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A Carta

Publications and source records attributed to A Carta.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri): descriptive epidemiology, clinical features, and visual outcome in Parma, Italy, 1990 to 1999.

PURPOSE: To ascertain the annual incidence rate and the clinical features, other than visual outcome, of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) in Parma, northern Italy. METHODS: Neurologic care of people living in the Parma area is entirely provided by one private and two public hospitals. Medical records related to IIH were retrospectively reviewed for all Parma residents from 1990 through 1999. RESULTS: Ten patients (8 women and 2 men) were identified as having IIH according to modified Dandy criteria. Their age ranged from 16 to 53 years with a mean of 36 years at diagnosis. The annual age-adjusted rate per 100,000 is 0.28 for the total population. For women in reproductive age, the annual incidence rate is 0.65/100,000. For overweight women in reproductive age, the annual incidence rate is 2.7/100,000. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate found in this study is lower than the incidence reported in previous US and Libyan studies. A significant difference in overweight distribution is observed comparing percentage of body weight between US and Parma populations. As overweight and obesity are important factors contributing to IIH development, it is possible that their low percentage in the Parma population may, at least partially, explain the low IIH incidence observed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term outcome after conservative treatment of indirect traumatic optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE: To report the long-term outcome of patients with indirect traumatic optic neuropathy (TON) which showed useful vision for a short period after trauma. METHODS: A cohort of 12 TON patients treated with steroids megadose immediately after trauma was followed every 6 months for an overall period of 5 years. Other than a full neuro-ophthalmologic examination, each visit included quantitative Goldmann perimetry and pattern reversal visual evoked potentials. The results of each examination were compared with the visual function at baseline. The main outcome measures were visual acuity and visual field. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: All patients showed a stable visual function 5 years after optic nerve trauma. There was no difference in visual acuity levels (p=0.65) and no visual field surface area between the visit at baseline and the last follow-up. However, a significant improvement in visual field extension (p=0.036) was observed after perimetry evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: This cohort of patients clearly demonstrates that the residual visual function found in the short term after TON is maintained for at least 5 years. These findings add further important clinical information for patients with TON. Furthermore, these data may be helpful to better quantify morbidity related to optic nerve trauma and its permanent sequelae.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Job fitness definitions in workers exposed to biological risks in a health care environment: highlights of a case report].

The definition of the specific job fitness for individual clinical cases often requires significant detailed investigation by the occupational physician. Such professional commitment is particularly important when biological risks in health care personnel are concerned. In fact, besides correct diagnostic procedures and the specific risk assessment implications, the level of competence of the worker, the safety of patients, work organization, risk perception and health education are also especially relevant. The aim of this paper is to report the case of a young nurse employed in the haematology section of the division of internal medicine, who was in charge of preparing and administering antineoplastic drugs. Risk assessment and a thorough clinical evaluation were performed in order to make a job fitness decision, with specific reference to biological risks. The nurse was suffering from membranous glomerulonephritis and was therefore being treated with various immunosuppressant agents. When she came to occupational physician, risk assessment showed that the preparation and administration of the antineoplastic drugs was not safely performed; the clinical picture showed moderate leukopenia while the kidney disease was functionally controlled. The worker was judged unfit to manipulate antineoplastic or perform activities in divisions at high biological risk. Recommendations were given to follow standard precautions and to follow up the case after cessation of immunosuppressant therapy. The case dealt with a specific biological risk assessment in health care settings and with the need to obtain through knowledge of the clinical state of the subject. Such information is necessary to assess job fitness, also giving recommendations related to employer's and employee's responsibility. The case report also provided the opportunity of underlining the role of the occupational physician in the management of cases of particular clinical relevance and of stressing the necessity of continuing scientific updating in order to reach sound conclusions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Injuries with biological risk in a major hospital: analysis of a caseload].

This article report preliminary data on injuries involving risks from biological agents occurred in healthcare workers of a major hospital over a 5-years period ('96-'00). The role of Occupational Competent Physician is underlined. Injuries' database, archives of occupational diseases, discharge diagnosis and notification of transmissible infectious diseases were consulted. 200 injuries (3/4 percutaneous) were on average registered yearly, with a decreasing trend. Subjects had a mean age of 34 years and 7 years of length of employment at the hospital. 60% of exposures occurred in nurses and 43% workers belonged to surgical areas. Serological data of the "source patients" were available for 1/3 of the cases and 35% of them were bloodborne viruses infected; 1 seroconversion for HCV was registered. On the whole, our results are similar to data from national and international literature. However a few factors limited the data collection and interpretation, mainly the lack of computer formats and different ways of coding and filing the information. The periodical analysis of injuries is useful to the Occupational Physician, particularly for educational intervention and sanitary surveillance of workers. Moreover, the Occupational Physician plays an important role in injuries prevention, especially in spreading the information on Standard Precautions, evaluating the human factor, reducing the "under-reporting" of accidents, counselling, evaluating prognosis and resuming work.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

1,2,3-triazolo[4,5-h]quinolines. III. Preparation and antimicrobial evaluation of 4-ethyl-4,7-dihydro-1(2)-R-1(2)H triazolo[4,5-h]quinolin-7-one-6-carboxylic acids as anti-infectives of the urinary tract.

Some 4-ethyl-1(2)-R-1(2)H-4,7-dihydro-triazolo[4,5-h]-quinolin-7-one-6- carboxylic acids were prepared as novel analogues of oxolinic acid, in order to discover the influence of the annelation position of the triazole ring on the antimicrobial activity that, in some isomers triazolo[4,5-f]quinoline carboxylic acids, is selective against Escherichia coli. Some interesting side reactions in the cyclization of 1(2)-R-1(2)H-benzotriazol-4-yl-aminomethylenemalonate are also described. The biological results indicate that this type of annelation is not profitable for antimicrobial activity.

Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bladder cancer and occupational activity].

Bladder cancer is important in Occupational Medicine and in Occupational Epidemiology. Multicentric studies and pooled analysis have contributed in the last few years to the identification and characterization of several risk factors for bladder cancer, both occupational and non-occupational. Currently, it is a research priority the study of genetic susceptibility and its interaction with environmental and occupational exposure to the various bladder cancer risk factors. Bladder cancer management entails a few aspects that directly involved the Occupational Phisycian in different activities such as biological monitoring of chemicals, known or suspected bladder carcinogens, health surveillance, fitness for work, the return to work of the bladder cancer patients and finally epidemiological surveillance and health promotion.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mental impairment in Parkinson's disease. The role of anticholinergic drugs.

The trial has been carried out on 33 treated Parkinsonian patients and 14 healthy controls. A series of psychometric tests were employed in order to show a possible intellectual deterioration in Parkinsonian patients. Bender's test showed greater motor-perceptive deterioration in Parkinsonian patients respect to control, the Wechsler-Bellevue Intelligence Scale evidenced in patients significant deterioration of mnesic and psychomotor capacity. When considering drug treatments patients undergoing combined treatment or anti-cholinergics alone obtained worse results in all tests made whilst patients on L-Dopa alone obtained the best results.

Aged↗