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Biomedical subjects

M Borsotti

Publications and source records attributed to M Borsotti.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

External quality assessment scheme in Tuscany, Italy.

According to the Regional Law n. 44 of 6/6/1988, all public and private laboratories in Tuscany, Italy, are obligated to carry out internal quality control and participate in external quality assessment programmes. The external quality assessment schemes are directly managed by "Regione Toscana" by means of the "Centro regionale di riferimento per la sicurezza di qualità". The programme for clinical chemistry (comprising cholesterol, glucose, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, calcium, uric acid, total proteins, ALT, AST, GGT) started in 1990 by sending two lyophilized serum samples from eight pools, each containing a different analyte concentration. In 1992 the analytes were increased to eighteen, chloride, phosphate, bilirubin, triglycerides, iron and alkaline phosphatase being added. At the same time the first cycle of the EQAs dedicated to the blood coagulation (including PT, APTT and fibrinogen) was started. In every cycle each laboratory must perform 16 analyses, by testing 8 pairs of samples from 8 different pools. The samples from different pools are sent by separate dispatches and in random order. Thus the participating laboratories receive and analyze the samples in a different sequence.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1991

External quality assessment in therapeutic drug monitoring: an Italian experience.

Pharmacontrol is an external quality assessment (EQA) for therapeutic drug monitoring initiated in Italy in 1986 on regional basis. Since then, interest and involvement being on a national level, participation has expanded to some 180 laboratories currently. The EQA concerns assays for the drugs most frequently monitored in Italy (seven drugs until 1989, 13 at present). The results obtained in 1989, reported in this paper, indicate a generally satisfactory level of both precision and accuracy.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1988

A new approach to the quality control of steroid receptor assays.

Lyophilized cytosols prepared from calf uterus and human breast tumor tissue are commonly used to assess the reliability of routine steroid receptor assays. However, preanalytical error (sample preparation, storage, homogenization) cannot be detected in this way. Participating laboratories were asked to mail us all their receptor results obtained over a four-month interval, and to include some information about the patients involved (age, menopausal status, nodal status). After verifying the homogeneity of the populations investigated, we computed consensus means for the percentages of positive samples and for their absolute value. Despite the homogeneity of the characteristics of the populations studied, results from some laboratories systematically differed from the consensus mean. This approach to the quality control of steroid receptors allows evaluation of the whole procedure, from sample preparation to analysis, and thus may be helpful as an addition to the usual practice of distribution of cytosols and tissue powders for assay.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1986

An insight into post-gastrectomy "alkaline reflux gastritis".

One hundred and ten partially-gastrectomized patients were studied in order to assess prevalence of symptoms, entero-gastric reflux, endoscopic erythematous changes and histological gastritis and to explore some aspects of the pathogenesis of gastritis syndrome. Prevalence of symptoms (37.2% of the patients) was lower than prevalence of reflux (86.9% and 72.9% of patients with fasting bile reflux or scintigraphic assessment, respectively) endoscopic hyperaemia (72.7% of patients) and remnant chronic gastritis (88.3% of patients). Histological appearance in the perianastomotic area was mostly identifiable as hyperplastic-regenerative. While histological findings, gastric pH, bacteria and nitrite concentration and patients' age were reciprocally correlated, symptoms, endoscopic changes, remnant chronic gastritis and gastric environmental changes were not more severe in patients with more abundant enterogastric reflux. Therefore, as far as the methods for reflux assessment used in the present study are concerned, postgastrectomy findings (symptoms, extent of erythematous changes, severity of remnant chronic gastritis) are not related to reflux. These results suggest that the term "alkaline reflux gastritis syndrome", at this stage of knowledge, should be used with caution.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

The role of lithium carbonate in the management of hemolymphoblastosis: estimation of plasmatic and erythrocyte lithium levels.

Twelve patients affected by hemolymphoblastosis were treated with lithium carbonate in order to attenuate neutropenia induced by anticancer drugs. Controls were chosen among patients who had not received lithium treatment after cytostatic therapy. We estimated plasmatic and erythrocyte lithium levels and determined the Erythrocyte lithium rate (ER), i.e., erythrocyte lithium levels expressed as a percentage of plasmatic levels. A significant correlation was found between granulocyte increase at one week (GIW) and ER. No significant correlation was found between GIW and the other two estimation procedures. Therefore, ER seems to be a reliable index of the efficacy of the treatment, and could be used to monitor lithium administration.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1984

Serum alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes: the fast liver fraction in the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease with or without cholestasis.

Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP EC 3.13.1) isoenzyme patterns were studied in 110 patients with hepatobiliary disease in order to evaluate whether the appearance of the fast liver fraction, absent in normal subjects, could be a marker of cholestatic mechanism. This possibility was studied even when the ALP values are borderline or within normal limits. In conclusion it was found that the fast liver fraction, absent in normal subjects, can satisfactorily discriminate between cholestatic and non-cholestatic disease. Statistical analysis has shown a sensitivity of 98%, a specificity of 92%, a predictable positive value of 90%, a predictable negative value of 98% and a validity of 95%. False positive are 10% and false negative 2%; chi 2 test was 45.008, p less than 0.001. The results show that the presence of this fraction, besides being highly specific, is also an early marker for cholestasis.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

Serum angiotensin-I-converting enzyme and lysozyme levels in untreated and unsplenectomized patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Serum angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (S-ACE) is elevated in active sarcoidosis. In Hodgkin's disease (HD) there are few reports with different and contrasting results. We studied S-ACE in 23 healthy controls and in 18 untreated and unsplenectomized patients with HD. In the same cases we studied also serum lysozyme. Lysozyme concentration was significantly higher in HD patients compared with normal controls (p less than 0.01) and was independent of stage, systemic symptoms and presence of mediastinal involvement. S-ACE activity in HD patients was lower than in healthy controls, but not significantly. The correlation coefficient between the two enzymes showed that there was no significant correlation both in controls and in patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Blood myoglobin in children with progressive muscular dystrophy and in carriers].

We studied the behaviour of serum myoglobin in 32 children affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy, in 30 mothers (10 definite carriers and 20 possible carriers), in 5 sisters (possible carriers) and in 40 healthy women (control). The serum myoglobin was always increased in the patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy; the greatest values were in the patients who were still ambulant, with a behaviour similar to creatine kinase. In the carriers the myoglobinemia showed a significant increase in definite carriers, while there was no significant difference between the possible carriers and the controls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Folate deficiency in operated terminal ileitis (Crohn's disease).

In a series of 39 subjects previous results for serum folate levels were confirmed while intraglobular folate did not differ from those in a control group. To verify the hypothesis that SASP administration could be responsible for serum folate deficiency three different sub-groups were considered. 11 patients had never taken SASP (sub-group I), 16 patients had taken SASP in the past but the treatment had been withheld at least 2 months before (sub-group II), 12 patients were still taking the drug at the time of the study (sub-group III). Differences in serum folate levels between each one of the three sub-groups and the control group were significant. The same was not true for the differences between each one of the three sub-groups and the other. These findings seem to confirm that SASP treatment is not the major cause of serum folate deficiency, but a multifactorial pathogenesis might account for it.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Variations in serum myoglobin due to physical exertion].

We studied the behaviour of serum myoglobin and of serum enzymes in 25 young men, before and after physical stress. The stress appeared to markedly increase myoglobin, aldolase and CK activity and to a lesser extent GOT. Myoglobin, aldolase return to normal levels within 24 hours but CK appeared to decrease more slowly. The simultaneous determination of some organic-specific enzymes (CK-MB, gamma-GT, GPT) permitted us to state that the myocardium and liver are not involved in the increase of tests following muscular stress.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Glycosylated hemoglobin in normal pregnancy].

The Authors studied the trend of HbA1 values in 215 normal pregnant women and in 31 normal non-pregnant women (control group). HbA1 values appeared to decrease in the course of pregnancy, according to a parabolic regression. A minimum value was reached near 25 weeks. The levels of HbA1 in the last weeks were not different from the control group ones. HbA1 did not change significantly during post-partum period.

Female↗
PubMed1981

[Comparison between serum ferritin and induced sideruria in the diagnosis of disorders of iron metabolism].

The A. compare the values of serum ferritin and Desferrioxamine (DFO)-induced sideruria on 73 patients affected by different diseases. The results may be divided into three groups: a first one concerning patients with low serum ferritin and low DFO-induced sideruria, a second one of patients with normal serum ferritin and normal DFO-induced sideruria; in the third group of patients the A. found high values of serum ferritin and high or normal values of DFO-induced sideruria. The different behaviour observed in this III group of patients mostly affected by malignancy may be ascribed, in all those cases with high ferritin and normal sideruria, to a direct production of isoferritins by cancer cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Changes in the serum protein picture in viral hepatitis. II. Evaluation of the proteins in the acute phase].

A few of the best known acute phase reactants have been followed in 30 patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis during the first four weeks of illness. Increased levels of alpha-1 antitrypsin and prevailing low levels of haptoglobin were the main findings, while the other proteins showed only little changes. As a whole the determination of acute phase reactants does not seem of any particular significance in viral hepatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Changes in the serum protein picture in viral hepatitis. III. Evaluation of immunoglobulins].

Serum IgG, IgA and IgM were determined sequentially during the first four weeks of illness in 30 patients suffering from acute viral hepatitis. Initially increased levels of IgM, and to a lower extent of IgG were the most characteristic findings. Two patients showed increased levels of IgA. The determination of immunoglobulins is not contributory to the diagnosis of viral hepatitis, though it may have a significant value in detecting the activity of the disease.

Adolescent↗