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Biomedical subjects

R Natangelo

Publications and source records attributed to R Natangelo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

[Use of diagnostic tests in problems of internal medicine. Analysis of 1,667 ambulatory patients attending the first aid unit of a general hospital].

Patients with problems of internal medicine presenting at first-aid units of city hospitals represent a considerable work load. 1667 patients of this type have been examined retrospectively. The most numerous group had cardiocirculatory (22%) and nervous system (21%) problems, 9% had problems linked to their mental state and 11% dermatology complaints in general. 1047 patients underwent further investigation and/or specialist examination (247 neurological and 166 cardiological). Patients with jaundice, diabetes mellitus and cardiac decompensation underwent the highest number of laboratory examinations. The highest percentage of X-rays was done on patients suffering from chronic bronchitis during an acute episode, the highest percentage of ECGs in patients with prethoracic pain or cardiopalmus. In first aid also, some tests seem to be carried out as routine or for legal medicine purposes while for problems where tests are less easy or harder to understand (e.g. loss of consciousness episodes), a specialist is frequently brought in. The work load on the first-aid out-patients structure can be reduced by promoting greater awareness of the problem on the part of the internist and by rerouting users to non-hospital structures.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed1987

Features of chronic hepatitis in alcoholics. A survey in Milan.

A study was carried out to confirm the pathogenetic role of ethanol in the development of chronic active hepatitis (CAH) and to assess if previous or current superimposed hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection could be relevant to the course of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We examined clinical and laboratory reports of 57 alcoholics with biopsy-proven CAH. Serum and/or tissue HBV markers and the presence or absence of cirrhosis were investigated. Alcohol was the only aetiological factor present in a small group of CAH, with or without histological findings suggestive of alcoholic damage. Age, sex and survival were similar among the subgroups of CAH with and without previous or current HBV infection and among the subgroups of CAH with and without associated histological alcoholic features. Among the laboratory data, the AST/ALT ratio was higher in CAH without previous or current HBV infection. The mean age was comparable in CAH patients with and without cirrhosis, whereas the cumulative 5-year survival was worse in CAH with cirrhosis (87% vs. 49%). These data suggest a difference in alcohol susceptibility in our subjects.

Female↗
PubMed1983

[Prevalence of antibodies against the hepatitis B virus in alcoholic liver diseases].

The prevalence of serum antibody to hepatitis B virus antigen (anti-HBs and anti-HBc) were determined in biopsy proven alcoholic liver disease (n = 60), compared with: an age and sex-matched hospital control population (n = 60), HBsAg-negative chronic liver disease (n = 27), renal unit patients (n = 32) and volunteer blood donors (n = 286). All sera were HBsAg negative (RIA). The prevalence of total hepatitis B virus antibody was significantly increased (p less than 0,001) in alcoholic liver disease (71%), as well as in renal unit patients (65%) and non-alcoholic liver disease (66%), versus hospital controls (35%) and blood donors (43%). These data suggest that hepatitis B virus infection might be a factor in selecting which alcoholic patients go to develop hepatic damage.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1983

Correlation between helper/suppressor ratio and IgA levels in the peripheral blood from patients with liver diseases.

The correlation between serum immunoglobulin levels and "helper/suppressor" (T4/T8) ratio has been investigated in 45 patients with biopsy proven liver diseases (22 with ALD, 16 with CAH and 7 with VHR). In the ALD and CAH groups the T4/T8 ratio was significantly higher than in normal controls and a strong correlation was noticed with IgA, but not IgG and IgM levels. The same correlation was found in the VHR group as well, even if the mean value for the T4/T8 ratio in these patients was not significantly above that of normal controls. The pathogenetic significance of these findings is discussed.

Adult↗