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A Fusaro

Publications and source records attributed to A Fusaro.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Significance of CA 72.4 serum levels in gastrointestinal diseases.

In order to evaluate the usefulness of Ca 72.4 tumor associated antigen assay in gastrointestinal diseases, we have studied 751 patients suffering from benign (376) and neoplastic (375) digestive diseases and 305 normal controls. The cut-off point was fixed at 6 U/ml. The Ca 72.4 assay, with the proposed method, provides additional information only in gastric cancers; the positivity of the marker in gastric neoplasms is 38.4% and the specificity vs gastric ulcers and atrophic gastritis is 99%. In six patients with gastric cancer, the Ca 72.4 is the only positive test. The most striking observation to be made from the current study is a no good sensitivity of the marker for gastrointestinal cancers (29.6% vs 35.7 and 37.6% for CEA and Ca 19-9 respectively), but rather the excellent specificity of the Ca 72.4 immunoassay with respect to being gastrointestinal diseases (98.7%), vs values of specificity for CEA and Ca 19-9 of 94 and 92%. In conclusion, the high specificity of this marker for gastrointestinal neoplasms may be very interesting in follow-up studies. In fact, an elevation of serum levels of Ca 72.4 should always be taken seriously.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Increased levels of Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 125 in patients with benign diseases of the biliary tract and the pancreas].

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between the "tumor markers" Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 195 and benign pancreatic and biliary tract diseases. We measured serum Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 195 values in 144 subjects with biliary tree diseases (47), chronic pancreatitis (87), and acute pancreatitis (10). Practically all patients with acute cholangitis (20) had marked elevations of serum values of examined markers. Also in acute pancreatitis Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 195 shows a large number of fase positives (40-50 and 60% respectively). Our results indicate that serum Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 195 are markedly elevated in patients with acute cholangitis and pancreatitis. Furthermore the markers returns promptly to normal after the resolution of the acute phase of diseases. In general hiperbilirubinemia (greater than 5 mgr) is related with an important number of false positives. Much caution is needed in interpretating markedly elevated levels of serum Ca 19-9, Ca 50 and Ca 195 in patients presenting with jaundice of unclear origin.

Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Gow-Gates block for beginners].

The study was carried out with two groups of 49 patients to evaluate the incidence of failures and re-injections when the blockade of the mandibular nerve was carried out according to Gow-Gates by untrained young dentists. Such an incidence was compared to that of the blockade of the inferior alveolar nerve by the same dentists trained for this specific task. Both the observed failures and re-injections in the Gow-Gates blockade progressively decrease and disappear, theoretically, after 50 blockades, while they remain almost constant in the inferior alveolar nerve blockade. The induction of the blockade was more prolonged after the Gow-Gates blockade (9 minutes) compared to the inferior alveolar nerve blockade (7 minutes). The pain induced by the injection, that due to the anesthetic and that experienced during the subsequent surgery were lower after the Gow-Gates blockade.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Macroamylasemia in a man from Bangladesh. A case report.

A 30-year-old man from Bangladesh was admitted to the hospital because of abdominal pain. Elevated amylase values (both pancreatic and non-pancreatic fractions) indicated a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis although all tests conducted to confirm this were negative. Amylase isoenzyme electrophoresis disclosed an immunocomplex made up of a salivary amylase molecule with an IgA that increased total and pancreatic fractions. A diagnosis of macroamylasemia was made. Although this is considered to be a benign condition, it is generally identified only after a long series of tests which could be avoided by the use of simple amylase isoenzyme electrophoresis.

Abdominal Pain↗