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Biomedical subjects

M Filippini

Publications and source records attributed to M Filippini.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Influence of protein catabolic rate on nutritional status, morbidity and mortality in elderly uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis: a prospective 3-year follow-up study.

It has been recently reported that elderly chronic haemodialysis (CHD) patients have a reduced protein catabolic rate (PCRn) in spite of an adequate Kt/V. However until now the long-term consequences of this fact on the nutritional status, morbidity, and mortality were not known. This prospective study evaluates, over a period of 3 years, the effect of the reduced PCRn on some nutritional parameters, morbidity mortality in CHD patients older than 65 years with adequate and stable Kt/V. Over the period 1990-1993 we evaluated 42 CHD patients over 65 years (mean +/- SD 72 +/- 5 years). PCRn, total serum proteins, serum albumin concentration, body weight, body mass index (BMI) and serum transferrin were determined at the start of the study and followed yearly until the end of observation. The incidence of hospitalization/patient-year, the mortality rate and the causes of death were also recorded. All the patients were managed to maintain a Kt/V > 0.9 throughout the study. Twenty-two patients (Group A), mean age 70 +/- 4 years, completed the entire period of observation. Their Kt/V was 1.10 +/- 0.12, PCRn was 0.95 +/- 0.12 g/kg/day, and serum albumin concentration was 40.2 +/- 1.5 g/l, and these did not change significantly. The other parameters also remained stable over time. Twenty patients (Group B) died. Their mean age was 74 +/- 6 years. This group's Kt/V was 1.11 +/- 0.15, PCRn was 0.94 +/- 0.18 g/kg/day, and serum albumin concentration was 39 +/- 3.1 g/l, and there were no significant variations between the start and the end of observation for all the parameters studied.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Intraluminal gastric pH in chronic pancreatitis.

The aim of this study was to assess the circadian variations of intragastric pH in 28 inpatients with chronic pancreatitis (mean (SD) age 46.8 (12.4) years) and in 14 controls (45.4 (9.8)). pH Metry was performed using a monocrystalline antimony electrode placed in the body of the stomach under fluoroscopic control and connected up to a recorder (MKII Digitrapper, Synectics). The evaluation parameters, expressed as median and interquartile range, were: total period, postprandial periods (P1 and P2), interdigestive, and nocturnal phases. Patients with chronic pancreatitis were subdivided into three groups on the basis of severity of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (secretin-caerulein test: lipase output at 60-90 min)--that is, those with severe insufficiency (chronic pancreatitis-SI: 13 patients, lipase output < 10% normal values and pancreolauryl test < 20%), those with only mild insufficiency (chronic pancreatitis-MI: seven patients), and those with normal secretion (chronic pancreatitis-NF: eight patients). The chronic pancreatitis-SI patients present significantly greater gastric acidification in the postprandial periods compared with controls (P1: p < 0.001; P2: p < 0.01), and with chronic pancreatitis-MI plus chronic pancreatitis-NF subjects (P1: p < 0.01; P2: p < 0.05), taken together. In conclusion, gastric acidity, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and impaired digestion are closely related during the course of chronic pancreatitis.

Bicarbonates↗
PubMed1994

No changes in PAI-1 levels after four-month n-3 PUFA ethyl ester supplementation in healthy subjects.

Recent studies have indicated that diets rich in fish or supplemented with fish oils may increase PAI-1 plasma levels. However, this finding has not been consistent and could be related, at least in part, to the type of supplementation. Aim of this study was to investigate the effects of medium-term treatment with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ethyl esters on fibrinolysis. Twenty normolipemic healthy male subjects (age 27 to 41 yrs) were randomly assigned to receive either 4 x 1 g capsules of n-3 PUFA ethyl esters (ESAPENT, Farmitalia-Carlo Erba, Milan, Italy) or 4 x 1 g capsules of olive oil (as placebo) for 4 months in a double blind study. Blood samples for lipid and hemostatic studies were obtained at 0, 2, and 4 months of treatment and 1, 2 and 3 months of wash-out. Plasma lipids, fibrinolytic system, lipoprotein (a)-Lp(a)-, fibrinogen (Fbg) and prothrombin activation fragment 1+2 (F1+2) were assayed. No changes in these parameters were observed in the group of ten subjects treated with olive oil. After n-3 PUFA supplementation no significant alterations were found in plasma lipids, even if a trend to lower triglyceride and Lp(a) levels was detectable. No changes in either PAI-1 activity or PAI-1 antigen levels or F1+2 plasma levels were observed. A trend to lower Fbg levels was found after n-3 PUFA, but changes were not statistically significant. The results of this study indicate that a 4-month treatment with 4 g daily n-3 PUFA ethyl esters does not affect PAI-1 plasma levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Physical exercise and hemostasis.

A number of hemostatic changes involving platelets, coagulation and fibrinolysis have been reported after acute physical exercise. Results have sometimes been controversial, due to differences in subjects investigated, type of exercise and methods used for hemostatic evaluation. On the whole, physical exercise has been shown to induce: (1) increases in platelet number and activity, (2) activation of coagulation leading to a slight but significant thrombin generation and (3) activation of fibrinolysis. These changes are short lasting. Less known are hemostatic changes induced by exercise training programs: a few data are available on the effects on platelets and coagulation, whereas studies performed on fibrinolysis show a decrease in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 levels at rest and an increase in fibrinolytic capacity after training.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1994

Euglobulin lysis time in fresh and stored samples.

Euglobulin lysis time is a global test for the study of fibrinolysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of storage of plasma and euglobulin precipitates on euglobulin lysis time, by testing samples stored in different conditions. In 20 healthy subjects, euglobulin lysis time was measured by (1) euglobulin precipitates prepared within 90 minutes from blood withdrawal (reference euglobulin lysis time); (2) euglobulin precipitates obtained from platelet-poor plasma stored for 24 hours at either -80 degrees C or at -20 degrees C; (3) euglobulin precipitates frozen for 24 hours at either -80 degrees C or at -20 degrees C; (4) euglobulin precipitates dissolved in Owren's buffer and frozen for 24 hours at either -80 degrees C or at -20 degrees C. Euglobulin lysis time measured on euglobulin precipitates dissolved in Owren's buffer and stored at -20 degrees C and at -80 degrees C, and euglobulin lysis time measured on platelet-poor plasma stored at -20 degrees C were significantly longer than the reference euglobulin lysis time (at least P < .05). On the contrary, no changes were observed in euglobulin lysis time measured on platelet-poor plasma stored at -80 degrees C, and on euglobulin precipitates undissolved and stored at -20 degrees C and at -80 degrees C versus reference euglobulin lysis time. The pattern was similar in samples obtained both before and after venous occlusion. These data indicate that the freezing of samples of platelet-poor plasma or euglobulin precipitates at -80 degrees C and of euglobulin precipitates at -20 degrees C makes the simultaneous determination of a large number of samples collected at different times the previous day possible.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Effect of alcohol and smoking on pancreatic lithogenesis in the course of chronic pancreatitis.

The aim of the study was to establish whether correlations were discernible between calcification, smoking, and other variables--including alcohol intake--in chronic pancreatitis. A total of 637 patients with chronic pancreatitis diagnosed over the period of 1973-1989 were reviewed. Only patients who had had one or more instrumental tests (ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, computed tomography, plain film of the abdomen) every 3 years were included in the study. Onset of calcification was taken as the end point of the follow-up. No statistically significant correlation was found between alcohol intake and calcification. As regards smoking habits, patients were divided into two groups: nonsmokers and medium-to-heavy smokers (> or = 10 cigarettes/day). Of 637 patients, only 570 fulfilled our criteria. Three hundred seventy-six patients (66%) developed calcifications, whereas 64 (10%) already presented calcifications at the time of diagnosis. Smoking correlated with formation of calcifications (p < 0.004). The mean time to onset of calcification in smokers was 8 years as against 12 years in nonsmokers. The relative risk of calcification in smokers versus nonsmokers was 1.21 (95% confidence limits: 1.10-1.32). By the end of follow-up (17 years), 277 smokers (69%) with chronic pancreatitis had developed calcifications compared with only 93 nonsmokers (55%). The results show that, in this sample of chronic pancreatitis sufferers, smokers present a significantly increased risk of developing calcifications.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Exocrine and endocrine functional reserve in the course of chronic pancreatitis as studied by maximal stimulation tests.

Thirty patients suffering from chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (18 calcified) were entered into a study of exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function based on two maximal stimulation tests, namely the secretin-cerulein test and the glucagon test with serum assays of C peptide. The glucagon test was also performed in 19 control subjects. In addition, 10 chronic pancreatitis patients and nine controls were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with serum insulin determinations. C peptide basal values were decreased only in patients with severe pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (P less than 0.001), while delta C peptide values were also reduced in patients with moderate exocrine insufficiency (P less than 0.001). Lipase output correlated very well with delta C peptide values (P less than 0.001). While serum insulin levels during OGTT and C peptide basal values showed no significant differences between the chronic pancreatitis and control groups, delta C peptide values were significantly reduced in chronic pancreatitis patients (P less than 0.02). Both endocrine and exocrine function are impaired in chronic pancreatitis, as demonstrated by maximal tests, even in early stages of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Long-term monitoring of renal transplant patients by a CUSUM test on serum creatinine.

A retrospective clinical assessment of kidney function change was performed on 38 kidney transplant patients over a median follow-up period of 128 weeks. Full records of the patients' course were available to the clinician, while only the serum creatinine series of each patient was supplied to the computer on which a bilateral CUSUM test was implemented. The frequency of change assessed by the clinician was 146 out of 2,688 patient-weeks. The computer identified the function changes with 84.9% sensitivity and 94.3% specificity and the function deteriorations attributed to rejection with 88.9% sensitivity and 97.2% specificity. Thus we suggest an efficient long-term monitoring of the graft function with this simple and reliable statistical technique.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Use of a minor fibrinolytic drug (mesoglycan) in phlebitis].

33 subjects (28 women and 5 men), aged 22-72 and suffering from various types and degrees of venous pathology (varicose syndromes, post-phlebitic syndromes, recent thrombophlebitis) were subjected to clinical study. All patients were treated with Mesoglycan, a fibrinolysis stimulating drug, in oral doses of 2 12 mg capsules 3 times a day for 30 days. The study was intended to show the effectiveness of such treatment, and consisted of a clinical and instrumental assessment of the subjective and objective symptoms associated with venous conditions. The results obtained were analysed statistically and confirmed the therapeutic effectiveness of Mesoglycan for this type of pathology, particularly for thrombophlebitis where treatment produced early and lasting results. In conclusion, both the experimental findings and the clinical results obtained, confirm the view that Mesoglycan is a drug of choice for the prevention and treatment of venous pathologies.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Study of parotid and mixed saliva in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

A study on the diagnostic value of the parotid and mixed saliva assay after stimulation with 1% pilocarpine hydrochloride was carried out in 36 controls and 26 patients affected with chronic pancreatitis. No statistical difference between the two groups was found as far as saliva volume, bicarbonate and amylase (concentration and output) are concerned. No correlation was found between the results of the saliva test and those of the secretin-pancreozymin test or endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. These data excluded any diagnostic role of the saliva test in chronic pancreatitis.

Amylases↗
PubMed1978

[Duodenal ulcer therapy with cimetidine. A clinical endoscopic study in 76 patients (author's transl)].

34 patients were treated with cimetidine and placebo in a double blind trial and 42 were treated with cimetidine alone. Criteria investigated were the pain response, consumption of antacids when required and especially the endoscopically demonstrated scarring of the duodenal ulcer. Compared with placebo, cimetidine is capable of soothing pain and also reducing the consumption of antacids more quickly and to a greater extent. The differences are statistically significant. Complete anatomical healing of the ulcer was established in the double blind study in 80% of the patients in the cimetidine group and in 40% of the placebo group. Similar results were also shown in the group which received cimetidine alone.

Cimetidine↗
PubMed1976

A case of common bile duct ascariasis diagnosed by duodenoscopy.

A case of common bile duct ascariasis diagnosed by duodenoscopy is presented. At the admission, the patient, cholecystectomized for gallstones 13 years before, had been complaining of epigastric pain associated with post-prandial and nocturnal vomiting. Physical examination showed only slight tenderness in the epigastrium. Laboratory findings were within normal limits, with the exception of a moderate leukocytosis. Intravenous cholangiography showed the lack of visualization of the terminal common bile duct, but the flow of contrast medium was normal. Duodenoscopy, carried out without a specific clinical suspicion, revealed an ascaris lumbricoides inserted in the common bile duct and partially protruding from the papilla Vateri. The patient was treated by piperazine, intravenous fluids, antibiotics and a choleretic compound. After 24 hours an ascaris 33 cm long was excreted in the faeces and the patient became symptom-free. Some pathophysiological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of biliary ascariasis are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of low-dose heparin treatment on fibrinolysis in patients with previous myocardial infarction.

The present study was designed to investigate whether medium-term, low-dose heparin treatment is able to affect the fibrinolytic system. In a randomized cross-over study 10 asymptomatic patients with previous (1-6 years) myocardial infarction underwent two sequential 15-day treatments, respectively, on heparin and on placebo (saline solution), preceded and separated by 10-day wash-out periods. Heparin (as calcium heparin, 12,500 IU in 0.5 ml) and saline (0.5 ml) were subcutaneously administered once a day at 8 a.m. Blood samples for fibrinolysis studies were withdrawn on the first and 15th day of each period immediately before and 4 h after heparin or saline administration before and after 10 min venous occlusion (VO) respectively. Four hours after the first heparin administration tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA ag) levels significantly increased with respect to saline administration (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively). After 15-day heparin treatment a decrease in euglobulin lysis time (p < 0.05) and an increase in t-PA activity (act) (p < 0.05) and in t-PA ag (p < 0.01) in comparison with placebo were observed before VO. No statistically significant changes in plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were found. The variations of fibrinolytic system activity induced by heparin treatment were more marked when evaluated after VO. These results indicate that medium-term low-dose heparin treatment increases t-PA ag formation and/or release with consequent t-PA act increase.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Minor salmonellosis in childhood: epidemiological and preventive considerations].

The diffusion of so-called minor salmonellosis in Italy, 18,135 isolates in 1985 -and the serious illness that they may induce in correlation to age and state of health have moved the Authors to consider their epidemiology and discuss their prevention. The morbidity per 100,000 population, from about 10 in the early '70s, has grown to a peak of 22.22 in 1976 and, after having irregularly reduced to a value of 16.76 in 1984, has grown again to 22.23 in 1986. Travelling abroad, modern breeding technologies, animals and raw food trade among States are frequently indicated as the most important factors in spreading salmonellas. The rise of morbidity in Italy has indeed occurred in concomitance with the renewal of breeding activity realized by means of animals imported from abroad, and moreover, presence of strains of S. typhimurium identical to those which caused serious epidemic outbreaks in bovine and humans in Great Britain and other Countries of North Europe is now ascertained. Recently, cooked ham prepared with raw meat contaminated with two serotypes uncommon in Italy (S. corvallis and S. mbandaka), imported from Rumania and Holland, has been the cause of two foodborne outbreaks each showing both of the above contaminants. At present, salmonellosis is quite common in large urban areas and is supported by person-to-person spread; more than 50% of the yearly isolates occurs in childhood Number of cases, their ages, sex distribution, and relative morbidity, have been calculated in Tab. 1, 2, 3, 4. From 1976 to 1986 the withdraw of S. wien, the research of excretors, and the improvement of quality of life, are all factors that may have favoured the lowering of morbidity at age zero, while the increasing of the same index at the ages 1-5 and 6-10 may correlate to the high number of serotypes of Salmonella now endemic in Italy. The diffusion of fast-food and the habit, recently acquired in our Country, to buy at shop cooked foods ready to eat, may be involved too. Age distribution shows a highest number of isolates at age zero and a still high number at ages 1, 2, and 3. Throughout childhood morbidity is lower in females. From 1975 on, the percentage increase of number of children admitted for minor salmonellosis is also indicated by surveys held at many Hospitals in Italy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Carrier State↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Medical therapy of chronic idiopathic constipation].

The medical care of the idiopathic constipation requires the correct patient identification based on precise classification items and on physiopathological considerations. The laxative abuse is often the most difficult problem to be solved and it has to be dealt with the consideration of different clinical aspects (wrong diet, psychological profile, concomitant diseases, drug therapy, etc.). The first step exactly consists in the identification and correction of the wrong convictions, of the behavioural attitudes and of the unbalanced dietary habits. Adding bran is the second widely accepted therapeutic step based on both physiopathological and epidemiological considerations. Even if the mechanism of action is still not completely understood, the fibre addition per se leads to an improvement of the constipation in quite a relevant percentage of patients, although it is often poorly tolerated. Nevertheless there are peculiar conditions not responsive to the bran addition such as the so-called "anismus". For these situations different therapeutic approaches have been proposed with variable results. Among these we can mention the re-educational programmes of the modalities of the defecation using biofeedback techniques. The chronic idiopathic constipation not respondent to the conventional medical therapy appears anyway a problematic and very difficult condition both from the investigational viewpoint and the therapeutic options. Finally it can be stated that the laxatives have a certain role in those clinical conditions most probably leading to the constipation. For each therapeutic drug class it is, of course, of great importance to know its mode of action as well as its adverse event profile.

Cathartics↗