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Biomedical subjects

B Morra

Publications and source records attributed to B Morra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Child mortality due to suffocation in Europe (1980-1995): a review of official data.

This report outlines the current status of the official statistical data available concerning mortality rates for suffocation in children <15 years of age, stratified according to sex and country in Europe, in the years 1980-1995. The data source is the WHO Mortality Database, which comprises deaths registered in national vital registration systems, with underlying cause of death as coded by the relevant national authority. To assess the impact of the problem of suffocation, the total potential years of life lost have been calculated. In addition, for Italy, and for the years 1999-2000, data related to deaths and hospitalizations for foreign body in the pharynx and larynx are presented. In Italy, in the years 1999-2000, the ratio between the number of hospitalizations and the mortality rates is approximately one death every 10 hospitalizations (x 100,000). The European mortality rate exceeds nearly one death per 100,000 persons. No evidence of any geographical pattern or cyclic trend emerged from the analysis of this official data.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Psychological aspects of risk appraisal in asphyxiation accidents: a review of the factors influencing children's perception and behaviour.

Psychological aspects determining children's behaviour in response to asphyxiation risk due to ingestion of foreign matter have been rarely and non-systematically examined in the literature. Aim of this report is to highlight--through a review of the most significant psychological research in the literature--which factors influence the behaviour, perception and assessments of children 0 to 14 years of age, in a risk situation. In particular, attention is focused on the direct experience of a child at risk, assuming that this experience can play a significant role in future dangerous situations. Outcomes of studies taken into consideration have highlighted the influence of age, sex, socio-economic status, parents' role, peer group, personal traits, television and personal experience. The latter refutes the initial hypotheses, showing an unexpected and clearly negative effect on future evaluation and behaviour in response to similar contexts of asphyxiation risk. The implications for research on asphyxiation due to ingestion of foreign matter are examined.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed2000

Use of a hyaluronan-based biomembrane in the treatment of chronic cholesteatomatous otitis media.

OBJECTIVE: To test the efficacy and safety of a hyaluronan-based biomembrane in stimulating the healing process in patients undergoing tympanomastoid surgery. STUDY DESIGN: The trial was an open, two-arm, controlled, randomized, prospective, multicenter study conducted at two different hospitals. PATIENTS: Sixty subjects (18-65 years of age, both sexes) with chronic cholesteatomatous otitis media were enrolled and treated by the "one-stage open technique." Efficacy and safety parameters were assessed at 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 17, 21, and 25 weeks after surgery. Three sets of composite criteria were considered: patient's assessment of quality of healing, otomicroscopy, and audiometry. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients, 50 completed the study. Subjects treated with the biomembrane had statistically significant better scores than controls (no treatment) for all variables considered, excluding audiometry (no significant differences). No adverse events occurred in treated patients. CONCLUSION: Data demonstrate that the application of a hyaluronan-based biomembrane improves the healing of the mastoid cavity following "open" tympanoplasty. In particular, re-epithelialization was significantly faster after the application of the biomembrane. Moreover, the device neither caused any adverse events nor showed signs of ototoxicity. Re-epithelialization of open cavities and tympanic grafts still represents for surgeons an unpredictable step in the healing process. Hyaluronian-derivates may effectively contribute to the reduction of such variability.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1991

Immunological investigations on tonsillar and peripheral blood lymphocytes after adeno-tonsillectomy. Possible suggestions for phenotypical and functional differences.

The phenotypical and functional aspects of tonsillar (TMNC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) obtained from 40 patients who had undergone adeno-tonsillectomy for different tonsillar diseases were investigated. TMNC and PBMC were separately tested at the time of surgery; then a further investigation on the peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed three months after surgery. The most interesting findings are presented and discussed with particular attention to their clinical implications.

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMed1991

Peri and intratumoral macrophage infiltration in laryngeal carcinoma. An immunohistochemical study.

The role of macrophages infiltrating tumor tissue is still poorly explained; the data available are sparse and, to the best of our knowledge, there is no study relating the characteristics of such infiltration to tumor evolution and final outcome. We decided to investigate the spatial relationships between macrophages and neoplastic tissue and their possible prognostic significance on a series of laryngeal carcinomas (98 patients) all of which were operated in our Department and had a follow-up of at least 3 years. In order to identify the macrophage infiltration, formaline-fixed/paraffin-mounted specimens of the tumor were treated with MoAb HAM56. No statistically significant relationship could be established between the degree of macrophage infiltration and the clinical outcome (recurrence), even when the N status was taken into account (N- vs. N+). However, a clear trend was observed when the analysis was confined to grade 3 cases, where the presence of a significant number of macrophages was correlated with a higher probability of recurrence.

Cell Movement↗
PubMed1988

Dichotic performance in elderly Italians with Italian stop consonant-vowel stimuli.

Dichotic listening tests were carried out at various interaural onset asynchronies (from 0 to 500 ms) on normal-hearing young and elderly subjects using a free recall method. The stimuli were Italian stop consonant and vowel syllables computer-edited to reduce prevoicing of the consonant and vowel syllables from the original 100-120 ms to 30 ms. Results suggest that right-ear advantage is uninfluenced by age, despite a significantly lower total dichotic performance and abnormal lag effect in the older group.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Hearing loss and desferrioxamine in homozygous beta-thalassemia.

The authors present the results obtained during an audiometric screening of 153 children aged 5-18 years, affected by beta-thalassemia and treated with regular blood transfusions and iron overload chelation by means of desferrioxamine. Thirty-eight percent of the patients showed a significant sensorineural hearing loss at high frequencies with recruitment. Younger patients had a greater hearing loss, indicating that cochlear damage was not due to the disease itself. Furthermore, hearing loss appeared to be correlated with the mean and peak desferrioxamine doses administered and was higher in subjects with lower iron load. Thus, the ototoxic effect seems to have been higher when a good iron chelation had been obtained. Among our patients, conductive hearing loss was not more frequent than in patients without beta thalassemia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Specific lymphokine responses in cervical nodes of patients with laryngeal cancer.

The role of lymphokines in modulating the immune response in patients suffering from neoplastic disease is still controversial. Recent studies indicate that in patients with head and neck cancer, a decrease in LIF (leukocyte migration inhibiting factor) production is usually present in advanced disease. In this study, the authors investigate: the LIF production in lymphocytes derived from the peripheral blood and cervical nodes of patients with laryngeal carcinoma by using an autologous pattern (i.e., for each patient, the specific LIF production was challenged by means of an autologous cell extract derived from his own tumor); the influence of histologically confirmed cervical node metastases on LIF production. Our results indicate that: There is a significant decrease in LIF production in patients with histologically proven cervical node metastases as compared to patients with no metastatic foci. The decrease of LIF production is related to the presence of mononuclear adherent cells. When the latter are removed, there is a significant reversal of specific LIF suppression. The possible meaning of the data is discussed.

Cell Adhesion↗
PubMed1987

Dynamic aspects of stapedial reflex in myasthenia gravis.

The modifications of stapedial reflex have been studied in 30 subjects affected by myasthenia gravis. The test was performed in basal conditions (i.e. at least 6 h after the last administration of an anticholinesterase drug), after the injection of Tensilon and again in basal conditions, 1 week after thymectomy. The reflex was elicited in 27 patients but in 1 case it appeared only after therapy. Among the various parameters analyzed, only rise velocity, decay velocity and amplitude have shown lower values in patients than in the normal group. These parameters increased significantly after the pharmacological test and 1 week after thymectomy in 60% of the cases. The data suggest that patients with more evident muscular damage are more likely to present a rise of stapedial strength after therapy. The efficiency of thymectomy has also been demonstrated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of blocking mechanisms against immunological responses in patients with laryngeal carcinoma.

The specific tumor-induced leukocyte inhibition factor (LIF) production in laryngeal cancer patients has been investigated before and after the removal of adherent cells in order to evaluate the existence of a suppressor activity; 20 patients served as subject. The LIF production, after challenging the lymphocytes with 3MKC1 autologous tumor extracts, was significant in 12 patients and showed a further significant increase after the removal of adherent cells. In 3 patients with no previous significant LIF production, there was a conversion to significance when the adherent cells were removed. The other patients did not show any significant variation. These data seem to suggest the existence of a suppressor activity exerted by adherent cells in laryngeal cancer patients on LIF production.

Aged↗