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Biomedical subjects

M Musso

Publications and source records attributed to M Musso.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1971

Pathological factors in survival of lung tumours: local extent, size, and nodal involvement.

The pathological features, particularly local extent, size, and nodal involvement, of 405 surgical specimens of human lung carcinomas were studied. A direct relationship was found between local extent and size of the tumour and between local extent and the incidence of lymph node metastasis, but not between tumour size and the incidence of lymph node metastasis. The survival rates in the 405 tumours were calculated with the actuarial method in relation to the 3 pathological factors: local extent, lymph node metastasis and tumour size showed a predictive value in prognosis of lung tumours. Their prognostic value, however, was much more meaningful when the three pathological factors were considered in relation to each other. As a matter of fact, the size of the tumour showed no predictive value when lymph node metastasis was present. On the ground of the mutual influence of the 3 factors in affecting prognosis a pathological stage-grouping of lung tumours has been suggested.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Complementary medicine and oncologists' attitudes: a survey in Italy.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: There is growing interest in medical practices other than conventional medicine (complementary medicine, CM). CM is widely used by cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge of and the attitude towards CM in a sample of Italian allopathic oncologists. METHODS: Seventy-six oncologists of the Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro of Genoa, 80 oncologists working at the Istituto Tumori Fondazione Pascale of Naples, and 100 hospital practitioners of the Province of Sondrio were asked to answer a self-administered structured questionnaire on CM. The level of their knowledge on CM, their opinion on CM and on CM therapists, the sources of information, the use of CM for themselves, the practice of CM and the attitude to refer patients to CM were investigated. RESULTS: Replies were received from 190 oncologists. The response rate was significantly lower for the oncologists of Naples. One-fifth of the physicians replied that they had no knowledge of CM. The main sources of information were newspapers and TV. One-fourth of the physicians had personally used CM. About one-fourth of the physicians had practiced a kind of CM. The percentage of oncologists from Genoa who would refer their cancer patients to CM was significantly higher than the others. The physicians thought that about 84% of their patients used CM. The variables considered were tested in a multivariate model. The oncologists from Genoa showed a significantly increased risk of referring their patients to CM. Oncologists who had personally used CM referred patients to CM 3 times more frequently than the others. CONCLUSIONS: A large percentage of cancer patients used CM according to their physicians. The level and the quality of the knowledge of CM of the oncologists interviewed were low. The oncologists could hardly be helpful for their patients in dealing with therapies different from conventional medicine.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Homocysteine, folate therapy and outcome in hemodialysis: results from a prospective study].

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-known effectiveness of folate therapy on hyperhomocysteinemia in hemodialysis, its benefits on outcome are still unclear. METHODS: Sixty-five patients on thrice-weekly maintenance hemodialysis lasting more than 3 months were followed up for 1 year after stratification by predialysis homocysteine level (tHcy). Parenteral folate (25 mg quarterly) and cobalamine (1 mg quarterly) therapy was started only if the tHcy levels were > 30 uM/L at baseline or at scheduled retests (every 7 months). End points were overall mortality and new ischemic events (affecting heart, brain, or lower extremities). RESULTS: 58.5% of patients received treatment at baseline and achieved a 60% reduction of tHcy. 38.1% progressed to levels of over 30 tHcy at 6 months and were placed on treatment. No other major changes occurred until the end of the study. An excess of both overall mortality (30.8% versus 12.1%; p = 0.075) and vascular morbidity (38.5% versus 12.1%; p = 0.03) occurred in initially untreated patients,those presenting without baseline intermediate to severe hyperhomocysteinemia. CONCLUSIONS: In undertaking hemodialysis, it appears that treating intermediate to severe hyperhomocysteinemia carries better prognosis for outcome than untreated moderate or absent hyperhomocysteinemia. It is uncertain if the benefit of therapy is valid, or if it is confounded by an association between lower tHhy and hidden malnutrition or concomitant diseases.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Potentiation of the antiblastic activity of mafosfamide by GM-CSF and interleukin-3: a possible use in the treatment of acute myeloblastic leukemia].

The low activity of antiblastic drugs on tumor cells in the G0 phase is an important limitation in the therapy of malignancies. Cells in the G0 phase are able to enter in cycle any time after chemotherapy treatment, causing relapse of the disease. The use of colony stimulating factors (for example granulocyte-macrophage stimulating factor-GM-CSF and interleukin 3-IL-3) permits the recruitment in cycle of myeloblastic leukemic cells in the G0 phase and thus a cellular population sensitive to chemotherapy. We evaluated the in vitro activity of GM-CSF and IL-3 in fresh myeloblastic leukemic cells: after 96 h of incubation with GM-CSF (500 U/mL), IL-3 (500 U/mL), and GM-CSF + IL-3 (500 + 500 U/mL), 10(6) cells were treated with mafosfamide (30 microgram/mL x 30 min); 10(6) cells were simultaneously treated with mafosfamide without preincubation with colony stimulating factors. The sensitivity of leukemic cells preincubated with GM-CSF and IL-3 to the cytotoxic action of mafosfamide was greater than that of the control cells treated with mafosfamide alone. No enhancement of cytotoxic activity of mafosfamide was observed with GM-CSF + IL-3 combined treatment. The use of colony stimulating factors may effectively increase the number of leukemic cells sensitive to alkylating drugs.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Double-stranded RNA excess in hematologic diseases: clinical implications.

Evaluation of double-stranded RNA by flow cytometric analysis is an important parameter for discriminating quantitatively between human tumoral and normal cells. We studied double-stranded RNA (ds-RNA) measurements using propidium-iodide after DNase treatment in bone marrow and in peripheral blood cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma. The highest incidence of ds-RNA excess (greater than 30%) was observed in patients with acute leukemia (75%), while those displaying it in complete remission phase were 20-25% and in relapse about 80%. A high incidence was also noted in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in blastic crisis (100%) and in patients with multiple myeloma with heavy tumor stage myeloma (78%). We never observed an elevated ds-RNA excess in the control group, formed by normal peripheral blood lymphocytes. Indeed the specificity of this tumor marker is attested to not only by its high levels in various hematologic malignancies, but also by its absence in normal cells. Hence the importance of its clinical implications in malignant hematologic diseases is confirmed.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗