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Biomedical subjects

L Cortigiani

Publications and source records attributed to L Cortigiani.

47 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Plasma L-carnitine levels in children with celiac disease].

Carnitine is a very important co-factor for the metabolism of fatty acids, because it is the necessary carrier for the passage of acyl groups inside the mitochondria, where beta-oxidation takes place. In the human body the total pool of carnitine is made by two fractions, one being endogenous and the second exogenous. The absorption of exogenous carnitine takes place mainly at duodenal-jejunal level by an active transport mechanism based on amino acid carrier. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured in 66 coeliac patients (mean age: 7 years and 4 months). Thirty three of them were on a free diet and the other 33 were on a gluten-free diet for at last six month. In 10 patients we studied plasma L-carnitine levels both on a free diet and on a gluten-free diet. As controls we examined 33 healthy children comparable for age. Plasma L-carnitine concentrations have been measured by a spectrophotometrical method according to Marquis and Fritz's technique and subsequently modified by Pearson and Seccombe. In the 66 coeliac patients the mean values of serum L-carnitine were significantly lower than those in the controls (p < 0.001). The levels were significantly lower in patients a free diet with respect to those on gluten-free diet (p < 0.01). The 10 subjects who were examined both on free diet and on gluten-free diet showed an increase of plasma concentrations in the latter condition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[The value of determining anti-gliadin antibodies as well as carotene and xylose blood levels in various phases of celiac disease].

The usefulness of measuring xylosaemia, carotenaemia and the antigliadin antibodies in the diagnosis and monitoring of coeliac diseases has been examined, 89 children, 57 with aspecific chronic diarrhoea and 32 with coeliachia were examined. The xylose proved less sensitive (80%) and less specific (84.2%) than carotenaemia (respectively: sensitivity 86.6% and specificity 87.7%). Nevertheless, considering the by no means negligible percentage of false positives and false negatives encountered with both techniques, it should be reiterated that these tests have a purely orientative value, whereas measurement of serum AGA may be considered a highly reliable investigation for selective children to be submitted to biopsy, considering the high sensitivity (AGA IgG 100%; AGA IgA 90.9%) and specificity (AGA IgG 85%; AGA IgA 100%) observed in the present series.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1989

[Selenium in celiac disease].

Statistically significant lower levels of selenium (p less than 0.001) have been found both in 37 celiac subjects at free diet and in 36 at gluten-free diet with respect to controls. In patients at free diet the deficit of selenium can be attributed to malabsorption, while in patients at gluten-free diet it may be due to the diet itself. Recently low serum levels of selenium have been observed in several neoplasias; furthermore it's known that celiac patients show an increased incidence of gastrointestinal tumors related to known levels in standard population. Long term monitoring is therefore necessary to integrate diet with selenium in patients showing persistent deficit of this element.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Congenital fructose 1,6 diphosphatase deficiency. Description of a case].

In describing one case of congenital fructose 1,6-diphosphatase deficiency the Authors review the several clinical conditions giving problems of differential diagnosis. For certain diagnosis they underline the importance of liver biopsy, to dose the deficient enzyme directly in the liver tissue.

Fructose Metabolism, Inborn Errors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dipyridamole stress echocardiography for risk stratification in hypertensive patients with chest pain.

BACKGROUND: The noninvasive prognostic assessment of coronary artery disease (CAD) in hypertensive patients represents an unresolved task to date. In this study, we investigated the value of dipyridamole stress echocardiography in risk stratification of hypertensive patients with chest pain and unknown CAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Dipyridamole stress echocardiography was performed in 257 hypertensives (110 men; age, 63+/-9 years) complaining of chest pain and without a history of CAD. No major complications occurred. Four tests were interrupted prematurely because of side effects, with 98. 4% feasibility of test. A positive echocardiographic response was found in 72 patients (27 during the low-dose [</=0.56 mg/kg] and 45 during the high-dose [>0.56 mg/kg]). During the follow-up (32+/-18 months), 27 cardiac events occurred: 3 deaths, 8 infarctions, and 16 cases of unstable angina. Moreover, 27 patients underwent coronary revascularization. At multivariate analysis, the positive echocardiographic result (OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 1.4 to 16.6) was the only predictor of hard cardiac events (death, infarction). Considering spontaneous cardiac events (death, infarction, and unstable angina) as end points, the positive echocardiographic result (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.8 to 9.6) and family history of CAD (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 1.5 to 6. 9) were independently associated with prognosis. The 3-year survival rates for the negative and the positive populations were, respectively, 97% and 87% (P=0.0019) considering hard cardiac events and 96% and 74% (P=0.0000) considering spontaneous cardiac events. CONCLUSIONS: Dipyridamole stress echocardiography is safe, highly feasible, and effective in risk stratification of hypertensives with chest pain and unknown CAD. At present, it represents an attractive option for prognostic assessment of this clinically defined population.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Anti-beta-lactoglobulin antibodies as an index of increased intestinal permeability in celiac disease].

IgG antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin (ABLG) were assayed in children with coeliac disease (20 at gluten-containing diet and 35 at gluten-free diet) and in 28 "gastrointestinal" controls. Pathologic levels of ABLG were found in 16 patients with active coeliac disease (80%). In these patients the ABLG mean value was significantly higher than that found in the controls (p less than 0.001). In coeliac subjects at gluten-free diet, normal levels of ABLG were found after 6 months of diet. The presence of ABLG in the majority of untreated coeliac patients may reflect an increased permeability of the intestinal mucosa during the active stage of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The prevalence of celiac disease in children with short stature in the absence of other symptomatology].

Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the authors studied the sera of 116 patients with short stature of undetermined cause and no gastrointestinal symptoms, for the levels of IgG and IgA antigliadin antibodies (AGA). AGA of IgG and IgA isotypes were positive in 8 patients (group 1); only AGA IgG were positive in 7 patients (group 2). Both groups with positive AGA had subsequent duodenal biopsy that showed a villous atrophy in all children in group 1 and in two in group 2. These patients showed a significant acceleration in height velocity after the introduction of a gluten-free diet.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical aspects of celiac disease. Comparison of 2 periods: before and after the introduction of antigliadin antibody determination in clinical practice].

The clinical aspects of coeliac disease before and after anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) assessment in clinical practice, referring to personal experience (107 cases in the period 1976-1988) are described. AGA determination has executed by two different ELISA methods. The diagnosis of coeliac disease in the period 1976-1986 has been made according to ESPGAN criteria, while in the last two years following the recent SIP advice. After 1987 with the introduction of AGA assay, the number of diagnosis/year of coeliac disease has increased three times in respect of the period 1976-1986. We have observed a more marked increase of the late beginning forms (from 2.8 to 10 diagnosis/year) in respect of the early beginning ones (from 3.7 to 7.5 diagnosis/year) and of the atypical forms (from 0.7 to 9 diagnosis/year) in respect of the typical ones (from 5.8 to 8.5 diagnosis/year). According to these data we think that prevalence of coeliac disease in our country is probably underestimated. AGA determination is at time most effective mean to make a screening of coeliac disease in the population. According to us the largest employment of this method in the next years could take a most exact estimate of the coeliac disease prevalence in our country.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Fecal chymotrypsin in the evaluation of exocrine pancreatic function].

In this study the Authors examine the usefulness in determining Fecal Chymotrypsin (FC) as a screening test for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. The FC was measured in 503 children (337 control subjects and 166 with various intestinal and hepatobiliary diseases). The results demonstrate that FC is usefull as a screening test for pancreatic insufficiency. However, in certain cases, this should be supplemented by the more discriminant analysis of function provided by duodenal studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Intolerance to cow's milk proteins: cases contribution].

The authors report their own case-report about cow's milk protein intolerance observed in the last seven years in the gastroenterology-department of Pediatric Clinic in Pisa. They underline the symptomatologic polymorphism of the illness and, analysing the laboratory data, point out the absence of absolute diagnostic assurance tests. For this reason they conclude that at the present state the diagnosis of certainty is overall committed to the resolution of the symptomatology after exclusion-diet and following clinic relapse after milk load.

Child, Preschool↗