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Biomedical subjects

M Cisternino

Publications and source records attributed to M Cisternino.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Long term growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone and biosynthetic GH therapy in GH-deficient children: comparison of therapeutic effectiveness.

Twenty-five GH-deficient children were treated with GHRH (1-44), once daily sc for 6-24 months. At the 6th month of therapy, 40% of our patients showed a catch-up growth (responders), while the remaining 60% did not (nonresponders). No differences in auxological and biological variables at inclusion were found between the two groups. However, integrated GH secretion elicited by iv GHRH at inclusion was significantly (p less than 0.025) higher in responders than in non responders. During GHRH therapy, no significant increase in IGF 1/SmC was found in both groups. In all patients treatment was discontinued after 6-24 months, when its effect on growth rate failed. After a wash-out period of at least 6 months, patients were submitted to biosynthetic GH therapy. After 6 months of GH treatment a significant catch-up growth was found in both responder and non-responder children. Although the majority of GH-deficient children have hypothalamic rather than pituitary dysfunction, GHRH therapy is found to be less effective than GH treatment. Other methods of GHRH administration are worth investigating.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin on growth velocity and biological growth parameters in adolescents with thalassaemia major.

The effect of long-term human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) therapy on the linear growth and biological growth parameters was studied in six thalassaemic boys aged 14.5-15.5 years old with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. A significant (P less than 0.001) increase in growth velocity (from 3.3 +/- 0.3 to 7.6 +/- 0.6 cm/year) was found after 6-12 months of therapy, without acceleration of bone age. A striking improvement in pubertal development was observed. The treatment significantly increased growth hormone (GH) response to L-dopa administration (P less than 0.025) as well as sleep GH secretion (P less than 0.025). Serum growth factors, evaluated as thymidine activity during deep sleep, increased (P less than 0.001), but somatomedin C (Sm-C) levels did not. Prior to treatment, baseline and peak values of plasma growth hormone releasing hormone (GH-RH) following L-dopa were low. After HCG therapy, GH-RH response to L-dopa increased significantly (from 9.2 +/- 5.6 to 20.2 +/- 6.2 pg/ml; P less than 0.05), but remained (P less than 0.001) lower than in normal prepubertal children. This study suggests that in thalassaemia major an impaired GH-RH release can be observed, in addition to the described alteration in Sm-C generation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effect of biosynthetic methionyl growth hormone (GH) therapy on the immune function in GH-deficient children.

The ability of growth hormone (GH) to influence certain immune functions has been studied in 21 GH-deficient children aged 1.8-17.7 years, before and during therapy with biosynthetic methionyl-hGH (12 IU/m2) injected intramuscularly 3 times weekly. Blood was collected prior to GH treatment, then after 1 week, again at 3-6 months, and finally at 9-12 months of therapy. We studied (1) the distribution of the T lymphocyte subpopulations: T total (CD3), helper/inducer (CD4) and suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8) cells, using monoclonal antibodies (OKT3, OKT4, OKT8) and (2) the in vitro IgM production stimulated by pokeweed mitogen. Pretreatment CD3, CD4, CD8 values were within the normal range. They did not change after 1 week of GH therapy. Following 3-6 months of GH treatment, CD3 significantly increased (p less than 0.001), CD4 decreased (p less than 0.01), CD8 increased (p less than 0.001) and the CD4/CD8 ratio decreased (p less than 0.001). At 9-12 months of therapy, the percentages of the different groups of T cells was not significantly different from the pretreatment values. In vitro IgM production before and following 3-6 months of GH treatment was significantly lower (p less than 0.005) than that of 15 age-matched controls. At 9-12 months, GH therapy restored the in vitro IgM production. No variations in the levels of serum immunoglobulins were observed throughout the treatment period. These data suggest that GH plays a role in the development of the immune function in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Effectiveness of growth hormone (GH) therapy in GH-deficient children and non-GH-deficient short children.

The growth response during short-term growth hormone (GH) treatment was evaluated in eight prepubertal non-GH-deficient (non-GHD) children and compared with six prepubertal GH-deficient (GHD) patients. Standard doses of GH can improve growth rate in GHD and in some non-GHD patients. In neither group the growth response can be predicted by the acute increase in Thymidine Activity or Somatomedin-C levels. A diagnostic trial of GH treatment may be the only certain method of selecting the short non-GHD patients who may benefit from long-term GH therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Immunological and endocrinological response to growth hormone therapy in short children.

We investigated the influence of human growth hormone (hGH) on mitogen-stimulated lymphoproliferation, in vitro IgM production, serum levels of immunoglobulins, somatomedin-C (Sm-C) values and serum growth-promoting activity (Thymidine Activity, TA) in 18 short children, aged between 6.6-14.5 years, undergoing a 3-month course of hGH therapy. Blood was collected the day before treatment (Group A), on the 5th day after patients were administered hGH daily (0.1 U/kg) i.m. for 4 days (Group B), after a 3-month course of hGH injected three times weekly, and finally before (Group C) and 24 h after an extra injection (Group D). In vitro IgM production from the patients' unstimulated lymphocytes decreased from 277 +/- 41 (Group A) to 168 +/- 38 (Group B), to 119 +/- 43 (Group C) and then to 119 +/- 28 ng/ml (Group D) (p less than 0.05). Using PWM-stimulated lymphocytes in vitro IgM production decreased from 2,015 +/- 464 (Group A) to 1,116 +/- 316 (Group B), then to 511 +/- 170 (Group C) and 968 +/- 295 ng/ml (Group D) (p less than 0.02). The variation of this decrease could be correlated with the variation of growth velocity during treatment (r = 0.619, p less than 0.05). In contrast, no significant changes were found following therapy either in serum levels of IgA, IgE, IgG, IgM, Sm-C and TA, or in phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen-stimulated lymphoproliferation. Our data suggest that there is some relationship between growth hormone, growth and immunity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

[Prostaglandin E2 liberation in the synovial fluid induced by organo-iodinated contrast media. Interrelations with the genesis of post-arthrographic pain].

RCM have been observed to cause--during arthrography--the appearance of a slow onset painful symptomatology with the clinical characteristics of a slight and transient acute arthritis. These substances are supposed to set in a production of humoral mediators of inflammation with algogenic action--PGE2 in particular. During arthrography of the knee the release of synovial fluid PGE2 after RCM introduction was studied. Two RCM were compared: meglumine iothalamate and iopamidol. Twenty patients underwent arthrography of the knee: synovial fluid PGE2 concentration was measured both before and 15' after RCM introduction with 125I-RIA method. Results show a significant increase in PGE2 concentration after both iothalamate (p less than 0.0001) and iopamidol (p less than 0.01) --especially in iothalamate--treated patients (p less than 0.01). A physiopathologic mechanism about post-arthrographic pain and, more generally, about RCM toxicity is thus hypothesized.

Arthrography↗
PubMed1987

Clinical pharmacokinetics and metabolism of pyrazinamide in healthy volunteers.

Eight healthy volunteers were treated with a single dose of pyrazinamide 35 mg/kg. The aim of the study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile of the product and of its metabolites. Urine and blood samples were collected till the 60th h. The kinetics of pyrazinamide could be characterized as follows: CPmax = 50.1 micrograms/ml, tmax less than 1 h, t1/2 alpha = 3.2 h, t1/2 beta = 23 h, U(0-60 h) = 1.6% of the dose administered. The kinetics of the main metabolite, the pyrazinoic acid, gave the following values: CPmax = 66.6 micrograms/ml, tmax = 4 h, t1/2 beta = 12.3 h, U(0-60 h) = 37.5%, of the administered dose.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Synthetic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-44) in the differential diagnosis between hypothalamic and pituitary GH deficiency.

GH response to an iv bolus of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-44, 2 micrograms/kg iv) was evaluated in 17 prepubertal children with total GH deficiency (GHD), 6 with partial GHD and in 7 prepubertal normal but short children tested as control. GH response to conventional pharmacological (insulin and arginine or L-Dopa) and physiological stimuli (sleep test) and to GHRH test was also compared. GHRH-induced GH peak occurred at variable times and marked heterogeneity in magnitude of the individual responses to this peptide was observed in GHD patients and in controls. GH increases after GHRH with a peak greater than 10 ng/ml suggested an hypothalamic origin of the GHD in 12 patients (8 with total GHD and 4 with partial GHD). A significant difference (p less than 0.025) of GH peak mean following GHRH administration between total GHD children and normal short children was found. GH response to GHRH injection was usually higher than to conventional stimuli. Nevertheless GH peak following GHRH administration was lower than GH peak following conventional stimuli in 6 children (2 partial GHD children and 4 normal ones). A normal short child failed to respond to GHRH test performed twice. GHRH test is an important diagnostic tool in order to point out hypothalamic GHD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

A pharmacokinetic study on midazolam in compensated liver cirrhosis.

The authors studied the pharmacokinetic behaviour of a new benzodiazepine, midazolam, after a single oral administration in a group of five patients of both sexes, suffering from compensated alcoholic cirrhosis. In this clinical situation both absorption and metabolism rates of the compound were similar to those observed in healthy subjects. The only notable effect, occurring in one severely affected cirrhotic, consisting of prolonged pharmacological activity of the drug.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Benzydamine for the topical treatment of vulvovaginitis in children and adolescents.

A study was undertaken in children and adolescents aged 4-18 years on the value of benzydamine vaginal douche in addition to chemotherapy for moderate to severe vulvovaginitis, including those also suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). It is considered that topical benzydamine gave beneficial results compared with the controls receiving chemotherapy alone and had in the IDDM patients a useful prophylactic effect.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Bioavailability of bromazepam in man after single administration of an oral solution.

The relative bioavailability of a liquid oral form of 7-bromo-1,3-dihydro-5-(2-pyridyl)-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (bromazepam, Lexotan, Lexotanil) in comparison with the conventional oral form (capsules) was investigated. The study was performed on six healthy volunteers who were administered both the drug products in a single oral dose of 3 mg of bromazepam in a randomized cross-over trial. An additional investigation was performed on the same subjects by administering the liquid oral solution at a lower dosage: 1.5 mg in order to confirm first-order kinetics at low dosage, too. The results showed the same bioavailability for the oral forms tested and confirmed first-order kinetics for the 1.5 mg dose, too.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1984

Long-term treatment of chronic schizophrenics with clopenthixol decanoate.

A study was carried out in 68 chronic schizophrenic out-patients to assess the therapeutic effectiveness and tolerance of long-term maintenance treatment with a depot preparation of clopenthixol decanoate. Patients received 200 mg to 600 mg doses by intramuscular injection every 2 to 3 weeks for a mean treatment period of 20.3 months. Clinical symptomatology was assessed at regular intervals using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and any adverse effects were recorded against a standard check-list. The results showed that there was a significant reduction in total and factor composition BPRS scores after treatment in all patients, the improvement becoming generally evident by the sixth month of treatment. Few autonomic and neurological side-effects were reported.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Pharmacokinetics in the elderly.

The article discusses how and why drug responses are altered in elderly patients. It describes how the mutation of body composition and decay of physiological functions in the aged alters the pharmacokinetic parameters and consequently the drug responses. It also provides guidelines on which to base estimates of an accurate drug schedule.

Absorption↗