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Biomedical subjects

R Caruso

Publications and source records attributed to R Caruso.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Autologous bone marrow transplantation in 44 patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at University "La Sapienza" of Rome.

High dose therapy followed by infusion of autologous bone marrow has become a major treatment option for an increasing number of poor prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients. In our study we analyzed the outcome of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in 44 high grade NHL patients transplanted at our institution between 1985 and 1992. Median age was 31 years (range 12-61); nineteen were in partial remission (PR) after first line chemotherapy and 25 in sensitive relapse (SR). Of the 25 patients transplanted in SR, 14 relapsed after a median time of 5.5 months (range 1-26), 8 are in complete remission after a median follow up of 41.5 months and three died from toxicity. Of the 19 patients grafted in PR, 11 are alive and progression free after a median follow up of 52 months, while 8 relapsed at a median time of 5 months. The overall progression free survival (PFS) projected at 6 years is 35% with a 47% PFS for patients transplanted in PR and 28% for patients in SR. In conclusion, high dose therapy and ABMT has achieved widespread use as salvage therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory high grade NHL. In particular, our experience confirms that myeloablative treatment is a safe and well tolerated procedure for patients in PR, that may be easily applied as early salvage therapy without major toxicities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Effects of captopril and ticlopidine, alone or in combination, in hypertensive patients with intermittent claudication.

Twenty four male hypertensive patients suffering also from peripheral obstructive arterial disease were randomly subdivided in two groups and after a period of farmacological wash-out of one month Group I was treated with Captopril (C 50 mg bid) or Ticlopidine (T 250 mg bid) for three months and then with the association C plus T for three months again. After placebo administration for one month, patients were further treated with C plus T at low doses (25 mg bid and respectively 250 mg daily). In the first part of the study, patients of Group II received an inverse sequence of the drugs (before Ticlopidine 250 mg bid and then Captopril 50 bid). In both groups of patients C induced a significant decrease of blood pressure and an increase of PFWD, TWD, and WI. T did not modify blood pressure but slightly increased PFWD, TWD, and WI. The improvement was more evident during administration of C plus T, whereas placebo administration induced a trend toward baseline values. Finally, the chronic administration of C plus T for twelve months induced a further improvement of all considered parameters. In conclusion, chronic administration of C plus T may be useful in the treatment of hypertensive patients suffering from intermittent claudication, improving significantly PFWD and TWD.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed1995

Ependymoblastoma: a clinical review.

Ependymoblastoma is a malignant rarely reported neuroectodermal tumor. The authors describe a further case of cerebral ependymoblastoma and examine the clinical-prognostic aspects of this tumor in the light of the published data.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1995

Supratentorial arachnoid cysts: clinical and therapeutic remarks on 46 cases.

The authors report 46 cases of primary supratentorial arachnoid cysts. Thirty-two patients presented with symptomatic arachnoid cysts, which act as space-occupying lesions and were surgically treated by fenestration. 14 patients presented with a scarcity of symptoms; for this reason they were kept under control by periodical neuroradiological examination. After a long follow-up period (median 11 years), 97% of the operated patients presented neurological improvement and a decrease in the size of the cyst; none of the patients who were not operated on showed any variation in either neurological status or size of the cyst. The authors discuss their findings in the light of the published papers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Primary intracranial arachnoid cyst in the elderly.

Sixteen cases of symptomatic arachnoid cyst in elderly patients (> 65 years of age) including of our own case are considered and their clinical and therapeutic features compared with those of the larger series comprising younger patients. From this study, no clinical differences emerged between arachnoid cysts in elderly patients and those of their younger counterparts. Surgical treatment was confirmed as being necessary for a good outcome in this age group when the cysts became symptomatic.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Affective disorders among elderly general practice patients. A two-phase survey in Brescia, Italy.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the prevalence of depression among 255 elderly general practice patients and the practitioners' performance in identifying depression. METHOD: Elderly patients attending 14 general practices entered a screening phase with GHQ-12 and MMSE. Those positive were then interviewed with GMS and HAS. RESULTS: DSM-III-R major depression affected 22.4%, dysthymic disorder 6.3%, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) depression 7.1%. General practitioners performed fairly well: identification index 88.4%, accuracy 0.49, bias 1.85. CONCLUSIONS: Depression was markedly high. A selective progression of depressed elderly from the community to general practitioners is implied.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

[Intracranial actinomycosis].

Actinomycosis is a bacterial infection mainly affecting the cervico-oro-facial area, abdomen and lungs, sometimes spreading to the central nervous system. Extremely rare is the primary cerebral location of the disease.

Actinomyces↗
PubMed1994

[Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma. The computed tomographic picture and histological correlations].

Twenty-one CT examinations of 18 patients with a known bronchioloalveolar carcinoma in the lung were retrospectively reviewed to describe the CT features of bronchioloalveolar carcinomas. Surgical specimens were available in 13 cases in which CT-histologic correlation was also obtained. In 5 patients the diagnosis was made with cytology and confirmed with radiologic-clinical follow-up. Three patients were reexamined for relapses 6-20 months after the resection of a localized carcinoma. Carcinomas exhibited 3 radiologic patterns: a) solitary pulmonary nodule (11 cases), b) mass or pulmonary consolidation (3 cases) and c) multicentric or diffuse disease (7 cases). Solitary nodular bronchioloalveolar carcinomas were associated with irregular or spiculated margins in 9 of 11 patients. In some cases internal inhomogeneity due to bubble-like radiolucencies was demonstrated. At pathology, bubble-like radiolucencies correlated with air-containing cystic spaces lined by neoplastic epithelium or patent and dilated bronchi. Some nodules exhibited linear and serpentine internal radiolucencies. Pathology demonstrated them to be consistent with patent intratumoral bronchioles (air bronchiologram) and air-containing neoplastic glandular spaces, respectively. In two cases a perinodular ground-glass halo was demonstrated surrounding the nodule (CT halo sign), due to perinodular lepidic tumor growth. Massive or ground-glass opacity involving a pulmonary segment or a lobe was another CT pattern of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. An air bronchogram was usually demonstrated within the lesion. In the mucinous type of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma, pulmonary consolidations had a low CT value because of the large amount of intratumoral mucus. The diffuse type of tumor presented as multiple pulmonary nodules or multiple pulmonary consolidations, or both. In two cases multiple nodules were associated with carcinomatous lymphangitis. In conclusion, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules, multiple pulmonary nodules and chronic alveolar opacities. The diagnosis of a bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is of great value since surgery can help nearly 70% of the patients at this stage recover.

Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar↗
PubMed1993

Increased expression of the src proto-oncogene in hairy cell leukemia and a subgroup of B-cell lymphomas.

The c-src proto-oncogene encodes a M(r) 60,000 phosphoprotein, pp60c-src, with tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity. We have used an immune complex protein kinase assay for pp60c-src to analyze a spectrum of B-cell neoplasms. pp60c-src activity was elevated in all five hairy cell leukemia specimens and in a number of the large cell and immunoblastic lymphomas; neoplasms representing later stages in B-cell development. pp60c-src activity was low in neoplastic cells which correspond to early and intermediate stages in B-cell development (acute and chronic lymphatic leukemia, lymphoblastic lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma). The enhanced pp60c-src activity was associated with high levels of pp60c-src protein. However, increased expression of c-src was not associated with amplification or gross structural rearrangement of the c-src gene. This preliminary study demonstrates elevated levels of pp60c-src protein and tyrosine protein kinase activity in neoplasms corresponding to the later stages of B-cell ontogeny.

Blotting, Southern↗
PubMed1993

CD5 negative lymphocytosis mimicking typical B-chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Description of 26 cases.

We report 26 elderly patients (median age 68.3 years) who met diagnostic criteria for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) but whose lymphocytes lacked CD5 expression. Haematological and clinical features of this CD5- series were compared with those of 333 CD5+ B-CLL patients from the same institute. No significant differences were observed regarding peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) lymphocytosis, Hb level, platelet count, incidence of adenomegaly, hepatomegaly or splenomegaly or diffuse BM pattern. Due to an absence of nodal enlargements or to general clinical condition, lymph node biopsy was performed in only three patients, while spleen histology was examined in two cases following splenectomy. All histological results confirmed the clinical diagnosis of CLL. The distribution of the CD5- subjects according to the different staging categories proposed by Rai, Binet and Mandelli was similar to that of CD5+ subjects. Ten patients received standard chemotherapy with Chlorambucil (CHL) and Prednisone (PDN). All achieved partial remission, although one of these patients later died of disease progression; 80 months after diagnosis. We conclude that rare cases of CD5- lymphocytosis fulfilling all criteria for B-CLL may occur. Haematological and clinical features at presentation and the response to conventional treatment with Chlorambucil support our hypothesis of considering this disease as a less frequent subgroup of B-CLL.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Nursing perspectives: aseptic techniques in wound care.

The availability and use of gloves and antibiotics contribute to a false sense of security in providing wound care. The significance of nurses' attention to the principles of aseptic technique need to be re-established in nursing practice.

Asepsis↗
PubMed1992

Retinal toxicity in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children treated with 2',3'-dideoxyinosine.

To assess the safety and antiretroviral activity of 2',3'-dideoxyinosine, we enrolled 43 children with symptomatic (Centers for Disease Control class P-2) human immunodeficiency virus infection in a Phase I-II study and monitored them prospectively for the development of ocular complications secondary to HIV infection or drug toxicity. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 103 weeks with a median follow-up of 71 weeks. Three of 43 children (7.0%) developed peripheral atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium during treatment with 2',3'-dideoxyinosine. The two children with the most severe retinal atrophy were enrolled in the study at the highest dosage studied (540 mg/m2/day). In contrast to findings in children, no retinal atrophy in HIV-infected adults treated with 2',3'-dideoxyinosine has been evident to date.

Atrophy↗
PubMed1992

Ophthalmologic manifestations of type B Niemann-Pick diseases.

Type B Niemann-Pick Disease (NPB) is a rare lysosomal storage disease resulting from diminished activity or deficiency of sphingomyelinase and is characterized by multi-system involvement with visceromegaly. Rare ocular involvement (the Macula Halo Syndrome) has been reported. Eight patients (ages 4-36) with NPB underwent complete ophthalmologic evaluations. All patients had periorbital fullness, a hitherto unreported clinical feature. Two patients had a classic Macula Halo Syndrome. One patient developed peri-macular granular deposits forming an incomplete Macula Halo over 5 years. Another patient had macular granular deposits and developed deterioration of central vision and abnormal visual evoked potentials. Ophthalmologic involvement in NPB is more common than previously described. Complete ophthalmologic evaluation is recommended in all patients suspected to have NPB.

Adolescent↗