PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Ruggiero

Publications and source records attributed to C Ruggiero.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Abnormal activation and loss of suppressor T cells in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Suppressor T cell function in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats was analyzed using syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (SMLR) and concanavalin A (Con A) activation. A depressed SMLR was found in adult SHR but not in adult WKY. IL-2 synthesized by SHR was 40-fold lower than that of WKY, and the suppressor T cells generated in the SMLR were incapable of suppressing IgG synthesis. Precursors of cells that can be activated by Con A to become functional suppressor cells are reduced in adult SHR. Supernatant fluids derived from Con A-activated spleen cells from adult SHR failed to significantly inhibit IgG synthesis by cultures of syngeneic spleen cells compared to supernatant fluids from young SHR or WKY Con A-activated spleen cells. However, spleen cells from both adult SHR and WKY proliferated strongly and released equivalent amounts of IL-2 in response to Con A. Addition of exogenous IL-2 to the SMLR cultures in vitro restored the ability of SHR T cells to respond in the SMLR, with generation of cells capable of suppressing IgG synthesis. Administration of SHR with IL-2 in vivo also restored the suppressor T cell function in the SMLR. These results suggest a defective suppressor T cell activation and loss of suppressor T cell activity as the SHR age.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[The shape of the nasopharynx in youth: statistical study].

The particular shape of the nasopharynx in the child can influence morphology and physiopathologic behaviour of the mucosa. In such a perspective, it appeared interesting to evaluate the kind and the entity of its variations by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in 50 patients (age range: 2 months-16 years). The results show that the nasopharyngeal shape (represented either by bending radius and shape factor) varies in a statistically significant way during the considered age range, while the dimension of the pharyngeal tonsil remains constant in the studied cases. The statistically significant shape variation of the tonsil appears, so, related to its involvement in the shape variation of the whole nasopharynx.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Dimensions of the human aortic arch and thoracic aorta studied by nuclear magnetic resonance].

The size of the aortic arch and thoracic aorta was measured in 50 healthy volunteers studied by NMR. In each case the following parameters were measured and statistically elaborated: diameter (in mm) of ascending aorta (between onset and arch beginning), of aortic arch (intermediate zone), of isthmus, of descending aorta (between isthmus and diaphragm), of diaphragmatic isthmus; a mean diameter was also calculated, and for every diameter mean and standard deviation were obtained. Moreover, the length (in mm) of superior and inferior contours of the aortic arch, as the ratio of these two values were obtained. At last, total length of considered aortic tract, area of visualized surface and theoretic volume were obtained. For each parameter a diagram was then plotted, with age in ordinates and values of above mentioned parameters in abscissae. Statistical evaluation allows to affirm that the size of the aorta grows with ageing. On the contrary, the ratio between superior and inferior contour of the aortic arch tends to remain unvaried; this fact seems to disagree with the current opinion that the superior wall of the arch grows with age more than the inferior one.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Psychic disorders. An unknown complication of surgery of the posterior cranial fossa].

Psychic trouble is not generally recognised as a possible complication of posterior fossa surgery. Reviewing a series of 63 pediatric patients operated on for posterior fossa intraxial tumors, the Authors found 21 cases of psychic troubles in the post-operative period. The incidence was higher in: a) medulloblastoma; b) rostral vermis location; c) supracerebellar infratentorial and transvermian approach. The neuropathophysiological basis of the phenomenon is discussed.

Brain Neoplasms↗
PubMed1992

[Severe head trauma in the pediatric patient. Our experience].

A retrospective study in a pediatric population of 324 severe head trauma patients hospitalized at Santobone Children's Hospital has been carried out; diagnostic investigations and therapeutic aspects are stressed on the baw of pathophysiological features of such patients.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1991

A qualitative approach to cell growth modeling and simulation for cancer chemotherapy.

A qualitative model of cell growth, based on qualitative process theory, is presented. The model can be used to analyze the effects of the interaction of antiproliferative drugs on cells when the effects of each specific drug are known, mainly when designing multi-drug protocols for optimal cancer treatment.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1990

[Anesthesia in the diagnostic stages of cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children under 3 years of age].

From 1974 through 1989, 36 patients with arteriovenous malformations were treated in the neuroradiological unit of the Santobono Children's Hospital, in Naples, 7 of these patients were younger than 3 years of age. During such a time-span, dramatic improvements in diagnostic work-up were jelded by introduction of CT-scan and MRI; better angiographic techniques, progress in anaesthesia drugs, equipment and procedures and more rational surgical modalities. Anaesthesia must be tailored in each patient with special consideration of the clinical and neurological conditions of the patients as well of the neuroradiological procedure, specifically, with minimal side effects on cardiovascular and respiratory functions as well on intracranial pressure. The present paper discuss of equipment for cardiovascular assistance and drugs to be employed in the various steps of the diagnostic work-up of such patients.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1990

[Peroperative recovery in surgery of arteriovenous malformations in children under the age of 3 years].

From 1974 through 1989, 36 patients with arteriovenous malformations were studied in the neurosurgical department of the Santobono Children's Hospital in Naples; 7 of these patients were younger than three years of age: 5 underwent surgery. The remaining 2 patients presented, respectively, an aneurysm of the vein of Galen and an arteriovenous malformation of the brain stem. Improvements in surgical and anesthesiological techniques allow to treat lesions considered as not amenable to surgery until recent years, with minimal occurrence of preoperative and postoperative complication and a significant amelioration of prognosis.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1989

Hematopoietic bone marrow recovery after radiation therapy: MRI evaluation.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to detect the increase of adipocytes in the hematopoietic bone marrow that occurs as a consequence of radiotherapy and is indicative of the loss of myeloid tissue. By monitoring this process, it is also possible to determine the recovery of the bone marrow. The amount of viable hematopoietic tissue plays a fundamental role in determining whether the patient is able to undergo further antineoplastic therapy, particularly chemotherapy. We examined 35 patients who had been treated with radiotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (12), uterine cervix carcinoma (nine), ovarian dysgerminoma (six), testicular seminoma (four), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (four). We observed that radiation-induced modifications of the MRI pattern in the bone marrow are tightly linked to two parameters; the administered radiation dose and the length of time passed after the treatment. Bone marrow recovery was observed only when patients were treated with doses lower than 50 Gy. The earlier radiation-induced modifications of the bone marrow MRI pattern occurred 6 to 12 months after irradiation, and they were most evident 5 to 6 years after the treatment. From 2 to 9 years after radiotherapy, we observed partial recovery. Complete recovery, when it occurred, was observed only 10 to 23 years after the treatment. Our results indicate that MRI studies are likely to be useful in the assessment of radiation-induced injuries.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1989

Artificial intelligence techniques for the control of cancer cells.

NEWCHEM, an artificial intelligence system for the control of cancer cell growth, is described. This system takes into account the most recent advances in molecular and cellular biology and in cell-drug interaction, and aims to develop optimal strategies for the selective control of cancer cell through qualitative reasoning from first principles at cellular level.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed1988

Magnetic resonance imaging and high-resolution computed tomography in tumors of the lung and the mediastinum.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and high resolution computed tomography (CT) have been compared in 37 patients who had expansive processes of the lung and the mediastinum. MR imaging and CT scanning gave identical results in 32 patients; in 5 patients, CT scanning has proved more useful in evaluating the stag e of primary lung tumors. MR imaging often gives more information about the actual size of the tumor, and the involvement of close structures, although it does not modify staging of the tumor. MR imaging has the advantage to differentiate hilar adenopathy from blood vessel structures. Evaluation of T2 relaxing time (that we have performed in the same location of thin-needle biopsy aspiration), however, did not prove to be of diagnostic significance; this indicates that MR imaging at the moment is not suitable for tissue typification.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[CT-guided percutaneous fine-needle biopsy in the histological characterization of mediastinal-pulmonary lesions].

CT-guided percutaneous fine-needle biopsy (FNB) is the method of choice in the histological characterization of mediastinum and lung lesions in which a diagnosis could not be reached through noninvasive methods such as cytology of the sputum, or biopsy during bronchoscopy. FNB represents an alternative to diagnostic thoracotomy: it is, in fact, less invasive, it can be carried out with no need for hospitalization, and has a low incidence of complications. FNB diagnostic accuracy is very high, as our results prove: accuracy 89.6%, sensitivity 87.6% and specificity 98%. Our series includes 419 percutaneous fine-needle biopsies.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1987

Spatio-temporal characterization of intercostal activity during breathing in the cat.

It is envisaged that the motor control of the intercostal musculature--an assembly of mobile structures--can be characterized in terms of a conceptual spatially continuous control function, that underlies the discretely distributed muscular activity and reflects an inferred global dynamic control of the thoracic cage during breathing. The global control function is estimated by the spatio-temporal pattern obtained by averaging in time and space and interpolation of multichannel simultaneous intercostal EMG recording in the anaesthetized cat. Different examples of the experimental preparation in the presence of stimuli of different kinds are analysed. The resultant signal patterns are found to be self-consistent and capable of exhibiting systematically differing features in systematically differing experimental conditions, thus supporting the validity of the analysis and the choice of the estimator. It is concluded that a more detailed analysis of the requirements of this approach is then warranted. Such requirements are discussed, and, specifically, results that bear on the adequacy of spatial sampling rate are presented. It is suggested that such methods offer a promising approach in the study of motor control strategies of the respiratory apparatus.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1987

Outcomes following continuing medical education on flexible sigmoidoscopy.

Ninety-four out of 114 physicians who took part in a continuing medical education course on flexible sigmoidoscopy were contacted 12 to 18 months later. Ninety per cent (85) were now using flexible sigmoidoscopy in their office practice. Complete demographic and procedure-outcome information (number of procedures performed, average depth of insertion, time required for procedure, complications) was acquired from 78 of these physicians. Using a randomly chosen comparison group of 87 physicians matched for sex and specialty, the likelihood of similar continuing medical education during the study period was obtained. Thirty-two physicians had obtained this training and 69% (22 of 32) currently used flexible sigmoidoscopy. Utilization of the method was 9% (four of 45) among physicians who had not obtained this continuing education. Continuing medical education was significantly associated (P less than 0.05) with the acquisition and utilization of flexible sigmoidoscopy. The study group reported 5467 procedures, resulting in one bowel perforation. The utilization of sigmoidoscopy in primary care was significantly greater (P less than 0.05) in the post-continuing education period. After 10 to 20 procedures, insertion depths and procedure times were similar to those reported in other published primary care series.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

A structural model of the thoracic cage in the cat.

A homogeneous shell model of the mechanical characteristics of the thoracic cage in the cat is presented. The global characterization proposed parallels the characterization--presented elsewhere--of the motor control of the intercostal musculature in terms of a conceptual spatially continuous control function, that underlies the discretely distributed muscular activity and reflects an inferred global dynamic control of the intercostal muscles during breathing. Proposing a static, homogeneous shell characterization of the thoracic cage, which is heterogeneous and composed of an assembly of mobile structures, implies assuming that other elements are indirectly giving this system features that make it resemble, from a structure analysis point of view, a homogeneous, static one. The pattern of the lines of stress along the shell structure proposed as a model compares favourably with the shape of the ribs. In agreement with previous findings, supporting the need for muscular activity to satisfy demands of purely structural character, it is suggested that this global shell-like functional character is achieved by neuromuscular global dynamic integration of the components of the rib cage by the nervous control of the intercostal muscles.

Animals↗