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Biomedical subjects

S Casanova

Publications and source records attributed to S Casanova.

70 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Treatment of ectopic calcification in uremia.

Nine uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis who showed wide arterial and/or stable periarticular calcifications in spite of a well controlled hyperphosphatemia were treated with the diphosphonate disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP) in doses of 7.5 to 10 mg/kg of body wt/per day for 5 to 9 months. No clinical or biochemical side-effects were noted. A significant reduction of the extent of periarticular calcifications was observed in five patients: two of them had a complete regression of soft-tissue calcifications, and one patient showed a reduction of arterial calcification. EHDP (7.5 to 10 mg/kg of body wt/per day) induced a significant increase of the osteoid volume and osteoid surface without significant modification of the calcification front. No evident effect on bone resorption and on the mineral content of the radius has been observed.

Adult↗

[Medical treatment of cholesterol cholelithiasis using chemodeoxycholic acid in man].

The results of a tiral using chenodeoxycholic acid in 400 patients with cholesterol gallstones are reported. The "qualifying points" of such treatment are compared with the literature data in clinical and laboratory terms. 54% of 300 in clinical and laboratory terms. 54% of 300 patients who received less than 12 mg/kg/day achieved dissolution in a mean time of 11 months, while 64% of the remainder (12-15 mg/kg/day) did so in an average of 8 months. Microcalculi proved most sensitive to treatment (65% of positive results). Lithiasis over 5 years standing and over-weight (10% over the ideal figure) were factors that imposed more protracted treatment. Careful selection of candidates was proved important by the results of quarterly liver and intestine performance examinations. These were more extensive and more clearly aimed than those proposed by other workers. They showed that the acid is neither hepato nor enterotoxic. Indeed, no serious side-effects were noted.

Bile Acids and Salts↗

Further observations on the morphogenesis of the round headed human spermatozoa.

Sperm and testicular biopsies of an infertile human patient have been investigated using histochemical and electron microscopical technique. Spermiogram revealed a head defect, characterized with lacking acrosome and round and immature nucleoplasm, occuring in practically all cells and coiled tails in about a half of spermatozoa. EM study of spermatids has shown an abortive development of acrosome, whose primordium failed to attach the nucleus and expand, instead regressed. The nucleus failed in shaping and retarded in maturing, a disturbance apparently associated with the aplasia of hypoplasia of caudal manchette. The role of zinc in nuclear differentiation and the shape of head in the movement pattern are discussed.

Acrosome↗

Morphological and biochemical effects of intrahepatic alcohol injection in the rabbit.

The local and systemic effects, as well as the repair mechanisms, of sterile absolute ethyl alcohol injection were evaluated at a range of doses (0.1-2.0 mL/kg body weight) in rabbit liver in order to confirm the feasibility and safety of local treatment of tumours in man. Saline injection was used in the control animals. The animals were killed at varying intervals (range: 1-30 days after injection), and the liver was studied by gross and microscopic examination. The ethyl alcohol injection was well tolerated and did not induce significant systemic side-effects. All doses could induce necrosis and none proved to be lethal. The alcohol injection produced an area of coagulation necrosis, the size of which appeared to be dose-related, and which was surrounded by granulation tissue, gradually repairing the necrotic lesion; the adjacent tissue was intact, or had signs of mild steatosis. However, at higher doses (1.0 and 2.0 mL/kg bodyweight), necrotic lesions were observed in the liver both near and remote from the site of injection. Fine needle percutaneous alcohol injection is effective in producing necrotic lesions which appear to be dose-related; at higher doses, however, an unpredictable intrahepatic diffusion may occur.

Animals↗

Evaluation of soluble CD44 in patients with breast and colorectal carcinomas and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

CD44 is a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. As a cell surface molecule, CD44 may be shed or released into the circulation by proteolytic enzymatic mechanisms. Therefore, soluble CD44 can be found in cell culture supernatants as well as in plasma. In this study we evaluated the levels of soluble total CD44 (sCD44) in serum samples of patients with breast and colorectal carcinoma as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in order to correlate prognosis with sCD44 expression. Besides, we evaluated other clinical tumour markers routinely used, Cancer Antigen (CA) 15.3 and CA 19.9. We investigated 132 serological samples from breast cancer patients, 48 sera from colorectal tumours, 48 samples from stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and sera from 80 individuals without evidence of cancer or autoimmune disease. Breast cancer patients were divided into three groups: a) patients with no clinical evidence of positive nodules and no metastatic disease; b) patients with positive nodules; and c) patients with metastasis. sCD44 mean serum levels in these groups were 198+/-54 ng/ml, 221+/-78 ng/ml and 242+/-119 ng/ml, respectively, while the marker CA 15.3 values were 15.6+/-6.6 U/ml, 14.0+/-5.8 U/ml and 211.5+/-358.9 U/ml, respectively. sCD44 levels for colorectal tumour were 243+/-72 ng/ml, while CA 19.9 serum levels were 230+/-270 U/ml. Stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma sCD44 levels were 398+/-160 ng/ml. sCD44, CA 15.3 and CA 19.9 values for healthy individuals without evidence of any cancer pathology were 223+/-58 ng/ml, 16.4+/-6.2 U/ml and 33+/-14 U/ml, respectively. From these results we conclude that sCD44 might be used as a reliable marker for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, sCD44 levels failed to correlate with prognosis, tumour burden or metastasis in breast and colorectal cancer patients. Neither was any correlation found between high CA 15.3 or CA 19.9 levels and soluble CD44 serum level.

Adult↗