Biomedical subjects

C Ripamonti

Publications and source records attributed to C Ripamonti.

94 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b in breast cancer patients treated with pamidronate.

A novel immunoassay specific for the osteoclast-produced TRAP isoform 5b has been developed recently. By means of this assay we studied the usefulness of serum TRAP-5b in monitoring the response to palliative treatment with pamidronate in breast cancer patients with bone metastases. We correlated serum TRAP-5b levels with pain intensity and intake of analgesics to assess the possible utility of the marker in identifying patients who could benefit from pamidronate treatment. Twenty-eight advanced breast cancer patients with bone metastases entered the study. Patients were treated according to the following schedule: two two-week cycles of 60 mg/week pamidronate IV, with a three-week interval in between (six infusions over seven weeks), followed by one infusion every three weeks for a total of 24 infusions over a treatment period of 61 weeks. Blood samples were taken before the start of treatment and before each infusion during two treatment cycles. To measure serum TRAP levels we employed the new immunoassay kit BoneTRAP produced by Suomen Bioanalytiikka Oy (SBA), Oulu, Finland. In order to assess the usefulness of this marker in evaluating the response to pamidronate treatment we divided patients into two groups (group A, worsened; group B, improved) with respect to pain trend and analgesic intake. Our results did not show any statistically significant difference in baseline serum TRAP levels in the two groups. However, one week after the first pamidronate infusion TRAP-5b serum levels decreased by 39% and 18% in groups A and B, respectively (p=0.01); these levels persisted throughout the treatment period. In conclusion, a decrease in TRAP-5b serum levels may reflect the pharmacological activity of pamidronate and seems to predict pain relief and a reduction in analgesic consumption.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Loss of bone mass after total hip replacement: preliminary data.

In a total of 37 females with cemented total hip replacement for monolateral coxarthrosis, of which 13 with prosthetic stem loosening, and 11 with monolateral coxarthrosis that is not prosthetized, bone mineral density (BMD) is determined by dual ray photonic absorbimetry selecting regions of interest (ROI) on the cortex of the femurs 4 cm under the lesser trochanter and on the ischium bilaterally. In females that are not prosthetized there are differences in bone mass between the two femurs and the ischium on both sides. In prosthetized patients BMD of the femur and of the ischium on the side operated on is significantly less than on the contralateral one (Student's "t" test: p < 0.001). In patients with stable prostheses, BMD of the femur operated on is greater than that in females with prosthetic stem loosening (Student's "t" test: p < 0.000). Based on a comparison between these two groups we did not observe any other significant differences in BMD among the ROI analyzed. BMD was correlated with the amount of time since surgery only in the ROIs in prosthetized femurs. The study confirms the significant bone resorption of the cortex in prosthetized femurs and documents analogously significant reduction in BMD in the ischium on the side operated on. Finally, it indicates that prosthetic stem loosening may be associated with loss of BMD in the femoral cortex which is significantly greater than that observed, during analogous periods of time in stable implants.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dissociation of the effects of acute chlomipramine on morphine analgesia and plasma concentrations.

Morphine-induced analgesia and plasma concentrations were evaluated in rats after the administration of the opiate alone or together with chlomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant drug. As expected, chlomipramine increased antinociceptive thresholds, but also increased morphine-induced analgesia in a dose-related fashion. Plasma concentrations of free morphine were higher in rats that had been administered chlomipramine, but the increase in plasma concentrations was not related to the increase in analgesic thresholds. In conclusion, the data reported indicate that chlomipramine increases the analgesic effect of morphine, but this is not related to plasma concentrations of the opiate.

Analgesics↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of an experimental model of osteoporosis induced in the female rat through ovariectomy.

The present paper intends to check the possibility of improving convenience of the osteoporosis model from ovariectomy in the rat by anticipating the operation to the 40th week rather than the 52nd week of age, thought by some authors to be the optimum model. To this end two parameters have been examined: 1. the bone mass variation determined with the vertebral photon densitometer and weighing of the femur ashes; 2. the chemico-crystallographic characteristics of the bone determined through chemical analysis and X-ray diffractometry. The results obtained induce us to believe that ovariectomy carried out on rats of 40 or 52 weeks of age determine bone mass losses that are statistically comparable. The variations in the dry bone weight/ash bone weight ratio are superposable and the structural chemical characteristics, due to the increase in bone turnover are testified by the increase in osteocalcin. Moreover, it was observed that the most reliable evaluation of bone mass loss can be obtained with the vertebral photon densitometry. Thus, it is thought that the model which foresees ovariectomy of rats 40 weeks after birth compared with those operated 52 weeks after birth, represents a good model of osteoporosis from estrogen deficiency which, due to the evident practical advantages deriving from the use of younger animals it associates a decrease in the use of laboratory animals with statistically reliable results.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗