PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Apolone

Publications and source records attributed to G Apolone.

79 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Study of the ATPasic lymphocytic activity in the woman at the end of fertile age.

The object we propose to ourselves is to define mean values of ATPasic lymphocytic activity in different physiological conditions. This study considers the ATPasic lymphocytic activity in the woman at the end of prolific age. The methodology we followed is Ellegaard and Dimitrov one of 1972 with some modifications and simplifications; the proteins dosage in the overfloating has been effected with biuret method. No correlation between the number of months from last reported menstruation and the ATPasic lymphocytic activity has come out. Furthermore, the data woman at the end od fertile age similar to the ones of the young woman in menstrual cycle or at the middle of a cycle without ovulation. Data of aged woman, on the contrary, draw away from the data of young woman at the middle of an ovulatory cycle. Our present intention is, at this point, to turn attention to peculiar hormonal situations, for instance in presence of an estroprogestinic therapy.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The multi-centre assessment of quality of life: the Interdisciplinary Group for Cancer Care Evaluation (GIVIO) experience in Italy.

One of the main issues to be considered in conducting clinical trials concerns the presence of missing data. This aspect is particularly relevant in oncology longitudinal studies, characterized by a long follow-up, and especially in quality of life studies where there is still little knowledge about patients' characteristics that predict loss of data. Since the middle of the 1980s the GIVIO (Interdisciplinary Group for Cancer Care Evaluation) co-operative group has been involved in conducting quality of life assessment studies, also focusing on the development of some strategies aimed at the minimization of missing data. In this paper we report on the results of two trials, which are now completed, concerning the quality of life assessment in a sample of breast and colon cancer patients. In order to cope with the problem of missing data, in both the trials the strategy of follow-up mailing was adopted, which proved to be an effective way to increase the response rate by nearly 50 per cent at each time point.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Evaluation of quality of life in patients with malignant dysphagia.

BACKGROUND: In the last 10 years of clinical research there has been increasing interest in the evaluation of quality of life. Several generic and specific instruments have been developed for this purpose. EORTC QLQ C-30 is a cancer-specific questionnaire translated into various languages and validated in several European countries including Italy, where the impact of malignant disease on different areas of quality of life is poorly documented. METHODS: The EORTC QLQ C-30 was administered to 109 patients referred to the endoscopy division of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, for endoscopic palliative treatment of malignant dysphagia to test its characteristics in terms of acceptability and clinical validity. RESULTS: In this group of patients the impact of advanced esophageal cancer was highly evident for Emotional and Physical Functioning, Fatigue and Global QoL scales. Dysphagia is a serious problem for many patients; there is a correlation between grade of dysphagia and four QoL dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: QoL assessment is an important tool to evaluate the adequate management of patients with esophageal cancer. The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire proved to be valid and reliable also in this population.

Aged↗

Quality of life among mastectomy patients using external breast prostheses.

BACKGROUND: Most women who undergo mastectomy for breast cancer use external breast prostheses. Yet, little is known about patterns of use, satisfaction levels, and quality of life associated with their use as compared to other options. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report longitudinal, self-report questionnaire data regarding prosthetic use from 592 Italian mastectomy patients. Women who report satisfaction with their prostheses are compared on medical, demographic, and quality of life variables to a matched sample of women who report dissatisfaction. We also compare matched samples of women who do not use prostheses and women who had reconstruction to prosthetic users. RESULTS: Most women used and were satisfied with their prostheses. However, there was a small group of women who were dissatisfied. These women reported greater disruption to their sense of feminility and worse quality of life in some areas. We found few differences between prosthetic users and women who used either of the other two options available following mastectomy-taking no action to restore the appearance of the amputated breast or having reconstructive surgery. CONCLUSIONS: No one technique for restoring the appearance of the mastectomized breast is necessary to optimize quality of life for all women. Physicians should describe the options to women, along with the average satisfaction rates for women choosing those options, and help women to make the best personal decisions.

Body Image↗

[Development and validation of a questionnaire measuring hospital consumer satisfaction ].

This study describes the process of development of a new instrument for measuring patient satisfaction with hospital care in Italy. The self-administered questionnaire included a total of 48 items, -contributing to the construction of 8 scales, each of them describing a specific area of interest such as medical care and nursing, several aspects of organisation, comfort and overall outcome of care. Psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire were in terms of acceptability, validity, reliability and the ability to discriminate different levels of satisfaction in various patient groups. Psychometric analyses resulted in a convincing construct validity and reliability, as described by the Cronbach Alpha coefficient estimates [range 0.73-0.95]. The high compliance obtained (67.3%) can be considered a sign of good acceptability of the questionnaire and of its mode of administration. These analyses demonstrate a good performance of the questionnaire in terms of both validity and reliability, suggesting that this instrument can represent a solid base for future applications.

Adult↗

[Health related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment in uremic patients: a qualitative review of concepts, methods, available instruments and results].

The health related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment is a complex and multidimensional concept usually defined as the perception by individuals of the impact of diseases and medical treatments on physical, psychological and social aspects of health and life. HRQoL has become more popular in the last 20 yrs as an important indicator of the effectiveness of the medical care in clinical research protocols, and as part of so-called patient-reported outcomes (PRO), which are concepts concerning aspects of health perceived, reported and rated by study subjects or patients. Generic and disease specific questionnaires are usually used to assess the individual's perceptions about health and life, and more valid and reliable instruments are now available to use in research settings. Instruments that can be useful in daily clinical practice, in the management of the single patient, are not yet available. A large portion of the scientific literature dealing with HRQoL is actually focused on many aspects of uremic syndrome, renal transplantation and dialysis therapies, probably because several reasons make this clinical setting particularly favorable for HRQoL assessment. Early referral to a nephrologist, anemia treatment with epoetin, daily and nocturnal dialysis, kidney transplantation, a program of physical exercise and the treatment of some co-existent conditions and symptoms (i.e. depression, pain, erectile dysfunction and restless leg symptoms) are the most effective ways to ameliorate HRQoL in renal patients. Moreover, HRQoL is a reliable prognostic factor for morbidity and mortality in uremic patients.

Health Status↗