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M Galimberti

Publications and source records attributed to M Galimberti.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Marrow transplantation in patients with advanced thalassemia.

In a study of the outcome of marrow transplantation in patients with advanced thalassemia, 40 patients with homozygous beta-thalassemia who were 8 to 15 years of age (median, 10) received HLA-identical allogeneic marrow after treatment with busulfan and cyclophosphamide. Twenty-eight of the 40 patients were alive and free of disease 260 to 939 days after transplantation, and 2 patients were alive with thalassemia 372 and 1133 days after transplantation. The actuarial probabilities of survival and of disease-free survival at two years were 75 percent and 69 percent, respectively. Ten patients (25 percent) died. Three died of cardiac failure, interstitial pneumonitis, or septicemia within 14 days of transplantation. Three died of infectious complications associated with acute graft-versus-host disease at 46 to 97 days, and two died of infectious complications of chronic graft-versus-host disease at 249 and 290 days. Two patients had transplant rejection and died with marrow aplasia 115 and 192 days after transplantation. One patient had rejection after four months and while the marrow was aplastic underwent a successful second transplantation; the patient was alive without thalassemia 624 days after the first transplantation. The actuarial probability of grade 2 or higher acute graft-versus-host disease in the 32 patients with initial sustained engraftment was 35 percent. Three patients had chronic graft-versus-host disease, which was fatal in two and still active on day 710 in the third. We conclude that bone marrow transplantation can potentially save patients with advanced thalassemia from an otherwise inexorable progression to death from the complications of blood transfusions. The ultimate outcome in this group of patients must await a longer follow-up.

Adolescent↗

[Primary extra-lymph node localization of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Considerations on a clinical case].

The location on first diagnosis of a non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NH lymphoma) in the respiratory structures (bronchi, pleura, pulmonary parenchyma) is rather rare (2-4%) in the absence of mediastinic and/or hilar adenopathy. In any event diagnosis is extremely difficult, often impossible even with the aid of a properly conducted biopsy since the biopsy does not provide suitable material. The case is presented of a 72 year old woman with intermittent hyperpyrexia and multiple alveolar masses, the aetiology of which was only identified 8 months after the onset of the symptoms with the appearance of latero-cervical lymphadenopathy where biopsy revealed the presence of an N.H. lymphoma that was highly malignant but otherwise unspecificable.

Aged↗

Bone marrow transplantation in leukemia: experience of Pesaro.

The authors report the results of 113 patients who underwent bone marrow transplant for acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia in complete remission and relapse after different conditioning regimens.

Acute Disease↗

[Study of hypophyseal and gonadal hormones and cases of postmenopausal occurrence of bronchial asthma].

A study was conducted into the hormone profile of women with no previous history of allergy who developed bronchial asthma after menopause in order to discover any differences between these and patients of a similar age with allergic bronchial asthma. The serum levels of the following hypophyseal and gonadal hormones were therefore analysed: luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL), 17 oestradiol (17BE2) in both groups of patients and in a control group of healthy postmenopausal volunteers. The results showed lower FSH and LH and higher 17B7(2) levels in the patients with bronchial asthma but no clinical history of allergy than in either the patients with allergic asthma or the healthy volunteers. When the hormone picture in some of the group 1 patients normalised, the clinical symptoms disappeared. One possible explanation is the following: excess oestrogen in the "non-allergy" patients might have caused an imbalance in the PgF/PgE ratio which is thought to contribute to the regulation of bronchomotor tone. The same phenomena might also have accelerated the release of arachidonic acid and its metabolites.

Age Factors↗

Marrow transplantation for thalassaemia following busulphan and cyclophosphamide.

30 patients with homozygous beta-thalassaemia aged 6 months to 7 years received allogeneic marrow transplants following busulphan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy). Post-transplant immunosuppression was with methotrexate (MTX) or MTX and Cy. The first 6 patients received 16 mg/kg Bu and 200 mg/kg Cy. 3 died of transplant-related complications and 3 survived without thalassaemia 701-762 days after transplantation. The subsequent 24 patients received 14 mg/kg Bu and 200 mg/kg Cy. 1 died on day 28 without engraftment and 23 survived 64-624 days after transplantation. 19 of the 23 surviving patients are without thalassaemia while 4 patients with initial engraftment became thalassaemic again in 32-46 days and survived 253-624 days after transplantation. The latest death was 50 days after transplantation. The probability of developing grade 2 or greater acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) in patients with sustained engraftment was 23%. 5 patients had chronic GVHD which is still active and causing disability in 3 patients 358, 456, and 477 days after transplantation. The actuarial survival was 86% and the actuarial disease-free survival was 73%.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Allogeneic marrow transplantation for thalassemia.

Thirteen patients with homozygous beta thalassemia underwent allogeneic marrow transplantation from sibling donors, 12 of whom were heterozygous for beta thalassemia. Six patients were transplanted in an advanced stage of their disease while seven were transplanted early in their disease course. Donors and recipients were genotypically identical for the HLA-A, -B and -D loci in 11 cases and mismatched for the D locus in two. A variety of preparative regimens was utilized involving high doses of busulphan (Bu) and/or cyclophosphamide (CY) and/or total body irradiation (TBI). Failure of engraftment or autologous hematologic recovery after transient engraftment was seen after intensive preparative regimens including: CY 200 mg/kg and 800 rad of TBI; Bu 8 mg/kg and CY 200 mg/kg; and Bu 8 mg/kg, CY 200 mg/kg, and 300 rad of TBI. A regimen of Bu 16 mg/kg, CY 200 mg/kg, and 400 rad of TBI resulted in deaths from transplant-related causes in the three patients treated with this regimen. Seven of the 13 patients are surviving 363-665 days after transplant. Five of the seven failed to achieve engraftment or had autologous reconstitution after transient engraftment. Five of the six deaths were transplant related, and one patient died of cardiac failure one year after an unsuccessful transplant attempt. Two patients are surviving with engraftment and without thalassemia major 363 and 491 days after transplantation. Both of these patients were transplanted early in their disease course.

Adolescent↗

Fetal liver transplantation in 2 patients with acute leukaemia after total body irradiation.

2 patients with acute leukaemia in relapse were transplanted with fetal liver cells following a conditioning regimen of cyclophosphamide (120 mg/kg) and total body irradiation (1000 r). Each patient achieved a remission with haematopoietic recovery that was rapid in one case and delayed in the other. In one case there was evidence of chimerism as demonstrated by the presence of the XYY karyotype of the donor fetus in 20% of marrow metaphases, by the presence of double Y bodies in the peripheral blood, by the appearance of new HLA-antigens, and by red cell isoenzyme phenotypes of donor origin. In the second case there was prompt haematopoietic recovery and the appearance of red cell isoenzyme phenotype of donor origin. Survival was 153 and 30 d, respectively, and both patients died of interstitial pneumonia without evidence of graft versus host disease.

Acute Disease↗

Bone marrow transplantation for thalassemia.

Early trials of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for homozygous beta-thalassemia and the analyses of results of transplantation in patients less than 16 years old have allowed us to identify three classes of risk using the criteria of degree of hepatomegaly, the degree of portal fibrosis and the quality of the chelation treatment given before the transplant. Patients for whom all three criteria were adverse constituted class 3, patients with none of the adverse criteria constituted class one and patients with one or various association of the adverse criteria formed Class 2. Most patients older than 16 years have disease characteristics that place them in class 3 with very few in class 2. For all the patients with an HLA identical donor we are actually using two Protocols for BMT to whom the patients are assigned on the base of the class they belong to at the time of BMT and independently on the age of the patient. For class 1, class 2 and for class 3 the probabilities of survival and of event-free-survival are respectively of 98% and 94%, 87% and 84%, 100% and 67%. For those patients that were older than 16 years at the time of the transplant, the probabilities of survival are 82% and the probabilities of event-free survival are 79%. Bone marrow transplantation is a new form of radical treatment of thalassemia in those patients with an HLA identical donor.

Adolescent↗

Clinical and biochemical reactivation of HBV infection in a thalassemic patient after bone marrow transplantation.

The case of a young man affected by homozygous beta-thalassemia is reported who had serologic findings of a prior HBV infection and who presented with clinical and biochemical acute HBV infection probably caused by HBV reactivation after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The patient's clinical history suggests that HBV can persist without serological findings of HBsAg and HBV-DNA in persons previously infected by HBV and that HBV reactivation can occur 2 years after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, as a result of immunosuppressive therapy or an HCV activation.

Adult↗

Cardiac and pulmonary effects of alpha tumor necrosis factor administered by isolation perfusion.

AIMS: We studied cardiac and pulmonary function in 22 patients affected by in transit metastases from cutaneous melanoma and metastases from soft tissue sarcoma of the limbs and treated with isolation perfusion in extracorporeal circulation with rTNF alpha at doses ranging from 0.5 to 4 mg/m2 in mild hyperthermia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients experienced a septic-like shock syndrome of variable severity: this feature lasted from 24 to 72 h and was controlled by the infusion of dopamine. Seventeen patients suffered from respiratory insufficiency, which required assisted ventilation (7 cases mechanical ventilation for 1 day, 8 cases for 2 days, and 2 cases synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation). RESULTS: Spirometric parameters recorded 7-15 days after treatment did not change from baseline values. In contrast, lung transfer factor for carbon monoxide significantly declined in a dose dependent fashion. CONCLUSIONS: Our data confirm that rTNF alpha administered by isolation perfusion technique induces systemic cardiovascular and pulmonary side effects. Further studies are required to better define time course and reversibility of impaired pulmonary function.

Adult↗

An epidemiological survey on the allergological importance of some emerging pollens in Italy.

Epidemiological studies on the pollens responsible for allergic diseases throughout Italy are lacking. Routine diagnostic panels consist prevalently of grass, Parietaria, weeds, birch, olive and mugwort. Considering the great variety of Italian geographical areas and the observation of the growing allergological importance of new botanical species (e.g., ambrosia), a survey on pollen species considered "minor" was necessary. A panel of "emerging" pollens (birch, hazelnut, alder, hornbeam, cypress, ragweed) and a routine panel were used to skin prick test 2,934 consecutive outpatients with respiratory pathology of suspected allergic origin, in 21 centers across Italy. A specific questionnaire was compiled. It was found that 20.1% of patients did not react to allergens tested, 28.2% were positive for at least one emerging pollen and 51.7% did not react to emerging pollens but tested positive for at least one allergen from the routine panel. The prevalence of single pollen species was related to geographical areas. Ragweed pollen was shown to provoke asthma much more frequently than other pollens. Hitherto scarcely considered pollens play a considerable role in causing allergic diseases in Italy. In the great majority of patients, positivity for these pollens was associated with positivity to the better recognized group of pollen allergens, although in some cases they were the primary pathogenic agent. We suggest that these more recently considered allergens be included in routine diagnostic panels.

Adult↗