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Biomedical subjects

M Benazzo

Publications and source records attributed to M Benazzo.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[High-dose carboplatin superselective intraarterial chemotherapy in advanced head and neck cancer].

Advances in vascular radiology techniques for superselective transfemoral arterial infusion prompted us to evaluate the effects of high-dose rapid regional carboplatin infusion for patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Twenty untreated patients received three infusions of carboplatin (300-350 mg/m2) every 2 weeks with this method. All the infusions were performed without any complication. Treatment was well tolerated, with moderate (Grade 1-3 WHO) local toxicity (stomatitis, dermatitis and alopecia) and minimal (Grade 1-2 WHO) myelosuppression. The total response index (complete response plus partial response) was 94% for primary tumors and 50% for neck metastases. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy employing superselective rapid infusion of high-dose carboplatin is a feasible, relatively nontoxic, effective technique and may have important applications in multimodality therapy of untreated patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sinus infection in intensive care patients.

Sinusitis is a complication known to accompany nasotracheal intubation, but its frequency has not been well established. During a two-year-period, 1,126 patients in an intensive care unit have been studied. Twenty-seven of them (2%) developed a bacterial sinusitis. The diagnosis is established on the basis of an unexplained clinical sepsis, imaging evidence of fluid in the maxillary sinus, and antral puncture. Microbiological samples showed Gram-negative micro-organisms, in particular Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and an elevated percentage of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The likely predisposing factors (nasogastric and/or nasotracheal tubes) are discussed. Aetiology, diagnosis and management of the disease are discussed in detail. The importance of prompt removal of nasal instrumentation and of early sinus drainage, in addition to broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, is emphasized.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Endothelin-induced vasoconstriction in rabbit nasal mucosa.

Nasal blood flow is finely regulated by local release of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and other bioactive molecules acting via paracrine mechanisms. We have investigated the effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, on the blood perfusion of rabbit nasal mucosa by laser Doppler flowmetry. After injection with ET-1, a potent and prolonged nasal vasoconstriction was observed. ET-immunoreactivity has previously been detected in nasal tissues and it is therefore suggested that ET-1 may participate in the regulation of nasal blood flow via paracrine mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Occurrence, distribution and possible role of the regulatory peptide endothelin in the nasal mucosa.

Nasal blood flow is finely regulated by local release of neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and other bioactive molecules acting via paracrine mechanisms. We have investigated the occurrence and distribution in human nasal mucosa of endothelin, a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, by immunocytochemistry and the effect of systemic administration of endothelin-1 on vascular perfusion of rabbit nasal mucosa by laser Doppler flowmetry. Endothelin-like immunoreactivity was demonstrated within vascular endothelial cells in both developing and mature human mucosa. Nasal epithelial cells and some connective tissue cells, presumed to be macrophages, also displayed specific immunostaining. In rabbits injected with endothelin-1, a potent and prolonged nasal vasoconstriction was observed. It is suggested that endothelin released locally may participate in the regulation of nasal blood flow via paracrine mechanisms. Since endothelin has growth-promoting actions on several cell types, it is also tentatively proposed that this regulatory peptide may play a role during development of the nose.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Effect of ambroxol on rabbit eustachian tube surfactant.

The effect of ambroxol administration on phospholipid and phosphatidyl-choline contents of rabbit eustachian tube and lung washings and on [14C]-choline incorporation by rabbit eustachian tube and lung tissue has been studied. Despite minor differences, the drug exerts the same activating effect in both locations. The results add a further piece of evidence to the several similarities existing between the lung surfactant and the surface-active substances present on the eustachian tube.

Ambroxol↗
PubMed1991

Use of serum markers in the diagnosis and management of laryngeal cancer.

Many neoplastic diseases are reported to be accompanied by the presence or associated with an increase in biological substances identified as tumour markers. The most common markers implicated in head and neck cancers are CEA, TPA, LASA, SCC, CA 19-9, and ferritin. These markers (except SCC) were evaluated in 50 patients with a laryngeal carcinoma, in 20 patients with benign lesions, and in 20 healthy subjects. The results show for each marker assayed the following sensitivity values (true positives): CEA, 10%; CA 19-9, 30%; TPA, 30%; LASA, 90%; ferritin, 60%. Specificity (true negatives) was as follows: CEA, 85%; CA 19-9, 99.4%; TPA, 98%; LASA, 99.8%; ferritin, 97%. LASA and ferritin seem to be the most suitable markers for patient monitoring because of their higher sensitivity in all phases of cancer disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Disaturated phosphatidylcholine in rabbit eustachian tube surfactant.

A chemical analysis of phospholipids in rabbit Eustachian tube and in its lavages shows phosphatidylcholine (PC) as being the predominating compound, followed by sphingomyelin and phosphatidylethanolamine. As in the lung surfactant, the majority of tubal PC is represented by its disaturated form dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), known as a powerful surface-active agent. The concentration of PC and DPPC is higher in tubal washing than in the whole tissue, suggesting the existence of an active secretory process. Incubation of tubal mucosa with 14C-choline resulted in the biosynthesis of radiolabelled PC and DPPC at a ratio similar to the lung. These data provide further evidence for the existence of a surface-active agent in the Eustachian tube, chemically similar to the lung surfactant and probably produced through similar metabolic pathways.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗
PubMed1990

[Tiaprofenic acid: levels in plasma and upper airway tissues].

Inflammatory processes of the upper airways can be successfully improved by using non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, alone or in association with antibiotics. Recent clinical reports suggest that tiaprofenic acid (TA) is particularly suited for this purpose. This fact can be explained on the basis of the drug's pharmacokinetics and by the high concentration TA can achieve in the respiratory tract mucous membranes. In order to confirm this hypothesis TA levels were studied in the plasma as well as in tonsillar and turbinal tissue. Patients admitted for tonsillectomy or turbinectomy were given two tablets (600 mg) of TA from one and a half to five hours before surgery. In all cases blood and tissue samples were taken at the same time during surgery and drug levels determined by HPLC. Plasma levels ranged from 12 to 26 to 32.2 microgram/ml; tissue levels ranged from 3.9 to 5.4 to 4.9 micrograms/g, respectively, depending on time of administration. There was no significant difference between tonsillar and turbinal tissue. These results suggest a good penetration of nasal and airway mucosa by TA and are in agreement with the clinical data on the efficacy of TA in dealing with upper airway inflammatory conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[A study using laser-Doppler velocimetry of modifications of the labyrinthine microcirculation induced by chemical and physical stimuli].

Vasomotor activity induced by physical and chemical stimuli in the cochlear microcirculation was evaluated by laser-doppler flowmetry. Cochlear flow changes were studied after pharmacological administration and noise exposure. The reaction of cochlear microcirculation after drug administration is similar to that observed in the brain. After phenylephrine injection the authors observed an increase of cochlear blood flow, contrary to that observed in the peripheral vessels. The authors studied the difference in time-activity and quantitative effect of several drugs commonly used in cochlear vascular diseases. Cochlear flow decrease after exposure to noise is proportional to the stimulus intensity and the exposure time.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Presence of phospholipidic lamellar bodies on the mucosa of rabbit eustachian tube. Ultrastructural aspects.

Electron microscopy of the rabbit eustachian tube showed the presence of osmiophilic lamellar bodies in the cytoplasm of secretory cells and of osmiophilic free lamellar membranes in the lumen of tubal glands or above the epithelium. Similar structures have been reported in other parts of the respiratory system and in the pulmonary alveoli. The functional significance of these morphological observations is suggestive of a surface-tension-lowering effect on the mucosal lining layer of the eustachian tube and of a possible relationship to the phospholipid surfactant of the lung.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Iron status in children undergoing tonsillectomy and its short-term modification following surgery.

Red cell and iron status parameters were studied in a group of 44 children undergoing tonsillectomy for recurrent throat infections and in a control group of 40 healthy children. In the patient group, before tonsillectomy, 8 children presented a latent iron deficiency and 15 a decrease in serum ferritin levels. This altered iron status can be attributed to a reduced intestinal iron absorption, due to recurrent infections. One and seven days following surgery there was a significant fall in serum iron, serum transferrin and transferrin saturation, in parallel with an increase of serum ferritin and alpha-2 globulins levels. These modifications cannot be attributed to the blood loss, as proven by the constancy of haemoglobin level and of other red cell parameters, but to an unspecific reaction to surgical stress, as observed in fever, traumas and inflammation. They reflect an altered processing of iron, with a temporary block of its release to plasma and an increased storage within the reticuloendothelial cells.

Child↗
PubMed1987

Prognostic parameters in metastatic spread of laryngeal cancer: clinico-histopathological correlations.

The authors present a series of 130 patients with laryngeal tumours submitted to total or horizontal laryngectomy and to neck dissection. The possible correlations between the staging and histology of the primary lesion, tumour marker (LASA) and the incidence of lymph node metastases are examined. The information provided by clinical and histopathological parameters is no doubt useful, but the margin of clinical error is high. On the contrary, the tumour marker concentration (LASA) was significantly higher in the patients whose lymph nodes were found to be histologically invaded, than in those without metastatic spread. Consequently, the LASA test may assume clinical importance before surgical therapy and in the follow-up of treated patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1986

[Determination of sialic acid in cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract].

The determination of serum lipid sialic acid (LSA) in subjects with laryngeal and oral cavity carcinomas demonstrated an important correlation between the presence of carcinoma and tumor marker elevation. 90% of positivity has been found in 60 cases of laryngeal carcinoma; 100%, on the contrary in 19 cases of oral cavity. The authors affirm the importance of LSA as a tumor marker, in particularly in monitoring patients submitted to surgical excision.

Humans↗