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Biomedical subjects

M Parodi

Publications and source records attributed to M Parodi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Effects of acute administration of zetidoline, a new antidopaminergic drug, on plasma prolactin and aldosterone levels in man.

The neuroendocrinological effects of acute oral administration of 20 mg zetidoline, a new antipsychotic drug with antidopaminergic properties, were evaluated in 8 healthy volunteers, by a double-blind, crossover comparison with placebo. Zetidoline significantly increased serum prolactin (p less than 0.01 at 1-3 h; p less than 0.05 at 4-6 h). No significant change was observed in blood levels of aldosterone, renin, cortisol, growth hormone and electrolyte, or in blood pressure and heart rate. The data suggest that the drug increases prolactin through blockade of dopaminergic receptors. The lack of change in the aldosterone levels may be evidence against the hypothesis of dopaminergic control of aldosterone secretion.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

[Possibilities and limitations of the direct radioimmunological method with double guinea-pig antibody in the detection of serum Australia antigen].

The results obtained with the direct radioimmunological method and electrosyneresis in the search for Australia antigen were compared in 3100 donor sera. In a limited number of sera, the positivity of radioimmunological examination was tested by neutralization tests with human antibody and with the serum of normal guinea-pigs. Electrosyneresis proved positive in 4% of cases, while radioimmunological examination produced a clearly positive result in 6.7% of cases and a faintly positive or doubtful result in 1.8%. The presence of doubtful results is due to the fact that the distribution of values obtained shows some overlapping between normal population and population of subjects carrying the antigen. The neutralization tests have shown a high incidence (45%) of aspecific positivity between the sera proving positive at radioimmunological examination and negative at electrosyneresis. This inconvenience should be resolved by the recent introduction of a radioimmunological method which provides for use of labelled antibody of human origin.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Correlation between radiographic, echographic and MRI changes and rheumatoid arthritis progression].

OBJECTIVES: To review the imaging methods used for the evaluation of disease progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate the results of their application in pharmacological trials. METHODS: Literature articles dealing with radiology, echography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with RA were evaluated in a non-systematic fashion. RESULTS: Conventional radiology is the gold standard for the evaluation of disease progression in RA because of its diffusion, economy, and standardization. Different techniques have been proposed to evaluate radiological damage of the joints, with the Larsen's and Sharp's methods being most widely used. These methods are commonly used for the evaluation of the ability of DMARDs to slow RA progression. Among traditional DMARDs, gold salts, sulphasalazine, methotrexate, cyclosporin, and leflunomide have shown efficacy in slowing the appearance of new erosions. The same effect has been recently demonstrated for infliximab plus methotrexate, anakinra and etanercept. However, conventional radiology has several disadvantages, because it is monoplanar and has a low sensitivity to change. Newer imaging techniques, such as echography and MRI are extensively studied and have been used occasionally in the mediumterm evaluation of DMARDs, with promising results. CONCLUSIONS: Although conventional radiology is still the gold standard for the evaluation of disease progression in RA, newer techniques are increasingly studied. In particular, standardization of echographic and MRI imaging of the joints is in progress.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comorbidities in rheumatoid arthritis: analysis of hospital discharge records].

OBJECTIVE: Arthritis is often associated with comorbidities. For many of them, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, and upper gastrointestinal disease, arthritis and its treatment may also represent a risk factor. This study is concerned with an evaluation of the frequency of comorbidities in a cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The discharge diagnoses of patients with RA during the period 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000 were retrieved from the database of the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Genova, Italy. The diagnosis of RA was made if the patient's discharge record contained the code 714 of the International Classification of Diseases, IX revision, as first 3 numbers. The other diagnoses were also recorded along with demographic data, type and duration of hospital stay, and performed procedures. RESULTS: During the study period, 427 patients with RA were admitted to the hospital for a total number of 761 admissions, which represented 2.2% of total admissions. Ninety-one (21.3%) patients did not have comorbidities, whereas 336 (78.6%) had one or more comorbidities. The most frequently observed comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (34.6%), including hypertension (14.5%) and angina (3.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (24.5%), genito-urinary (18.7%) and respiratory (17%) diseases. There was a male predominance (p=0.004) within patients with comorbidities, who were significantly older (64.2+/-3.2 years vs. 57.2+/-4.2 years; p<0.001) and required longer periods of hospital stay (22.7 days vs. 12.5 days; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidities are present in nearly 80% of RA inpatients. Comorbidity is a good predictor of health outcome, health services utilization, and medical costs. Because RA comorbidity can act as confounder, it should be considered in epidemiologic studies and clinical trials.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How normal are the hands of normal controls? A study with dedicated magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate bone and soft tissue changes in the hands of normal subjects by MRI. METHODS: Twenty-three normal volunteers (16 women) agreed to be examined. MRI of the hand was performed with a dedicated-extremity 0.2 Tesla device using gradient echo, spin echo and STIR sequences. Joint space width was measured in 16 different locations of the hand. Bone lesions, including bone oedema, ankylosis, and erosions, as well as the presence of tenosynovitis were investigated. RESULTS: Reproducibility of measures of joint space width was relatively good with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.82 and 0.71 in the intra-observer and inter-observer evaluations, respectively. No age- or sex-related differences of joint space were observed. Reproducibility of the readings of bone oedema and tenosynovitis were optimal. Bone oedema and erosions were observed in 2/23 (8.7%) and in 6/23 (26.1%) subjects, respectively. Tenosynovitis of the extensor tendons was present in 1/23 subjects (4.3%), whereas tenosynovitis of the flexor tendons was seen in 4/23 (17.4%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that joint changes considered to be peculiar of arthritis can be found by MRI in a relevant percentage of healthy subjects. Our data suggest that a control group of healthy subjects should be included in MRI studies on the appearance of the wrist in disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Systemic lupus erythematosus induced by drugs].

The clinical and morphological characteristics of drug-induced lupus (DIL) are not unlike those of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, DIL is characterised by several distinct features: the two sexes are equally affected; onset occurs in advanced middle-age; the black population is seldom affected. Genetic predisposition seems to influence the onset of disease: subjects affected by DIL are prevalently HLA-DR4 haplotypes with a slow acetylator condition. Modifications in humoral immunity include the presence of anti-nuclear antibodies, denatured anti-DNA antibodies, and antihistone antibodies. Likewise, anti-lymphocytotoxic antibodies, increased ESR and hypocomplementemia are often observed. Little is known about alterations in cellular immunity but the dysregulation of lymphocyte T-helper and T-suppressor activity may be an important feature. Drugs most often leading to DIL include hydralazine, beta-blockers, procainamide and hydantoin. Current pathogenetic theories include a possible immune drug-DNA cross-reaction, the induction of new antigenic structures, an interaction between drugs and immunomodulating cells.

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents↗