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Biomedical subjects

G F Ferraccioli

Publications and source records attributed to G F Ferraccioli.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between physical impairment, psychological variables and pain in rheumatoid disability. An analysis of their relative impact.

Forty-two consecutive female rheumatoid patients were given the AIMS questionnaire in order to determine their disability. Twenty-one had a second assessment one year later. Factorial analysis showed that the Italian version fully respects the construct of the original test. In fact four main factors (the physical, psychological, social and pain dimensions) arose, explaining 44.8%, 13.6%, 11.4% and 9% of the total variance, respectively. A close relationship was demonstrated between psychological variables, namely depression, and physical impairment, as shown by the correlation coefficient matrix. In order to determine whether depression might influence the ultimate outcome twenty-one patients were separated into two subsets according to their initial depression (greater than 5, less than 5). After one year, dexterity and pain were significantly worse in those with the highest depression score. This study shows that the psychological variables, in addition to physical impairment and pain, are of utmost importance in the outcome of rheumatoid patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

DISH and ankylosing spondylitis. Case report and review of the literature.

Ankylosing spondylitis (A.Sp.) and diffuse idiopatic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), represent the most common inflammatory and degenerative enthesopathies, respectively. Despite their rather frequent occurrence in the rheumatic disease care setting, few case reports of their simultaneous presence in the same patient have appeared in the literature. We describe here a further observation and review the rheumatologic literature.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term outcome with gold thiosulphate and tiopronin in 200 rheumatoid patients.

Two hundred rheumatoid patients were prospectively studied over a five-year period. One hundred and three received tiopronin (T) and 97 were treated with gold thiosulphate (GTS). At the end of the five-year period, similar percentages of patients dropped out because of lack of efficacy or because of major toxicities. Likewise, the percentages of patients still receiving the original drug in the two drug regimens at the 5th year of follow-up were 27.8% (GTS) vs. 25.2% (T), respectively.

Administration, Oral↗
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Serum IgA levels and ANA behaviour in rheumatoid patients with and without toxicity to remission-inducing drugs.

IgA levels and ANA behaviour were studied in twenty-five patients suffering from toxicity to remission-inducing drugs (Tiopronin or Gold thiosulphate) and in thirty-two without any evidence of toxicity. A comparable number of patients with low IgA levels were found in the two groups. ANA test positivity correlated better with the appearance of toxicity, but the low specificity and predictivity hinder its application as a screening parameter.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pain language in fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Using the Italian version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MGPQ), the language of pain was assessed in three chronic rheumatic diseases, namely Fibromyalgia syndrome (FS), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Osteoarthritis (OA). The Pain Rating Index (PRI) of the MGPQ clearly allowed OA to be distinguished from RA and FS. Words of the affective and sensory subclasses were chosen more frequently in FS, RA and OA respectively. By analyzing words chosen by at least 33% of the patients, a thermal sensory descriptor arose in FS. Data from this study suggest that the MGPQ-PRI might be useful for the assessment of fibromyalgic pain in a clinical setting and during follow-up of the disease.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
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Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Turner's syndrome.

An increased risk for autoimmune diseases has been recognized in Turner's syndrome (T.S.). However autoimmune rheumatic or connective tissue disorders have not been described. We report here on a 8-8/12 year old caucasian girl with T.S. and Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). The hypothesis that the association is more than casual is discussed.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tiopronin-nephropathy: clinical, pathological, immunological and immunogenetic characteristics.

Nine patients who developed proteinuria while on Tiopronin (a D-Penicillamine-like drug) have been studied. Nephrotic syndrome was observed in six cases. Immunologic analysis revealed a high frequency of ANA positivity and RF seronegativity by the time nephropathy appeared. Six patients were biopsied. Immunofluorescence, electron and light microscopy studies showed: glomerulonephritis with segmental deposits in the mesangium and along the capillary walls in one patient, mesangioprolipherative glomerulonephritis in one case and stage 1 membranous glomerulonephritis in four cases. Immunogenetic typing disclosed a strong association with B35-Cw4 class I antigens.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between areas of popliteal cysts and radiological damage in rheumatoid arthritis and in osteoarthritis.

Fifty-five patients, (30 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and 25 Osteoarthritis (OA], with knee synovial effusion and popliteal cysts, visualized through arthrograms, were studied. A relationship was sought between radiological findings and area of the cysts, measured through a millimeter grid. Ten radiological parameters were graded and summed up to obtain a "total knee score". A "total geode score" was also obtained by scoring, separately, the geodes. In addition two specific indexes were used--for comparison--the erosive index, modified after Berens and Lin, in RA and the Kelligren's index in OA. In RA a statistically significant, inverse correlation was found between the x-ray scores and the area of the cysts, while such a relationship was not observed in OA. However, only a third of the cysts accounted for the inverse relationship in RA. Furthermore, two control groups of RA and OA patients revealed a striking association between degree of radiological damage and frequency of popliteal cysts. Therefore, the hypothesis that popliteal cysts might have a protective effect against the articular-bone damage in RA, can be held only in few cases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Association between DR3 and thrombocytopenia due to gold or tiopronin. Case reports and review of the literature.

Two patients who developed thrombocytopenia while on Tiopronin and gold salts respectively were HLA typed. Their common haplotype was A25(10), B8, DR3. A survey of the literature showed that the association between DR3 and the sudden onset form of thrombocytopenia is striking. A genetic predisposition, besides other unknown factors, seems to play a crucial role.

Amino Acids, Sulfur↗
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Cold insoluble globulin: relationship with lymphocytotoxins in autoimmune diseases.

Lymphocytotoxic activity is known to better occur at low temperatures and to be relatively enriched in cryoglobulins. As the cold insoluble globulin, Fibronectin, is a main component of cryoglobulins, experiments were carried out to find out whether Fibronectin was involved in the mechanism of cytotoxicity or not. No direct or indirect (complement-mediated) effects were seen. A significant association was observed between lymphocytotoxic activity and circulating immune complexes and between Fibronectin positivity and cytotoxicity in PEG-precipitates of sera from three groups of patients affected with SLE, RA and Ps.A. respectively. As Fibronectin is a cryoprecipitagogue protein, possible implications of these findings are discussed.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical features, scintiscan characteristics and X-ray progression of late onset rheumatoid arthritis.

The clinical features, serology behaviour, scintiscan characteristics and the degree of X-ray progression according to the disease duration were compared in two RA groups with a disease onset after 65 years of age (LORA) and before 65 (EORA) respectively. No differences emerged in either the clinical findings or in the scintiscan picture. A sub-group of LORA showed acute flares of the illness presenting with very high ESR values and high fever. The erosive index (EI) evaluated in three areas (carpal-bone and wrist, MCP and PIP joints) revealed an undistinguishable degree of X-ray damage either in seropositive or seronegative patients, whereas seropositive EORA fared clearly worse than seronegative ones. A prospective study in two small sub-groups of LORA and EORA revealed a progression of X-ray erosions despite second line drug treatment in both groups, especially in LORA.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical efficacy and adverse effects of tiopronin in rheumatoid arthritis. Report of a follow-up in 50 patients.

A follow-up of 15.4 months has been carried out in 50 patients suffering from classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis, treated with tiopronin, a new slow acting sulphydrylant agent. The attention was focused mainly on the frequency of the major side effects needing withdrawal of the drug in 20% of the patients; in other 20% of the cases we have observed the disappearance of the major side effects after reduction of the tiopronin dosage. The most important major side effect was renal toxicity. Five cases of proteinuria and among these four cases of nephrotic syndrome were recorded. These side effects disappeared 2-5 weeks after withdrawal of the tiopronin. From a clinical point of view a positive response was observed in 56% and a complete lack of efficacy in 22% of patients. The clinical benefit and a panel of side effects very close to those of D-penicillamine were confirmed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hydroxyproline and zinc excretion in patients with neoplastic breast disease.

Hydroxyproline and zinc excretion was evaluated in 87 patients with neoplastic breast disease; 40 of these had carcinoma, without radiological and scintigraphy demonstration of bone metastases. In the group of patients with breast cancer, the mean values of hydroxyproline and zinc excretion were found to be significantly higher than in the group with benign breast disease; only 12 of the patients with histologically detected breast cancer had hydroxyprolinuria levels which were higher than the upper limit of the values obtained in the control group. The authors, therefore, conclude that the patients in this group must be considered as being at greater risk.

Adolescent↗