarity that still surround this neoplasia.
Stool specimens from premature neonates over the first month of life were examined for the presence of toxigenic Clostridium difficile and to evaluate a possible correlation between colonization and bowel disorders or prior antibiotic administration. Results showed a high isolation rate (63%) of Clostridium difficile with similar incidence in infants treated or not with antibiotics and with or without bowel disorders. Differentiation among strains according to SDS-PAGE, antibiotic susceptibility patterns and toxin production were useful to reveal cross-contamination. Both toxin-producing and non toxigenic strains were found in the infants' intestines. However, toxigenic strains were only present in infants suffering from bowel disorders and thus treated with oral antibiotics, suggesting that these factors may favour colonization by toxigenic strains.
The Authors refer to two cases of sclerous lichen treated with medical therapy (Vit. E, topic betametasone and lavage with K-permanganato). They conclude that when there is no association with other dystrophies of the vulva defined precancerous, the medical therapy is the only one that supplies satisfactory results.
The dynamic morphological aspects of the uterine mucosa during the various phases of the endometrial cycle were examined, by using ultrasonographic methods, in 148 patients having regular menstrual cycles and a biphasic basal body temperature. During the proliferative phase, ultrasonographic examinations permitted a visualization of the mucosa in 33%-45% of the cases, respectively in the initial and in the later part of the phase. During the secretory phase, the endometrium was identifiable in 81.4% (initial part) to 90% of the cases (later part of phase). During the menstrual phase, on the other hand, the median echo of the endometrial cavity could never be clearly identified.
Gonadoblastoma occurs almost entirely in patients with pure mixed gonadal dysgenesis or in male pseudohermaphrodites. A report of a patient with monolateral gonadoblastoma who sought consultation for primary amenorrhea is presented. Telarche and adrenarche occurred spontaneously at age 12. No signs of clitoromegaly or hirsutism were present. Endoscopic examination and biopsy specimens revealed absence of uterus, monolateral gonadoblastoma and controlateral teratoma in normally developed gonads. Serum gonadotrophins, estrogens and progesterone levels showed a biphasic secretion pattern. 46, XX karyotype was found on peripheral blood cells, skin fibroblasts and ovarian tissue.
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Authors have studied plasma human placental lactogen (HPL) an oestriol levels in 37 pregnant women affected by severe hypertensive disorders, diabetes mellitus, bad obstetric history, intrauterine growth retardation. They point out validity of associated and seriated dosages of these hormones because they are expression of foetus wellbeing and of placental function to survey high risk pregnancies.
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The heterogeneity of Vibrio cholerae toxin, obtained from culture filtrates in homogeneous form by gel filtration and preparative disc gel electrophoresis has been studied. By means of disc electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel cholera toxin was separated into three forms designated I (5%), II (15%) and III (80%). The toxic activity, amino acid content and molecular weight of the three forms were similar. The difference so far observed between the various electrophoretic fractions is a difference in net charge. Incubation of either cholera toxin II or cholera toxin III at relatively high pH leads to the formation of the more acidic forms. These forms, generated in vitro by deamidation of asparagine and/or glutamine residues, are indistinguishable from the toxins of similar electrophoretic mobilities isolated from crude culture filtrates.
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