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Biomedical subjects

R Castellani

Publications and source records attributed to R Castellani.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Human growth hormone enhances progesterone production by human luteal cells in vitro: evidence of a synergistic effect with human chorionic gonadotropin.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the possible direct effect of human growth hormone (hGH) on basal and human chorionic gonadodotropin (hCG)-stimulated progesterone (P) production by cultured human luteal cells. DESIGN: Cultures of human luteal cells from early and midluteal phase. SETTING: All corpora lutea were obtained from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Catholic University, a public care center. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Twelve nonpregnant women between 35 and 47 years of age underwent surgery for various nonendocrine disorders such as leiomyomatosis. INTERVENTIONS: Corpora lutea were obtained at the time of hysterectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Luteal cells were incubated with or without hCG and/or hGH at different concentrations. RESULTS: Human growth hormone neither at 250 nor at 500 ng/mL increased basal P production, whereas from 1,000 ng/mL P concentration in media was significantly increased (P less than 0.05). The concomitant treatment with uneffective doses of hCG (6 and 12 ng/mL) and hGH (250 and 500 ng/mL) enhanced P production similarly to that obtained with the highest doses of hGH (1,000 ng/mL or more) or hCG (25 to 50 ng/mL) alone. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a direct effect of hGH on the luteal steroidogenesis in vitro.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Treatment of symptomatic bone metastases of prostatic carcinoma with strontium (Sr-89) chloride: initial experience].

Until now, patients with a progressive prostatic cancer, in whom all therapies failed and the disease spread locally and distally, was considered "a lost patient"; because it did not exist an effective therapy easily to be used. The skeletal pain control is a serious problem and it is a great responsibility also for the Urologists especially if the patient has not a short survival time and the quality of life very poor. Physicians feel the need for a systemic, well tolerated and effective therapy also for a long time, uniform and repeatable, able to be efficient for these patients. Strontium 89 chloride seems to offer all those possibilities and to be the best procedure for Urologist, Radiotherapists and Nuclear Specialists in order to satisfy the patients requirements. International research has shown Sr-89 Chloride is a powerful new therapy. Sr-90 Chloride is a radiopharmaceutical product for the treatment of painful metastases from prostatic cancer. It is a new treatment but its effectiveness is well documented and results are reported in the most important international literature. In our Department a clinical research has started and our purpose is to produce more data for a clinical and biological evaluation of the results hoping that a similar research will extend as a multicenter study.

Bone Neoplasms↗
PubMed1991

[Serum levels of IgG subclasses in critically ill premature infants treated with intravenous immunoglobulins].

Fifty eight premature infants, all needing intensive care and mechanical ventilation, were randomly allocated to two groups. Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG, 500 mg/kg Sandoglobulin) were administered to Group 1 while Group 2 received saline as placebo. IgG subclass serum levels were evaluated in both groups on admission, after two hours from the end of IVIG or saline infusion and from day 3 to 7 from birth. IgG subclasses were also measured in 10 healthy term neonates during the first day of life. Results show that after 2 hours from the end of IVIG administration all IgG subclasses reach levels comparable to term neonates. Comparing IgG values between treated and untreated preterm neonates it was observed that on day 3 only IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses were significantly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2. At day 5 no differences were observed between the two groups. IgG2 subclass rose reaching a significant difference between the two groups ad day 5 and 7. Our data show that IVIG single dose (500 mg/kg) administration doesn't produce a constant elevation in all IgG subclasses during the first week of life in the critically ill preterm infant.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Non invasive detection of venogenic impotence: real-time US evaluation of periprostatic (Santorini's) venous plexus after (PGE1) induced erection.

The diagnosis of venous impotence is actually reached through cavernometry and cavernography. These procedures are somewhat painful, invasive, time consuming and not always free from side effects. Anatomo-physiological studies have assessed connections between periprostatic (Santorini's) plexus and deep venous drainage of the penis. Moreover, dilated periprostatic plexus is a common ultrasound finding in the phlogistic pathology of the prostate and it is often the cause of temporary functional impotence. 20 Patients suffering from venous impotence, previously assessed by flow/pressure studies, underwent real time transrectal scan (Kretz Combison 330 equipped with 7.5 MHertz multiplanar probe) before and after Prostaglandins E1 (PGE1) (Prostin VR-Upjohn) induced erection recorded by computerised rigidometer (RigiScan-Dacomed). Dilated periprostatic venous plexus associated with tumescence or unstable valid erection ("tooth-saw-trace") was considered diagnostic for venogenic impotence. Real time ultrasound evaluation after PGE1 induced erection is to be considered a reliable method in the qualitative assessment of venogenic impotence. The procedure allows, moreover, a more accurate urologic assessment and is also useful in the early detection of various prostatic disease which are, like erection disorders, often age-related. Customary diagnostic procedures (cavernometry and caverography) may represent a second-line or pre-surgical assessment policy.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[A rare case of neoplasm of the epididymis].

An unexpected anatomopathological diagnosis--an adenomatoid neoplasm of the epididymis in a patient operated for hydrocele and suspected left chronic epididymis is described. After having briefly described the pathological anatomy and epidemiology of the adenomatoid neoplasm, the paper discusses the importance of a careful anamnestic and clinical assessment of commonly encountered diseases which are often considered clinically less important.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

[Usefulness of gallium 67 in research into the need for radical cervical lymph node dissection in patients with head and neck carcinomas].

Fifty-nine patients with head and neck carcinoma were examined with 67Ga scintigraphy. All patients had undergone lymph node dissection of the neck. They were followed for a minimum of 2 years after the examination. The primary tumor, treated prior/contemporaneously to the lymph node dissection, did not evolve in this interval. Metastatic involvement of the lymph node capsule was observed in all 44 cases with metastatic lymph nodes; macroscopic radicality was surgically obtained since involvement of the capsule was only microscopic. Nevertheless, complementary radiotherapy was given. The whole of 17 recurrences in the soft tissues of the neck were found, within 2 years, in the group of 26 patients who had undergone dissection of lymph nodes with metastatic capsular involvement and whose postoperative 67Ga scintigraphy was positive. On the contrary, no recurrences in the soft tissues of the neck were observed in the group of 18 patients who had undergone dissection of lymph nodes with metastatic capsular involvement and whose scintigraphy was negative. This result proves (P less than 0.001) 67Ga capable of evidencing eventual microscopic diffusion. Such a possibility has not yet been realized in vivo with any other investigation technique. Scintigraphy was negative in a control group of 15 patients who had undergone lymph node dissection, and with nonmetastatic lymph nodes. This finding leads us to exclude that the use of 67Ga might result in misinterpreted findings in the exploration of relatively superficial tissues. In fact, the eventual accumulation of radioisotope in nonneoplastic pathologies is quite easily recognizable in the neck. We can therefore conclude that in those 9 cases with positive scintigraphy and in whom no recurrence was found, microscopic diffusion was probably present, but local recurrence of the disease was prevented by complementary radiotherapy.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Ultrasonic patterns of a cardiac rhabdomyoma detected in utero.

Echography performed on a healthy woman at the 30th week of an uneventful pregnancy demonstrated the presence of an intracardiac tumor protruding into the left ventricular cavity. In the early neonatal period a cardiovascular surgeon removed the mass which proved to be a rhabdomyoma. The authors stress the importance of these echographic findings in formulating plans for the management of pregnancy, delivery and proper therapeutic intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Adriamycin cardiotoxicity: a survey of 1273 patients.

Valuable information was collected on the medical history and clinical course of 1273 patients entered in clinical trials with Adriamycin (ADR) carried out in 12 European cancer centers. A coded patient form was used for the data collection carried out in each center by a qualified physician following a guideline which was discussed and accepted by all of the participants. The aim of the study was to define the incidence, characteristics, and possible co-factors of the cardiomyopathy (CMP) in patients treated with combination chemotherapy regimens including ADR. The mean total dose of ADR was 268 mg/m2 (range, 15--1251 mg/m2), and 5.1% of the patients received a total dose of greater than 550 mg/m2. A "definite" ADR-related CMP was observed in 1.7% of the cases; another 3% of the cases were reported as "possible" ADR-CMP since the role played by the drug could not be clearly defined. "Definite" ADR-CMP was fatal in eight patients (0.6%) while "possible" ADR-CMP was fatal in 13 patients (1.0%). Among the possible co-factors examined, the following ones were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of a "definite" ADR-CMP: (a) total dose of ADR; (b) vincristine when given both before and concomitantly with ADR; (c) bleomycin when given before ADR; and (d) radiotherapy to the mediastinum when given concomitantly with ADR. Furthermore, none of 182 patients receiving ADR by slow infusion developed a "definite" ADR-CMP, while 2% of the patients treated by bolus injection did so. The occurrence of a "possible" ADR-CMP was found to be significantly associated with two pre-existing pathologic conditions (electrocardiogram [ECG] abnormalities and hypertension) but not with the treatment-related co-factors for the "definite" ADR-CMP mentioned above. Other variables examined, such as sex, age, cancer type, baseline liver function, and cyclophosphamide treatment, did not seem to influence the risk of ADR-CMP. Data on ECG changes occurring during ADR treatment were also reported and their incidence was found to be strictly related to the frequency of the ECG monitoring.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Laparoscopy and laparotomy combined with bone marrow biopsy in staging Hodgkin's disease.

The relative merits of laparoscopy with liver and spleen biopsy and staging laparotomy were studied in 91 unselected patients with Hodgkin's disease. Laparoscopy with liver and spleen biopsy were combined with needle biopsy of the bone marrow and laparotomy was combined with open bone marrow biopsy. In 65 untreated patients six out of seven with liver or marrow disease, or both, were shown to have extranodal lymphomas in these sites by laparoscopy plus needle marrow biopsy. Among 26 patients who had been treated this finding occurred in six out of 10 patients. Spleen biopsies during laparoscopy detected infiltration by lymphoma in 14 out of 37 (38%) patients with diseases spleens. Morbidity was higher after laparotomy than after laparoscopy. Laparoscopy produced abdominal bleeding secondary to splenic biopsy in two patients. All patients with Hodgkin's disease should be subjected to laparoscopy plus needle marrow biopsy before undergoing laparotomy.

Adolescent↗