Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Todesco

Publications and source records attributed to S Todesco.

196 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Beta-2-microglobulin in synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis.

The concentration of beta-2-microglobulin was determined by radioimmunoassay in the synovial fluid of 12 patients affected with rheumatoid arthritis and in 10 with other arthropathies. The white cell count, total protein concentration, total hemolytic activity of complement and acid phosphatase activity were also determined. Only beta-2-microglobulin was found to be significantly higher in rheumatoids compared to non-rheumatoid cases. In contrast, the other parameters showed no significant differences between the 2 groups of patients. These preliminary observations suggest that the measurement of beta-2-microglobulin concentrations in synovial fluid may be of diagnostic value.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Fructose-induced hyperuricemia in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Acute intravenous infusion of fructose was given to 30 normal subjects and 27 normo-uricemic patients affected by psoriasis, 12 with cutaneous involvement only and 15 with psoriatic arthritis. Serum uric acid was measured before and after infusion. A significantly lower increase in serum uric acid levels was found in psoriatic patients in comparison to controls, and the increase rate appeared to be significant only in controls. Moreover, the overall fructose-induced hyperuricemia was significantly lower in the group of patients with psoriatic arthritis than in normal subjects. Since the fructose-induced increase of serum uric acid is most probably achieved by an augmented turnover of preformed purine nucleotides, it is suggested that in normouricemic patients with psoriasis the "pool" of purine nucleotides is lower than normal. Such a condition seems to be more evident in psoriatic arthritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Therapy of acute pancreatitis in systemic lupus erythematosus with plasmapheresis and corticosteroids.

A 24-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus had, after reduction of corticosteroid therapy, a severe relapse of the disease with hepatitis, nephritis and pleurisy. After admission to the hospital, she was given 60-80 mg/day of prednisone and acute pancreatitis developed on the third day. Plasmapheresis, followed by injection of 1 g of methylprednisolone, was started. This combined therapy induced a prompt and complete recovery in a few days.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Melorheostosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A 63-year-old woman presented with the clinical picture of classical rheumatoid arthritis. X-ray examination also showed typical aspects of melorheostosis involving both femurs by linear hyperostosis. Humoral and bone scan findings were all in keeping with rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, a reduced renal phosphate reabsorption and hypophosphatemia were found along with mild hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria. No evident relationships among rheumatoid arthritis, melorheostosis and renal phosphate handling were observed in this case.

Absorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Family occurrence and hla system in tumoral calcinosis.

A 35-year-old patient, from a ten sibling family, was eight years old at the first presentation of tumoral calcinosis. Since then, in spite of several surgical excisions, the masses have increased in number and size are to be found in various para-articular areas. One brother and one sister of the patient, of 39 and 45 years respectively, had also had tumoral calcinosis, but recovered completely, on surgical removal of the masses. The HLA system studies carried out in the siblings revealed the HLA A10 BW16 haplotype in nine of them, including the three patients. If confirmed in other cases, our data might indicate that tumoral calcinosis is a disease associated with the HLA system.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of D-penicillamine on the T cell phenotype in scleroderma. Comparison between treated and untreated patients.

To investigate the possible immunomodulatory mechanism of D-penicillamine in Scleroderma (Scl), we analysed the surface phenotype of circulating T lymphocytes in 17 Scl patients, 6 of these studied before and after D-penicillamine treatment, 8 only before and 3 only after treatment. The drug was administered for 6 to 24 consecutive months with a median daily dose of 500 mg. The study of peripheral blood purified T cells was carried out using single-colour immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analysis (Ortho Diagnostic System) with monoclonal antibodies such as OKT4 (CD4, helper/inducer), OKT8 (CD8, cytotoxic/suppressor), OKDR and MLR4 (activated T cells), and Tec-5/9 (CD26, activated T cells with specific helper function for B cell differentiation). All of the patients showed lower CD8+ and higher MLR4+ and DR+ T cells than the controls, while CD26+ and CD4+ circulating T lymphocytes were lower in all of the treated in comparison with all of the untreated patients. A decrease in CD26+, CD4+ and total T cells was also observed after treatment in the 6 patients studied pre- and post-therapy. These results support the hypothesis that D-penicillamine selectively impairs the helper T cell subset in Scl patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical, laboratory and immunogenetic aspects of arthritis associated with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

OBJECTIVE: Synovial fluid effusions and/or arthritis may be found in patients with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT), even in the absence of hypothyroidism. Sometimes these arthropathies can be attributed to the rheumatic diseases frequently associated with CLT, but in some instances the arthritis seems to be independent of any of the diseases known to cause arthritis, and therefore remains unclassified. This study was carried out in an attempt to characterize the type and outcome of arthritis associated with CLT. METHODS: We performed a prospective study with a follow-up of 6.42 years (range 4-13) on 33 patients affected with CLT and presenting with arthritis. All conditions known to cause arthritis were previously excluded. Investigations included HLA typing, x-ray of the affected joints and, when possible, synovial fluid (SF) analysis with an interleukin (IL)-1 beta determination. Patients were divided based on their clinical presentation into two groups: those with polyarthritis and those with oligoarthritis. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 8 out of 16 patients with polyarthritis developed severe rheumatoid arthritis, characterized by bone erosions, high levels of SF IL-1 beta and an increased frequency of HLA DR4. The other 8 patients had polyarthritis in a mild, non-erosive form, which responded well to symptomatic drugs. Oligoarthritis, found in 17 patients, also showed a mild evolution, with frequent spontaneous remissions. The non-rheumatoid polyarthritis and oligoarthritis patients were characterised by the absence of bone erosions, low levels of SF IL-1 beta and an increased frequency of HLA DR3. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that it is possible to find in association with CLT a type of inflammatory arthritis characterized by a mild, non-erosive evolution, low SF levels of IL-1 beta and an increased frequency of HLA-DR3. This arthritis seems to be independent of thyroid dysfunction and shows a clinical pattern similar to the arthritis usually found in connective tissue diseases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A prospective study of fifty-three consecutive calcium heparin treated pregnancies in patients with antiphospholipid antibody-related fetal loss.

OBJECTIVE: In this study the efficacy and safety of calcium heparin administered alone for the prevention of fetal loss related to antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) were evaluated. METHODS: Fifty-three consecutively ascertained pregnancies were followed in 53 patients who had a history of at least 2 consecutive miscarriages during the first trimester and/or 1 fetal death during the second or third trimesters. In addition, all patients had at least 2 positive aPL tests more than 8 weeks apart before pregnancy, or a positive aPL test at the beginning of pregnancy. They were treated with calcium heparin alone, self-administered subcutaneously 3 times daily at dosages varying between 15,000 and 37,500 units. Treatment was started soon after a sonogram demonstrated a live embryo and was continued throughout pregnancy until the end of puerperium. RESULTS: All pregnancies terminated favourably between the 25th and 40th weeks (mean +/- SD: 36.69 +/- 2.91) with planned caesarean section in 27 cases and vaginal delivery in 26. Delivery was brought forward due to maternal and/or fetal complications in 18 cases (33.96%). Calcium heparin was associated with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in 2 patients with fetal problems unresponsive to anticoagulant treatment alone. The newborns, 30 females and 25 males, had a mean birth weight of 2,828.3 g +/- 706.5 and a mean Apgar score at 5 minutes of 9.60 +/- 0.68. No malformations were observed. Thirty of the 37 examined placentas (81.08%) showed signs of thrombotic events. Only minor side effects of calcium heparin were observed during treatment. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that calcium heparin administered alone using the dosages and timing described here is effective in achieving the delivery of viable infants, and that it is well tolerated.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical, laboratory and immunogenetic aspects of post-traumatic psoriatic arthritis: a study of 25 patients.

OBJECTIVE: In a previous study we demonstrated that the prevalence of trauma preceding arthritis was higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) than in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS); of 300 consecutive patients with PsA, 25 (8%) had a history of trauma before (< 3 months) the onset of the disease. The present study was carried out to characterize the clinical, laboratory and immunogenetic profiles of post-traumatic (PT)-PsA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical and laboratory features of 25 patients with PT-PsA were studied at onset (first 6 months) and after a follow-up period of 1-7 years, and were compared with those of 275 PsA patients without any history of trauma (nonPT-PsA). HLA typing was performed in PT-PsA patients, and synovial fluid (SF) analysis, including interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 determinations, was carried out in 12 subjects with PT-PsA and in 32 with nonPT-PsA. RESULTS: No differences were observed between PT-PsA and nonPT-PsA patients with regard to their clinical evolution. ESR (p < 0.0001) and CRP (p = 0.005) were higher in PT-PsA than in nonPT-PsA patients at disease onset but not after follow-up. No differences were found in the other blood indices. SF analysis revealed higher IL-6 levels in PT-PsA than in nonPT-PsA patients (p < 0.0005). CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that the prevalence of trauma preceding arthritis is higher in PsA than in RA or AS. Clinical and laboratory findings in patients with PT-PsA differed from those with nonPT-PsA only at disease onset (first six months), however, showing an abrupt clinical presentation and a more acute phase response. This pattern may be related to the higher levels of IL-6 found in the SF of PT-PsA than in nonPT-PsA patients. However, during the follow-up period the two groups became indistinguishable, and no difference was observed between PT-PsA and nonPT-PsA regarding the evolution of the disease.

Accidental Falls↗