PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Biondo

Publications and source records attributed to A Biondo.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Prevalence of home artificial nutrition in Italy in 2005: a survey by the Italian Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SINPE).

AIM: To determine the prevalence (cases per million inhabitants) of home artificial nutrition (HAN), enteral (HEN) and parenteral (HPN), in Italy, grouped according to administrative regions, patient age and primary disease, and to analyze the impact both of the presence of an HAN regional regulation and of demographic characteristics. METHODS: In April 2005, the Regional Coordinators of the Italian Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SINPE) recorded all the ongoing cases of HAN using a structured questionnaire and were asked to estimate the representativeness of the collected sample with respect to the total expected HAN. RESULTS: A total of 6955 cases of HAN (93.5% adults, 6.5% pediatric patients < or = 18 years) were recorded in 16 of the 20 Italian regions (80% of the Italian population; sample representativeness 78%). HAN prevalence 152.6 (83.9% HEN, 16.1% HPN); the HAN range among the regions was: prevalence 28.1-519.8; oncological disease 13.8-75.7%, neurological disease 15.5-79.9%, intestinal failure 1.3-14.0%. An HAN regulation was present in 11 regions. A positive association (P=0.012) was found between the number of years since the regulation was issued and the HAN prevalence, and also between the % neurological patients and the population density (P=0.130) and the % inhabitants > or = 75 years (P=0.040). CONCLUSIONS: The need for HAN regards a great number of patients throughout the country; there are substantial differences between the regions with respect to both the prevalence and the use of HAN in various disease categories. A specific regulation may favor the development of HAN.

Adult↗

Liver endothelial cell dysfunction occurs early following hemorrhagic shock and persists despite crystalloid resuscitation.

Although hepatocellular function is depressed early following hemorrhage, it remains unknown whether liver endothelial cell function is also compromised under such conditions. The aim of this study, however, was to determine if liver endothelial cell function is depressed during hemorrhage and persists following crystalloid resuscitation. To study this, rats underwent a 5-cm laparotomy (i.e., trauma induced) and were bled to and maintained at a mean arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg until 40% of maximal bleedout volume was returned in the form of Ringer's lactate. The animals were then resuscitated with 4 times the volume of maximal bleedout volume with Ringer's lactate. Arterial blood was taken before and during hemorrhage and after resuscitation. Plasma hyaluronic acid (HA) levels were determined using a Pharmacia assay kit. To determine whether the elevated HA is due to a decrease in its removal, HA clearance was assessed at 0 and 24 hr after resuscitation by injecting 30 microgram/100 g body wt HA intravenously. The results indicate that plasma HA levels increased significantly at the time of maximal bleedout, which persisted even 24 hr after the completion of resuscitation. Hyaluronic acid clearance decreased significantly at 0 and 24 hr after resuscitation, suggesting that the decreased HA clearance plays a major role in producing the elevated plasma HA levels. Since circulating HA is cleared exclusively by liver endothelial cells, these results, taken together, indicate that liver endothelial cell dysfunction (i.e., the increased plasma HA levels and decreased HA clearance) occurs early during hemorrhage (i.e., approximately 44 min after the onset of the insult) and persists despite resuscitation. Thus, the depressed liver endothelial cell function may directly or indirectly contribute to hepatocellular dysfunction observed under such conditions.

Animals↗

Immunologic recurrent abortion: comparison between immunotherapies.

The Authors record the results in a group of patients with immunologic recurrent abortion (IRA) treated with two different immunoprophylaxis regimen. The first one is an active prophylaxis therapy with preparation and administration from donor mononucleates. According to their previous original experience, the Authors started giving high doses of IV-Ig (HD IV-Ig) in a second group of pregnant patients with the same diagnosis of immunologic recurrent abortion (IRA). The results of this not randomized study show better reproductive outcome in the group treated with use of HD IV-Ig.

Abortion, Habitual↗

The pharmacologic therapy of post-cauterization and post-laser vaporization with polydeoxyribonucleotide.

The most widely used ablative techniques in the therapy of benign cervical lesions are physical treatments with cauterization or laser vaporization; these are, however, usually used for the largest or symptomatic lesions. Many Authors suggest, after physical treatment, the use of topical chemotherapy in order to abolish any possible inflammatory reaction. The use of drugs such as polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) 5 mg (POLIDES 5--Farmigea), provided with reepithelialization and anticomplement action, seems to promote a quicker recovery of the cauterized or vaporized zone, avoiding, at the same time, the secondary inflammatory reaction. The Authors have assessed the quality of reepithelialization by means of PDRN 5 mg ovules of the cervical zone which has been previously subjected to laser vaporization or cauterization for benign cervical lesions or CIN I. The trial was performed with two groups of patients: Group A: laser vaporization, 45 patients, 23 of whom treated with PDRN and 22 with placebo. Group B: cauterization, 46 patients, 24 treated with PDRN and 22 with placebo. The treatment with PDRN 5 mg ovules started on the day of physical treatment and continued for twelve days. The examination of the patients, performed before the treatment (TO) included the following tests: bacteriological test; PAP-smear, colposcopic examination with eventual direct biopsy. The first follow-up (T 1) was performed after 14 days and included a Pap-smear, colposcopic examination and microcolpohysteroscopy (MC) carried out in the zone where physical treatment had been performed, in order to obtain a map of the reepithelialization process process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cautery↗