PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Filipponi

Publications and source records attributed to C Filipponi.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Epidemiology of pancreatic cancer in Northeastern Italy: incidence, resectability rate, hospital stay, costs and survival (1990-1992).

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pancreatic cancer and relative hospital stay and costs are not well known. AIMS: To define the incidence, hospital stay and cost of pancreatic cancer in a well-defined area of Italy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Each new case of pancreatic cancer diagnosed between 1990 and 1992 among 669,703 inhabitants in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy was recorded and followed until death or for 5 years after diagnosis. Four types of hospital stay were defined. Type 1: undiagnosed pancreatic cancer; type 2: first diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, treatment excluded; type 3: main treatment; and type 4: follow-up and disease-related complications. Data were analysed for hospital stay-related procedures, costs and survival. RESULTS: Pancreatic cancer was diagnosed in 253 patients (12.6/100,000 per year), 43 patients (17.7%) underwent surgical resection, and 93 (36.8%) palliative surgery. The mean duration of type 3 hospital stay was similar for resection, palliative and exploratory surgery. The estimated hospital cost was significantly higher for surgical resection, almost the same for palliative and exploratory surgery, and only slightly lower for medical treatment. Each patient spent a mean of 57.7 days in the hospital. The hospital mortality rate was 4.6% for surgical resection, 22.1% for palliative surgery, and 18.7% for exploratory laparotomy. Overall, the 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 20.9%, 5.1%, 2.9% and 1.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer is an expensive, almost incurable disease. Integrated treatments in specialized Centres should reduce the mortality rate and costs.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1995

Wheat deficient in gliadins: promising tool for treatment of coeliac disease.

The toxicity of two varieties of bread wheat, one poor in alpha and beta gliadins and the other poor in alpha, beta, gamma, and omega gliadins, has been tested. The peptic-tryptic digest of these wheats was assessed using coeliac mucosa in an in vitro organ culture system. A significantly lower toxicity was found in respect of bread wheat containing all gliadin fractions. These results suggest new opportunities for the treatment of coeliac disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Metabolism of long-chain fatty acids, alcohols and alkylglycerols in the fish parasite Paratenuisentis ambiguus (Acanthocephala).

Specific differences between the acyl composition of lipids of the helminth Paratenuisentis ambiguus and its host eel, as shown previously, prompted us to study the lipid metabolism in this intestinal fish parasite. Adults and larvae of P. ambiguus were fed various lipid precursors, e.g., fatty acids, long-chain alcohols and 1-O-alkylglycerols, which may occur as common nutrients of intestinal parasites. Incorporation of [1-14C]palmitic acid into neutral and polar lipids was found to be similar under aerobic and near-anaerobic conditions. In adult parasites maintained in culture medium supplemented with glucose, [1-14C]palmitic acid was incorporated mainly into triacylglycerols and phosphatidylcholines, whereas [1-14C]oleic acid was incorporated preferentially into triacylglycerols. In fasted adults, as well as in larvae, [1-14C]oleic acid was mainly transferred to phosphatidylcholines. Lipolytic activity was detected in adult parasites that had been incubated with radioactive trioleoylglycerol. [1-14C]Hexadecan-1-ol was oxidized in P. ambiguus at a high rate to labeled palmitic acid, which was incorporated into various lipid classes of P. ambiguus. Small but significant proportions of radioactivity from hexadecan-1-ol were incorporated into ether glycerolipids of the parasite. A more direct precursor in ether glycerolipid metabolism, i.e., rac-1-O-[1'-14C]hexadecylglycerol, was incorporated into alkyl and 1'-alkenyl moieties of choline and etha-nolamine ether-glycerophospholipids of P. ambiguus in high yield. High proportions of labeled diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols and steryl esters were detected in surface lipids as well as lipid extracts of the culture media after incubation of P. ambiguus with [1-14C]palmitic or [1-14C]oleic acids.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acanthocephala↗
PubMed1994

Sterol and fatty acid composition of neutral lipids of Paratenuisentis ambiguus and its host eel.

The sterol composition of free sterol and steryl ester fractions of the fish parasite Paratenuisentis ambiguus was determined. In addition, the fatty acid composition of various neutral lipid classes, i.e., wax esters, steryl esters, triacylglycerols and free fatty acids, as well as the composition of the 1-O-alkyl moieties of total ether glycerolipids of the parasite, were investigated. The results of these studies were compared with those obtained on the intestinal tract tissue of its host, the eel (Anguilla anguilla). Cholesterol is the major sterol in both P. ambiguus and A. anguilla. However, the sterols of P. ambiguus contain high proportions (> 20%) of other sterols, such as campesterol and various dehydrosterols. [e.g., 7-dehydrocholesterol and cholesta-5,22(E)-dienol]. The presence of these minor sterols agrees with the known biotransformations of exogenous sterols in various helminths. Considerable differences are found in the fatty acid composition of neutral lipid fractions, as well as the total lipid extract from the endoparasite as compared to the host tissue. In particular, eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3), other polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as 20:4n-6, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3, as well as long-chain saturated fatty acids, such as 20:0, are generally enriched in the neutral lipid fractions of the parasite as compared to those of infected eel intestine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acanthocephala↗
PubMed1994

Clinical value of serum TAG-72 as a tumor marker for pancreatic carcinoma. Comparison with CA 19-9.

We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the carbohydrate antigen TAG-72 as a tumor marker for pancreatic cancer compared with the serum values of CA 19-9. Forty healthy controls, 58 patients with pancreatic carcinoma, and 45 patients with chronic pancreatitis were studied. In patients with pancreatic cancer, 47/58 (81%) and 26/58 (45%) had raised serum levels of CA 19-9 and TAG-72, respectively; the sensitivity of the tests was not influenced by jaundice. In the chronic pancreatitis patients, both CA 19-9 and TAG-72 were elevated in 2/45 patients (4.4%). Both tests showed a specificity of 95%. Consequently, the sensitivity of TAG-72 was too low compared with CA 19-9. Moreover, serum TAG-72 could not detect small pancreatic cancers. High levels of both tumor markers were found in advanced stages of cancer. No advantage was found using both CA 19-9 and TAG-72 for improving the detection of pancreatic cancer. TAG-72 serum levels > 10 U/mL are closely related to unresectability of the tumor. Only 4/17 (23%) of patients with resectable tumor had high TAG-72 levels. Serum TAG-72 expression seems to be more frequent in poorly-differentiated tumors than in well-differentiated cancers (56 vs 30% positivity rate).

Adult↗
PubMed1994

CA 50 compared with CA 19-9 as a serum tumour marker for pancreatic carcinoma.

This study compared the sensitivity and specificity of CA 50 and CA 19-9 as serum tumour markers for pancreatic cancer. One hundred and seventy one subjects were evaluated: 50 healthy controls, 50 patients with pancreatic carcinoma and 71 patients with chronic pancreatitis. Eighty per cent of the pancreatic cancer patients had raised CA 19-9 serum levels and 82% had raised CA 50 serum levels. In the group of patients ith chronic pancreatitis, false positive tests occurred in 8.4% for CA 19-9 and 11.3% for CA 50. For both markers the serum level showed a severe elevation in the advanced stage of cancer disease. Despite the good sensitivity and specificity of CA 50 as a serum tumour marker for pancreatic carcinoma, no major advantage was found compared to CA 19-9. Moreover, if the CA 50 cut-off, level is raised to 85 U/ml to exclude overlap with chronic pancreatitis, sensitivity falls sharply to 46% compared with 72% for CA 19-9 when a 100 U/ml cut-off level is used.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Subclinical celiac sprue. Increasing occurrence and clues to its diagnosis.

We have reviewed the clinical records of 226 consecutive adult patients with celiac sprue diagnosed in our department from 1972 to 1989. The study period has been divided into three subperiods of 6 years each (1972-1977, 1978-1983, 1984-1989). From the first to the third subperiod a significant increase in the number of new diagnoses and of the proportion of patients recognized by minor symptoms has been observed. These patients represent 50% of our series in the last 3 years of the study and 70% in 1989. Diagnosing subclinical forms of celiac sprue has significantly lowered the mean age at diagnosis and the female/male ratio. First-degree relatives of celiac patients; subjects who had a gluten-free diet for a period during childhood; patients with short stature, anemia, or amenorrhea of no obvious cause; or patients with unexplained immunological abnormalities are the groups in which most patients with subclinical celiac sprue have been found and in which potential patients should be sought. Helpful diagnostic tools include antigliadin antibody testing and the observation of absent or reduced Kerckring folds in the descending duodenum in the course of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Adult↗