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Biomedical subjects

A Tosi

Publications and source records attributed to A Tosi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy with a biologically standardized extract of Ambrosia artemisiifolia pollen: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The allergological relevance of Ambrosia in Europe is growing but the efficacy of the injective immunotherapy for this allergen has been documented only in Northern America. OBJECTIVE: We sought to study the safety and efficacy of injective immunotherapy in European patients sensitized to Ambrosia artemisiifolia. METHODS: Thirty-two patients (18 M/14 F, mean age 36.78, range 23-60 years) suffering from rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma and sensitized to Ambrosia were enrolled and randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) study lasting 1 year. A maintenance dose corresponding to 7.2 microg of Amb a 1 was administered at 4-week intervals after the build-up. During the second and the third year, all patients were under active therapy in an open fashion. Symptom and medication scores, skin reactivity to Ambrosia (parallel line biological assay), and pollen counts were assessed throughout the trial. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients completed the trial. No severe adverse event was observed. During the DBPC phase, actively treated patients showed an improvement in asthmatic symptoms (P=0.02) and drug (P=0.0068) scores days with asthmatic symptoms (P=0.003), days with rhinitis symptoms (P=0.05), and days with intake of drugs (P=0.0058), as compared to before therapy. No improvement for any of these parameters was detected in the placebo group. Moreover, the number of days with rhinitis and asthma was significantly higher in the placebo as compared to the active group (P=0.048 and P<0.0001, respectively). Patients who switched from placebo to active therapy improved in rhinoconjunctivitis, asthma, and drug intake. The skin reactivity decreased significantly (12.2-fold, P=0.0001) in the active group whereas a slight increase (1.07-fold, P=0.87) was observed in the placebo group after the DBPC phase. After switching to active therapy, patients previously under placebo showed a significant decrease of this parameter (4.78-fold, P=0.002). CONCLUSION: Injective immunotherapy is safe and clinically effective in European patients sensitized to Ambrosia.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Multiple sclerosis and celiac disease: is there an increased risk?

Multiple sclerosis and celiac disease are both considered immune-mediated diseases. Recently, improved serological screening methods provided a higher prevalence of celiac disease (CD) in the general population worldwide and also demonstrated gastrointestinal symptoms may be lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of (CD) in an unselected group of 95 adults with multiple sclerosis using transglutaminase antibodies. No patients showed pathological values. Different immune and genetic basis between the two diseases may represent crucial insights to explain our results.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Radiological examination of the Lap-Band for the treatment of severe obesity].

The aim of this study is to determine the role of radiographic assessment in patient who underwent an adjustable laparoscopic (or laparotomic) banding for the treatment of morbid obesity, and to evaluate the different type of postoperative complications. Forty-three consecutive patients with morbid obesity were examined before and after surgical treatment with positioning of Lap-Band. In all patients radiological examination permitted to evaluate the bend position, the dimensions of the gastric pouch and of the stoma. In such cases it was possible to modify the stoma dimensions under fluoroscopy. 74.4% of patients obtained satisfactory weight loss without complications. In 16.2% of patients the treatment was unsatisfactory and the radiological examination demonstrated the presence and the type of complications. In 9.3% of patients the radiological exam was negative for complications but they didn't obtain satisfactory weight loss. Radiographic assessments are crucial in the management of weight loss and detection of postoperative complications in this surgical treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Not Available].

This article examines the many iconographic portrayals of the Bolognese naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) made between the 16th and 19th century. These paintings, engravings, medals and busts, either previously unknown or with new suggestions as to authorship, document the changing fortunes of one of the protagonists of 16th century encyclopaedic culture.

History, 16th Century↗
PubMed1994

Drug-induced hair loss and hair growth. Incidence, management and avoidance.

A large number of drugs may interfere with the hair cycle and produce hair loss. Drugs may affect anagen follicles through 2 main different modalities: (i) by inducing an abrupt cessation of mitotic activity in rapidly dividing hair matrix cells (anagen effluvium) or (ii) by precipitating the follicles into premature rest (telogen effluvium). In anagen effluvium, hair loss usually occurs within days to weeks of drug administration, whereas in telogen effluvium, hair loss becomes evident 2 to 4 months after starting treatment. Anagen effluvium is a prominent adverse effect of antineoplastic agents, which cause acute damage of rapidly dividing hair matrix cells. Telogen effluvium may be a consequence of a large number of drugs including anticoagulants, retinol (vitamin A) and its derivatives, interferons and antihyperlipidaemic drugs. Drug-induced hair loss is usually reversible after interruption of treatment. The prevalence and severity of alopecia depend on the drug as well as on individual predisposition. Some drugs produce hair loss in most patients receiving appropriate dosages while other drugs are only occasionally responsible for hair abnormalities. Both hirsutism and hypertrichosis may be associated with drug administration. Drugs most commonly responsible for the development of hirsutism include testosterone, danazol, corticotrophin (ACTH), metyrapone, anabolic steroids and glucocorticoids. Hypertrichosis is a common adverse effect of cyclosporin, minoxidil and diazoxide.

Alopecia↗
PubMed1994

[Prolymphocytic leukemia: the therapeutic strategy].

Prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) is a malignant lymphoproliferative disorder, characterized by massive splenomegaly, predominance of prolymphocytes in the peripheral blood and bone marrow, minimal lymph nodes enlargement and poor prognosis. It accounts for a 5-10% case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Patients age is usually over the fifth decade, the disease is 4.1 more common in males. More than 80% are B-lymphocytic derived cells showing a post-thymic phenotype. Median survival of B-PLL patients is 3 years, while only 7 months in T-PLL. Standard therapy of CLL with alkylating agents and prednisone have been not much effective in the treatment of PLL with a response rate of about 20%. Up to date no ideal treatment is available for PLL. A realistic goal is probably to achieve a clinical course transformation, from aggressive to mild, thus changing from short to long term prognosis. For this purpose the initial therapeutic approach cannot be limited to a single agent only. Splenic irradiation, intensive anthracyclines-based regimens, leukapheresis combine together represent the best therapeutic choice. Alkylating agents with or without prednisone may play a role in keeping indolent clinical course. Fludarabine has shown antileukemic activity against PPL even in patients resistant.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1990

[Stage classification of chronic lymphatic leukemia. A retrospective analysis of 263 cases].

We have analyzed 263 consecutive patients with chronic-lymphocytic leukemia. They all have been studied according to five different staging systems respectively proposed by Rai (1975), Binet (1977), Binet again (1981), Baccarini (1982) and Rozman (1984). All these procedures proved to be effective, because they divided our cases in groups with significant differences in survival time. The paper displays features and usefulness of each staging system.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bone marrow biopsy for the staging of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: bilateral or unilateral trephine biopsy?

AIM: The occurrence of unilateral involvement in bilateral bone marrow trephine biopsies in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) at disease onset (10-20% of cases) has been reported since the early 70s. Therefore, although these studies were based on small series, the use of bilateral bone marrow biopsies has become the rule. However, the clinical value of this procedure has never been clearly established. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the true value of bilateral bone marrow biopsy in the staging of NHL. STUDY DESIGN: We examined 368 cases of NHL (A-H according to the Working Formulation) (WF), without leukemic involvement of the peripheral blood, in order to evaluate: 1) the incidence of unilateral bone marrow involvement; 2) the percentage of patients who, as a result of unilateral bone marrow involvement, changed from stages I-II to stage IV; 3) assessment of response to therapy for patients with both bilateral or unilateral bone marrow involvement. RESULTS: In the A-C NHL groups of WF there was a unilateral bone marrow involvement of 8.8%. Overall, bone marrow involvement induced a change from clinical stages I-II to stage IV in 5.6% of cases, a figure which would correspond to a false negative rate of 2.8%, if unilateral bone marrow biopsy was performed. In the D-F and G, H groups of WF, unilateral involvement was 10.1% and 8.5% respectively; the change in stage from I-II to IV by unilateral bone marrow involvement respectively amounted to 1.4% and 2.8%, which correspond to respective false negative rates of 0.7% and 1.4%. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results and of the present therapeutic strategies, we propose: bilateral bone marrow biopsy for clinical stages I-II of all NHL; no bone marrow biopsy at disease onset for clinical stages III and IV of A to H histologic subtypes of the WF; unilateral bone marrow biopsy (A-C subtypes of the WF) or bilateral (D-H of the WF), after the regression of extramedullary localizations.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and "eosinophilic leukemia".

We report a case of idiopathic hypereosinophilia syndrome (H.E.S.) with a pronounced myeloproliferative disorder, which during the course of the illness has exceeded more than one "blastic crisis". This again proposes the difficult relationship between H.E.S. and myeloproliferative syndromes (M.S.), and is indicative of why some cases of H.E.S. are differentially diagnosed as chronic myeloid leukemia (C.M.L.) with an eosinophilic component.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Retroperitoneal hemorrhage following bone marrow biopsy.

We report the case of an elderly woman with polycythemia vera submitted to bone marrow biopsy who developed retroperitoneal hemorrhage as a result of direct penetration of the needle through the iliac crest, with damage to the iliolumbar artery, the first branch of the hypogastric artery.

Aged↗