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Biomedical subjects

G Giuffré

Publications and source records attributed to G Giuffré.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Blood-ocular barrier damage: use of contrast-enhanced MRI.

The blood-ocular barrier (BOB) shares similar neuroepithelial origin, microanatomy and functions with the blood-brain barrier. There are many natural (e. g. diabetes, hypertension) or iatrogenic (chemotherapy, retinal photocoagulation) conditions which can cause a BOB breakdown, resulting in visual acuity impairment or loss. The authors examined 42 patients affected by BOB damage in different pathological conditions. All patients previously underwent a conventional fluoroangiographic (FA) study. Nine patients with normal FA exam were evaluated also. Despite normal MRI findings immediately after Gd-DTPA injection, contrast leakage into the vitreous body or into the aqueous fluid was demonstrated in delayed scans (40-50 min after contrast administration), proving the existence of a BOB damage (sensitively 94 %). Although FA exam remains the choice modality in BOB breakdown demonstration, we propose MRI as a useful diagnostic tool when optic media opacity (cataract, haemovitreous, intraocular silicon oil) occurs, preventing direct retinal fundus imaging and/or an early screening tool.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension: orbital MRI.

The case is reported of a patient with idiopathic intracranial hypertension examined with magnetic resonance imaging. Marked enhancement of the optic nerve heads was found, which might be related to blood-retinal barrier breakdown related to a sudden rise in intracranial cerebrospinal fluid pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Malignant hypomelanotic melanoma of mules. A histologic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study of a case with unknown primary site and widespread metastases.

An unusual case of malignant hypomelanotic melanoma occurred in a 15-year-old gray mantle mule with unknown primary site and widespread metastatic growth is described. An ante-mortem examination, the presence of subcutaneous nodules was noted; histologically they are constituted by spindle or polygonal-shaped tumour cells with rare black granules in the cytoplasm; the immunohistochemical procedures showed a large expression of S-100, vimentin and HMB-45 antibodies, suggesting thus a diagnosis of malignant melanoma. Ultrastructural findings, obtained on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material, showed characteristic melanosomes and irregular fibrillary centers in nuclei of neoplastic cells. At post-mortem examination, other nodular mostly melanotic lesions were appreciable in lungs, kidneys, brain, liver, pancreas, spleen, lymph nodes and muscles. The importance of immunohistochemical and ultrastructural findings for the differential diagnosis of this neoplasm is emphasized.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Risk factors of ocular hypertension and glaucoma. The Casteldaccia Eye Study.

A case-control study was planned as a part of the Casteldaccia Eye Study in order to investigate about risk factors of ocular hypertension and glaucoma. Cases were 44 subjects with glaucoma or intraocular pressure of 24 mm Hg or more. Controls were 220 subjects with intraocular pressure of 20 mm Hg or less and no signs of glaucoma. A number of environmental, behavioral, systemic and ocular variables were studied. Among the others we investigated the following: sunlight exposure, smoking, alcohol intake, pregnancies, systemic hypertension, diabetes, use of corticosteroids, refractive status, anterior chamber depth, lens nuclear sclerosis, iris color and texture. After univariate analysis the use of ocular corticosteroids and antibiotics, myopia, shallow anterior chamber and myopic macular degeneration were associated with ocular hypertension or glaucoma. However, the logistic regression showed that only the use of ocular corticosteroids (odds ratio = 7.79) and the myopia (odds ratio = 5.56) were independently associated.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Pleomorphic carcinoma of the gallbladder: report of a case.

The authors report a rare case of primary pleomorphic carcinoma of the gallbladder in a 70-year-old woman. A polypoid tumor protruded into the lumen from the fundus of the gallbladder. Characteristic histologic findings included a general lack of architectural cohesiveness, marked pleomorphism, presence of mononucleated and multinucleated giant cells, extensive necrosis, leukocyte-tumor cell phagocytosis or cannibalism. Immunoreactivity for cytokeratin, carcinoembryonic antigen and epithelial membrane antigen as well as histochemical positivity for mucins demonstrated the epithelial nature of the tumor. The neoplasm behaved aggressively; the patient died of metastases 9 months after the operation.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Electrophysiological evidence for interhemispheric transmission of visual information in man.

1. Electrophysiological evidence is presented of interactions between two stimuli (sinusoidal gratings of equal spatial frequency but different contrast, phase-reversed sinusoidally at different temporal frequencies) located on opposite side of, and within a few degrees from, the vertical meridian. 2. These interactions are revealed by a depression of the cortical visual evoked potential (VEP) evoked by the grating of lower contrast in the presence of the grating of higher contrast. They are similar to, albeit weaker than, those obtained with superimposed asynchronously modulated gratings. 3. The VEP reduction occurs also if the stimuli are presented dichoptically. 4. It does not occur if the gratings are located one above the other either on the same or on opposite sides of the vertical meridian. 5. The strength of the VEP reduction depends on the relative contrast of the two gratings and vanishes for spatial frequencies beyond 4 cycles/deg and temporal frequencies of the high-contrast grating beyond 10 Hz. 6. The results are in agreement with data on visual callosal connections in animals and confirm previous psychophysical findings (Berardi & Fiorentini, 1987) indicating the particular properties of the interhemispheric cross-talk between symmetric regions of the visual field astride the vertical meridian in man.

Brain↗
PubMed1985

[Unusual associations of pattern dystrophies].

Pattern dystrophies are a group of inherited abnormalities of the macular pigment epithelium. They include reticular, macroreticular and butterfly-wing dystrophies. Several cases of pattern dystrophies associated with other diseases are reported. In one patient with reticular dystrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium this was combined with congenital hereditary deafness. Both affections were probably transmitted by a single pleiotropic gene. Apart from the typical reticular pattern in the macula there were atrophic areas that could have resulted from progression of the dystrophy. The two other cases were from the same family, one member showing macroreticular dystrophy associated with vitelliform macular dystrophy, and another a butterfly-wing dystrophy. These findings confirm the observation that different pattern dystrophies can occur in the same family and prove that such lesions can be associated with vitelliform dystrophy. The hypothesis is raised that pattern dystrophies and vitelliform dystrophy, although presently described as different clinical entities, are a single disease expressed in various manners.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Hypothesis on the pathogenesis of the papillary dysversion syndrome].

The tilted disc syndrome is an ocular anomaly characterized by dysversion of the optic nerve head, congenital crescent, vessel anomalies, ectasia and depigmentation of the infero-nasal fundus. Its pathogenesis is not known, but there are many theories as to its origin. The most convincing one links the tilted disc syndrome to an anomalous closing of the embryonic fissure. However this hypothesis does not adequately explains the origin of all the anomalies found in the syndrome. In this paper a new theory is suggested. The ganglion cell fibres of the infero-nasal retina could be misdirected toward the orbit through an anomalous embryonic fissure. In this way the fibres could not reach their central connections and degenerate. The hypoplasia of the infero-nasal quadrant of the eye could originate from the anomalous closing of the embryonic fissure and from the atrophy of the ganglion fibres; the crescent from the lack of fibres in the inferior optic disc; the anomalous appearance of the optic nerve head and the retinal vessels from a shifting of the disc upward due to the imbalance between the ganglion cell fibres coming from the superior and inferior retina.

Choroid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Optic disc drusen in tilted disc.

PURPOSE: To investigate if a congenital anomaly of the head of the optic nerve like such as tilted disc can be a risk factor for the development of optic disc drusen. METHODS: The study was performed retrospectively on the files of 47 patients with optic disc drusen. The diagnosis was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and B-scan ultrasonography. The authors examined the fundus photographs and the fluorescein angiographies of these patients looking for the presence of tilted discs. RESULTS: Two of the 47 patients with optic nerve drusen had tilted discs as well, about twice the expected rate. Both cases presented a parapapillary hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: The concomitant presence of tilted disc and optic disc drusen can have a cause-effect relationship. The axonal crowding in a scleral canal of reduced size, as seen in tilted disc, can compress the nerve fibers against the stiff lamina cribrosa, producing a chronic optic neuropathy leading to drusen.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in dysplastic and neoplastic epithelial lesions of the conjunctiva.

Using a silver staining technique (AgNOR technique), we have investigated the nucleolar organizer-associated proteins (NORs) in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded conjunctival specimens of 15 intraepithelial squamous carcinomas, 10 hyperplastic-dysplastic samples and 10 control epithelial fragments; the mean number of intranuclear black dots was determined for each case. A significant difference in the mean number of NORs was found when intraepithelial squamous carcinomas were compared with hyperplastic-dysplastic lesions (P less than 0.001); in addition, normal control conjunctiva and hyperplastic-dysplastic lesions were also discernible (P less than 0.05).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Unexpected cytological diagnosis of two cases of echinococcosis.

The Authors report two cases of hydatid cysts localized in the soft tissues of the thigh and in para-renal region respectively. In both cases the cystic nature of the lesion was revealed by echography while the common serologic and hematologic preoperative tests did not show pathologic values. The working diagnosis was traumatic or developmental lesion and the patients were undergone to fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology which permitted to make the unexpected diagnosis of hydatid cysts. The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for echinococcus, done at the time in monitoring the disease, was positive only in one case. Although the routine use of FNA cytology for the diagnosis of echinococcosis should be discouraged, this procedure may represent a real aid in the definitive diagnose of clinically unsuspected hydatid cysts.

Adult↗