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Biomedical subjects

L Masini

Publications and source records attributed to L Masini.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Drug addiction in pregnancy: the HIV infection.

From January 1986 to December 1990 70 HIV-seropositive pregnant women were seen at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rome, Italy. All of them delivered in our Hospital Center and their babies were enrolled in pediatric follow-up. Sixty-five patients (93%) were drug-addicted, only 6 of them showing signs of HIV infection (lymphoadenopathy). The authors report the results of a clinical study demonstrating that asymptomatic HIV infection did not affect the regular course of pregnancy. Moreover, they show that there was no progression of disease during pregnancy, vertical transmission was 24%, the infected babies were of low birth weight (2,586 +/- 527 vs. 3,100 +/- 470 g) and the incidence of premature delivery was higher (30 vs. 8%) than in noninfected controls.

Adult↗

Concurrent chemotherapy with carboplatin + 5-fluorouracil and radiotherapy in advanced squamous cell head and neck carcinoma: a retrospective single institution's study.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: [corrected] The purpose of the study was to analyze the long-term follow-up of a single institution's experience with a regimen of concomitant carboplatin + 5-fluorouracil (CBDCA + 5-FU) infusion and radiotherapy. STUDY DESIGN: Fifty-eight patients with locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer treated with combined chemoradiotherapy between March 1990 and October 1998 were reviewed retrospectively. According to the TNM tumor staging, 6 patients had stage II, 21 stage III and 31 stage IV tumors. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of the combination of 5-FU and CBDCA, for a total of 3 cycles. Both drugs were given as 4-day continuous intravenous infusions during the first and fourth week of radiation therapy: 5-FU at 1000 mg/m2 per day and CBDCA at 75 mg/m2 per day. Radiation was given in single daily fractions of 1.8 to 2 Gy, to a total dose of 66 to 70 Gy. RESULTS: After the completion of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, 34 patients (58.6%) achieved clinical and radiological (computerized tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging) complete remission, 15 patients (25.9%) partial remission >50%, 5 patients (8.6%) partial remission <50%, and 4 patients (6.8%) had no response. Toxicity was intensive but tolerable. After a median follow-up of 25 months, overall survival and recurrence-free survival estimated for the whole patient population was 52% at 3 years, and the median length of recurrence-free survival was 23 months. CONCLUSIONS: Our regimen combining standard single daily fraction radiation with the conventional dose of CBDCA and 5-FU was given without dose modification regardless of the severity of the adverse effects. It gave a clinical complete response at the primary site in 58.6% of patients. With a 52% projected 3-year overall survival, our series compares favorably with similar studies in the literature. Therefore, our results with concomitant CBDCA/5-FU infusion and radiotherapy are encouraging and suggest that CBDCA can be substituted for cisplatin with a good therapeutic index.

Adult↗

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL) with karyotypic abnormalities associated with plasma cell dyscrasia: a case report.

A case of chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), a rare myeloproliferative syndrome associated with monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS-Type IgGk), is reported. Karyotypic study, carried out on bone marrow, excluded Philadelphia-pos. chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and showed Y loss (45 XO). Only a few cases of CNL with paraproteinemia have been reported, but no case of associated karyotypic abnormalities and paraproteinemia has so far been described.

Aged↗

[Natural history of fetal uropathies. Experience in 40 cases].

Appropriate management of fetal uropathies depends on accuracy in assessing the severity of urinary tract obstruction and renal damage, and in predicting the potential for recovery after surgical correction. A review of 40 fetuses aged between 20 an 39 weeks referred to us for prenatal counseling for a suspected anomaly of the urinary tract, has been made. Reliability of our diagnostic resources has been retrospectively evaluated on the basis of clinical, ultrasonographic and radiological postnatal data. Conservative approach has been adopted in all our cases. None intrauterine surgery was attempted; pre term delivery was advised only in two cases. Our results confirm poor prognosis of fetuses with marked decrease of amniotic fluid within the 24th week of gestational age. After this date the amount of amniotic fluid alone may not be a completely reliable prognostic factor. Ultrasonographic aspect of fetal kidneys and, in some occasions, chemical analysis of fetal urines may accomplish our prenatal study and help to predict the degree of neonatal renal function and potential of survival.

Female↗

Serum selenium concentrations in patients with newly diagnosed lymphoid malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Increased mortality from lymphoid malignancies following exposure to environmental selenium has recently been reported. Moreover, conflicting results have been found in investigations examining the relationship between serum concentrations of selenium and some clinical features of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases. METHODS: Serum concentrations of selenium were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry in fifty-nine patients with newly diagnosed chronic lymphoid malignancies and in forty control subjects. RESULTS: Selenium concentrations were significantly lower in patients than in control subjects. However, when only patients with localized disease were compared to controls, no significant difference in serum selenium concentrations was observed. Clinical stage was inversely associated with selenium levels. High-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was characterized by lower selenium levels than low-grade and intermediate-grade disease. Selenium levels were positively associated with albumin and hemoglobin, and inversely correlated with serum concentrations of beta 2-microglobulin and with erythrocyte sedimentation rate. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study do not suggest that a high selenium intake represents a risk factor for malignant lymphoproliferative diseases, but limitations of the investigation hamper evaluation of the results. The possible utility of determining serum concentrations of selenium in the clinical evaluation of patients with lymphoid malignancies merits examination in larger studies.

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