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Biomedical subjects

L Luzzi

Publications and source records attributed to L Luzzi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Job satisfaction of registered dental practitioners.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to measure job satisfaction among registered clinical dentists so as to identify issues which may influence recruitment and retention of dentists in active clinical practice. METHODS: A questionnaire measuring dimensions of job satisfaction was mailed to a stratified random sample of 80 private and 80 public sector dentists selected from the 1999 Victorian Dental Register. RESULTS: An adjusted response rate of 60 per cent was achieved (n = 87). Analyses showed significant differences (ANOVA; p < 0.05) in levels of satisfaction for various dimensions of job satisfaction by gender, age group and practice type. Differences in job satisfaction between male and female dentists related to the personal time dimension. Differences in satisfaction between dentists of different age groups were attributable to six dimensions: relationships with colleagues, relationships with patients, relationships with staff, personal time, community and administrative responsibilities. Differences between levels of satisfaction among private and public dentists related to the autonomy, relationships with patients, pay and resources dimensions. CONCLUSION: There are various dimensions of job satisfaction that may be pertinent to issues influencing recruitment and retention of dentists. Differences that exist between levels of job satisfaction among private and public sector dentists, between male and female dentists and dentists of different age groups need to be addressed in order to improve recruitment and retention rates of dentists in active clinical practice in different sectors of the dental care system.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Late outcome and perioperative complications for surgery of locally recurrent bronchogenic carcinoma.

AIM: Many doubts involve a 2(nd) surgical approach for local relapse of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) since iterative resections represent a well-recognized treatment in second primary lung cancer (SPLC). METHODS: The medical reports of patients who underwent surgical resection, between 1988 and 2002, were reviewed. All patients submitted to 2(nd) operation were examined according to Martini and Melamed criteria to distinguish between local recurrence and second primary lung cancer. RESULTS: Complete resection for NSCLC was performed in 1 386 patients. Nineteen patients were submitted to surgery for local recurrence (17 men and 2 women) and mean age at the time of 1(st) operation was 61 years (range 41-78 years). The 1(st) operation consisted of lobectomy in 15 cases, anatomical segmentectomy in 2 and wedge resection in 2. The 2(nd) pulmonary resection was completion pneumonectomy in 16 cases, completion lobectomy in 2, wedge resection in 1. Major complications occurred in 26% and overall hospital mortality was 5%. Five-year survival after 2(nd) intervention was 31% and median survival 27 months. Survival was better when the time between 1(st) resection and cancer relapse was longer than 14 months and when recurrence was intrapulmonary. CONCLUSIONS: A new malignant lesion can be operated if it is solitary and intrapulmonary, if accurate staging is negative and if the patient is able to go through 2(nd) surgery from cardiopulmonary evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Ten year experience of bioabsorbable mesh support in pectus excavatum repair.

INTRODUCTION: We reviewed 10 years experience in the treatment of this deformity using a retro-sternal bioabsorbable mesh in place of a metallic device to lift and stabilise the sternum. Moreover, the mesh supports the thoracic and upper abdominal wall reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1990 to December 2000, in our Thoracic Surgery Unit, 65 patients with PE were assessed for surgical repair, mean age 16+/- 3.5 years, fronto sagittal thoracic index (FSTI) 0.21, ranging from 0.15-0.33. Twenty-three of them underwent surgical correction after initial assessment, 22 were deferred and sent to physiotherapy. At a subsequent assessment, five of the patients sent to physiotherapy were deemed to require surgery. RESULTS: Of the 28 patients who underwent surgery, 2 (10%) presented a mild recurrence of PE after 1 year (0.30 0.34), meanwhile all other patients maintained a FSTI>0.34. For all patients the improvement in FSTI was statistically significant, p = 0.001. Patients satisfaction after 24 months was thus shared: excellent 18 patients (65%), good seven patients (25%), fair one patient (3.5%) and poor two patients (7%). No major complications were observed in preoperative period. Patients mobilisation was soon achieved thanks to the postoperative pain control and the absence of retro-sternal metallic support. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of bioabsorbable mesh in the Robicsek technique is a safe procedure related to a high percentage of success. The high tolerance of the material reduces the inflammatory reaction. Moreover, the procedure prevents patients from having complications caused by retro-sternal device dislodgment, avoiding a second intervention for device reposition and reducing the postoperative chest pain achieving an early patient mobilisation. In the end a complete reconstruction of the upper abdomen wall has been produced.

Absorbable Implants↗
PubMed2004

Right pneumonectomy for adenocarcinoma stage IIIA-N2 in a heart transplant patient after induction chemotherapy.

Lung tumors are the most frequent solid tumor in the heart transplant population. Unfortunately, most of these patients are in an advanced stage of disease at the time of presentation, which carries a poor prognosis. We present a heart transplant patient with histologically proven. Stage IIIA-N2 bronchogenic adenocarcinoma who had complete lymph-node downstaging after induction chemotherapy and underwent a complete tumor resection by right pneumonectomy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2004

Comparison between segmentectomy and larger resection of stage IA non-small cell lung carcinoma.

AIM: Stage IA non small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) represents early cancer and is best treated by surgery. The frequency of recurrence and new primary cancer varies from one report to another while the role of sublobar resection is still debated. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 121 consecutive patients with pathological stage IA after radical surgery. RESULTS: In stage IA NSCLC 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were 89%, 76% and 66%. Nearly half of the deaths were unrelated to the original cancer. From statistical analysis we did not find any factor indicative of a better prognosis. We did not find any difference in survival between histologic types. Segmentectomy did not show a worse survival rate compared with larger resection. CONCLUSION: Survival is neither influenced by the type of resection nor by the histologic types in stage IA. However, we noticed a high incidence of local recurrence, segmentectomy could be a viable choice in patients with cardiopulmonary impairment.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2003

Pneumonectomy vs lobectomy in the treatment of pathologic N1 NSCLC: could the type of surgical resection dictate survival?

AIM: To define the prognostic significance of specific types of N1 lymph node involvement in patients operated on for stage II (N1) NSCLC and to evaluate if the extent of resection affects survival. METHODS: Of 1117 patients operated on from 1985 to 1998, an homogeneous group of 124 consecutive patients with pathologic T1-T2 N1 disease who had undergone a complete resection with systematic nodal dissection were analysed. No patients received adjuvant radio- or chemotherapy. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate was 48.8%. Survival was not related to pathologic T factor, histology, number, percentage or level of N1 involved, visceral pleura involvement, number of lymph nodes dissected. Patients were then divided into 3 groups depending on the level of lymph node involvement (stations 10, 11 and 12-13) and survival analysed according to the extent of resection (pneumonectomy vs lobectomy). No significant difference was found, however, in the group of level 10, patients treated by pneumonectomy showed a better 5-year survival (58%) compared to patients treated by lobectomy (33%) with a median survival of 110 against 58 months. This data was confirmed by a lower incidence of local recurrence in the pneumonectomy group than lobectomy group (0% vs 24%), whereas the same incidence of distant metastases was observed in the two groups (29% vs 23%). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with stage II (N1) NSCLC, only in case of station 10 involved, pneumonectomy could allow a better survival lowering the incidence of local recurrence. However the major part of patients with stage II (N1) NSCLC die for distant metastasis. This supports the necessity to develop a specific systemic treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Survival after bronchoplastic lobectomy for non small cell lung cancer compared with pneumonectomy according to nodal status.

BACKGROUND: In this retrospective study we have compared the results after sleeve lobectomy and pneumonectomy performed for non small cell lung cancer in the period January 1990-December 1995 at the Thoracic Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Siena. Follow-up was updated until December 2000. METHODS: In that period, 38 patients underwent sleeve lobectomy and 127 underwent pneumonectomy. The bronchoplasty was a full sleeve in 30 patients and a bronchial wedge resection in eight. Systemic nodal dissection was undertaken routinely. RESULTS: The 30-day postoperative mortality was 5.2% (2/38) in the sleeve lobectomy group and 3.9% (5/127) in the pneumonectomy group. Postoperative complications occurred in 23.6% of patients in the sleeve lobectomy group and in 23.2% of those in the pneumonectomy group. Local recurrences occurred in 5.2% of patients in the sleeve lobectomy group and in 4.8% of those in the pneumonectomy group. The overall 5-year survival for the sleeve lobectomy group was 38% whereas that for the pneumonectomy group was 25% (p=0.03). Regarding lymph-node involvement, in the sleeve lobectomy group, the 5-year survival for N0, N1 and N2 was 62.5, 17.5 and 12.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm that sleeve lobectomy, when performed in selected patients with non small cell lung cancer, provides at least similar overall long term survival to that seen after pneumonectomy. Long term result are chiefly related to nodal stage with a significantly lower survival for patients with nodal involvement. As most patients with nodal involvement die from distant metastases, adjuvant treatment, instead of type of resection, would play a major role in prolonging survival.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Results of induction chemotherapy followed by surgical resection in patients with stage IIIA (N2) non-small cell lung cancer: the importance of the nodal down-staging after chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using second generation, cisplatin-based combinations has shown to improve the results; however, the distant relapses remain the major problem. Encouraging results in the treatment of stage IV NSCLC with newer agents (gemcitabine, placlitaxel) has encouraged us to use them in stage III. The aim of this study was to assess feasibility and efficacy of induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine followed by surgery for patients with stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC. METHODS: From February 1996 to December 1999, 36 consecutive patients with mediastinoscopically staged N2 NSCLC received three cycles of cisplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 2) and gemcitabine (1200 mg/m(2), day 1+8) followed by surgery in responding patients. Patients with stable disease or even local progression received radiotherapy. All patients had clinical N2 disease (mediastinal lymph nodes metastasis) observed on CT scan. RESULTS: No major complications of the chemotherapy occurred. Twenty-five patients (70%) had a clinical partial response and were surgically explored, with 18 complete resections (70%). There were no in-hospital deaths, although four (16%) major complications: bronchopleural fistula (two), respiratory insufficiency (one), oesophagospleural fistula (one). In the total group of 36 patients, 3-year survival was 20%. So far, no patient without surgery has survived longer then 27 months; median survival was 8 months. In the group of the 25 patients who underwent surgery 3-year survival was 30%, with a median survival of 21 months. The difference is significant (P=0.0027). In the surgical group, the survival of patients with down staged disease (56%) was greater than that of patients with persistent N2 disease (44%) after chemotherapy (3-year survival of 59 and 0%, respectively; P=0.0013). CONCLUSION: induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine resulted in major tumour regression in a large percentage of patients with clinical N2 disease. In responding patients both the complete respectability rate and survival were higher when compared to historical controls. Survival was significantly better in patients down-staged to a mediastinal negative disease.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Symptoms, bothersomeness and quality of life in patients with LUTS suggestive of BPH.

The QUIBUS study is the largest investigation ever performed in Italy with an extensive use of the ICS-BPH questionnaire. The internal consistency of each of its three domains was high for ICS-Male (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83 and 0.89 for symptoms and bother, respectively) and lower for ICS-Sex (Cronbach's alpha = 0.63 and 0.75, see a following paper of this issue) and ICS-QoL (Cronbach's alpha = 0.53), as previously reported in the validation study of this tool. Voiding symptoms were more frequently reported, with reduced urinary stream, terminal dribble and incomplete bladder emptying as the most frequently represented. The first storage symptom in the ranking by frequency was 'rush to toilet' (70% of the population), in 7th position; however, the relevant bother was among the highest reported. Items related to urinary incontinence appeared, when present, highly bothersome (87-92% of patients), even though exhibited by a minority of the population (5-34%). The mean (+/-SD) IPSS, calculated on 970 patients, was 15 (+/-7). Two major discrepancies were found in the comparison between IPSS and ICS-Male. First, terminal dribble, which is not considered in the IPSS, is often reported in the ICS-Male. Second, some storage symptoms (nocturia and day-time frequency) are less frequently reported in the ICS-Male than in the IPSS, while being, in general, highly bothersome. As regards QoL, 95% of subjects declared that they would not be completely happy to spend the rest of their life with their actual symptoms (ICS-QoL item 33) and 79% that BPH influences their life from 'a little' to 'a lot' (ICS-QoL item 30). The mean (+/-SD) IPSS-QoL single question score was 3.0 +/- 1.4 (n = 970), and the frequency distribution of scores was equivalent to the one detected by the corresponding question of ICS-QoL (item 33). SF-36, a disease-independent questionnaire about QoL, after a 1-year follow-up is expected to clarify which among the IPSS and ICS-BPH items better describe the impact of BPH on QoL.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Assessing the prognostic value of the extent of mediastinal lymph node infiltration in surgically-treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Although there have been several attempts in dividing N2 patients into several subgroups on the basis of different prognoses, the correct treatment for these patients is still a moot point. Even multimodal treatment, which is the most common therapy used, does not result in a consistent outcome. The aim of our study is to assess the prognostic value of the extent of mediastinal lymph node infiltration in surgically treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). From January 1990 to December 1997, 682 patients underwent surgery for NSCLC at the Thoracic Surgery Unit, University Hospital of Siena, 87 of which (12%) had mediastinal involvement. Studies on the number of lymph node stations show that those with one station involved tend to have a better 5-year survival rate with respect to the others. We studied the number of lymph node stations by using a new critique based on the percentage of lymph node infiltration. The percentage is obtained from a ratio of the number of involved nodes to the total number of nodes removed. The result was an improved 5-year survival ratio in patients with lymph node infiltration, lower than 50% with respect to the others, and the difference was significant (P=0.0001). It appears that surgery may be the most suitable option for treating those N2 patients that we consider to be in 'early N2 phase', in view of long term survival. Although an invasive technique like mediastinoscopy seems to be the appropriate indicator in selecting N2 patients, it does not allow the calculation of the ratio a priori.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗
PubMed2000

Iterative surgical resections for local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience with repeated pulmonary resection in patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma, to assess operative mortality and late outcome. METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent a second lung resection for local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma from 1978 through 1998 were reviewed. RESULTS: There were 27 patients. They constituted 2.5% of 1059 patients who had undergone lung resection for bronchogenic carcinoma in the same period. Twelve patients (1.1%) (group 1) had a local recurrence that developed at a median interval of 24 months (range 4-83). The first pulmonary resection was lobectomy in ten patients and segmentectomy in two. The second operation consisted of completion pneumonectomy in ten cases, completion lobectomy in one and wedge resection of the right lower lobe after a right upper lobectomy in one. The other 15 patients (1.4%) (group 2) had a new primary lung cancer that developed at a median interval of 45 months (range 21-188). The first pulmonary resection was lobectomy in 12 patients, bilobectomy in one and pneumonectomy in two. The second pulmonary resection was controlateral lobectomy in seven patients, controlateral sleeve lobectomy in two, controlateral pneumonectomy in 1, controlateral wedge resection in four and completion pneumonectomy in one. Overall hospital mortality was 7.4%, including one intraoperative and one postoperative death in group 1 and 2, respectively. Five-year survival after the second operation was 15.5 and 43% with a median survival of 26 and 49 months in groups 1 and 2, respectively (P=ns). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term results justify complete work-up of patients with local recurrent and second primary bronchogenic carcinoma. Treatment should be surgical, if there is no evidence of distant metastasis and the patients are in good health. Early detection of second lesions is possible with an aggressive follow-up conducted maximally at 4 months intervals for the first 2 years and 6 months intervals thereafter throughout life.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

Treatment and survival after lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer in patients with microscopic residual disease at the bronchial stump.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is a retrospective evaluation of survival in patients who had undergone lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer and in whose microscopic residual disease at the bronchial resection margin was found, according to the type of infiltration, histology, lymph node involvement and postoperative treatment. METHODS: A total of 1384 patients underwent lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer at the Thoracic Surgery Unit of the University of Siena from 1983 through 1998. All patients underwent complete mediastinal lymphadenectomy and this guaranteed an accurate stadiation. Staging was done according to the TNM and UICC classifications. Residual microscopic disease at the bronchial resection margin was divided in mucosal microscopic residual disease and extramucosal microscopic residual disease. Patients dying within 30 days from operation were excluded from survival analyses. Survival was analysed by the product limit method of Kaplan and Meier and curves were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Microscopic residual disease was found postoperatively at the bronchial margin in 3.39% (47/1384), of all patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer. Thirty patients (2.16%) had extramucosal microscopic residual disease and 17 (1.22%) had mucosal microscopic residual disease. Seventeen patients received adjuvant radiotherapy after operation, two patients underwent completion pneumonectomy; no chemotherapy was given. Median survival for the whole group was 22 months. The probability of survival was not significantly (P > 0.05) correlated with the type of infiltration, nor with lymph node disease, neither with histology, although patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a median survival of 30 versus 12 months of patients with adenocarcinoma. The probability of survival could not be correlated with the administration of adjuvant radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: A frozen-section analysis of the bronchial resection margin and peribronchial tissue should be made in all patients with endobronchial tumour. We suggest that patients with microscopic residual tumour and stage I or II disease should undergo re-operation, if possible. In patients with documented N2 disease we don't recommend re-operation; extending the magnitude of the resection is unlikely to alter their outcome. Choice treatment for these patients is radiotherapy.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

[Video-assisted thoracic surgery in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical indications and the results of a series of 107 patients treated by video-assisted thoracic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. METHODS: From January 1991 to December 1997, 107 patients (86 male and 21 female patients) mean age 28 years (range 14-78), underwent VATS for treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax. RESULTS: Seventy-five patients had primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) and thirty-two patients had secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP). Bullous area was not seen in 26 patients with PSP. Ninety-nine patients were treated with wedge stapled resection of the bullous area or of the apex (when no bullous area was seen) and some form of pleurodesis, whereas 8 patients with PSP were treated only with pleurodesis. Among these 8 patients, two presented recurrence. Two patients with PSP and 8 patients with SSP were treated by apical pleurectomy: no one developed recurrence. The other 97 were treated with electrocoagulation of the parietal pleura. Conversion to a thoracotomy was necessary in 4 patients (12.5%) because of massive pleural adhesions. There were no postoperative deaths. A complication developed in 3 patients (4%) with PSP and in 5 patients (17.8%) with SSP, whose procedure was ended by VATS. The duration of systematic postoperative drainage was 3.8 +/- 0.9 (range 3-15 days) for the group of patients with PSP and 6 +/- 2.1 (range 4-23 days) for the group of patients with SSP. The duration of the hospital stay was 5.6 +/- 1.4 (range 4-15) and 8.4 +/- 2.3 (range 6-18) in patients with PSP and SSP respectively. Follow-up analysis revealed 2 (2.66%) ipsilateral recurrent pneumothorax in 75 patients treated for PSP. Among 26 patients with SSP, whose procedure was completed by VATS, 2 recurrences (7.7%) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment by VATS is a valid alternative to open thoracotomy in patients with PSP and will be the treatment of choice because, with increased experience of surgeons, it will yield the same results as standard operative therapy but with the advantages of the minimally invasive operation. The usefulness of VATS in patients with SSP remains to be defined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Differential effect of the amino acid cystine in cultured mammalian and bacterial cells exposed to oxidative stress.

The effect of cystine in the cytotoxic response of cultured Chinese hamster ovary and Escherichia coli cells to challenge with hydrogen peroxide has been investigated. It was found that this amino acid could either protect or sensitize cells, depending on the cellular system. In fact, although a reduction in the growth-inhibitory effect of hydrogen peroxide was observed in mammalian cells, a marked increase in the susceptibility to oxidative stress was induced by cystine in bacteria. None of the amino acid precursors of glutathione, e.g., glutamate, glycine or cysteine, afforded protection in the mammalian cell system, whereas cysteine, but not glycine or glutamate, markedly sensitized bacteria to hydrogen peroxide-induced cell killing. In mammalian cells, methionine, an amino acid which is converted to cysteine, was also unable to modify the oxidative response. The results presented indicate that cystine displays differential effects in oxidatively injured mammalian or bacterial cells and suggest that the mechanism whereby the amino acid modulates the lethal action of hydrogen peroxide differs in the two cellular systems.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Italian translation and validation of the ICNP Beta (International Classification for Nursing Practice].

The visibility of nursing care can be measured through the results on the patient and studying the existing data on patient care. An important area is tied up for a common language and terminology because it is important to have a universal understanding. For this reason the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has elaborated an international terminology for Nursing Practice that can be useful to pick up and to catalogue the problems of nursing nature in diagnosis also finding a system of classification of the activities The Consociazione Association, as representative of the ICN in Italy, through the School of Advanced Nursing of the University "La Sapienza" of Rome, has set up a Working group for the translation of the document ICNP version Beta. The present article explains the difficulties related to the Italian translation, the working group, the procedure, the validation and the met problems along with a vision for the future development and utilization.

Humans↗