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Biomedical subjects

A Polizzi

Publications and source records attributed to A Polizzi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Familial broad terminal phalanges with one individual showing additional anomalies.

We describe a family with four relatives showing broad terminal phalanges (BTP) of the fingers and toes. One also had mental retardation, an unusual facial appearance, cleft palate with bifid uvula, and gingival hyperplasia. The BTP anomaly in this family seems to be transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

Another "new" form, the palagonia type of acrofacial dysostosis in a Sicilian family.

We described another previously apparently unreported form of acrofacial dysostosis (AFD) from Sicily, residing, coincidentally in the same small village as that with the recently delineated Catania AFD. In contra-distinction to the latter, the 4 patients with the Palagonia form of AFD are of normal intelligence, and instead of extensive caries have oligodontia (4), short stature (3), frizzy hair (pili torti) with aplasia cutis verticis (1), mild cutaneous syndactyly of digits 2-5 (4), attenuation of the 4th metacarpals (3/3), unilaterally cleft lip (1), and some vertebral anomalies such as a large atlas (1), mild scoliosis (1), small odontoid process, spina bifida occulta at S1 (1). Casually, this would appear to be an iceberg dominant disorder, with the proposita most severely affected. This could be an X-linked dominant, but more likely an autosomal dominant trait.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1997

Tuberculosis of the ankle in childhood: clinical, roentgenographic and computed tomography findings.

We report on three Italian children who presented with unilateral ankle tuberculosis (TB) consecutively during a short time period and in the same geographical area. A 6-year-old-girl with a family history of TB had limited mobility of the right leg at age 9 months; Mantoux test and radiographs at that age yielded normal findings. When severe right tibiotarsal swelling, reddening, pain and restriction of motion became apparent at age 4.6 years, the typical lesions of TB were evident on radiographs and computed tomographic (CT) scans. Mantoux test and synovial biopsy confirmed TB. A three-drug regimen of treatment proved useless: articular cartilage destruction and diffuse osteosclerosis ensued. Only a four-drug prolonged regimen of treatment proved to be somewhat effective. A 5-year-old girl had a 6-month history of painless swelling and limited mobility of the ankle; radiographs and CT showed osteopenia with marginal erosion of cartilages. A 14-month-old boy presented with a 2-week history of painless swelling ankle. Radiographs showed decreased bone density of talocalcanear bones. Mantoux test and synovial biopsy confirmed TB in both patients; treatment with a three-drug regimen greatly reduced symptoms. A careful suspicion of the diagnosis of tuberculosis is paramount in children with chronic or subacute monoarticular arthritis, even in absence of a positive tuberculin test or abnormalities on chest radiograph. When negative early on, the tuberculin test should be repeated after 6 weeks of arthritis, and a needle biopsy of the synovium is required in those children with monoarticular arthritis and a positive tuberculin test. Careful therapy is necessary to avoid sequelae that may lead to severe osteoarticular damage.

Ankle Joint↗
PubMed1996

SHORT syndrome: a new case with probable autosomal dominant inheritance.

A further case of SHORT syndrome is reported. This 9-year-old Italian boy was short of stature and had partial lipodystrophy, minor facial anomalies, mild hyperextensibility of joints, ocular depression, Rieger anomaly, delay in speech development and in dental eruption. The father and sister showed a striking similarity to the propositus. Moreover, the sister had bilateral and symmetrical lens opacities, which have not been reported previously in affected subjects or their relatives. A variable expression of an autosomal dominant gene can be considered in the present family.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1996

Ossifying fibroma of the skull in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1. Case report.

Ossifying fibroma is a rare, benign, primary bone tumor that occurs most commonly in the mandible; a cranial vault location is extremely rare. In this report a case of symptomatic frontoparietotemporal ossifying fibroma with intracranial growth and cerebral displacement in a 12-year-old boy with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is described. Once excised the lesion did not recur. The skeletal system is frequently affected in NF1, and bone abnormalities are present in 50% to 70% of patients with this condition. The etiology of such lesions in NF1 is still controversial. To the authors' knowledge, ossifying fibromas of calvarial bones have not been described in NF1.

Child↗
PubMed1994

Effect of the synthetic retinoid fenretinide on dark adaptation and the ocular surface.

BACKGROUND: Fenretinide, a synthetic derivative of retinoic acid, is under study in clinical trials for the prevention of breast, skin basal cell, bladder, and oral cancer in patients at risk. Although fenretinide is well tolerated even after prolonged use, it does lower plasma retinol levels and thus may affect night vision. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure changes in dark adaptation resulting from fenretinide administration, to compare the measured results with the patient's subjective perception, to define the association with plasma retinol levels, to assess the reversibility of alterations in night vision, and to assess the effects of fenretinide on the surface of the eye. METHODS: The study involved 65 women who had been operated on for stage I breast cancer. Of the study group, 34 received 200 mg daily of fenretinide for a median of 32 months, while 31 control subjects did not. Dark adaptation was studied with the Goldmann-Weekers adaptometer and with a subjective questionnaire. Plasma retinol levels were measured at each test of dark adaptation. Effects of fenretinide on the ocular surface were evaluated through conjunctival impression cytology. RESULTS: Of the patients on fenretinide, eight (23.5%) showed mild and nine (26.5%) showed moderate alterations of measured dark adaptability, compared with just two controls (6.5%) with mild alterations (cumulative odds ratio = 15.4; P = .0008). A significant inverse correlation exists between the final sensitivity threshold of dark-adaptometry and plasma retinol levels, with mild alterations arising below 16 micrograms/dL and moderate alterations below 10 micrograms/dL. Abnormal rod function improved significantly after 7 days and normalized 1 month after use of fenretinide was stopped or vitamin A supplementation was begun, while the conventional 3-day drug suspension, or drug half dose, did not allow sufficient recovery. Alterations of conjunctival cytology were slightly higher in patients receiving fenretinide, but no clinical disorders of the ocular surface were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The women treated with 200 mg fenretinide daily showed a relatively high incidence of mild-to-moderate alterations of dark-adaptometry as measured with the Goldmann-Weekers adaptometer. However, the real-life implication of the measurements is an open question, for the questionnaire shows that 50% of the patients with altered dark adaptometry were asymptomatic.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

Activity of 4-HPR in superficial bladder cancer using DNA flow cytometry as an intermediate endpoint.

The ability of the synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR) to affect the outcome of previously resected superficial bladder cancer was investigated in a pilot study using DNA content flow cytometry and conventional cytology as intermediate endpoints. Twelve patients were treated with oral 4-HPR (200 mg daily) and compared with 17 non-randomized, untreated controls. The median interval between transurethral resection and 4-HPR administration was 5.5 months (range 0-36). The median follow-up period was 12 months (range 3-31) in the 4-HPR group and 9 months (range 2-22) in the control group. The proportion of patients with DNA aneuploid stemlines in bladder-washed cells decreased from 7/12 (58%) to 5/11 (45%) in the 4-HPR group, but increased from 7/17 (41%) to 10/17 (59%) in the control group. In patients with stable diploid profiles, mean (+/- SE) S-phase and G2+M-phase fractions decreased in the course of retinoid treatment from basal levels of 15.2 +/- 4.1% to 7.5 +/- 3.3% and 10.3 +/- 2.2% to 5.2 +/- 0.4%, respectively. The same parameters in the control group changed from basal levels of 14.6 +/- 3.4% to 12.4 +/- 2.7% and 9.8 +/- 1.6% to 12.6 +/- 1.6%, respectively. Positive or suspicious cytologic examinations were present in 3/12 (25%) treated cases prior to 4-HPR administration and all subsequently reverted to normal. The same parameter in the control group increased from 4/17 (24%) to 6/17 (35%) during follow-up. Impaired adaptation to darkness was recorded in 4 patients, and transient dermatologic alterations were observed in one-third of the patients, requiring dose reduction in one case.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Pigmentary retinal dystrophy associated with pigmentary glaucoma.

Two young brothers were bilaterally affected by pigmentary glaucoma and extensive symmetrical changes of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Fundus changes consisted in widespread salt-and-pepper RPE mottling and pigment clumping, sparing only the peripapillary and foveal areas. During the course of 4 years, one of the two patients suffered multiple, recurrent, exudative and hemorrhagic detachments of the RPE that involved the midperiphery and posterior pole. No exudative lesions appeared in the brother. The medical history and systemic laboratory tests were noncontributory in both patients. The ERG was normal and the EOG subnormal. Dark adaptation was delayed and showed an elevation of the scotopic threshold. These cases seem to support the hypothesis that the RPE is also involved in the pigmentary dispersion syndrome. An inherited defect could affect the pigment epithelium in both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. The multifocal subretinal exudative pattern that occurred in one of our patients has not been previously observed in hereditary disorders of the RPE.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The macular recovery test after photostress in normal and diabetic subjects.

The authors present a clinical statistical study on the macular recovery test after photostress in normal subjects and retinopathic and non-retinopathic diabetics. The limits within which the test retains its reliability in predicting the development of retinopathy in diabetics are statistically analyzed.

Adolescent↗