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Biomedical subjects

G Visco

Publications and source records attributed to G Visco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Survival of zidovudine-treated patients with AIDS compared with that of contemporary untreated patients. Italian Zidovudine Evaluation Group.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term effectiveness of zidovudine (AZT) in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This assessment has never been adequately done because controlled clinical trials were stopped early and survival comparisons were made with historical controls. DESIGN: Nonrandomized contemporary observational study of patients treated and not treated with zidovudine. SETTING: Twenty-three AIDS treatment centers throughout Italy that reported cases to the National Registry of AIDS Cases between July 1987 and March 1988. PATIENTS: One hundred fifty-nine zidovudine-treated and 112 untreated patients with AIDS, the majority of whom had acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection through intravenous drug use. OUTCOME MEASURES: Median survival and 1- and 2-year survival for treated and untreated groups, as estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was also used to identify independent predictors of survival among the variables studied. RESULTS: Patients were similar with respect to CD4/CD8 ratio, age, sex, clinical and immunological status at diagnosis, and source of HIV infection. After 24 months, survival was 45.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36.1% to 55.7%) in the treated group and 20.5% (95% CI, 12.6% to 28.3%) in the untreated group, with median survival of 21.2 and 9.6 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Possible biases of this study include imperfect matching for clinical status and better overall medical care of treated patients. Nevertheless, we believe that the observed differences in survival were primarily due to zidovudine treatment.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Hospital use by HIV patients in Italy: a retrospective longitudinal study. National Study Group on HIV-Related Hospital Use.

Hospital-based treatment for HIV patients consumes considerable health care resources, and for planning purposes it is important to know the hospital needs for each stage of infection. In this paper, we report the results of a national study in Italy on hospital stay for cohorts of patients hospitalized for the first time with HIV-related illnesses during the years 1984-86 and 1987-88. Using the Kaplan-Meier survival methods, we demonstrate a substantial decrease in the proportion of time spent in the hospital by patients newly diagnosed with AIDS (from 49% to 25%) in the latter study period. Treatment with zidovudine (ZDV), estimated only for 1988, emphasizes this trend even more. A reduction in hospital use also occurred for AIDS-related complex (ARC) and persistent general lymphadenopathy (PGL) patients. Possible reasons for this decrease in proportion of time spent in the hospital include longer life span of patients and expansion of outpatient care, as has already been reported in the United States.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1990

Chemometric study and analytical enzymatic methods for diagnosis of cholesterol gallstones.

The lithogenic index (IL) provides an estimate of cholesterol saturation in gallbladder bile and is of possible value for prediction of gallstone formation. A package for pattern recognition of analytical chemical data, known as "Parvus", was used to study the different values of IL obtained experimentally using common enzymic methods for cholesterol and bile salts and other analytical techniques for phospholipids. Ten patients were investigated and some interesting conclusions were drawn, both on the equivalence of various analytical methods for the determination of phospholipids and on the contribution of pattern recognition analysis to the diagnosis of gallstones.

Bile↗
PubMed1990

Chemometric investigation of some analytical methods used for the chemical test of foetal lung maturity.

The lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio is particularly important for the prediction of foetal lung maturity. A package for pattern recognition of analytical chemical data, "Parvus", was used to handle the different values of the L/S ratio obtained experimentally by common amperometric, spectrometric and chromatographic methods for the determination of lecithin. Eight subjects were considered and some interesting conclusions drawn on the equivalence of different analytical methods of determining lecithin in amniotic fluid.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The efficacy and safety of imipenem/cilastatin in the treatment of severe bacterial infections.

We have assessed the efficacy and safety of imipenem/cilastatin in a non-comparative study of 27 immunocompromised patients suffering from severe bacterial infections. Moreover in two groups of 14 patients the efficacy of imipenem/cilastatin versus a standard broad spectrum antibiotic therapy has also been compared. Clinical and microbiological efficacy and side effects have been evaluated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Hepatitis C virus infection in intravenous drug users: prevalence and risk factors.

We investigated the relation of drug use and sexual behaviour to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among 80 intravenous drug users (IVDU) attending a methadone treatment program in Rome. Antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) were found in 54/80 of IVDU (67.5%). Presence of anti-HCV was associated with duration of intravenous drug use and frequency of needle sharing (p less than 0.003 and p = 0.02, respectively, by chi-square for trend). No association was found between sexual behaviour and anti-HCV prevalence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Piperacillin in the therapy of severe bacterial infections: comparison of its efficacy and tolerance vs. ceftazidime].

38 patients with severe acute bacterial systemic infections have been enrolled in this study: 19 patients were treated with piperacillin (100-200 mg/kg/day) and 19 with ceftazidime (45-90 mg/kg/day) by i.v. route. In both groups monotherapy has been found effective and well tolerated. Serious side-effects have not been observed. The high cure and eradication rates in both groups do not show statistically significant differences (chi 2 = 0.620 and chi 2 = 0.219, respectively, p greater than 0.05).

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Cefotetan vs ceftriaxone: clinical and bacteriological efficacy in complicated forms of urinary tract infection].

Forty adult patients with UTI complicated by local and/or general diseases have been treated, 20 with Cefotetan and 20 with Ceftriaxone. Both treatments showed good clinical and bacteriological efficacy, with no statistically significant differences between the results. Cefotetan and Ceftriaxone were both well tolerated, without any local or systemic side effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Enoxacin in the treatment of bacterial infections of the urinary tract].

In order to evaluate effectiveness and tolerance of treatment with 300 mg tablets of enoxacine (one every 12 hours), 30 patients between the ages of 29 and 75 were selected (51.23 +/- 2.19 yrs. was the average age), 4 males and 26 females; 18 patients had acute cystitis, 7 had pyelonephritis, 4 had cystopyelitis, and 1 had urethroprostatitis. Treatment lasted on average of 10.77 +/- 0.52 days, with a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 20 days. Initial culture analysis of urine samples ascertained the presence of microbial pathogens sensitive to enoxacine. After one week of treatment, culture analysis of urine samples did not reveal the presence of these pathogens, all having been successfully eliminated. The improvement of the objective and symptomatic parameters chosen for evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment was found to be rapid and decisive in the majority of patients. The systemic tolerance was good; the side effects were minimal (three cases of slight gastroenteric intolerance). At the end of treatment, results were considered excellent in 18 patients and good in 12, on the basis of the more or less rapid resolution of the clinical and symptomatic situation.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Treatment of chronic HBeAg-positive hepatitis with acyclovir. A controlled trial.

In a previous study a partial inhibition of viral replication was observed in HBeAg-positive patients after acyclovir (ACV) treatment. To assess those results and to evaluate different treatment regimens, a randomized controlled trial with ACV given at 45 mg/kg/day by continuous infusion (in 5 patients) or by intermittent 8-hourly infusion (in 6 patients) for 28 days versus placebo has been performed in 20 patients affected by chronic hepatitis positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg for at least 6 months. Patients were stratified for sex, presence of cirrhosis and homosexual activity. Modest inhibition of serum DNA polymerase activity was observed after intermittent ACV treatment but not with the continuous infusion. After a 8-12 months follow-up, 2 of 10 of the ACV-treated patients and 3 of the controls had become HBeAg-negative, with 1 and 2 seroconversions to anti-HBe in the treated and placebo group respectively. No adverse effects were observed in ACV-treated patients after continuous infusion, but 2 of 6 patients who received intermittent therapy had to stop treatment, because of abdominal colics and elevation of the serum creatinine. Our data confirm that ACV partially inhibits viral replication in HBeAg-positive patients but without significantly affecting the rate of seroconversion to anti-HBe.

Acyclovir↗