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R Lentini

Publications and source records attributed to R Lentini.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

FISH analysis for CML monitoring?

Conventional cytogenetics is considered the gold standard for evaluating CML during interferon (IFN) treatment. Drawbacks to this approach are the small number of metaphases available during IFN therapy and the impossibility of scoring interphase cells. We applied, besides cytogenetics, double-color FISH (dc-FISH) detection of BCR-ABL gene fusion to monitor 20 CML patients on IFN. dc-FISH easily detected 200 cells per specimen, while with cytogenetic examination a mean of 16.1 mitoses per sample were scored. Though the correlation of dc-FISH and cytogenetic data was good (r = 0.77, p < 0.001), the discrepancy between the two methods as regards the proportion of leukemic cells in the marrow was often important dc-FISH detected a relevant proportion of BCR-ABL+ cells in three patients classified as complete cytogenetic responders and showed that, after 9-12 months of IFN treatment, a significant reduction of BCR-ABL+ cells was present in all the 20 patients tested. This might suggest that all CML patients are potentially responsive to IFN. Though more data are required, we think that dc-FISH is more informative than cytogenetic analysis for CML monitoring. Notably because of the simplicity of the procedure, this method could be easily standardized among different laboratories, thus permitting cross-comparison in therapeutic trials.

Cytogenetics↗
PubMed1995

Cytogenetic analysis is non-informative for assessing the remission rate in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients on interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy.

Cytogenetic analysis is considered pivotal for assessing the remission rate in CML patients on IFN therapy. On the basis of general agreement, at least 25 metaphases should be analyzed in each case. The main limitations to this approach are: 1) the small number of analyzable metaphases generally found in cytogenetic preparations from IFN-alpha-treated patients; and 2) the inability of this technique for scoring interphase cells. We compared the results of cytogenetic analysis and double-color FISH detection of bcr/abl genes fusion in 13 CML patients on IFN-alpha therapy (marrow sampling for cytogenetic and FISH analysis was carried out after 12 months in all patients and repeated after 18 months of IFN therapy in patients 4, 6, and 8). In five specimens, 20 to 25 cells were evaluable for cytogenetic examination, in another five no analyzable metaphases were scored, and in the remaining six samples two to 14 cells could be analyzed. With FISH detection at least 100 cells were easily scored in each specimen (mean number, 175). Comparing the results carried out with the two methods in different samples it emerged that cytogenetic analysis led to improper conclusions as regards the rate of Ph positivity, even in those patients where 20-25 metaphases were analyzed. Although many more cases have to be studied to establish the role of FISH analysis in Ph-positive patients, we are of the opinion that cytogenetic analysis is unfit for easily and accurately assessing the actual quality of remission in IFN-treated subjects.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1995

[Tooth pastes and oral hygiene in the Roman world].

The trial against Apuleius frames historically and socially the subject of oral hygiene, which hides behind the semiotic paradigm full of magic, superstition, and all of the roman cultural background which stems from the ancient greek tradition. After reading carefull the latin odontic prescription written by Scribonius Largus, Celsus, Plinius, Marcellus etc., we don't want to stop at a precise list of tooth paste ingredients but we have tried to interpret the ideological procedures and practices which guided the greek and latin therapeutic practices and daily hygiene.

History, Ancient↗