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Biomedical subjects

F Pagani

Publications and source records attributed to F Pagani.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Clinical and analytical evaluation of a continuous enzymatic method for measuring pancreatic lipase activity.

We report the evaluation of a new commercial kit for the determination of pancreatic lipase activity. The kit is based on the use of a 1,2-diglyceride as substrate and a specific monoglyceride lipase. The detection step is the continuous colorimetric measurement of hydrogen peroxide produced from glycerol by glycerol kinase, glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase, and peroxidase reactions. The procedure appears to be precise (between-day CV < 9%) and the results show good correlation with those obtained by alternative procedures (vs turbidimetry, r = 0.965; vs ultraviolet absorbance-enzymatic method, r = 0.995; vs Ektachem, r = 0.976; vs immunometry, r = 0.970). However, the method is susceptible to interference by increased concentrations (> 4.5 mmol/L) of serum triglycerides. We estimated the reference interval for healthy adults to be 8-44 U/L. When we evaluated clinical efficacy by using receiver-operating characteristic curves and the overlap index, no significant differences were found between the commercial kit and a common turbidimetric assay for diagnosing patients with acute pancreatitis; both methods performed satisfactorily.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Stage I non-small cell cancer of the lung results of surgical resection at Fairfax Hospital.

Between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1989, 2003 patients were evaluated at Fairfax Hospital with a diagnosis of carcinoma of the lung. Of these, 214 with Stage I non-small cell carcinoma underwent surgical resection. Operative (30-day) mortality was 1.4%. Overall 5-year survival was 59%, inclusive of all deaths, cancer-related as well as unrelated. Noting stage was constant, when patients were analyzed by gender, age, cell type, tumor status and extent of resection, only age proved statistically significant relative to long-term survival. However, even patients 70 and older averaged a nearly 50% 5-year survival. Moreover, if deaths are related to cancer only, 5-year survival rates should be significantly increased over the rates when quoted to all causes of death.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1993

Resection for esophageal carcinoma at a Virginia hospital 1981-1989.

Between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1989, 222 patients with carcinoma of the esophagus were seen at Fairfax Hospital. Fifty-eight (26.1%) underwent esophagogastrectomy. Operative (30-day) mortality was 8.6%. Follow-up was 98.3% complete. Of hospital survivors, 38 (76%) were resected for potential cure versus 12 (24%) for palliation. Consistent with the experience of others, a minority of patients (26%) presented with early (Stage I & II) disease; forty patients (69%) were noted to be Stage III or IV at time of resection and three patients (5%) were stage indeterminant. The five year Kaplan-Meier product limit survival estimate for Stage II patients was 52%, versus 22% for stage III, and 0% for Stage IV.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Association of a polymorphism in the Apo AI gene promoter with hyperalphalipoproteinemia.

The distribution of a polymorphism due to an Adenine to Guanine transition in the ApoAI gene has been studied in 136 women and 108 men, through amplification of the promoter region of the gene and allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization. The allelic frequencies for the A allele were 0.10, 0.14 and 0.27 in women and 0.08, 0.17 and 0.14 in men for the lowest decile, intermediate group and the highest decile of HDL-cholesterol levels, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the A allele was associated with high HDL-cholesterol levels in women, but not in men.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

Left atrial isolation associated with mitral valve operations.

Surgical isolation of the left atrium was performed for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation secondary to valvular disease in 100 patients who underwent mitral valve operations. From May 1989 to September 1991, 62 patients underwent mitral valve operations (group I); 19, mitral valve operations and DeVega tricuspid annuloplasty (group II); 15, mitral and aortic operations (group III); and 4, mitral and aortic operations and DeVega tricuspid annuloplasty (group IV). Left atrial isolation was performed, prolonging the usual left paraseptal atriotomy toward the left fibrous trigone anteriorly and the posteromedial commissure posteriorly. The incision was conducted a few millimeters apart from the mitral valve annulus, and cryolesions were placed at the edges to ensure complete electrophysiological isolation of the left atrium. Operative mortality accounted for 3 patients (3%). In 79 patients (81.4%) sinus rhythm recovered and persisted until discharge from the hospital. No differences were found between the groups (group I, 80.7%; group II, 68.5%; group III, 86.7%; group IV, 75%; p = not significant). Three late deaths (3.1%) were registered. Long-term results show persistence of sinus rhythm in 71% of group I, 61.2% of group II, 85.8% of group III, and 100% of group IV. The unique risk factor for late recurrence of atrial fibrillation was found to be preoperative atrial fibrillation longer than 6 months. Due to the satisfactory success rate in recovering sinus rhythm, we suggest performing left atrial isolation in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation undergoing valvular operations.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1992

Surgical treatment for ectopic atrial tachycardia.

Atrial tachycardia is an infrequent but potentially dangerous arrhythmia which often determines cardiac enlargement. Surgical ablation of the arrhythmia is effective and safe, provided a careful atrial mapping is performed and the surgical technique is tailored to the individual focus location. Eight patients underwent surgical ablation of ectopic atrial tachycardia between 1977 and 1990. Different techniques were adopted for each patient according to the anatomical location of the focus and possibly associated arrhythmias. Whenever possible, a closed heart procedure was chosen. In 1 patient a double focal origin was found and treated by separate procedures. In 1 patient with ostium secundum atrial septal defect and atrial flutter, surgical isolation of the right appendage and the ectopic focus was performed. In all patients ectopic atrial tachycardia was ablated with maintenance of the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodal function as well as internodal conduction. In follow-up up to December 1991, no recurrency was recorded.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Pre-analytical and biological variability of prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen in serum from patients with prostatic pathology.

We determined the pre-analytical and biological variation of prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen in the same patient samples. Prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen were both stable when stored for at least 3 weeks with acidification (acetate buffer) or without acidification, except for prostate-specific antigen in samples stored unacidified at 4 degrees C. A significant elevation of prostate-specific antigen was noted in four patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia between 1/2 and 6 hours after prostatic massage. No significant effect was shown of changes in the glomerular filtration rate on prostate-specific antigen concentration, in spite of its low molecular mass. The estimate of within-subject biological variation showed a coefficient of variation of 33.8% for prostatic acid phosphatase and 14% for prostate-specific antigen. Desirable analytical imprecisions based on these findings were about 17% for prostatic acid phosphatase and 7% for prostate-specific antigen, these goals being achieved in practice for marker values higher than or equal to the upper reference limit.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1992

[Left atrial electric isolation in the treatment of atrial fibrillation secondary to rheumatic valvular disease].

BACKGROUND: Surgical isolation of the left atrium was performed for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation secondary to valvular disease in 100 patients who underwent valve surgery. METHODS: From May 1989 to September 1991, 62 patients underwent mitral valve surgery (Group I), 19 underwent mitral valve surgery and DeVega tricuspid annuloplasty (Group II), 15 underwent mitral and aortic surgery (Group III), and 4 patients underwent mitral and aortic surgery and DeVega tricuspid annuloplasty (Group IV). Left atrial isolation was performed prolonging the usual left paraseptal atriotomy towards the left fibrous trigone anteriorly, and the postero-medial commissure posteriorly. The incision was conducted a few millimeters apart from the mitral valve annulus, and cryolesion were placed at the edges to ensure complete electrophysiological isolation of the left atrium. RESULTS: Operative mortality accounted for 3 cases (3%). In 79 patients (81.4%) sinus rhythm recovered and persisted until discharge from the hospital. No differences were found between the groups (Group I: 80.7%; Group II: 68.5%; Group III 86.7%, Group IV 75% - p = N.S.). Three cases of late mortality (3.1%) were registered. long-term results showed persistence of SR in 71% of Group I, 61.2% of Group II, 85.8% of Group III, and 100% of Group IV. The unique risk factor for late recurrency of atrial fibrillation was found to be a duration of preoperative AF longer than 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high success rate in recovering the sinus rhythm, we suggest left atrial isolation in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation undergoing valvular surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effects of selective histamine H3-receptor ligands on prolactin and growth hormone secretion in the rat.

The effects of intracarotid (i.a.) administration of the histamine (HA) H3-receptor agonist (R)-alpha-methyl-histamine (alpha MeHA) and of the H3-antagonist thioperamide, (THIO) on basal or morphine (M)-induced prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) secretion were studied in male rats. M was administered 3 h after the H3-drugs. Neither THIO (2.5 mg/kg) nor alpha MeHA (10 mg/kg) changed basal PRL levels and only THIO enhanced the PRL-releasing effect of M (6 mg/kg). Basal GH secretion was not modified by THIO. alpha MeHA slightly increased GH secretion. THIO significantly decreased M-stimulated GH secretion (1 mg/kg, i.a.) and alpha MeHA slightly increased it. These results, in agreement with previous evidence obtained after central HA administration, indicated that endogenous brain HA facilitates PRL and inhibits GH secretion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Diagnostic value of four assays for lipase determination in serum: a comparative reevaluation.

We assessed the diagnostic value of four commercially available methods for determining pancreatic lipase (LPS) in serum (the turbidimetric procedure from Boehringer, two enzymatic approaches from Kodak and Poli, and an immunochemical assay) in a population of 46 hospitalized patients with acute abdominal pain. In 31 cases (67.4%), the final diagnosis was acute pancreatitis. When evaluated by means of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, no significant differences were found among the procedures. Concerning clinical efficiency, all the assays had values equal to or greater than 90%. Using the calculation of the overlap index (OI) as a statistical approach to quantify the clinical utility of various LPS assays, the test having the greatest potential for differentiating between patients with and without acute pancreatitis was the turbidimetric assay (OI = 0.14).

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1991

Tissue-specific splicing pattern of fibronectin messenger RNA precursor during development and aging in rat.

Fibronectin isoforms are generated by the alternative splicing of a primary transcript derived from a single gene. In rat at least three regions of the molecule are involved: EIIIA, EIIIB, and V. This study investigated the splicing patterns of these regions during development and aging, by means of ribonuclease protection analysis. Between fetal and adult rat, the extent of inclusion of the EIIIA and/or EIIIB region in fibronectin mRNA varied according to the type of tissue analyzed; but the inclusion of the V region, and in particular the V25 alternative variant, was significantly higher in all fetal than in adult tissues. These data suggest a crucial role of the V25 variant, possibly related to its interaction with the alpha 4 beta 1 integrin receptor during development. On the other hand, during aging, the only significant change observed in the splicing pattern was a decrease in the EIIIA variant in brain. The high inclusion levels of the EIIIA and EIIIB regions in young adult brain suggest that these segments may play an important role in differentiated brain tissue. The decreasing levels of inclusion of the EIIIA segment in brain fibronectin mRNA during aging may be an age-related marker with functional consequences.

Aging↗
PubMed1991

Effect of unmodified eel calcitonin on gastric acid secretion and gastric ulcers in the rat.

A new peptide, eel calcitonin (eCT), synthesized to the sequence of calcitonin (CT) extracted from the ultimo branchial bodies of eels, is now on the market in some countries for clinical use in the treatment of Paget's disease of bone and in the prophylaxis or treatment of certain osteoporoses. We have now studied the effect of eCT on the inhibition of gastric acid secretion and protection against experimentally induced gastric ulcers in rats as other CTs have previously been shown to have such effects. EelCT shows a dose dependent inhibition of gastric acid secretion, both volume and concentration of acid - dose range 100-900 ng/Kg injected subcutaneously. Central administration is also effective at a dose of 100 ng/rat. There is no published evidence for a direct effect of CTs in the stomach and there is considerable speculation on possible mediating pathways. Somatostatin may be involved in the inhibitory effect of eCT on gastric acid secretion because when administered both centrally or peripherally eCT is ineffective in rats depleted of somatostatin by pretreatment with cysteamine. However, other mechanisms must also be involved as eCT has no preventive effect against gastric ulcers induced by ethanol but has a high index of protection against ulcers induced by cold restraint stress or indomethacin.

Animals↗