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Biomedical subjects

M A Cimmino

Publications and source records attributed to M A Cimmino.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis.

The original descriptions of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in the medical literature date back to 1888 and 1890, respectively. Classification criteria for PMR and GCA are not standardized since most authors used subjective criteria based on their personal experience. Only one study has evaluated criteria for PMR and has found seven variables with high discriminant value. Criteria for GCA are less varied because a positive biopsy of the temporal artery is diagnostic. However, combinations of different clinical and laboratory features have been used for diagnosis when biopsy is negative or missing. Assessment of PMR/GCA is based on the serial determination of markers of acute phase such as ESR, CRP, or plasma viscosity. However, their value in predicting recurrence of the diseases is poor. New immunological factors including soluble interleukin-2 receptors, interleukin-6, serum soluble CD8, and serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 are presently under investigation.

Giant Cell Arteritis↗
PubMed1994

Prevalence of nail involvement in nodal osteoarthritis.

The presence of nail changes was investigated in 102 patients with nodal osteoarthritis of the hand. Nail lesions were seen in 14/102 patients (13.7%), a prevalence higher than that observed in 96 controls (4/96, 4.2%; chi square 4.37, p = 0.036). An increased risk of nail changes was associated with osteoarthritis of the hand (odds ratio = 3.7, 95% CI 1.13 to 11.8). Longitudinal lines were the most frequent nail alteration and accounted for 10/14 of the observed lesions. Nail involvement was associated with long-lasting symptoms related to osteoarthritis and high serum iron concentration. This complication of osteoarthritis is not as rare as might appear from the literature, and its pathogenesis remains to be investigated.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Long term treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica with deflazacort.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long term efficacy and tolerability of deflazacort, a corticosteroid reputed to have only minor side effects, in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: In a prospective open study, deflazacort was administered at an average initial dose of 21.8 mg/day for a mean period of 19 months in 40 patients with PMR. RESULTS: A highly significant improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters occurred one month after therapy onset. This improvement persisted for the whole study period. Laboratory parameters of tolerability did not change during the study. Mild to moderate steroid-related side effects occurred in 57.9% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Deflazacort is effective in the treatment of PMR. Its long term safety profile may be superior to that of other corticosteroids.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[Evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis of the knee with Doppler color].

Color-Doppler US was used to study the vascularization of the synovial membrane and of the periarticular tissues of the knee in 14 normal subjects and 15 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. The normal subjects exhibited few spot signals within the connectival spaces surrounding the knee and adjacent to the femoral condyles and to the tibial plates. The signals were mostly arterial and impedance was high because of the absence of inversion of diastole. A hypervascular pattern was detected in 13/15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis as a result of hyperemia associated with inflammation and synovial neoangiogenesis. In these patients, the signals came mostly from the synovial pannus and the soft tissues surrounding the joint. Spectral analysis detected both venous and arterial waveforms with lower resistance than normal (resistive index ranging 0.65 to 0.76). After local treatment, both venous and low-impedance arterial signals were no longer detectable in 4/9 patients with clinical remission. In conclusion, color-Doppler US can support gray-scale US in the assessment of joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Vascular findings seem to correlate well with local symptoms. Color-Doppler US could make a useful tool for monitoring the clinical activity of the disease in selected joints.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Long term treatment of chronic Lyme arthritis with benzathine penicillin.

The cases are reported of two patients with chronic Lyme arthritis resistant to the recommended antibiotic regimens who were cured by long term treatment with benzathine penicillin. It is suggested that the sustained therapeutic levels of penicillin were effective either by the inhibition of germ replication or by lysis of the spirochaetes when they were leaving their sanctuaries.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis in Italy.

Erythema migrans was described in Italy only in 1971 although Italian dermatologists were familiar with it a long time before. In 1983, the first case of Lyme borreliosis with multisystem involvement was identified. The endemic areas in Italy are the Ligurian coast, the province of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the region surrounding the town of Bologna. In Liguria, the incidence of Lyme disease is about 17/100,000 inhabitants per year. Serosurveys of the general population and of sentinel animals were useless in determining the diffusion of Lyme borreliosis whereas evaluation of people at risk of tick bites and patients with suggestive signs or symptoms was more effective. Among the clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis, cutaneous involvement is four times more frequent than neuroborreliosis and arthritis is less frequent in Italy than in the USA.

Humans↗
PubMed1990

Nail involvement in osteoarthritis.

Two cases of nail involvement associated with primary interphalangeal osteoarthritis of the hand, including leukonychia and longitudinal nail ridge, are reported. Osteoarthritic changes of the distal interphalangeal joints may cause nail lesions by exerting direct pressure on the nail matrix or by interfering with local blood flow. Moreover, inflammation of the Heberden's nodes is often present and seems to participate in the development of nail alteration. In our patients, leukonychia disappeared after local steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment of the osteoarthritic node and longitudinal nail ridge disappeared after treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Articular involvement in European patients with Lyme disease. A report of 32 Italian patients.

Lyme disease (LD) is a well recognized multisystem disorder, caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi. It involves the skin, nervous system and heart. Arthritis is described in 50-60% of American patients but seems to be less common in Europe. We studied the pattern of articular involvement in a group of 67 Italian patients with LD. Thirty-two (48%) of 67 had rheumatological manifestations. The prevalence of arthritis in our patients was 16/67 (24%), the remaining 16 experiencing only arthralgia. The pattern of articular involvement did not differ from the literature and was most often mono- or oligoarthritis with polyarticular arthralgia. We noted an early onset of articular symptoms (range 1-3 months). Incidence of early and late manifestations of LD were in keeping with previous reports. In addition, interpreting serological tests for antibodies against B. burgdorferi and the real prevalence of arthritis in LD is complicated by the possible existence of seronegative LD and by the effect of early antibiotic treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

A seasonal pattern in the onset of polymyalgia rheumatica.

The seasonal distribution in the onset of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was determined in 58 patients with the disease and compared with that in 44 patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis of elderly onset (EORA). Thirty six (62%) cases of PMR developed during May to August; by contrast, only 14 (31%) cases of EORA developed in the same months, this latter disease failing to show any seasonal clustering. The monthly distribution of PMR correlated with outside temperature and hours of sunshine. These data suggest that PMR might be triggered by such factors as actinic damage of superficial vessels or infective agents with a seasonal cycle. Finally, the summer clustering of PMR may be helpful in the differential diagnosis from EORA.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Spirochetes in the spleen of a patient with chronic Lyme disease.

A 54-year-old man had intermittent evening fever, arthralgia, transient erythematous macular eruption on the skin, and splenomegaly of two year's duration. Immunofluorescence tests for Borrelia burgdorferi serum antibodies had positive results, but G-penicillin treatment was ineffective. Splenectomy with lymph node biopsy was performed to rule out lymphoproliferative disorders. Borrelia-like spirochetes were identified histologically in the spleen; this finding was consistent with persistence of B. burgdorferi organisms in inner organs in chronic Lyme disease.

Borrelia↗