Biomedical subjects

F M Avato

Publications and source records attributed to F M Avato.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1996

The time for suicide.

To evaluate whether a time pattern exists in the occurrence of suicide, 223 cases observed in Ferrara, Italy, over a 10-year period were considered. The determination of the hour of suicide was precise in 99 cases, presumptive (within a range of 1 hour) in 53, while for another 44 cases it was possible to define a probable time of suicide, grouping into four 6-hour periods (night, morning, afternoon, and evening). The remaining 27 cases were excluded as it was impossible to determine the time reliably. The data were analysed both by means of chi 2 test for goodness-of-fit and by single cosinor. A specific pattern, characterized by a significant peak in the late morning -early afternoon hours was found for the entire sample and sex subgroups.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Serum thymidine kinase in monoclonal gammopathies. A prospective study. The Cooperative Group for Study and Treatment of Multiple Myeloma.

Between January 1986 and March 1990, the serum levels of thymidine kinase (TK) were evaluated at diagnosis in 97 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and 149 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) enrolled in a prospective protocol for treatment of MM. At presentation, patients with MGUS had lower TK levels than those with Stage I MM (P less than 0.05) and the overall population of those with MM (P less than 0.0005). TK levels were increased in advanced stages in comparison with earlier ones (P less than 0.01). The TK level was related to survival. With a median follow-up of 29 months, patients with TK levels greater than 7.0 U/microliters had shorter survival times than those with lower levels (medians, 23 and 42 months; P less than 0.0001). In a multivariate analysis, TK explained most of the variability of survival (P less than 0.0001), the remaining being accounted for by serum creatinine and beta-2 microglobulin. No changes in TK levels occurred during follow-up of patients with stable MGUS, whereas TK levels increased in two patients at time of progression to overt MM. In patients with MM, TK levels decreased (P less than 0.01) in those who responded to treatment but increased in those having relapses (P less than 0.03) and those with progressive disease (P less than 0.03). These results indicate that TK has clinical and prognostic relevance in monoclonal gammopathies, and additional investigations are warranted to determine whether it is a useful tool for the clinical evaluation, staging, and follow-up of patients with MM.

Aged↗

PubMed1990

Red cell and serum polymorphisms in the Oltrepò Pavese population (northern Italy).

A sample of about 300 subjects from the Italian population of the Oltrepò Pavese, in Lombardy, was studied for 6 polymorphic genetic markers: ACP1, ADA, ESD, GLO1, PGM1 subtyping and HP. The observed gene frequencies were: ACP1*A = .267, ACP1*B = .697, ACP1*C = .036; ADA*2 = .060; ESD*2 = .119; GLO1*1 = .375; PGM1*1S = .688, PGM1*1F = .095, PGM1*2S = .175, PGM1*2F = .042; HP*1 = .362.

Blood Proteins↗

PubMed1990

Lethal poisoning by zipeprol in drug addicts.

Two cases of lethal intoxication involving or due to oral ingestion of zipeprol are described. The two cases concerned abusers of the substance for nonmedical purposes. Data regarding the distribution of the unmodified drug in biological fluids and tissues are presented.

Adult↗