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Biomedical subjects

M Boni

Publications and source records attributed to M Boni.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

[Research on three parasitic infestations in rats captured in Marseille: evaluation of the zoonotic risk].

A cross sectional survey was carried out on a population of 82 rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus alexandrinus) trapped in Marseille. The main histopathological finding was the presence of adults or eggs of Capillaria hepatica in 44% of the animals. 21% were found with fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis). There was no evidence of trichinosis in any of the rats examined. Hepatic capillariasis is a zoonosis seldom described in human beings. About 30 human cases have been reported in the world. Human infestation occurs first by consumption of raw rat liver containing un-embryonated eggs causing only pseudoparasitism without disease. The genuine mode of infestation is the consumption of sullied soil with rats feces containing embryonated eggs. Therefore parasites provoke, true as in rat inflammatory lesions, necrosis and fibrosis of the liver. The treatment associates antiparasitic drugs such as ivermectine, disophenol or pyrantel tartrate. The presence of a large population of infested synanthropic rats requires epidemiological monitoring and extermination of rats. All physicians must be informed of this potential risk.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Treatment of hyperlipidemia in obese patients: monotherapy versus bi-therapy].

OBJECTIVES: Severe hyperlipoproteinaemia (increased LDL, light density lipoproteins, and VLDL, very light density lipoproteins) in patients with high body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with the occurrence of coronary heart disease. This condition requires combined drug regimen because high lipid levels frequently remain after monotherapy and diet. The aim of our study was to investigate the efficacy of combined therapy utilizing the following association: HMG CoA reductase inhibitors plus fibrates. METHODS: We examined 50 patients, males, affected by obesity (BMI > 30) and hyperlipoproteinaemia (phenotype IIB, Fredrickson). The first group, 20 obese subjects with severe dislipidaemia, and the second group, 10 mildly hyperlipidaemic obese patients received bezafibrate 600 mg/d and pravastatin 40 mg/d. The other subjects, all obese and highly dyslipidaemic patients, received monotherapy: 10 patients, bezafibrate 600 mg/d and the rest pravastatin 40 mg/d. Weekly, for ten weeks, we evaluated the following serum parameters: total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and apolipoprotein A1 and B. RESULTS: We observed no significant changes in HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein levels, while an important reduction in total cholesterol and triglycerides, induced by combined therapy, was particularly evident in those patients with the higher lipidic alterations, compared with the additive effects of single drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The data show that this combined treatment could be proposed for these subjects to reduce hyperlipidaemia and the risk of premature atherosclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Chronic myelogenous leukemia and exposure to ionizing radiation--a retrospective study of 443 patients.

Exposure to ionizing radiations (Rx) has been implicated as a causative factor of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We performed a retrospective study of 443 consecutive CML patients, looking for a history of significant exposure to Rx, and evaluated the clinical and hematological characteristics in order to find any difference between radiation-related CML patients and those with de novo CML. We identified 406 patients without known exposure to mutagens (group I) and 37 patients with prior significant exposure to Rx (group II). In comparison to patients of group I, those of group II showed particular clinical and hematological features: significantly lower incidence of bulky splenomegaly (p < 0.05) and hyperleukocytosis (WBC > 100 x 10(9)/l; p < 0.05); significantly higher incidence of anemia (Hb < 10 g/dl; p < 0.01). Patients with radiation-related CML had a significantly better survival than those with de novo CML (median survival 61 months vs 42 months; p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study of a large cohort of CML patients indicates that the subgroup of patients with a history of significant exposure to ionizing radiation has particular clinical and hematological features at onset (lower tumor burden, higher frequency of anemia) and a better survival.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Intensive chemotherapy followed by donor PBSC in ANLL relapsed after allogeneic BMT.

We describe a 42-year-old man with ANLL-M4 in relapse after allogeneic BMT, in whom a new CR was obtained by conventional chemotherapy followed by the infusion of his female donor PBSC. At the time of BMT he was in CR. Six months later a full hematological relapse occurred an a three drug 5-day regimen was started. Two days after the end of chemotherapy he received donor PBSC collected by two leukaphereses after mobilization with G-CSF, given subcutaneously at 5 micrograms/kg/day for 7 days. The mononuclear PBSC were 4.2 x 10(8)/kg; the CD34 positive cells were 8.2 x 10(6)/kg and the CFU-GM were 14 x 10(4)/kg. Two days after PBSC infusion the patient received G-CSF at a dose of 5 micrograms/kg/day. Hemopoietic recovery occurred promptly on day + 13 and Y-FISH revealed 14% of Y-spot positive cells in the marrow. On day +20 hematological and cytogenetic remission was documented. The percentage of recipient cells decreased from day +36 onwards following the occurrence of a grade II GVHD, from which the patient recovered 1 week later with oral cyclosporin A and intravenous high-dose steroids. At present (day +200 from relapse) the patient is still in CR with 3% of Y-spot positive cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Karyotype in myelodysplastic syndromes: relations to morphology, clinical evolution, and survival.

One hundred eighty-eight unselected consecutive patients with "de novo" myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were studied cytogenetically. They were subclassified as 4 refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), 67 refractory anemia (RA), 58 refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB), 40 RAEB in transformation (RAEB-t), and 19 chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The overall incidence of chromosome abnormalities was 69%. The RAEB and RAEB-t patients showed karyotypic changes, more often than RA and CMML (76% and 100% vs. 56% and 42%, respectively). The most frequent single anomaly was del(5)(q13-q22q33) (22 cases), followed by monosomy 7 or del 7q (11 cases), del(11) (q14q23) (8 cases), trisomy 8 (4 cases). Complex karyotypes (defined by the presence of three or more structural or numerical abnormalities) were detected in 33 patients. With regard to the FAB classification, del (5)(q13q33) was associated with RA, and complex rearrangements with RAEB and RAEB-t. Leukemic transformation occurred in 66 patients (46%), none with a normal karyotype or del(11)(q14q23) as single abnormality. In patients carrying 5q- alone, acute evolution correlated with proximal breakpoint localization, being found in no case with del(5)(q13q33) but in three out of four cases with del(5)(q22q33). Acute leukemia (AL) progression happened in all cases with complex rearrangements and monosomy 7 or del(7q). Two of the four trisomy eight patients evolved in AL. By using the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis it was demonstrated that the karyotype abnormality was a significant predictor of leukemic transformation (P < 0.001). Patients with abnormal karyotypes without complex abnormalities had a survival (median survival 12 months) shorter than that of cases with only normal metaphases (median 83 months) (P < 0.001); patients with a mixture of normal/abnormal metaphases had a median survival of 31 months. The median survival for complex karyotypes was 7 months. Among cases with single defects, del(5)(q13q33) showed the best survival (64 months), monosomy 7 and del(7q) the worst (7 months) (P < 0.001).

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of the liver function of cirrhotic patients based on the formation of monoethylglycine xylidide (MEGX) from lidocaine.

Determination of the functional hepatic reserve is still controversial. Many tests have been proposed, but the assay based on formation of the lidocaine metabolite, monoethylglycine xylidide, seems to offer a promising approach to this problem. In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of the monoethylglycine xylidide test in the clinical evaluation of 31 cirrhotic patients submitted to three different therapeutic options (sclerotherapy, transjugular intrahepatic protosystemic shunt and surgical procedures) and in 1 patient submitted to right hepatectomy for giant hepatic angioma. We found a statistically significant difference between Child A and C patients and between Child B and C patients. The test did not differentiate Child A from Child B patients. We found no correlation between the Child-Pugh score, serum bilirubin, albumin and prothrombin time. There were no differences among the three groups of patients that could be statistically related to their therapy. The monoethylglycine xylidide test seems to be an attractive alternative to previous methods for the evaluation of the functional hepatic reserve, but further studies are necessary to assess the prognostic value of the test in cirrhotics, to separate the independent contribution of portosystemic shunting and hepatocyte dysfunction to monoethylglycine xylidide formation, and to evaluate the test as a prognostic index in cirrhotic patients submitted to general surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[ANP changes induced by varying TSH].

Aim of our study was estimating if TSH could influence the timing of ANP release. About it we observed 70 male subjects: 40 were euthyroid patients aged 42 +/- 5 years (group A); 20 patients treated by thyroxine in doses sufficient for inhibiting TSH release, aged 45 +/- 7 years (group B). A third group (C) was composed by 10 subjects with high basal levels of serum T3 and T4 with no thyrostatic therapy, aged 40 +/- 9 years. These subjects underwent a TRH test estimating at -30', 0', 30', 60', 120' plasma concentrations of TSH, ANP, T3, T4. In reply to physiological stimulus induced on patients of group A we observed a significant increase of TSH values (max at 60') and ANP levels (max at 120'). No significant variations occurred during the TRH test in T3 and T4 concentrations. In groups B and C no important modifications were observed neither in TSH nor in ANP plasma levels. ANP secretion seems to be dependent from the secretory condition of hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis both in physiological and pathological conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Haemodynamic effects of coffee and caffeine in normal volunteers: a placebo-controlled clinical study.

The acute haemodynamic effects of Italian coffee and 200 mg purified caffeine were investigated in 15 healthy non-coffee-drinkers compared to individuals who consumed placebo (highly decaffeinated coffee for regular coffee, and china bitter extract for caffeine). Before coffee and caffeine consumption and 30, 60, 90 and 120 min afterwards, rest flow and blood pressure were measured, and peripheral resistance in the arm was calculated; an echocardiogram was also performed before and 60 and 120 min after caffeine consumption. Both coffee and caffeine significantly decreased rest flow, and increased peripheral resistance. Systolic blood pressure increased by 10% and diastolic pressure increased by 5% for at least 2 h. No variation in heart rate or cardiac contractility was found. No effects were observed after placebo treatment. It is concluded that Italian coffee and caffeine increase blood pressure via vasoconstriction.

Adult↗