Biomedical subjects

R Pezzilli

Publications and source records attributed to R Pezzilli.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Unusual association of macroamylasemia and hyperlipasemia: report of two cases.

OBJECTIVE: To describe two cases of macroamylasemia associated with hyperlipasemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: The patients were a young male soccer player who had sustained a kick in the groin during a match and a woman with a specific dyspeptic complaints. In both the macroamylasemia had been previously undetected; when admitted with the above complaints, serum pancreatic isoamylase levels, as determined by the inhibitor method, were markedly increased, as were serum lipase levels. In both cases these findings led to the erroneous diagnosis of pancreatitis and consequent multiple diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The cause of the hyperlipasemia was not clear in either case, although the possibility that it was due to the presence of macrolipase cannot be excluded. CONCLUSION: The possibility of macroamylasemia associated with hyperlipasemia should be kept in mind to avoid unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic efforts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Serum interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and beta 2-microglobulin in early assessment of severity of acute pancreatitis. Comparison with serum C-reactive protein.

The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of serum interleukin-6, interleukin-8, beta 2-microglobulin, and C-reactive protein in the assessment of the severity of acute pancreatitis using commercial kits for their respective assays. Thirty-eight patients with acute pancreatitis (25 men, 13 women, mean age 59 years, range 16-97) were studied; the diagnosis was based on prolonged upper abdominal pain associated with a twofold increase of serum lipase, and it was confirmed by imaging techniques. According to the Atlanta criteria, 15 patients had severe illness and 23 had mild disease. The four serum markers were determined in all patients on admission, as well as daily for the following five days. On the first day of the disease, the sensitivity (calculated on patients with severe pancreatitis), specificity (calculated on patients with mild pancreatitis), and the diagnostic accuracy of these serum markers for establishing the severity of acute pancreatitis were 100%, 86%, and 91% for interleukin-6 (cutoff level 2.7 pg/ml); 100%, 81% and 88% for interleukin-8 (cutoff level 30 pg/ml); 58%, 81%, and 73% for beta 2-microglobulin (cutoff level 2.1 mg/liter); and 8%, 95%, and 64% for C-reactive protein (cutoff level 11 mg/dl). The results of our study indicate that, when assayed during the first 24 hr of disease onset, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 are better markers than beta 2-microglobulin or C-reactive protein for evaluating the severity of acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1995

Serum beta 2-microglobulin in chronic diseases of the pancreas.

Elevated serum concentrations of beta 2-Microglobulin (beta 2-MG) has been reported in a variety of chronic diseases and solid tumors. We determined serum beta 2-MG concentrations in 140 subjects divided into five groups: group 1, 34 patients with proven chronic pancreatitis, 8 of whom were studied during a painful relapse; group 2, 40 patients with pancreatic cancer staged according to the Cubilla-Fitzgerald classification; group 3, 40 healthy subjects; group 4, 10 patients with digestive nonpancreatic carcinomas; group 5, 16 patients with benign digestive nonpancreatic diseases. Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) was also determined in all patients with pancreatic diseases as an index of immune system activation. In addition, serum CA 19-9 was assayed in patients of groups 2 and 4, and C-reactive protein (CRP) of groups 1 and 5. Renal function, evaluated by serum creatinine determination, was normal in all subjects studied. Patients with pancreatic cancer and those with chronic pancreatitis had serum concentrations of beta 2-MG significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (p < 0.001 and p < 0.005, respectively). Patients with stage I and stage III pancreatic cancer had similar serum levels of beta 2-MG, and these concentrations were significantly lower than those of patients with stage II tumors (p < 0.002 and p < 0.05, respectively). In chronic pancreatitis patients, those studied during painful relapse of the disease had serum concentrations of beta 2-MG similar to those studied during clinical remission.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

PubMed1995

Circulating lymphocyte subsets in human acute pancreatitis.

We investigated peripheral lymphocyte subsets in 34 consecutive acute pancreatitis patients (21 males, 13 females; mean age, 57 years; range, 16-85 years) studied within 48 h of pain onset and for 5 consecutive days to understand better the immunological response during the course of the disease. The diagnosis was based on characteristic abdominal pain associated with a twofold increase in serum lipase and confirmed by imaging techniques in all patients. Acute pancreatitis was of biliary origin in 25 patients, due to alcohol abuse in 5, due to pancreas divisum in 1, and of unknown origin in 3. Fifteen patients had severe illness and 19 had mild disease. In all patients, total lymphocyte and lymphocyte subset counts were carried out on admission, as well as on the third and fifth day of hospitalization, using a flow cytometric analysis. Twenty-three patients (13 with severe illness and 10 with mild disease) also had a repeat count 1 month after recovery. Twenty-five healthy subjects and 27 patients with nonpancreatic acute abdomen comparable for sex and age were studied as controls. On the first day of the study, the leukocyte number was significantly higher in patients with acute pancreatitis and in those with nonpancreatic acute abdomen with respect to healthy subjects, whereas the number of total and CD4+, CD8+, CD3+ DR-, and CD3- DR+ lymphocytes was significantly lower in acute pancreatitis patients than in healthy subjects or in patients with nonpancreatic acute abdomen. These subject counts persisted on the third and fifth days of the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1995

Coffee and cancer of the pancreas: an Italian multicenter study.

While cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the role of alcohol, coffee and tea consumption remains controversial. In view of this, and because of the limited information on possible environmental risk factors of pancreatic cancer in Italy, we carried out this study. Five hundred seventy patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer and 570 controls from 14 Italian centers were studied. Using a standardized questionnaire, all were interviewed personally about their smoking habits, as well as habitual alcohol, coffee, and tea consumption throughout their lives prior to clinical onset of the disease. Details were also obtained on exposure to potential occupational carcinogens. A moderate association, statistically significant only in women (odds ratio, 2.18; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-3.68), was found between pancreatic cancer and cigarette smoking, but none was observed with alcohol or tea consumption or with any particular occupational exposure. Consumption of 1 or 2 cups of coffee per day was not associated with increased risk; 3 coffees per day increased the risk, but not significantly (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-2.30); with consumption of more than 3 coffees per day the increase in risk was highly significant (odds ratio, 2.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-4.18). A statistically significant dose-response relationship (p < 0.001) was observed in each sex. The association between coffee use and pancreatic cancer still held after controlling for potential confounding factors such as cigarette smoking or alcohol use, and when the analysis was restricted to nonsmoking coffee drinkers. The results of this study, one of the largest of its type so far published, suggest that a causal relationship may exist between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Is chronic pancreatitis a cause of dyspepsia?

Chronic pancreatitis is commonly included among the organic causes of dyspepsia, however the frequency and characteristics of this association are ill-defined. One-hundred-fifteen consecutive patients with chronic pancreatitis and 85 healthy subjects were interviewed regarding their clinical history, with particular attention to dyspeptic symptoms. Attacks of prolonged upper abdominal pain, recurring at unpredictable intervals and in most cases without identifiable triggering factors, were the most frequent clinical manifestation (108, 94%). During the attacks, many patients (66, 61%) complained of vomiting, which was generally mild and of brief duration. Between the attacks, very few patients (12, 10%) complained of dyspeptic disturbances, mainly postprandial epigastric fullness and abdominal bloating. These complaints were episodic, usually after abundant meals, in 8, and persistent in the remaining 4. Among these 12 patients, there were no significant differences in the frequency of dyspeptic symptoms in relation to the severity of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The frequency of dyspeptic complaints among patients (10%) was significantly lower (p < 0.01) than the frequency of dyspeptic symptoms among the controls (25%). The results of this study indicate that, other than recurrent attacks of abdominal pain, dyspeptic symptoms are uncommon in chronic pancreatitis, and that impairment of digestion of pancreatic origin is not a cause of dyspepsia.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Diabetes and the risk of pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes and pancreatic cancer are known to be associated, but the cause of the association and whether diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer remain controversial. METHODS: A total of 720 patients with pancreatic cancer and 720 control patients from 14 Italian centers were enrolled in the study. All subjects were interviewed personally and in detail about their clinical history. The diagnosis of diabetes was based on criteria recommended by the American Diabetes Association. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-four patients with pancreatic cancer (22.8 percent) and 60 controls (8.3 percent) had diabetes. In the majority of the patients with pancreatic cancer (56.1 percent), diabetes was diagnosed either concomitantly with the cancer (in 40.2 percent), or within two years before the diagnosis of cancer (in 15.9 percent). The association between the two conditions was significant (odds ratio, 3.04; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.21 to 4.17). However, when only patients with diabetes of three or more years' duration were considered, the association was no longer significant (odds ratio, 1.43; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.98 to 2.07). All the patients with pancreatic cancer whose diabetes had been diagnosed before the cancer had non-insulin-dependent diabetes; all but one of the control patients with diabetes had the non-insulin-dependent form of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes in patients with pancreatic cancer is frequently of recent onset and is presumably caused by the tumor. Diabetes is not a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Pancreatitis in the elderly.

Inflammatory diseases of the pancreas are not uncommon in the elderly; although acute and chronic pancreatitis in this age group are essentially the same diseases as in younger patients, some features are unique to the old patient. Acute pancreatitis in the elderly is more commonly of gallstone etiology; it is also more likely to have an atypical clinical presentation, making recognition more difficult. In acute necrotizing pancreatitis, the elderly patient has an increased risk of complications including multisystem failure; for this reason, such patients should be more carefully monitored and aggressively treated. Chronic pancreatitis with initial onset older than 60 years is rare in the elderly, and generally without apparent cause; much more commonly, it is seen as the advanced stage of a disease started in youth. Diffuse glandular destruction and resulting severe insufficiency are usually present; thus, rather than pain, the most frequent clinical manifestations are steatorrhea and diabetes. These complications should be adequately treated to avoid malnutrition, which may seriously affect the well-being and quality of life in the elderly.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1994

Human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor in the assessment of the severity of acute pancreatitis. A comparison with C-reactive protein.

We assessed the ability of serum human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (hPSTI) to establish the severity of acute pancreatitis and compared it in this respect to that of serum C-reactive protein (CRP). Of 26 patients studied with acute pancreatitis, 16 had mild pancreatitis, and 10, severe disease. Initial studies were performed at onset of the disease in 20 patients, on the second day of illness in two, and on the third day of illness in the remaining four. In all, serum hPSTI and CRP concentrations were determined on admission and daily for the following 5 days using commercial kits; Ranson's score was evaluated within the first 48 h of admission. Sixty-three healthy subjects and 31 patients with nonpancreatic acute abdomen were also studied. Values of 70 ng/ml for serum hPSTI and 10 mg/dl for serum CRP were taken as limits to distinguish severe from mild-to-moderate acute pancreatitis. When assessed within the first 24 h of pain, serum hPSTI correctly classified 71% of the patients with severe acute pancreatitis, whereas serum CRP did so for 29%. In subsequent days, the two markers showed a similar sensitivity in predicting severe acute pancreatitis. Serum hPSTI and CRP were alike in excluding a diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis. Ranson's score correctly identified 50% of patients with severe illness and 63% of patients with mild pancreatitis. This study indicates that, when assessed within 24 h of pain onset, serum hPSTI is a better predictor of the severity of acute pancreatitis than serum CRP or Ranson's criteria.

Abdomen, Acute↗

PubMed1994

Human pancreas-specific protein/procarboxypeptidase B: a useful serum marker of acute pancreatitis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum behavior of human pancreas-specific protein/procarboxypeptidase B (hPASP/PCPB) in the early phases of acute pancreatitis, and to calculate its sensitivity and specificity in comparison with those of serum amylase and lipase in the diagnosis of this illness. Twenty-six acute pancreatitis patients were studied; the pancreatitis was of biliary origin in 11, due to alcohol abuse in 8, and due to other causes in 7. Sixteen patients had mild pancreatitis and 10 the severe form of the disease. Thirty-one patients with nonpancreatic acute digestive diseases were also studied. Serum concentrations of hPASP/PCPB, amylase and lipase were determined in all subjects on admission to the study as well as daily for the following 5 days in acute pancreatitis patients. All patients with acute pancreatitis had abnormally high serum hPASP/PCPB, amylase and lipase concentrations on the first day of admission. On the sixth day of the disease, 76% of acute pancreatitis patients had abnormally high serum concentrations of hPASP/PCPB, whereas only 48% (p < 0.05) had elevated serum amylase and lipase. No differences in serum levels of hPASP/PCPB, amylase or lipase were found between patients with alcoholic pancreatitis and those with other etiological forms of the disease, or between those with mild and severe forms of pancreatitis. The specificity of the three serum pancreatic protein assays, calculated on the 31 patients with nonpancreatic acute digestive diseases, was 90% for both hPASP/PCPB and lipase, 75% for amylase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1994

Behavior of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor, soluble CD8 and soluble CD4 in the early phases of acute pancreatitis.

When activated, lymphocytes secrete glycoproteins related to particular surface proteins, including soluble forms of the interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and of the surface proteins CD4 (sCD4) and CD8 (sCD8). We evaluated the release of these glycoproteins in order to assess the activation of the cellular immune system during the course of acute pancreatitis. Thirty-five patients with acute pancreatitis (22 M, 13 F, mean age 64 years, range 16-97) were studied. The diagnosis was based on typical abdominal pain associated with a twofold increase of serum lipase as well as morphological abnormalities compatible with acute pancreatitis seen at computed tomography and/or ultrasonography. The pancreatitis was of biliary origin in 22 patients, due to alcohol abuse in 8, due to pancreas divisum in 1, due to type IV hyperlipoproteinemia in 1 and of unknown origin in 3. Based on clinical outcome, 22 patients had mild pancreatitis, whereas 13 had severe disease. In all patients serum sIL-2R, sCD4 and sCD8 were determined on admission and daily for the following 5 days using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) techniques. Serum concentrations of sIL-2R and sCD8 were significantly higher in acute pancreatitis patients relative to healthy controls during the entire observation period, whereas sCD4 levels were significantly lower in acute pancreatitis patients than in the control group from the 2nd to the 6th day of observation. Serum sIL-2R concentrations were significantly higher in patients with severe pancreatitis than in those with the mild form of the disease, whereas no differences in serum concentrations of sCD8 and sCD4 were found between patients with mild pancreatitis and those with severe disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1994

Clinical evaluation of a new rapid assay for serum lipase determination.

We evaluated a new continuous colorimetric method for serum lipase determination based on the use of a 1,2-diglyceride as substrate and a specific 2-monoglyceride lipase. This test was compared with a turbidimetric assay and also with serum alpha-amylase and pancreatic isoamylase determinations. We studied 32 patients with acute pancreatitis, 27 with chronic pancreatitis in acute painful relapse, 19 with pancreatic cancer, 44 with other digestive diseases, 53 with end-stage renal disease, and 102 healthy controls. The results of the new test were closely correlated with those of the turbidimetric method (r = 0.96). Sensitivity of the new method was elevated (100%): it was the same as that of the turbidimetric method, but slightly higher than that of alpha-amylase and pancreatic isoamylase determinations (93.7 and 96.9%, respectively). Specificity was 95.5%, i.e. higher than that observed using the other tests (86.4, 84.1 and 88.6% for lipase turbidimetric assay, amylase, and pancreatic isoamylase determinations, respectively). The results demonstrate that this new lipase assay is a sensitive, specific test for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1994

Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

Activated lymphocytes can release a soluble form of interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and abnormally high serum levels of sIL-2R have been reported in patients with advanced solid tumours and in those with chronic disease. We determined serum sIL-2R concentrations in 34 patients with chronic pancreatitis (8 in painful relapse), in 40 with pancreatic tumours in various stages, and in 40 healthy subjects as controls. Patients with pancreatic cancer and those with chronic pancreatitis had significantly higher serum concentrations of sIL-2R than healthy subjects (p < 0.001). In patients with Stage II pancreatic cancer, serum levels of soluble receptors were similar to those in patients with Stage III tumours, and these concentrations were significantly higher than in patients with resectable cancer (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). In chronic pancreatitis patients, those studied during painful relapse of the disease had higher serum concentrations of sIL-2R than those studied during clinical remission (p < 0.05). The results of our study suggest an activation of the cellular immune system in pancreatic cancer and in chronic pancreatitis.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

Serum amylase and lipase concentrations and lipase/amylase ratio in assessment of etiology and severity of acute pancreatitis.

We studied the behavior of serum amylase and lipase in 66 consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis in order to assess the ability of these tests and of the serum lipase-amylase ratio to establish the etiology and predict the severity of acute pancreatitis. Forty-two patients had biliary acute pancreatitis, 14 had alcoholic acute pancreatitis, and the remaining 10 nonbiliary, nonalcoholic (NBNA) acute pancreatitis. Serum amylase and lipase were abnormally high in all patients. The elevations of both serum amylase and lipase were significantly lower in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis than in those with biliary pancreatitis, although a considerable overlap was observed between the two groups. No statistically significant differences were found between NBNA patients and those with either biliary or alcoholic forms of the disease. The serum lipase-amylase ratios in patients with alcoholic pancreatitis ranged from 0.2 to 5.6, in those with biliary pancreatitis from 0.1 to 7.9, and in those with NBNA pancreatitis from 0.1 to 4.4. These differences were not statistically significant. No differences in serum enzyme levels were observed among patients without apparent imaging signs of acute pancreatitis (N = 20), those with signs of pancreatic edema (N = 36), and those with necrotizing pancreatitis (N = 10). The results indicate that serum amylase and lipase concentrations are not able to establish either the etiology or to predict the severity of acute pancreatitis as assessed by imaging techniques. Furthermore, the serum lipase-amylase ratio is not useful in distinguishing acute episodes of alcoholic from nonalcoholic acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1993

Treatment of pancreatic ascites with somatostatin.

Pancreatic ascites is a rare complication of chronic pancreatitis, whose treatment continues to represent a difficult clinical problem. In this report we describe a case of a patient with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic ascites who was successfully treated with somatostatin given by continuous intravenous infusion of 1.5 micrograms/kg/h for 2 weeks.

Amylases↗

PubMed1993

Morphologic and functional evaluation of the exocrine pancreas in beta-thalassemia major.

Thirty-nine consecutive patients with beta-thalassemia major and iron overload were studied by ultrasonography and serum pancreatic enzyme determination to assess the frequency and characteristics of pancreatic damage in this condition. The results were compared with those of a matched group of healthy controls. Most of the thalassemic patients had a markedly increased echogenicity of the pancreas and decreased size of the gland (p < 0.001 for both features as compared with controls). Both echogenicity and decreased size of the gland were significantly correlated (p < 0.001) with patient age and duration of transfusional therapy. Serum concentrations of trypsin and lipase were significantly lower (p < 0.02) in patients than in controls. The lowest enzyme values were found in older patients with longer duration of transfusional therapy, who also had the most marked sonographic changes. The results suggest that the exocrine pancreas is structurally and functionally damaged in the majority of thalassemic patients with iron overload.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

[Cocaine poisoning in acute renal insufficiency].

We report the case of a young man who developed acute renal failure after ingestion of cocaine wrapped in foil. We did not find either clinical or clear biochemical signs of rhabdomyolysis. The possible role of high blood cocaine level in the development of acute renal failure has been speculated and a direct vasoconstrictive effect on renal vessels followed by acute tubular necrosis has been hypothesized.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

PubMed1992

Serum pancreatic enzymes in HIV-seropositive patients.

Serum concentrations of trypsin and elastase I were determined in 109 HIV Ab-positive patients (52 asymptomatic HIV-infected patients, 25 with lymphadenopathy syndrome, and 32 with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) to assess the prevalence of possible pancreatic damage in these patients. Serum trypsin was abnormally elevated in 46 of the 109 patients (42.2%): 19 of the 52 asymptomatic HIV-infected patients (36.6%), 9 of the 25 with lymphadenopathy syndrome (36%), and 18 of the 32 with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (56.3%). Serum elastase 1 was elevated in 14 of the 109 HIV Ab-positive patients (12.8%): 3 of the 52 asymptomatic HIV-infected patients (5.8%), 3 of the 25 with lymphadenopathy syndrome (12%), and 8 of the 32 with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (25%). None of the patients with abnormally high serum pancreatic enzyme concentrations had clinically evident pancreatic disease. There was no statistically significant difference in serum levels of trypsin and elastase I between drug addicts and nonaddicts, between alcoholics and nonalcoholics, or between those with cytomegalovirus infection and those without. A significant inverse relationship was found between serum enzyme concentrations and the number of CD4+ lymphocytes. The results of this study show that high levels of serum trypsin and elastase are present in an elevated percentage of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, suggesting that the pancreas is frequently damaged in this disease. The finding of abnormally high serum enzyme concentrations not only in patients with AIDS, but also in asymptomatic carriers and in patients with lymphadenopathy syndrome suggests an association between HIV infection and the development of pancreatic lesions.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗