PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Vassallo

Publications and source records attributed to G Vassallo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

ALK positive lymphohistiocytic variant of anaplastic large cell lymphoma in an adult.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The lymphohistiocytic (LH) variant of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has, for a long time, been considered typical of children and adolescents. The aim of this study is a detailed characterization of a case of this peculiar ALCL subtype affecting an adult patient. DESIGN AND METHODS: A 36-year old male presented with diffuse adenopathy and systemic symptoms (high fever, anorexia, asthenia); a diagnosis of CD30+/ALK+ ALCL, LH variant, was morphologically suspected and corroborated by immunohistochemistry that was crucial for the definitive diagnosis and subtyping. RESULTS: The neoplastic population consisted of cells highly variable in size and shape but more often isolated and largely obscured by a predominant reactive cellular infiltrate of histiocytes and plasma cells. The lymphoma cells exhibited a null non-B non-T antigenic profile, but reacted strongly for the Ber-H2/CD30, EMA, ALKc anti-TIA-1 monoclonal antibodies. The patient underwent chemotherapy plus bone marrow transplantation and, one year after diagnosis, he is well and in complete remission. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide additional evidence that: a) ALK+ lymphoma represents a single disease with a broad spectrum of morphology; b) clinicians and pathologists should be aware of the possible occurrence of LH variant of ALK+ ALCL also in adults in whom a favorable response to therapy may be expected despite systemic disease and an aggressive clinical presentation.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Anti-CEA immunoscintigraphy and computed tomographic scanning in the preoperative evaluation of mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic computed tomography (CT) provides most of the staging information needed before operation for lung cancer and can reduce the number of exploratory thoracotomies. In recent years a new immunoscintigraphic technique with anti-carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) monoclonal antibodies has been shown to be effective in lung cancer staging. This study compares the yields of CT scans and immunoscintigraphy in the preoperative evaluation of the medistinal lymph nodes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: One hundred and thirty one patients believed on clinical grounds to have a operable non-small cell lung cancer were photoscanned with the indium-111 labelled F(ab')2 fragments of the antibody FO23C5. Both planar and single photoemission computed tomography (SPECT) thoracic views were recorded. CT scan of the thorax, abdomen, and brain were obtained in all patients. Seventy of the patients eventually underwent surgery, an additional seven underwent mediastinoscopy or mediastinotomy, and a further 10 had both cervical exploration and thoracotomy. Pathological evaluation of the mediastinal nodes was available in all 87 patients, but in only 80 of them was the diagnosis of lung cancer eventually confirmed. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of planar immunoscintigraphy, SPECT immunoscintigraphy, and CT scanning for N2 disease was 76%, 74%, and 71%, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity rates were 45%, 77%, 64% and 88%, 72%, and 74%. These were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that anti-CEA immunoscintigraphy has no advantage over conventional CT scanning in assessing mediastinal lymphoadenopathy in patients with lung cancer. CT scanning remains the gold standard test in these patients.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1995

Benign osteoblastoma of the mastoid part of the temporal bone: case report.

Osteoblastoma is a benign bone lesion that mainly affects the long bones and rarely the temporal bones. Very few cases have been reported in the literature. This paper reviews the literature, discusses the differential diagnosis, clinical presentation, and CT scan findings of such a condition and details our experience with a young patient who had a temporal bone (mastoid process) osteoblastoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Giant cell tumor of the lateral skull base: a case report.

Giant cell tumors of the temporal bone are very rare lesions. They should be differentiated from other giant cell lesions of bone, mainly reparative granulomas. A case with a very huge giant cell tumor of the temporal bone extending to the infratemporal fossa, temporomandibular joint, and greater wing of the sphenoid has been presented. Because of their tendency for recurrence, total removal is the treatment of choice for these tumors and was accomplished through the infratemporal fossa approach type B. A follow-up of 2 years and 9 months revealed no evidence of tumor recurrence.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Imaging lung cancer by scintigraphy with Indium 111-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of the anticarcinoembryonic antigen monoclonal antibody FO23C5.

BACKGROUND: Anticarcinoembryonic (CEA) monoclonal antibodies are able to react specifically with the antigen and have the potential for the detection of CEA-bearing tumors. METHODS: The authors photoscanned with indium 111 (111In)-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of the murine CEA monoclonal antibody FO23C5 63 patients with a newly diagnosed and pathologically documented bronchogenic carcinoma. Planar dual views of the thorax, abdomen, and brain were acquired between the 24th and 144th hour after the radiotracer injection. Patients had a complete pretreatment workup, which included a routine multiorgan computed tomography (CT) scan, and the determination of the serum and tissue CEA concentration. All patients were followed up clinically and radiologically. Nineteen needle aspirations and biopsies, 23 surgical explorations, and 4 mediastinoscopic studies yielded 121 pathologically documented sites of reference. RESULTS: Fifty-seven of 63 scans were positive for the primary tumor (sensitivity, 0.90). The uptake of the radiotracer correlated significantly with the intensity of tissue CEA expression (Spearman R [Rs], 0.25; P less than 0.05), but not with the serum CEA level or with the histotype. Overall, the sensitivity of the anti-CEA immunoscintigraphy (IS) for the N1, N2, N3, T3, T4, and M1 disease (1987 International Union Against Cancer [UICC] staging classification) was 0.67, 0.64, 0.62, 0.31, 0.29, and 0.86, respectively. Corresponding values of specificity were 0.67, 0.81, 0.90, 1, 1, and 0.93; accuracy values were 0.67, 0.71, 0.85, 0.71, 0.76, and 0.92. The authors limited the analysis to all of the pathologically documented sites and obtained slightly superior values but no meaningful differences. The stage derived from IS readings was correct in 33 patients. The same figure was obtained after an initial clinical workup, which included physical examination, laboratory routine tests, chest radiographs, bronchoscopy, and any diagnostic procedure indicated by those tests. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-CEA FO23C5-F(ab')2 fragments are not yet "magic bullets" for perfect diagnoses; however, their staging potential seems to be remarkable. Technical improvements, single-photo emission CT, and the use of such fragments in combination with other imaging techniques might enable researchers to further improve the current results.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Multidirectional carcinoma of the thymus with neuroendocrine and sarcomatoid components and carcinoid syndrome.

We report a case of metastatic thymic neoplasm occurring in a 62-year-old Caucasian man. The tumor was polymorphic, with intimately admixed carcinoid, sarcomatous and undifferentiated components. Sarcomatous cells were spindle-shaped and immunoreactive for vimentin, actin and desmin. Carcinoid cells reacted for cytokeratin as well as with a panel of general neuroendocrine markers, including chromogranins A and B, synaptophysin, protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, neuron specific enolase (NSE), Leu 7 and Grimelius' silver. The endocrine nature of the latter cells was confirmed by ultrastructural evidence of abundant electron-dense granules 100 to 300 nm in size. Among the various hormones investigated immunohistochemically only the alpha chain of human chorionic gonadotropin (alpha-hCG) was detected in tumor cells. The neoplasm recurred after surgical resection and caused a typical carcinoid syndrome with skin flushing and increased urinary 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA). The diagnosis of multidirectional thymic carcinoma with two lines of differentiation, of carcinoid and sarcomatoid type, was made.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Stepwise increase in plasma insulin and C-peptide concentrations in obese, in obese hypertensive, and in obese hypertensive diabetic subjects.

Several clinical and epidemiological evidences support the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in pathological conditions as obesity, hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which have hyperinsulinemia as a common feature. In this study, we assessed basal plasma insulin (IRI) and C-peptide (CPR) concentrations in 297 volunteers who participated in a survey concerning risk factors of CVD. We found a stepwise increase in fasting insulin and C-peptide levels in normal subjects (IRI 9.10 +/- 0.41 microU/ml; CPR 1.79 +/- 0.08 ng/ml), in obese subjects (IRI 11.31 +/- 0.38 microU/ml; CPR 2.54 +/- 0.07 ng/ml) in obese hypertensive subjects (IRI 14.17 +/- 0.72 microU/ml; CPR 2.64 +/- 0.09 ng/ml), in obese hypertensive diabetic subjects (IRI 22.57 +/- 2.62 microU/ml; CPR 3.33 +/- 0.27 ng/ml). Thus, we found increasing levels of IRI and CPR as normal conditions changed towards progressively more severe pathological conditions. Although several other factors contribute to determine CVD, we conclude that increasing levels of insulin and C-peptide could play an important role in causing CVD.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Suppurative emphysematous bulla. A case report].

The authors present a case of infected emphysematous bulla. Surgical treatment is always indicated also when a preoperative sure diagnosis between this and other pulmonary infections is not possible. The surgical management is often simple, without serious postoperative complications.

Bronchoscopy↗
PubMed1990

Dextran deposits in tissues of patients undergoing haemodialysis.

Recently the possible storage of dextran-related material in patients undergoing regular haemodialysis has been suggested. We examined biopsy and autopsy specimens of 32 patients treated with regular haemodialysis for 61 +/- 34 months. All patients received dextran-40 as a plasma expander because of hypotension during haemodialysis. The same study was carried out in a control group of 11 haemodialysed patients who were given other plasma expanders. In the 11 patients who received larger doses of dextran-40 (0.38 g/kg body weight per week) we found particles in the cytoplasm of macrophages in various organs, which proved PAS positive and diastase resistant on light microscopy, and birefringent on polarisation. Electron microscopy revealed a fibrillar structure, but ionic analysis by electronic sampler on scanning electron microscopy excluded the presence of silicon. No intracellular inclusions were observed in the control group, nor in the patients given dextran-40 in doses lower than 0.08 g/kg body weight per week. As we also found a linear relationship between the number of particles and the dextran-40 doses given, we hypothesise that the material demonstrated in the macrophages is a structurally modified dextran.

Cytoplasm↗
PubMed1987

Relapsing eruptive multiple Spitz nevi or metastatic spitzoid malignant melanoma?

An unusual case of multiple relapsing Spitz nevus (SN) in a patient with pseudohypoparathyroidism is described. It arose initially as a single lesion, and recurred twice as multiple agminated lesions that maintained the same histological pattern as the original SN. Nevertheless, the clinical behavior led to a diagnosis of metastasis from malignant melanoma at another medical institution. This case emphasizes the need for relying on accurate histopathological criteria to distinguish SN from malignant melanoma if inappropriate and detrimental therapeutic procedures are to be avoided.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Digitalizer system and memory for electric transients.

It was designed a fast solid state electronic waveform recording system (Digitalizer), which can record, store and display action potentials or any type of event, either single pulse or repetitive, as a function of time. Above all, its capacity to record fast transients and to give the output in analog and digital form, makes this electronic device more convenient that conventional recorders or single trace oscilloscope systems.

Action Potentials↗