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Biomedical subjects

C Ferro

Publications and source records attributed to C Ferro.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Establishment and characterization of a new continuous cell line from Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: psychodidae) and its susceptibility to infections with arboviruses and Leishmania chagasi.

Embryonic tissue explants of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva 1912) the main vector of Leishmania chagasi (Cunha and Chagas), were used to obtain a continuous cell line (Lulo). The tissues were seeded in MM/VP12 medium and these were incubated at 28 masculineC. The first subculture was obtained 45 days after explanting and 96 passages have been made to date. Lulo is composed of epithelioid cells, showed a 0.04 generations/hour exponential growth rate and population doubling time at 24.7 h. The cell line isoenzymatic profiles were determined by using PGI, PGM, MPI and 6-PGDH systems, coinciding with patterns obtained from the same species and colony's pupae and adults. The species karyotype characteristics were recognized (2n = 8), in which pair 1 is subtelocentric and pairs 2, 3 and 4 are metacentric. Lulo was free from bacterial, fungal, mycoplasmic and viral infection. Susceptibility to five arbovirus was determined, the same as Lulo interaction with Leishmania promastigotes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Canine visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia: relationship between clinical and parasitologic status and infectivity for sand flies.

We studied the reservoir competency of canines with distinct clinical presentations of Leishmania chagasi infection. The parasitologic status of asymptomatic and symptomatic dogs was determined by standard culture methods Infectivity was assessed by multiple xenodiagnoses with Lutzomyia longipalpis, over a period of 2-11 months. Asymptomatic dogs were non-infective (0 of 5) while 2 of 7 oligosymptomatic dogs infected L longipalpis, transmitting the parasites at low rates (range 0.9-5.2% of engorged flies). Polysymptomatic dogs transmitted L. chagasi more frequently (4 of 8 dogs) and reached higher infection rates (range 5.0-22.5% of engorged flies). The skin of the ear tended to be more infective to sand flies than that of the abdomen. Polymerase chain reaction hybridization (PCR-H) was a sensitive method for detection of L. chagasi, yielding the highest positive rate in serum (16 of 17 dogs) with no distinction between clinical groups. No association between skin positivity by PCR-H and infectivity to sand flies was found. The infectivity of dogs from clinically comparable groups from Colombian and Mediterranean foci differed. This may be a reflection of varied nutritional conditions or vector competency of distinct sand fly species.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of nimodipine (Nimotop-Bayer) in patients with chronic ischemic cerebral vasculopathies. Twenty-eight case reports.

Nimodipine therapy (30 mg x 3/die) was commenced in twenty-eight patients affected by chronic ischemic cerebral vasculopathies and continued for the 90 days in order to evaluate drug efficacy. Clinical controls were carried out 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the start of therapy using Doppler, ultrasound and neurological tests (the letter based on the SCAG neurological scale). Hemodynamic and hematochemical parameters were also monitored and controlled.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Barium peritonitis: experimental study using barium sulfate and radioactive barium].

Barium peritonites are known to be a serious complication of barium enema examinations, being accompanied by a high mortality rate. The authors made their study injecting barium and radioactive 133Ba in the peritoneum of 68 rats without causing damages to the colon, in order to verify the toxicity of barium if injected in the peritoneum, and to evaluate the various extraperitoneal locations. Moreover, they compared the alterations caused by this agent with those consequent to a similar agent, such as talcum. The results show that barium is not toxic on its own: it gives in fact origin to granulomas similar to those caused by talcum; a particular tropism for the lymphatic tissues is present as well.

Animals↗
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[Treatment of malignant occlusions of bile ducts by one-step technique using metallic endoprostheses. A multicenter study of 50 cases].

Long-term patency and ease of insertion of self-expandable metallic stents seem to overcome the disadvantages of plastic stents, changing the therapeutic approach to unresectable biliary tree malignancies. Their high cost is the main problem of metallic stents and reducing hospitalization time is a real opportunity to overcome this problem. Self-expandable stents could be the turning point to reduce overall costs. Fifty patients with malignant biliary tree obstruction (Zubrod performance status < 3) were treated with percutaneous placement of 58 Wallstent endoprostheses by the one-step technique. All patients had undergone thorough diagnostic exams - i.e., US, CT, PTC, ERCP with biopsy or brushing. Two major complications occurred in this series: a iatrogenic pseudoaneurysm requiring selective catheterization and embolization with Gianturco coils and a hepatic abscess six months after stent placement. Late stent occlusion occurred in six patients (12%) and was resolved by balloon dilatations. All patients were followed-up with clinical examinations, US and laboratory tests until death; median survival after stent placement was 122 days (range: 70 to 510 days). Average hospitalization time was 7 days with an acceptable cost reduction.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The role of portography with computed tomography in the diagnosis of liver metastases from colorectal neoplasms].

This study was performed to confirm the high sensitivity of CT during arterial portography (CTAP) versus US and dynamic CT in the diagnosis of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Ninety patients with 108 colorectal cancers underwent US, dynamic CT and CTAP to investigate the presence of liver metastases. US depicted 39 metastases in 26 patients, dynamic CT 46 metastases in 29 patients and CTAP 54 lesions in 34 patients. CTAP detected 8 metastases missed at dynamic CT; 4 of them were < 1 cm in diameter, 3 ranged 1-2 cm and one metastasis > 2 cm in diameter. After preoperative investigations only 7 patients were considered for hepatic resection. At surgery, palpation and intraoperative US of the liver detected two more metastases in the same patients. Our experience, in agreement with recent studies, confirms CTAP as the most sensitive preoperative method in detecting liver metastases and its superiority to be most apparent in lesions < 1 cm in diameter. Therefore, we consider CTAP an essential imaging technique for planning the correct treatment of liver metastases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Endoscopic ultrasonography for preoperative staging of gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To assess the accuracy and limitation of endoscopic ultrasonography in preoperative staging of gastric cancer, we performed a prospective study on 99 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-nine patients with gastric cancer had preoperative staging with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and CT. RESULTS: The depth of infiltration (T parameter) was correctly defined by EUS in 58/65 patients (89%). The lymph node involvement (N parameter) was correctly classified in 44/65 patients (68%), the sensitivity was 74% and the specificity was 54%. The most frequent cause of understaging T parameter was microscopic tumor invasion, whereas overstaging was due to peri-tumor inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that EUS is a reliable method, superior to all diagnostic tools, in the evaluation of locoregional extension of gastric cancer.

Endosonography↗