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Biomedical subjects

F De Blasio

Publications and source records attributed to F De Blasio.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Chronic bronchitis: reflex on the pulmonary circulation.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by lower alveolar oxygen content and hypoxia. Hypoxia itself is able to evoke a vascular reflex in a pulmonary vasoconstriction, the explanation of which is, in part, unknown. Pulmonary vasoconstriction leads to different degrees of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increase which statistically suggests that the higher the PAP, the poorer the survival rate. Many substances are involved in the vascular homeostasis. An important role is played by cyclooxygenase as well as lipoxygenase pathways metabolites, the antagonists of which have been extensively used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension in subjects suffering from COPD. An even more important role is played by the endothelium. It is able to modify its metabolism towards the production of substances (e.g., endothelin, EDRF, etc.) which are able to negatively influence the vascular tone. Complete identification of such substances, when possible, would allow us to have a better understanding of the complexity of the mechanism which controls the pulmonary vascular district. In this direction we could hopefully look forward to the detection of specific new drugs able to improve the management of the disease by preventing it from worsening to that extent which statistically and drastically correlates with the worst prognosis.

Bronchitis↗
PubMed1992

Left ventricular diastolic function with epirubicin therapy: an echodoppler study.

Thirty patients undergoing epirubicin therapy for primary lung cancer were studied by echocardiography and Doppler echocardiography. 2 D ejection fraction (EF) and Doppler left ventricular filling parameters (peak E, peak A, E/A ratio) were calculated before and after the completion of therapy. No differences in the mean values of these parameters were observed. However, 6 out of 30 patients (20%) showed left ventricular filling abnormalities; in 2 of them a slight reduction of EF was also noted. These abnormalities seem to be dose related. A longer term prospective study will be required to evaluate whether these findings are irreversible and to establish the clinical implications of our observations.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Doppler echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular diastolic function in patients with primary lung cancer treated with doxorubicin.

Eighteen patients were examined by Doppler echocardiography before and after treatment with doxorubicin (DXR). Early left ventricular filling rate decreased from 66 +/- 15 to 51 +/- 10 cm/sec whereas late filling rate increased from 48 +/- 12 to 61 +/- 9 cm/sec (p less than 0.05) with inversion of the E/A ratio suggesting an impairment of left ventricular diastolic function; conversely no significant changes were found in systolic function indexes. These results suggest that follow-up of patients treated with DXR must include left ventricular diastolic function studies. Doppler echocardiography can be successfully used to detect the presence of diastolic abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Abdominal actinomycosis and retroperitoneal fibrosis. Considerations on a clinical case].

Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare disease which often resembles an acute suppurative infection or/and abdominal tumour causing abscesses, fistulas and massive fibrosis. The preoperative diagnosis is difficult and surgical exploration is always needed because of major involvement of visceral and retroperitoneal structures. The disease can be diagnosed with certainty only on the basis of findings of bacterial colonies in histopathologic sections and typical sulphur grains in secretions from fistulas. The authors describe a case of abdominal actinomycosis involving the caecum and right colon, causing extensive retroperitoneal fibrosis and a fistula tract with an external cutaneous orifice at the level of the right iliac crest. These features resembled an acute appendicitis at first, and several surgical explorations were required before a correct diagnosis could be achieved. Abdominal actinomycosis can be treated by simple administration of antibiotics. With a correct diagnosis, medical therapy alone has proved effective in a substantial percentage of patients, thus avoiding the need for surgery, if important visceral or retroperitoneal structures are not involved. Abdominal actinomycosis always requires a careful differential diagnosis and must be considered in patients presenting abdominal tumours associated with abscesses and/or fistulas since early and efficient medical therapy, along with surgical intervention, where necessary, can lead to definitive recovery. Useful diagnostic tools are abdominal CT and selective FNAB.

Actinomycosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effects of transdermal nicotine as an adjunct in smoking cessation therapy. A double-blind randomized study controlled with placebo].

To assess the smoking cessation efficacy of transdermal nicotine patches an adjunct to low-intervention therapy, we conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 158 smokers. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following three study regimens that required daily application of two 15-cm2 patches: 1) 24-hour nicotine delivery, 2) nicotine delivery during wakeful hours only, and 3) placebo. The impact of the three regimens on smoking cessation rates and tobacco withdrawal symptoms was examined. During the last 2 weeks of the trial, 39% of the 24-hour nicotine regimen delivery group, 35% of those on wakeful hour nicotine regimens, and 13.5% of the placebo treatment group achieved abstinence. Self-reported quit rates for the two nicotine patch-wearing regimens, as compared with that for the placebo group, continued to be significantly higher at 6 months. Moreover, compared with placebo, the transdermal nicotine patches significantly reduced tobacco withdrawal symptoms during the first few weeks of quitting. The differences in quit rates and tobacco withdrawal symptoms between the to active groups were not statistically significant. The patches were well tolerated both topically and systemically. We concluded that transdermal nicotine, when used as an adjunct to low-intervention therapy, significantly reduced tobacco withdrawal symptoms and enhanced smoking cessation rates.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Thymidine kinase as a biological marker in neoplasms of the lung and mediastinum].

Thymidine kinase (TK) is a biological marker recently used in diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary and mediastinal malignant neoplasms. Authors report more recent clinical evidences of literature and, in the meanwhile, they report their personal experiences about a 20 patients group suffering of lung cancer and Hodgkin disease. Their study demonstrates a good sensitivity of TK as biological marker of SCLC and a lower sensitivity in case of NSCLC and Hodgkin disease. It has been possible to contribute to establishment of normal range values, on account of 10 healthy volunteer group blood sample assays.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The usefulness of monoclonal antibodies in the diagnosis of lung carcinoma].

Monoclonal antibodies detection represented a turning point in field of immunological and biological research. Their application has rapidly extended at immunopathology as well as immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy fields. In oncological field monoclonal antibodies has proved a great usefulness in diagnosis of several districts neoplasm. Monoclonal antibodies are utilized in differential diagnosis of different histologic types of lung cancer; in bone marrow metastasis early detection; and, experimentally, in "in vivo" diagnosis of lung cancer via peripheral blood sample examination. Authors relate about more recent literature about this specific topic.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of cancer].

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a widely used clinical procedure. To determine if BAL could provide useful information in the detection of cancer, 850 lavages from 421 patients having BAL for a variety of indications, 50 lavages in patients with Hodgkin's disease and 20 patients with breast cancer undergoing bon marrow transplant were reviewed. BALs were performed with the technique established by Rennard and coll. in which 5 successive 20 cc aliquots are infused in a wedge position. The return from the first aliquot was processed separately from the subsequent four aliquots. Diff-Quick stained cytocentrifuge preparations and Papanicolaou stained millipore filter preparations were analyzed. Thirty-five patients had biopsy-proven lung cancer. In 24 (68.6%) of these, BAL revealed cells diagnostic of malignancy. There were no false positives. Six out of 50 Hodgkin's disease patients had Reed Sternberg cells detected on BAL, and 7/20 breast cancer patients had malignant cells on BAL prior to chemotherapy. In summary, the routine performance of BAL, an easily performed and well-tolerated procedure, may prove to be useful in the routine assessment of patients for cancer.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The use of recombinant interferon alfa-2b in the follow-up of patients laryngectomized for advanced stage carcinoma].

The AA. report the results of an experimental investigation on 60 subjects who underwent surgery for advanced stage carcinoma of the glottic larynx and treated with alpha 2b recombinant interferon at the dosage of 3,000,000 ul three times a week, before a six-months follow-up. The patients were examined also as to the respiratory functionality and the monitoring of some biological markers of cancers (CEA, TPA, Ca 125, Ca 15.3). The AA. support the satisfactory tolerability of alpha interferon which showed expected side effects; these effects were controlled by the symptomatic treatment, and their metabolic parameters as well as the ones related to the respiratory functionality kept always their valves in the average. The monitoring of biological markers, seems to support a real usefulness in the treatment with alpha interferon, even if a statistically meaningful record couldn't be noticed.

Aged↗