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Biomedical subjects

L Gallo

Publications and source records attributed to L Gallo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Salt: a sacred substance.

Salt is the last relic of the ocean where life was born. Its presence has influenced the whole gamut of history and its name is linked to hundred of geographical locations. Its importance for nutrition is supported by the discovery of Aeneolithic salt cellars. Salt cellars and pyramids of salt have been included in paintings and other works of art. In Japan where salt was and still is obtained from the sea, a salt culture has developed that can be traced in the rituals of everyday life, including meal preparation, sports, and Shinto ceremonies.

Art↗
PubMed1996

Phase II study of mitoxantrone, 5-fluorouracil, and levo-leucovorin (MLF) in elderly advanced breast cancer patients.

We have carried out a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a combination therapy consisting of mitoxantrone 10 mg/sqm i.v. on day 1, levo-leucovorin 250 mg/sqm administered over 2 hours and 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/sqm i.v. push after the first hour of levo-leucovorin infusion, on days 15-16 (MFL) in patients aged more than 65 years. 24 patients with advanced breast cancer entered the study: 16 aged 65-70 yrs, 4 patients 70-75 yrs, and 4 > 75 yrs. Median PS was 1 (range 0-2); sites of metastases were: bone 14 patients, viscera 14 patients, soft tissue 11 patients, and CNS 1 patient. A median number of 6 cycles (range 3-9) was administered. All patients were evaluable for response and toxicity; partial response was obtained in 12 (50%) patients (95% C.I 30-70), stable disease was observed in 9 patients (37.5%), while 3 patients (12.5%) progressed. Median progression-free survival and survival were 9 months (range 2-14) and 14 months (range 5-36), respectively. Toxicity was generally mild and the most frequently observed side-effects were WHO gr. 1-2 leukopenia in 6/24 (25%) patients and gr. 1-2 emesis in 10/24 (41.6%) pts. 1 patient pretreated with doxorubicin cumulative dose of 240 mg/sqm showed clinical signs of congestive heart failure (NYHA grade 1) after the fifth cycle of treatment. MFL is a well tolerated regimen and could represent a safe and effective treatment in older advanced breast cancer patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Increased serum pancreatic enzymes in uremia: relation with treatment modality and pancreatic involvement.

Increased levels of pancreatic enzymes have been reported in patients with renal insufficiency and ascribed either to impaired urinary excretion or, in a few studies, to the presence of pancreatic damage. In the present study serum total amylase, pancreatic amylase, and lipase were evaluated in 63 patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRF), in 98 patients on hemodialysis (HD), in 28 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), in 23 patients with renal transplantation (RT), and in 34 normal volunteers (C). Serum parathyroid hormone and triglyceride levels were also measured in the majority of patients. Ultrasound examination of the pancreas was performed in a select number of cases. Mean values of pancreatic enzymes were significantly higher in all the study groups in comparison with controls, but values exceeding three times the upper normal limit were detected only in HD patients, who also showed amylase and lipase levels significantly highly than those of CAPD and CRF subjects. Negligible amounts of pancreatic enzymes were detected in peritoneal fluid of CAPD patients. Significant correlations were found with serum creatinine in CRF, with parathyroid hormone in HD and CAPD, and with duration of treatment in HD. No pancreatic abnormalities were detected by ultrasound. In conclusion, very high levels of pancreatic enzymes are seen mainly in HD patients and might be related more to the metabolic derangement of long-term dialysis treatment than to the occurrence of acute pancreatic damage.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in two gecko species, Gekko gecko and Eublepharis macularius.

Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SPOAE) of the gecko species Gekko gecko and Eublepharis macularius appear as broad spectral peaks (bandwidth 44 to 170 Hz) between 1 and 4.5 kHz that have peak levels of -7 to 10 dB SPL. Most ears showed SPOAE at many frequencies. In some ears, the peaks were superimposed on a broad baseline emission. The instantaneous frequency of any emission varied rapidly within its bandwidth limits and frequencies in the center of the band occurred most commonly, but not with higher levels than frequencies on the periphery of the band. SPOAE were temperature dependent, rising in frequency with an increase in temperature and falling with a decrease in temperature (rate of change from 54 to 107 Hz/degrees C), with no systematic changes in peak level except that at the temperature extremes, the SPOAE disappeared into the noise. External tones suppressed SPOAE peak level in a frequency-dependent way. Isosuppression tuning curves were V-shaped. In restricted frequency ranges, facilitation also occurred. External tones also caused shifts in the frequency of SPOAE; frequency "pushing" was more common than "pulling." The maximal frequency shift observed was 313 Hz. In general, the SPOAE characteristics strongly resemble those already reported in the bobtail lizard Tiliqua rugosa.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate cardioprotection of dexrazoxane versus no cardioprotection in women receiving epirubicin chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Dexrazoxane was found effective in reducing doxorubicin cardiotoxicity when given at a dose ratio (dexrazoxane: doxorubicin) of 20:1. Preclinical studies indicated that dexrazoxane at a dose ratio of 10 to 15:1 also protected against epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of dexrazoxane, given at a dose ratio of 10:1 against epirubicin cardiotoxicity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred sixty-two advanced breast cancer patients were randomized to receive epirubicin-based chemotherapy with or without dexrazoxane. Patients who had previously received adjuvant chemotherapy that contained anthracyclines were treated with cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2 intravenously (IV), epirubicin 60 mg/m2 IV, and fluorouracil 600 mg/m2 IV, on day 1 every 3 weeks. The other patients were treated with epirubicin 120 mg/m2 IV on day 1 every 3 weeks. Cardiac toxicity was defined as clinical signs of congestive heart failure, a decrease in resting left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to < or = 45%, or a decrease from baseline resting LVEF of > or = 20 EF units. RESULTS: One hundred sixty patients were evaluated. Cardiotoxicity was recorded in 18 of 78 patients (23.1%) in the control arm and in six of 82 (7.3%) in the dexrazoxone arm. The cumulative probability of developing cardiotoxicity was significantly lower in dexrazoxane-treated patients than in control patients (P = .006; odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence limit [CL], 0.09 to 0.78). Noncardiac toxicity, objective response, progression-free survival, and overall survival were similar in both arms. CONCLUSION: Dexrazoxane given at a dexrazoxane:epirubicin dose ratio of 10:1 protects against epirubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and does not affect the clinical activity and the noncardiac toxicity of epirubicin. The clinical use of dexrazoxane should be recommended in patients whose risk of developing cardiotoxicity could hamper the eventual use and possible benefit of epirubicin.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

High-dose versus low-dose cisplatin in combination with cyclophosphamide and epidoxorubicin in suboptimal ovarian cancer: a randomized study of the Gruppo Oncologico Nord-Ovest.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to compare high-versus low-dose cisplatin in combination with cyclophosphamide and epidoxorubicin as primary chemotherapy for suboptimal stage III and IV ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-five patients were randomized to receive six courses of cisplatin 50 or 100 mg/m2 plus epidoxorubicin 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2. The two treatment arms were well balanced; all patients had greater than 2 cm and 37.2% had greater than 5 cm of residual disease; 29.6% had stage IV disease. RESULTS: Patients in the high-dose arm received a double dose-intensity and double total dose of cisplatin. The high-dose regimen induced significantly more episodes of leukopenia (47.8% v 32.8%, P = .05), thrombocytopenia (21.7% v 3.2%, P = .003), anemia (37.6% v 12.5%, P = .002), nephrotoxicity (six v one patient), and neurotoxicity (30.4% v 6.3%, P = .002). There were no significant differences in efficacy in terms of clinical response rate (high-dose 57.5% v low-dose 61.1%), pathologic complete response (CR) (9.6% v 18.1%), median survival times (29 v 24 months), and median progression-free survival (18 v 13 months). CONCLUSION: This study shows that doubling the dose-intensity and total dose of cisplatin in combination with epidoxorubicin and cyclophosphamide has significant toxic effects and does not improve clinical outcome in patients with suboptimal ovarian cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Change in body condition score of Holstein cows as affected by parity and mature equivalent milk yield.

Cows from 25 dairy herds were scored for body condition at 3-mo intervals for over 2 yr to study the pattern of changes during lactation and the effects of parity and milk yield capability of cows on changes in body reserves. Data were recorded for 1395 Holstein cows grouped into three parity classes and five classes of mature equivalent milk yield. The analysis model accounted for nearly 70% of the variation in body condition score. Body reserves decreased during early lactation until about 100 DIM and were restored during mid and late lactation. The pattern of change in body condition score varied among lactations and dairy merit of cows. Depletion and subsequent recovery of body reserves were less intense for primiparous cows than for multiparous cows. Loss of body condition scores was higher and more prolonged for cows of higher dairy merit. The minimum body condition score occurred at 3 mo after calving for the worst yielding cows and at 4 mo after calving for the best yielding cows; the highest yielding cows had twice the loss in body condition as the lowest yielding cows. General equations are presented as a proposed guideline to examine changes in body condition score of Holstein cows of different parities and dairy merit.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Filtering of distortion-product otoacoustic emissions in the inner ear of birds and lizards.

When the output magnitude of more than one order of distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) is measured, they reach their maximum at the same DPOAE frequency. This fact led several authors to the assumption that, subsequent to their generation in the cochlea, the DPOAE are band-pass filtered. It was suggested that the tectorial membrane is the structure responsible for this filtering. In this report, we show that the same kind of "DPOAE tuning' is shown by animals which have hearing organs with tectorial structures of very different morphology, or even with no tectorial membrane at all. We therefore conclude that it is unlikely that the filter is the tectorial membrane.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1995

Treatment of diabetic gastroparesis with oral clonidine.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Clonidine, a specific alpha-2-adrenergic receptor agonist, has been suggested to improve symptoms of gastroparesis in diabetics with diarrhoea. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of clonidine on gastric emptying and symptoms suggestive of gastroparesis in patients with longstanding diabetes mellitus and evidence of autonomic neuropathy. METHODS: Six diabetics with chronic, refractory symptoms of bloating, nausea and vomiting were studied. Gastric emptying of a liquid nutrient meal (250 mL; 430 kcal) was evaluated by scintigraphy and symptoms were scored. Patients were treated with clonidine (median dose: 0.3 mg/day) for 2-12 weeks (median: 4 weeks), after which symptoms and gastric emptying were re-evaluated. Treatment was then sustained for a median follow-up period of 7 weeks (range: 2-56 weeks). RESULTS: Gastric emptying half-time values in diabetic patients ranged from 16 to 180 min (median: 100 min) and four patients had abnormally delayed emptying before treatment. In all patients, half-time values decreased during treatment (median: 35 min; range: 14-106 min, P < 0.025 vs. pre-treatment values) and in three of the four patients with abnormal gastric retention, half-time values returned to the normal range. During clonidine treatment, a substantial decrease in the score for symptoms was observed (median and range: 7.5; 2-9 vs. 0; 0-9). In four patients, symptoms virtually disappeared, an effect that was maintained throughout follow-up (6-56 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that impairment of adrenergic influences on gastrointestinal motility control may play a role in the pathophysiology of diabetic gastroparesis and that clonidine may be a useful alternative for treating patients with this condition.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1995

Comparison of PCR and standard cytological staining for detection of Pneumocystis carinii from respiratory specimens from patients with or at high risk for infection by human immunodeficiency virus.

The detection of Pneumocystis carinii DNA by PCR was compared with routine cytologic staining techniques (CYT). A total of 284 clinical respiratory specimens, including 137 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), 63 bronchoalveolar washing, 63 sputum, and 21 induced sputum samples, obtained from patients with or at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection were evaluated. Eighty specimens were positive by PCR, and 69 were positive by CYT. PCR was able to detect P. carinii in more bronchoalveolar washing specimens (15 versus 11) and in comparable BAL specimens (53 versus 54) compared with CYT. PCR was particularly more sensitive than CYT in detecting P. carinii in expectorated sputum (12 versus 4 samples). Of the 19 patients whose respiratory specimens were positive for P. carinii by PCR but negative by CYT, 5 had P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) confirmed by subsequent BAL and transbronchial or mediastinal lymph node biopsy and 9 had a clinical course highly suggestive of acute PCP. Eleven (58%) of the 19 patients with discordant PCR and CYT results had received prior anti-PCP prophylaxis. In this clinical setting in particular and in the evaluation of sputum specimens, the ability of PCR to detect a low parasitic load suggests that this technique may become an important additional tool, along with current cytological methods, for the detection of P. carinii.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Bias and accuracy of single milking testing schemes to estimate daily and lactation milk yield.

This study evaluated the adequacy of an alternate a.m.-p.m. testing scheme for milk yield in comparison with the official test method based on weighing two milkings within 24 h. A total of 88,558 single test day milking weights from 15,670 Italian Friesian cows in 610 herds in the province of Milano (Italy) were collected between September 1991 and October 1992. Ratios were computed for daily milk yield to a.m. and p.m. milking weights (direct yield ratios) and ratios of a.m and p.m. milking weights to daily milk yield (inverse yield ratios). Analysis of variance indicated that the milking interval is the most important source of variation for yield ratios. Factors for estimating daily milk yield from single milking weights adjusted for milking intervals were derived through regression analysis of direct and inverse yield ratios on the length of the milking interval. Daily milk yield was estimated more precisely and accurately when adjustment factors were used than when single milking weights were doubled. The doubling of a.m. and p.m. milking weights overestimated and underestimated (5% on average) daily milk yield, respectively. For 305-d lactation yield, accuracies of these methods were comparable. In conclusion, alternate recording of a.m. and p.m. milking weights led to reliable estimates of milk yield. Effects of the alternate a.m.-p.m. testing scheme on estimates of milk components and genetic evaluations of dams of sires should be investigated.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Primary lymphomatous effusions in AIDS: a morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular study.

Lymphomas were documented in pleural effusions or ascites in 18 human immunodeficiency virus-positive (HIV+) patients. Eleven of 12 with clinical data had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome before the diagnosis of lymphoma. In 13 of 15 with data available, a body cavity was the site of initial presentation of lymphoma. Cytological subtypes were large cell immunoblastic, n = 7; large cell anaplastic, n = 6; and large cell NOS, n = 5. The high incidence of anaplastic large cell lymphoma and the conspicuous absence of Burkitt's lymphoma differ strikingly from HIV-associated lymphomas generally. Immunophenotypically, two cases were B-cell (CD19/20+, sIg+, CD/5-), one was T-cell (CD3+, CD5+, CD4+, CD8-, CD19/20-, sIg-), and 15 were null (CD45+, HLA-DR+ CD19/20-, sIg-, CD3/5-). This 83% incidence of null immunophenotype contrasts sharply with a 9% incidence among 35 tissue-based lymphomas in HIV+ patients that were similarly studied and a 0% null immunophenotype among 11 lymphomatous effusions in patients without HIV risk factors. Seven of the 18 HIV-associated lymphomas expressed CD30. Four of five cases with null immunophenotype showed Ig heavy-chain gene rearrangement, two had clonal Epstein-Barr virus integration, and none had MYC protooncogene rearrangement. These cases belong to a subgroup of high-grade HIV-associated lymphomas that occur in the setting of profound immunosuppression in which immunoblastic morphology predominates and MYC rearrangement is encountered only infrequently.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Modeling response to slow-releasing somatotropin administered at 3- or 4-week intervals.

The purpose of this study was to develop a time-dependent model to account for the effects of recombinant bST in a slow-release formulation on short-term (between two consecutive injections) and long-term (baseline of the lactation curve) response of milk yield and composition. Observations on milk yield (n = 8234) and on milk composition (n = 1509) of 196 Holstein Friesian cows were recorded over 1 yr of trial. Treated cows were injected with somidobove at 3- or 4-wk intervals. Data were analyzed according to a model that included effect of treatment, parity, interaction, and the random effect of cow; two time-dependent covariables, obtained by the splitting of DIM, were included in the model to account for the effects of bST on short- and long-term responses of milk traits. Cyclical variations of milk yield, protein, and SCC content in the interval between two consecutive injections were detected. Recombinant bST administration also influenced the persistency of milk yield and protein content. Treatment of cows at 3- and 4-wk intervals increased yield by 20.6 and 12.6% over those of untreated cows. Nearly 60% of this increment was due to the short-term effect of bST. Milk composition response to bST was less noticeable.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Comparative DNA analysis of breast cancer by flow cytometry and image analysis.

Measurement of DNA ploidy can be performed either with Flow Cytometry (FCM) and Image-Analysis (IA); both methods provide prognostic information in primary breast cancer. We compared the results of quantitative DNA analysis of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue from 62 invasive ductal breast cancers. For FCM nuclear suspensions from disaggregated tumor were stained with Propidium Iodide and analyzed by means of Ortho Cytoron Absolute. For IA nuclear suspensions were stained by the Feulgen method and analyzed by means of Vidas system. We found a good correlation between flow cytometry DNA Index and Histogram Type, according to Auer classification (rs = 0.65, p < 0.001) and between DNA Index and Grading of Malignancy (MG) which had been measured by Bocking's algorithm (rs = 0.38, p < 0.05). Concerning to disease free survival (DFS), flow cytometric DNA Index showed a better correlation (rs = 0.56, p < 0.001). We concluded that the two methods provide comparable results, but offer individual advantages and are complementary for analyzing DNA ploidy in breast cancer.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1994

Human breast cancer: prognostic significance of DNA ploidy compared with c-erbB2 expression, Cathepsin D and silver-binding nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs).

We evaluated breast cancer specimens from 150 patients after a follow-up more than 10 years, by means of DNA flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry (cerbB2 and Cathepsin D) and argyrophilic (AgNORs) methods. In univariate analysis all indexes studied provide prognostic information about the disease free survival, whereas in the multivariate Cox model the DNA Index is the most important prognostic factor. We conclude that the data obtained from DNA flow cytometry, associated with other parameters, can be of greatest importance for the decision an the level of aggressiveness of adjuvant therapy for the decision an the level of aggressiveness of adjuvant therapy for a individual patients.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1994

Sexual abuse of the oral cavity in children.

Child abuse is any maltreatment of children or adolescents by their parents, guardians or other caretakers. Dentists must be able to recognize abused children and confirm the diagnosis. New York State law requires that dentists report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to a local child protective agency. Should their suspicions be unsubstantiated, they are protected by law from liability.

Adolescent↗