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Biomedical subjects

G Catania

Publications and source records attributed to G Catania.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

[The use of drainage in the "per primam" treatment of recurrent pilonidal cysts].

Recurrent pilonidal sinus treatment is still controversial, as more and more frequently methods used determine unpleasant discomforts to the patients ("open" method) or increase recurrences rate. According to this consideration, the Authors have made a review of their cases (27 patients with recurrences), selected by standardized criteria and treated by "en bloc" excision of all pathologic tissue and following closure "per primam" of the wound, previously placing an aspirative drainage, then removed after 2 or 3 days. Ordinary use of the drainage, antibiotic prophylaxis extended to postoperative sixth or seventh day and daily careful disinfection of the wound and surrounding skin until suture removal got them excellent results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Switch of flow direction in an Antarctic ice stream.

Fast-flowing ice streams transport ice from the interior of West Antarctica to the ocean, and fluctuations in their activity control the mass balance of the ice sheet. The mass balance of the Ross Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet is now positive--that is, it is growing--mainly because one of the ice streams (ice stream C) slowed down about 150 years ago. Here we present evidence from both surface measurements and remote sensing that demonstrates the highly dynamic nature of the Ross drainage system. We show that the flow in an area that once discharged into ice stream C has changed direction, now draining into the Whillans ice stream (formerly ice stream B). This switch in flow direction is a result of continuing thinning of the Whillans ice stream and recent thickening of ice stream C. Further abrupt reorganization of the activity and configuration of the ice streams over short timescales is to be expected in the future as the surface topography of the ice sheet responds to the combined effects of internal dynamics and long-term climate change. We suggest that caution is needed when using observations of short-term mass changes to draw conclusions about the large-scale mass balance of the ice sheet.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

[Day-hospital treatment of inguinal hernia].

Aim of the Authors' research was to evaluate advantages of day-surgery treatment for inguinal hernias. The study has been performed on a series of 138 patients, operated because of unrelapsed and uncomplicated monolateral inguinal hernia. Up-to-date therapeutic behaviour relating to hernia is the result of brilliant intuitions: technical order (tension-free repair), technological progresses (using new prosthetic materials), and refinement of anaesthesiological procedures (local and loco-regional anaesthesia). As regards surgical and anaesthesiological methods, general principles have been accepted by now from the most of the Authors. The new frontier of hernias' treatment is the possibility of operate in a day-hospital way: that means real advantages, both as regards patients' compliance and, in consideration of the high incidence of such pathology, as regards the high economic savings and more reasonable management of hospital stays. The significative increase of day-hospital hernioplastic operations in last years is due to standardization of restrictiveless criteria of choice for patients who can be treated with such modality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A liberatory maneuver for the treatment of horizontal canal paroxysmal positional vertigo.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a new liberatory maneuver in the management of the geotropic variant of horizontal canal paroxysmal positional vertigo (HC-PPV). STUDY DESIGN: Case review. SETTING: Outpatient clinic. PATIENTS: The diagnosis of HC-PPV was based on the history of recurrent sudden crisis of vertigo associated with bursts of horizontal geotropic paroxysmal nystagmus provoked by turning the head from the supine to either lateral position. The patients were 11 men and 21 women ranging in age from 30 to 85 years (average 55.43 years), and the average duration of symptoms was 7.68 days. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were treated with a liberatory maneuver based on the hypothesis that the syndrome is caused by the presence of free-floating dense particles inside the endolymph of the posterior arm of the semicircular horizontal canal. The maneuver favors their outmigration into the utricle. Patients were reexamined immediately after the treatment and again 2 days later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The treatment outcome was considered as responsive when, after one or more liberatory maneuvers, the clinical signs of PPV disappeared at the end of physical therapy. RESULTS: The liberatory maneuver resulted in a complete remission of the positioning vertigo and nystagmus in all patients after the first session. CONCLUSIONS: This approach represents a simple and effective approach to the management of the geotropic form of HC-PPV.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Nephrogenic adenoma of the bladder. Morphological and immunophenotypic study with particular attention to differential diagnosis].

BACKGROUND: Nephrogenic Adenoma (NA) is a rare lesion of the urinary tract, considered a metaplastic response to chronic inflammation, trauma or immunosuppression. METHODS AND RESULTS: We report two cases of NA arising in the urinary bladder of patients with previous history of recurrent urinary tract infections due to neuropsychiatric disease. Pathological examination of the lesions, resected by transurethral (TUR) management, revealed a papillary proliferation of tubules and cysts lined by cuboidal to low-columnar cells without atypia. Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for Cam 5.2, CK7 and EMA. MIB 1 count demonstrated a positivity in 12/200 cells in case 1 and < 2/200 in case 2. No expression of nuclear p53 was evident. CONCLUSION: NA is a benign unusual neoplasm which might be misdiagnosed as clear cell adenocarcinoma of the bladder or prostatic adenocarcinoma. Its recognition is important because it is a benign lesion cured by a conservative resection and no additional therapy is generally required.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

Microsurgical technique to improve the insertion of totally implantable arterial device (TIAD) in presence of hepatic artery anomalies.

In order to achieve perfusion of both lobes of the liver for hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, several surgical techniques can be used when the right hepatic artery arises from the superior mesenteric artery. Three of these techniques (utilization of cystic artery, end-to-side anastomosis between the right hepatic artery and proper hepatic artery, and insertion of a fine-tipped special catheter in the right hepatic artery) often require microsurgery applications.

Hepatic Artery↗
PubMed1998

Global asymptotic stability of bone remodeling theories: a new approach based on non-linear dynamical systems analysis.

Mathematical tools for the analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems are applied to the study of stability of bone remodeling theories. As a practical application, the same problem studied by Harrigan and Hamilton (1992) and Cowin et al. (1994b) is analysed using these tools, and their findings on the necessary and sufficient conditions to ensure local asymptotic stability are easily confirmed. Using a general approach based on Lyapunov's method the same condition has been found to be necessary and sufficient also for the global asymptotic stability, thus confirming a result obtained by Harrigan and Hamilton (1994) by variational methods applied to finite-element models. The proof is based on the discretization of the spatial domain but the results for the continuum can be easily extrapolated.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Target organ damage and ambulatory blood pressure in stage I hypertension. The Hypertension and Ambulatory Recording Venetia Study.

According to recent international guidelines the decision on whether to treat young subjects during the early phase of hypertension should be based not only on their office blood pressure but also on their ambulatory blood pressure and whether target organ damage has occurred. Few data on the prevalence of hypertensive complications in young subjects with mild hypertension are available. In the Hypertension and Ambulatory Recording Venetia Study (HARVEST), a multicenter trial conducted in northeast Italy, the percentage of young borderline-to-mild hypertensive subjects with echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy was 4.5% and the percentage with concentric remodeling was 4%. Clear differences in cardiac size and geometric adjustment to ambulatory systolic pressure between the two sexes were found. The impact of blood pressure on the walls of the left ventricle and on the left ventricular mass was remarkable in women but weak in men. The assessment of left ventricular systolic function confirmed that many young mild hypertensive subjects have an increased ejective performance. The left ventricular contractility evaluated by midwall measurement was, however, found to be depressed in 9.2% of the HARVEST participants. Their left ventricular diastolic function was similar to that of 50 normotensive controls. The prevalence of microalbuminuria [albumin excretion rate (AER) > 30 mg/24 h) was 6.1%, only slightly higher than that found by other authors among normotensive subjects and much lower than that observed among patients with more severe hypertension. For our stage I hypertensives, however, the AER was correlated to the 24 h blood pressure with high statistical significance, whereas we found no relationship between the AER and left ventricular mass index either for all of the subjects taken together or for the men and women considered separately. The results suggest that renal and cardiac involvement do not occur in parallel during the initial phase of hypertension.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

[Simple cysts of the liver].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment of symptomatic benign non-parasitic cysts of the liver by percutaneous drainage and sclerotherapy with alcohol or surgery. DESIGN: Descriptive, prospective. SETTING: The study was conducted at the University Hospital of Catania (Italy), which serves as a general community hospital. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Solitary biliary cysts are among the most frequent cystic lesions of the liver and have a prevalence of 1 to 2 percent. They are almost always asymptomatic and do not require treatment. Ultrasonography shows a regular, round or oval, entirely liquid and trans-sonic image sufficient to make the diagnosis. Complications are exceptional. PATIENTS: Eight out of 40 patients who presented with symptomatic benign non-parasitic cysts of the liver during the period 1987-1994 and in whom percutaneous drainage was not contraindicated. INTERVENT: Drainage sclerotherapy with absolute alcohol was carried out, after which suction was applied until oozing stopped. RESULTS: Eight patients were treated, all women, 49-61 years old. In 7 patients, the cyst did not recur during the follow-up period which ranged from 8 to 60 months. Only one patient needed another percutaneous drainage. No complications of the drainage were encountered. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous drainage followed by alcohol sclerotherapy and suction is the treatment of choice in patients with symptomatic benign non-parasitic cysts of the liver. Surgical treatment should be reserved for patients who fail to respond to repeated percutaneous drainage and cases in which the location of the cyst makes it technically difficult to use a percutaneous route.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Villous adenocarcinoma of the duodenum invading the ampulla of Vater case report and review of literature.

We report a case of villous adenocarcinoma of duodenum arising from the ampulla of Vater with a review of the literature. Although preoperative endoscopic biopsies were performed, no malignancy was identified. Because of the pathological uncertainty we decided to perform a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy. Microscopic examination demonstrated glandular dysplasia with aspects of villous adenoma and well differentiated adenocarcinoma. We conclude that both in malignant cases and in cases with uncertain diagnosis a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy is the best surgical treatment because it results in better 5 year survival.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1996

Vaccination against hepatitis B virus in children and adolescents in a pediatric hospital.

Vaccination against hepatitis B has become compulsory in Italy and is routinely administered in outpatient clinics of Local Health Service. In the setting of a pediatric hospital 205 children (less than 10-year-old) and 144 adolescents (10-19-year-old) have been vaccinated with anti-HBV recombinant yeast-derived vaccine (Engerix B 10 U.I. at 0.1 and 6 months in children and 20 U.I. in adolescents). Anti-HBs titers were evaluated 1 month after least dose. Geometric mean titer (GMT) was 9500 mU/I in children and 18,000 in adolescents; 99.85% of subjects had a protective anti-HBs titer (10 mU/I or more) at one month after the third dose and 89.1% had titers of 1000 mU/I or more. Only 9.7% of subjects had adverse events, mainly (75%) at the injection site, anyway of trivial importance, without any difference of sex and age. Anti-hepatitis B yeast-derived vaccine is highly immunogenic, without relevant adverse events; the hospital setting is appropriate to participate to the program of vaccination in pediatric age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Diffuse colonic lipomatosis with giant hypertrophy of the epiploic appendices and diverticulosis of the colon. Report of a case and review of the literature.

PURPOSE: A case of diffuse colonic lipomatosis, dolichosigmoid, hypertrophy of the epiploic appendices and diverticulosis of the colon producing constipation, recurrent sub-occlusive episodes with diarrhea and vomiting, and weight loss is reported. METHODS: Careful preoperative assessment of clinical, radiologic, and endoscopic findings suggested the diagnosis. RESULTS: A total colectomy, followed by a lateroterminal ileoproctostomy, gave complete relief from symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Of the 12 cases of colonic lipomatosis previously reported, only 2 have isolated involvement of the entire organ, but they do not present lipomatosis of the epiploic appendices.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Surgery and blood transfusion].

Advances in surgery and the extension of the surgical indications have amplified the problems due to hemorrhage, main side effect, and its treatment, which in the past consisted primarily in whole blood transfusion. Such practice, however, involves the surgeon in a series of problems due to shortage of blood donors, religious beliefs and most of all the risks related to the transfusion practice itself. Apart from early and late reactions, the risk of transmission of infective diseases, post-transfusional immunodepression and legal problems must be pointed out. Recently, to solve these problems, the indications to blood transfusion have been restricted to severe hypovolemic shock and severe untreatable hypoxia; the separate use of blood components has been privileged; and autologous blood transfusion techniques like pre-deposit for donation, normovolemic preoperative hemodilution and intraoperative autologous transfusions have been used. It's mandatory that the surgeon keeps in date with the Transfusional Medicine progresses working in strict collaboration with the Transfusional Services to best protect the good health of the patients he has in care.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

[Prophylaxis of postoperative infections: immunoglobulins or antibiotics?].

Authors report the preliminary results of their experience in the infections prophylaxis treatment on the operated oncologic patient, with a particular care for immunoprophylaxis aiming to improve the immune defenses. 89 patients have been considered, dividing them into three groups according to the therapy carried out: e.v. immunoglobulins (300 mg/kg per day, for three days), e.v. immunoglobulins associated with routine antibiotic prophylaxis, routine antibiotic prophylaxis. The results show a remarkable reduction both of the period of postoperative bedridding in the group treated with e.v. immunoglobulins only, and of the infective complications in the patients treated with e.v. immunoglobulins (alone or in association with antibiotic prophylaxis), compared with the check group (antibiotic prophylaxis only).

Abdominal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

Thyroarytenoid muscle activity in sleep apneas.

In normal subjects the thyroarytenoid muscle (TA), a vocal cord adductor, has phasic expiratory activity during wakefulness that disappears during non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep. Fiber-optic studies have reported absent or irregular vocal cord movements during obstructive apneas and vocal cord adduction during central apneas. This study was designed to investigate TA activity during NREM sleep in 14 subjects with sleep apnea by means of intramuscular wire electrodes. During central apneas, which were recorded in three subjects, continuous TA activity was observed. During obstructive apneas, which were recorded in all subjects, two different patterns of TA activity were observed: 1) absence of any activity until arousal and 2) phasic activity throughout the apnea. The first pattern was detected in six subjects, whereas both patterns were observed in the remaining eight subjects. No correlation was found between obstructive apnea characteristics and presence or absence of TA activity. In all subjects TA underwent a marked activation during arousal. While nasal continuous positive airway pressure was applied during NREM sleep TA activity was always absent. The persistence of TA activity during central apneas suggests that they may represent an extreme prolongation of neural expiratory discharge. We speculate that a variable interaction of different stimuli acting during obstructive apnea may activate TA, which, in turn, may contribute to glottic narrowing.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Intraoperative esophageal manometry].

The intraoperative esophageal manometry (IEM) has been used to improve results in operative management of gastroesophageal reflux and achalasia. The IEM pointed out the necessity to perform an antireflux procedure with an intraoperative sphincter pressure higher than normal, because the measured postoperative sphincter pressures were one-half the intraoperative values measured after repair. Nevertheless some authors failed to find any correlation between intraoperative and subsequent postoperative sphincter pressure measurements. The Authors, in their experience, achieved the same results with and without IEM in the surgical management of gastroesophageal reflux and achalasia. For this reason The IEM does not seem to be necessary when performing the standard Nissen or Heller procedure. It is probably useful in the surgical treatment of patients with motor disorders or sclerodermia associated with reflux and in patients who have had multiple prior operations for reflux or achalasia.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Thyroarytenoid muscle activity during loaded and nonloaded breathing in adult humans.

Previous fiber-optic studies in humans have demonstrated narrowing of the glottic aperture in expiration during application of expiratory resistive loads. Nine healthy subjects were studied to determine the effect of expiratory resistive loads on the electromyographic activity of the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle, a vocal cord adductor. Four of the nine subjects also underwent the application of inspiratory resistive loads and voluntary prolongation of either inspiratory (TI) or expiratory (TE) time. TA activity was recorded by intramuscular hooked-wire electrodes. During quiet breathing in all subjects, the TA was phasically active on expiration and often tonically active throughout the respiratory cycle. TA expiratory activity progressively increased with increasing levels of expiratory load. Inspiratory loads resulted in increased TA "inspiratory" activity. Voluntary prolongation of TE to times similar to those reached during loaded breathing induced increases in TA expiratory activity similar to those reached during the loaded state. Voluntary prolongation of TI was associated with an increase in TA inspiratory activity. Similar increases in TI during inspiratory loading or voluntary conditions were associated with comparable increases in TA inspiratory activity in three of the four subjects. In conclusion, increased activation of TA during the application of expiratory resistive loads implies that the reported narrowing of glottic aperture during expiratory loading is an active phenomenon. Changes in activation of the TA with resistive loads appear to be related to changes in respiratory pattern.

Adult↗