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Biomedical subjects

R Mazzanti

Publications and source records attributed to R Mazzanti.

51 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

The effect of chronic ethanol consumption on iron absorption in rats.

Alcoholics often have an increased amount of iron in the liver which may contribute to the development of alcoholic liver disease, although the mechanism is unknown. It has been shown that chronic ethanol intake decreases the enterocyte turnover and enhances galactose absorption. Whether it affects iron absorption is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on whole body iron absorption in rats. Twenty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed a liquid diet containing either ethanol as 36% of total calories or an isocaloric diet where fat was substituted for ethanol. On the 28th day, four-hour fasted rats were given an oral dose of 59Fe (0.5 microCi) and were immediately counted by a whole body counter. 59Fe levels were then monitored over the following nine days. Although ethanol- and control-fed rats had a similar hepatic iron content (59.5 +/- 5.8 vs 60.2 +/- 7.4 micrograms/100 mg dry liver weight) (mean +/- S.E.M.), the 59Fe total body content was greater in the ethanol group (75% +/- 3%) compared with the control group (45% +/- 4%). These results show that chronic ethanol ingestion increased iron absorption in rats. A reduction of enterocyte turnover may play a role in determining this effect.

Alcoholism↗

Chemotherapy of primary and secondary liver cancer: is it useful?

The therapeutic efficacy of three different antiblastic regimens was tested in patients affected by primary or secondary liver cancer. The association of cyclophosphamide and adriamycin gave the best results, despite no partial remission observed with any treatment. As regards the efficacy of antiblastic therapy in this type of tumor, we must conclude that the only detectable effect is a transient improvement of the course of the disease.

Adult↗

An insight into post-gastrectomy "alkaline reflux gastritis".

One hundred and ten partially-gastrectomized patients were studied in order to assess prevalence of symptoms, entero-gastric reflux, endoscopic erythematous changes and histological gastritis and to explore some aspects of the pathogenesis of gastritis syndrome. Prevalence of symptoms (37.2% of the patients) was lower than prevalence of reflux (86.9% and 72.9% of patients with fasting bile reflux or scintigraphic assessment, respectively) endoscopic hyperaemia (72.7% of patients) and remnant chronic gastritis (88.3% of patients). Histological appearance in the perianastomotic area was mostly identifiable as hyperplastic-regenerative. While histological findings, gastric pH, bacteria and nitrite concentration and patients' age were reciprocally correlated, symptoms, endoscopic changes, remnant chronic gastritis and gastric environmental changes were not more severe in patients with more abundant enterogastric reflux. Therefore, as far as the methods for reflux assessment used in the present study are concerned, postgastrectomy findings (symptoms, extent of erythematous changes, severity of remnant chronic gastritis) are not related to reflux. These results suggest that the term "alkaline reflux gastritis syndrome", at this stage of knowledge, should be used with caution.

Adult↗

The bromosulphthalein loading test in chronic alcoholic liver diseases.

The BSP loading test was performed in 39 patients affected by alcoholic liver disease. The behaviour of some parameters of the hepatic BSP metabolism was observed(45th min retention percentage, plasma disappearance rate, K1 and K2 exponentials, K21, K12 and K32 transfer rates). The 45th min retention percentage was the most sensitive parameter in detecting liver disease. This parameter, PDR, K1 and K21 were the most reliable parameters in differentiating between the various forms of alcoholic liver disease(alcoholic steatosis, alcoholic chronic hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis).

Adult↗

Expired hydrocarbons in patients with chronic liver disease.

Fifty patients with various types of liver disease and twenty-one healthy subjects were examined for lipoperoxidation in vivo by gaschromatographic assay of volatile hydrocarbons (ethane, ethylene, propane, n-butane, n-pentane) in breath gases. In 15 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis the amount of expired pentane was greater than in all the other groups examined. No significant increase of exhaled ethane, in contrast, was detected in the same patients. These results seem to indicate that pentane is a more sensitive index than ethane for ethanol-induced lipoperoxidation. This simple and non-invasive method opens up promising new opportunities for clarifying in humans, the role of lipoperoxidation in ethanol-induced liver damage, as well as in other chronic liver disease.

Adult↗

Long-term survival in metastatic melanoma patients treated with sequential biochemotherapy: report of a Phase II study.

The overall survival for patients with metastatic melanoma is very poor, with a median survival of 8.5 months. In this Phase II trial, we assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a sequential biochemotherapy schedule, using dacarbazine as antiblastic agent and immunomodulant doses of interleukin-2 and interferon-alfa. Thirty-one eligible patients with metastatic melanoma received dacarbazine IV as antiblastic therapy and interluekin-2, plus interferon-alfa SC as sequential immunotherapy, for 6 months. Responding and nonprogressing patients were subsequently maintained on immunotherapy treatment for further 6 months. Twenty-nine patients had an adequate trial, and were assessable for both response and toxicities, with a median follow-up of 49 months. The overall response rate was 52 percent (3 CR and 12 PR), SD was 8 (27 percent) and PD were achieved in 6 patients (21 percent). The median survival duration of responders was 28 months, significantly longer (p < 0.001) than the 16 months of nonresponders. Therapy was well tolerated and produced a significant improvement in progressive-free survival. Further studies, thus, are recommended for larger groups of patients not only to confirm these results, but also to apply this biochemotherapy regimen as adjuvant postsurgical treatment in early stages of malignant melanoma.

Adult↗

[The impacted canine in orthodontics].

The Authors after statistic elaborations about 6343 cases of impact tooth treated in Division of Odontostomatology and Maxillo-Face Surgery Regional Hospital "Umberto 1." of Ancona from 1974 to 1988 pay attention about the impact canine. They explay about the operative protocol that they divided in orthodontic and surgery times, emphatised the scrupulous execution of protocol to take a final success.

Cuspid↗