r-Interferon alfa-2b/ribavirin combined therapy followed by low-dose r-interferon alfa-2b in chronic hepatitis C interferon nonresponders.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Perasso.
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HCV positive hepatitis possesses a relevant social impact as regards national health costs. On the other hand, interferon (IFN) therapy represents to date the best therapeutic approach to this problem. However, several clinical questions have arisen regarding the efficacy and safety of long-term treatments, and above all the management of those patients who did not respond to acute therapy. Nevertheless, it is well known there is a high rate of relapse after the cessation of treatment. The goal of the present paper has therefore been to verify both efficacy and safety of a weekly single dose of IFN in maintaining an adequate remission rate in 38 outpatients who obtained a good response (either type I or II according to Marcellin's classification) to a 12 months' IFN course. Our results evidenced that a maintenance therapy with a single a weekly dose of IFN (3MU) did not seem to lead to a lower rate of relapses when compared to patients who were not given any treatment.
Aim of this experience has been to evaluate the current diagnostic potentiality of the endoscopy in the framework of the gastric ulcerous pathology. On the total of the gastric ulcers 17.9% have resulted to be neoplastic with the hystologic examination. The diagnostic accurracy of the endoscopy has resulted to be of the 87% compared to hystology. From our data it is evidenced how the endoscopy examination has a relevant diagnostic accuracy in defining the nature of the gastric ulcer which however has to be confirmed by the histology which seems to be diriment.
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The interferon therapy has represented a breakthrough in the treatment of chronic hepatitis. In this article we analyzed the results of short- and long-term therapy of hepatitis C, particularly referred to different dosage regimens and side effects. We paid particular attention to patients non responders to interferon therapy, for whom we reported the results obtained with the association of interferon and ursodeoxycholic acid, and with steroidal treatment.
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Chief cell mass and serum Pepsinogen I were calculated in 25 duodenal ulcer patients and in 40 healthy controls. Comparisons were also made with parietal cell mass and the stimulated acid secretion. Chief cell mass was expressed bay a Zymogenous Index (ZI) obtained by multiplying the number of chief cells per mm2 for the thickness of the glandular layer. The analysis of the data shows a significant decrease of ZI in duodenal ulcer patients in comparison with controls. The grouping of the subjects according to the age (over and under fifty years), confirms that ZI decreases significantly in duodenal ulcer groups in relation with the respective groups of control. In case of duodenal ulcer with fundic superficial gastritis no behavioural changes of ZI are observed in comparison to those affected by duodenal ulcer with normal fundic mucosa. The serum Pepsinogen I significantly increases in duodenal ulcer patients in comparison to the controls, either in the subjects over and under fifty. In the group of duodenal ulcer patients with superficial fundic gastritis a significant increase of serum Pepsinogen I can be pointed out in comparison to the ulcer patients with normal fundic mucosa. The grouping of the patients on the basis of hyperparietalism and normoparietalism has shown in the former group hypozymogenism and in the latter normozymogenism. Finally, no correlation has emerged between Zymogenous Index and serum Pepsinogen I.
The aim of this study has been to evaluate peptic activity in gastric juice and gastric peptic cell mass in chronic gastritis. As regard peptic activity, there is a close correlation between it and the peptic gastric cell mass considered globally and expressed as Peptic Gastric Index (PGI), resulting from the individual average between fundic peptic index (chief cells + fundic muco-peptic cells) and antral peptic index (antral muco-peptic cells), both obtained by multiplying the number of peptic cells per mm2 by the thickness of respectively fundic and antral gland layer). In particular fundic and antral superficiale gastritis does not involve changes in peptic activity in gastric juice. On the contrary, in case of fundic pre-atrophic or atrophic there is a significant drop of peptic activity in gastric juice, regardless of the histological condition of the antrum. The lowest value of peptic activity may be noticed in case of atrophic pan-gastritis. Pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis limited to the antrum--with superficial fundic gastritis--does not involve significant decreases of peptic activity in gastric juice. In this experiences Helicobacter pylori seem to influence peptic secretion: in fact, there is an increases of peptic activity in gastric juice in case of chronic pre-atrophic gastritis HP+.
Ten patients were given 3MU/3 times/week of r-interferon alpha 2b for 4 months; six patients were given 1MU/3 times/week for 4 months. The choice of these regimes has been based on the number of platelets. Among the patients treated with 9MU/week we observed a type I response (alanine-aminotransferases normalization) in 40% of cases, a type II (ALT fifty percent reduction) in 40% of cases, and a type III (no response) in 20% of cases. Among the patients treated with 3MU/week we observed a type II response in 16.7% and a type III in 83.3% of cases. Treatment of Child A liver cirrhosis with r-interferon demonstrates to rise, therefore, the same percentage of response which are obtained in the treatment of chronic active hepatitis, when the same doses are administered (9MU/week).
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The chief cell mass and serum pepsinogen I (PGI) have been evaluated in 18 patients with gastric cancer of intestinal type of the body-fundus. Moreover, a correlation with the parietal cell mass and the maximal acid output it has been effected. The patients have been subdivided in relation to histologic condition of the fundic mucosa. In case of gastric cancer with preatrophic fundic gastritis it has been revealed hypozymogenism with normoPGI and hypoparietalism with hypochlorhydria, in case of gastric cancer with atrophic fundic gastritis it has been revealed hypozymogenism with hypoPGI and hypoparietalism with hypochlorhydria. From this experience it emerges a similar anatomic-functional profile between gastric cancer of the body-fundus and chronic fundic gastritis without cancer. In particular, it emerges that serum PGI is a good marker of atrophic fundic gastritis, but it is not discriminant between atrophic fundic gastritis and atrophic fundic gastritis associated to gastric cancer.
Chief cell mass and type I serum pepsinogen (PGI) were calculated in 19 advanced antral gastric cancer of intestinal type. Comparisons were also made with parietal cell mass and acid secretion. In gastric cancer of the antrum there is a significant decrease of the chief cell mass and of serum pepsinogen I. The patients were subdivided according to the histological findings of the fundic mucosa. In cases of antral gastric cancer with superficial fundic gastritis there is normozymogenism with hyperpepsinogenemy; with preatrophic fundic gastritis there is hypozymogenism with normopepsinogenemy; with atrophic fundic gastritis there is hypozymogenism with hypopepsinogenemy. Similar behavior of the chief cell mass between antral gastric cancer and fundic atrophic gastritis without cancer has become recognized and while the validity of PGI as a marker of fundic atrophic gastritis has emerged it does not allow discrimination between atrophic fundic gastritis and atrophic fundic gastritis associated with gastric cancer of the antrum.
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The chief cell mass, expressed as the Zymogenous Index (number of cells per mm2 multiplied by the thickness of the glandular layer) was calculated in 42 subjects with chronic gastritis, and in 40 subjects with normal gastric mucosa, and was compared with the serum concentration of Pepsinogen I (PG I), with the parietal cell mass (expressed as Parietal Index: number of cells per mm2 multiplied by the thickness of the glandular layer), and with the acid output. The results showed that there are no significant variations in the chief cells in comparison with healthy controls in the case of superficial gastritis and follicular gastritis. Conversely, in the case of pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis there is a significant reduction in the chief cell mass. The serum PG I increases significantly in the case of superficial gastritis as compared with healthy controls, while it is equivalent in the case of follicular gastritis, decreases non-significantly in pre-atrophic gastritis and is significantly reduced in the case of atrophic gastritis. The parietal cell mass shows a behavior equivalent to that of the chief cell mass, and the acid output decreases significantly in the case of pre-atrophic and atrophic gastritis, with no significant variations in the case of superficial and follicular gastritis. On comparing the behavior of the chief cell mass with that of the parietal cell mass, it was noticed that in the most severe stages of chronic gastritis there is a more pronounced reduction of the former than of the latter.
The diffusion of the radioimmunoassay methods for the determination of the serum pepsinogen has offered the opportunity of a direct approach to the analysis of peptic secretion. The aim of our studies has been to evaluate the behaviour of pepsinogen I in gastroduodenal pathology and to point out a possible clinical utilization. Moreover, we have examined all the relationship with the chief cell mass, parietal cell mass and hydrochloric acid secretion.
In the present study, a counting method for the evaluation of chief cell mass was proposed, based on the assessment of a zymogenous index (ZI) obtained by multiplying the number of cells/mm2 by the thickness of the glandular layer. Results obtained in 40 subjects with normal gastric mucosa did not show significant ZI differences between sexes. A statistically significant decrease in ZI was observed in patients above age 50, thus being directly related to the significant decrease in the thickness of the glandular parenchyma and in the number of chief cells/mm2 observed in this age group. The data obtained were in agreement with the pattern of change observed for serum pepsinogen I (PG I) whose values were related to the chief cell mass in connection with sex and age of the subjects.
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