PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Ambrosetti

Publications and source records attributed to A Ambrosetti.

67 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

The diagnostic value of serum copper levels and other hematochemical parameters in malignancies.

An increase in the serum copper (Cu++) level has been described as a sensitive index of disease activity in several hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies. In order to explore the diagnostic value of Cu++ compared to other hematochemical parameters frequently abnormal in malignancies, Cu++, serum alpha2 globulin (alpha2), plasmatic fibrinogen (Fibr), the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum iron (Fe++) have been detected and evaluated in 267 patients affected with the following diseases: Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL), Acute Leukemias (AL), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Myeloma (MM), and Breast Cancer (BC). The best correlation between Cu++ increase and disease activity has been found in HL, NHL, AL, and BC. In these diseases, when the considered parameters were compared, Cu++ and ESR showed a similar pattern, i.e., a high frequency of abnormalities in active disease. It is concluded that Cu++ represents a good complement to some other aspecific parameters in evaluating the activity and diffusion of neoplasias and the therapeutic results, particularly in HL, NHL, AL and BC.

Alpha-Globulins↗
PubMed1978

Specific and non-specific folate binding protein in normal and malignant human tissues.

Binding of tritiated folic acid by supernatants prepared from extracts of normal and leukaemic leucocytes, normal mucosa, and malignant tumours from different parts of the gastrointestinal tract has been measured using Sephadex-gel filtration and albumin-coated charcoal techniques. Non-specific binding (measured by Sephadex G-75 gel filtration) was almost invariably greater than specific binding measured by albumin-coated charcoal separation of bound and unbound folate. In nine normal leucocyte extracts, binding measured by Sephadex G-75 filtration ranged from 1.3 to 18.2 (mean 8.2) pg/mg protein and by albumin-coated charcoal from 1.0 to 14.8 (mean 6.7) pg/mg protein. Raised specific binding was found in the extracts from leucocytes of eight of 14 patients with chronic granulocytic leukaemia, in four substantially so (389, 121, 108, 59.7 pg/mg protein), but was only marginally increased in one of eight cases of acute myeloid leukaemia and in two of five cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Binding was normal in the extracts of all three cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia tested. Among the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract binding was greatest by the duodenal mucosa and liver. Extracts of carcinoma of the stomach and colon bound greater amounts of (3)H-folic acid than the corresponding normal mucosal extracts but the differences were not large. Sephadex G-200 gel chromatography showed more than one binding peak in the extracts of liver and duodenum but only one peak in the other tissues of the gastrointestinal tract, and only one peak, of molecular weight either about 50 000 or over 200 000, in the leucocyte extracts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Folic acid binding protein in chronic granulocytic leukaemia: the effect of methotrexate.

Folic acid binding protein (FABP) has been measured in the supernatant of leukocytes of 12 patients affected with chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL). The folate binding capacity ranged from 1.37 to 697.52 pg/mg protein, showing a considerable heterogeneity. When the supernatant was preincubated with methotrexate (MTX), the inhibition of folic acid binding was complete in some cases whereas in others it was negligible: these findings have been confirmed by studying the 3H-MTX binding capacity by the same supernatants. In this case the range of bound 3H-HTX varied from 0.00 to 927 pg/mg protein. The presence of a binder in the cytoplasm of leukocytes might represent a new step in the regulation of endogenous folate metabolism. The MTX, widely used as an antifolate drug, may also be bound by FABP of CGL leukocytes, although in different amounts from case to case: this finding suggests a new point of interference of MTX in the folate metabolism. It has also been demonstrated that FABP, which is present in serum, may reduce the uptake of folate by leukocytes opening a new field of investigation on the megaloblastic transformation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[Clinical and pathological staging of 85 patients with Hodgkin's disease: a clinical contribution (author's transl)].

This is a retrospective study of 85 patients with Hodgkin's disease undergoing studies of clinical staging. Of these, 28 were investigated by laparotomic splenectomy, which revealed evidence of disease progress not otherwise detectable in 10 cases (36%). The authors also note that cases with an unfavorable histotype are associated with a higher incidence of spleen involvement and a more advanced stage of disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ceftazidime and amikacin as empiric antibiotic therapy of febrile granulocytopenic patients with hematological malignancies. Report of 171 consecutive episodes.

One hundred and seventy-one consecutive febrile episodes occurring in 130 neutropenic adult patients with hematological malignancies (mainly acute leukemia) were empirically treated with a combination antibiotic therapy consisting of ceftazidime (100 mg/kg/day) + amikacin (15 mg/kg/day). Of these, 161 were evaluable. In the majority of episodes (75 per cent) documented infections were identified as a cause of fever. There were 73 bacteremias (34 Gram-negative, 29 Gram-positive, 10 polymicrobial). One third of patients had pneumonia. Cure without change of the initial regimen was achieved in 45/73 (62 per cent) bacteremic episodes and in 12/13 episodes of microbiologically documented infections without bacteremia. There were 35 clinically documented infections and 26 (74 per cent) of these were cured. Of the 40 patients presenting with possible infections 26 (65 per cent) were cured. Overall, cure without modification of the initial antibiotic combination was achieved in 109/161 episodes (68 per cent). In spite of the frequent occurrence of persistent neutropenia (82 per cent), the infectious mortality was low (8.6 per cent), and often due to superinfection. The deaths due to primary infections were 6/161 (3.7 per cent). Side effects were mild and rare. In our experience ceftazidime + amikacin was an effective and safe empirical regimen for this population of hematologic patients with persistent neutropenia and severe documented infections.

Agranulocytosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Surgery and chemotherapy in the treatment of primary gastric lymphomas: case review].

Fifty-seven patients with primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are here reported. All our patients were treated with surgery as first step procedure. Thirty-six were treated in addition with chemotherapy (four of them with radiotherapy also). Thirty-eight were stage IE and nineteen IIE. According to the Working Formulation, 12 cases were classified as low, 25 intermediate and 20 high malignancy. 55 patients achieved a complete remission (96%) and only 6 relapsed (11%). The 10-year disease-related survival is 89%. Patients treated with combined surgery and chemotherapy were mainly a high risk group (high grade histologic subtype, stage IIE, incomplete resection). Nevertheless the survival of this group was similar to the group initially treated with surgery alone (p = 0.17) in which such unfavorable prognostic factors were not present. Stage, presence of residual tumor after surgery, sex and age did not statistically correlate with survival. Furthermore, there was not statistical difference among the various histological subgroups (p = 0.16). We stress the importance of cooperation among surgeons and oncologists in order to plan an appropriate treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Different suppression of Ph1 positive hemopoiesis induced by intensive chemotherapy in lymphoid and myeloid blast crisis of CML.

BACKGROUND: The suppression of Ph1-positive hemopoiesis is a major goal in the treatment of CML; in this context the CML patients in blast crisis obtaining a complete clinical remission represent a useful model to investigate the behavior of the Ph1-positive and negative clones during bone marrow repopulation after ablative therapy. METHODS: Seven CML patients in blast crisis (four lymphoid and three myeloid) who obtained a complete clinical remission after an intensive polychemotherapy treatment were evaluated by cytogenetic and molecular analysis both in blast and remission phases. Standard cytogenetic and Southern techniques were employed; in addition, minimal residual disease status (MRD) was ascertained by amplification (PCR) of the specific bcr-abl chimeric transcripts. RESULTS: After a single cycle of induction, all lymphoid cases displayed a complete restoration of Ph1-negative hemopoiesis; by contrast, one myeloid blast crisis showed a partial suppression of Ph1-positive hemopoiesis only after two cycles of chemotherapy, and in the remaining two cases the hematological remission was indeed a reversion to the chronic phase. CONCLUSIONS: Ph1-positive chronic clones present in lymphoid blast crisis showed a higher degree of sensitivity to intensive chemotherapy than those present in the myeloid cases. This observation further suggests that the growth properties of the Ph1-positive clones are highly variable from case to case and probably tend to progress during the time-course of the disease.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Unicentric Castleman's lymphadenopathy presenting with Behçet's syndrome: a case report.

We describe a male patient with Behcet's syndrome and Castleman's lymphadenopathy. He was affected by severe oral and genital ulcers, bilateral uveitis, necrotic purulent nodules on both hands. A CT scan of the mediastinum showed the presence of a mediastinal mass. On the basis of histological and immunohistological findings, a diagnosis of Castleman's disease, angiofollicular type, was formulated. The lymphadenopathy was unicentric. After the surgical excision of the mediastinal mass (January, 1989) until now, Behcet's syndrome is in complete remission with a low dosage of prednisone.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) salvage of mechlorethamine, vincristine, prednisone, and procarbazine (MOPP)-resistant advanced Hodgkin's disease.

Thirty-nine patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease were treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD). Thirty-one of these patients had previously failed to respond to MOPP (mechlorethamine, vincristine, prednisone, and procarbazine) treatment (29 patients) or to CCVPP (lomustine, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) treatment (two patients). Twenty-seven patients were considered evaluable: eight (30%) achieved complete remission (CR), two (7%) achieved partial remission (PR), and 17 (63%) had no response. All of the complete responders are still in continuous unmaintained CR, while 14 of the 19 partial responders and nonresponders have died. The overall median survival was 21 months; it was 16 months for partial responders and nonresponders. The remaining eight patients had ABVD substituted to MOPP early in treatment, because of allergy to procarbazine: six patients achieved CR and two achieved PR. Our results are in keeping with the literature data and confirm the effectiveness of ABVD as primary and salvage treatment in advanced Hodgkin's disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy improves the cure rate in primary extranodal lymphomas of the head and neck (PLHN).

BACKGROUND: Since PLHN are rare, prognostic factors and the therapeutic strategy have not yet been clearly assessed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients with PLHN (44 stage I, 27 stage II; 54 with high-grade histology) received the following treatments: 5 radical surgery, 21 radiotherapy, 43 combined treatment (mainly chemotherapy plus radiotherapy) [CT] and 1 was not treated. RESULTS: Disease-related survival (DRS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 84% and 69% at 5 years and 70% and 56% at 10 years. CT provided significantly better DRS and DFS than radiotherapy alone (92% and 81% vs 70% and 43% respectively), though the group receiving the CT included most of the patients with high-grade histology (37) and stage II (20). Outcome was not influenced by stage and site of involvement (Waldeyer's ring vs non-Waldeyer's ring). Multivariate analysis showed that favourable prognostic factors were age for DRS, high-grade histology and CT for DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients receiving the CT fared significantly better, though most of them had high-grade histology and stage II.

Adult↗