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Biomedical subjects

M Renzi

Publications and source records attributed to M Renzi.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Transesophageal dipyridamole echocardiography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

The value of transthoracic dipyridamole echocardiography has been extensively documented. However, in some patients, because of a poor acoustic window, the rest transthoracic examination is not always feasible and the transesophageal approach is more convenient. Therefore, transesophageal echocardiography with high dose dipyridamole (up to 0.84 mg/kg body weight over 10 min) was performed in 32 patients in whom the transthoracic dipyridamole test either was not feasible (n = 29) or yielded ambiguous results (n = 3). The transesophageal echocardiographic test results were considered abnormal when new dipyridamole-induced regional wall motion abnormalities were observed. All 32 patients underwent coronary angiography; significant coronary artery disease was defined as greater than or equal to 70% lumen diameter narrowing in at least one major vessel. All patients also performed a bicycle exercise test 1 day before transesophageal dipyridamole echocardiography. Transesophageal stress studies were completed in all patients, with a maximal imaging time (in tests with a negative result) of 20 min. No side effects or intolerance to drug or transducer was observed. The left ventricle was always visualized in the four-chamber and transgastric short-axis views. High quality two-dimensional echocardiographic images were obtained in all patients both at rest and at peak dipyridamole infusion and were digitally analyzed in a quad-screen format. Coronary angiography showed coronary artery obstruction in 24 patients: 6 had single-, 9 double- and 9 triple-vessel disease. The transesophageal dipyridamole test showed a specificity of 100% and an overall sensitivity of 92%. The sensitivity of this test for single-, double- and triple-vessel disease was 67%, 100% and 100%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Coronary Angiography

Assessment of severity of coronary narrowings by quantitative exercise echocardiography and comparison with quantitative arteriography.

To determine the correlation of quantitative assessment of coronary narrowings with left ventricular functional impairment induced by exercise, 57 patients with 1-vessel coronary artery disease and without evidence of collateral flow were studied. A significant relation was observed between minimal cross-sectional area, percent area stenosis, minimal lumen diameter, percent diameter stenosis and the percentage of segmental area change from rest to peak exercise in a vascular distribution territory (r = 0.76, p less than 0.001; r = -0.55, p less than 0.001; r = 0.56, p less than 0.001; r = -0.75, p less than 0.001, respectively). For minimal cross-sectional area, the best cut-off value to separate significantly patients who had a decrease in contractility at peak exercise testing from those who had a normal response was 2 mm2 (p less than 0.001); for percent cross-sectional area stenosis, it was 75% (p less than 0.001); for minimal lumen diameter, it was 0.7 mm (p less than 0.001); and, for percent diameter stenosis, it was 85% (p less than 0.001). High cut-off values for angiographic variables are necessary to separate significantly patients who have a decrease in contractility at peak exercise testing from those who have a normal response. Several patients with mild coronary stenoses may have either normal or abnormal wall motion during exercise. Thus, exercise echocardiography is a useful tool in detecting the presence of fairly severe anatomic narrowing, whereas it is of limited clinical use in the assessment of intermediate coronary atherosclerotic lesions.

Cineangiography

Epidemiology and current situation of viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits and the European brown hare syndrome in Italy.

Rabbit production is of considerable economic importance in Italy. In the last thirty years, meat production has risen and the number of intensive husbandry establishments has grown. The major region of production (about 60%) lies in the northern part of the country. In addition, approximately one million live animals and more than 14,000 tons of meat are imported yearly. More than 150,000 hares are also imported for restocking and hunting purposes. During the second half of the 1980s a "new" disease (X disease), characterised by haemorrhagic and degenerative lesions and high mortality, was observed on traditional farms in some regions. This form spread throughout the country between 1986 and 1988. In 1988, diagnostic research led to identification of a viral agent. Because of its morphology, the virus was at first considered a picornavirus. More recent research has included the virus in the Caliciviridae family. This agent reproduces the disease experimentally. Between 1988 and 1989, many intensive establishments in several regions were affected by the disease, known as viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD); the losses were always very high. In 1989, after mortality among free-living hares had been observed in the northern part of Italy for some years, the agent of the European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) was identified as being morphologically similar to the VHD virus. The antigenic relationship between VHD and EBHS and the possibility of cross-infection between rabbits and hares are currently being studied. Hygienic measures and vaccination are the most reliable methods of control. International cooperation has greatly helped in the study of the disease and in the adoption of control measures.

Animals

Fe(III)-EDTA complex as iron fortification. Further studies.

The data presented confirm the advantages of Fe(III)-EDTA as a salt for iron fortification. This iron compound exchanges completely with intrinsic wheat iron in the lumen of the gut. The iron absorption data from this salt tested with six different food vehicles compared with the absorption of ferrous sulfate administered with the same vehicles indicate that while the mean absorption from ferrous sulfate varies from 2 to 30% according to the food vehicle mixed with the salt, the absorption from Fe(III)-EDTA remains practically the same. Apparently, the iron absorption from Fe(III)-EDTA complex is slightly or not affected by the presence of vegetable foods or milk. All these data suggest that only a small amount of iron from this salt, about 10 mg/day, would be necessary to prevent iron deficiency anemia even in those populations relying for their subsistence on vegetable food only.

Absorption

[Colorimetric and gas chromatographic methods of determination of the biotin in pharmaceutical preparations].

An analytical method for biotin is described, which is based on its conversion to N-nitrosobiotin, purifications of this derivative and its colorimetric or gas chromatographic determination. Nitrosation is carried out by treatment with an excess of NaNO2 in 0.2 N H2SO4 at room temperature. Nitrosobiotin is extracted with chloroform, after salting out wiulphanilamide + HCl), in order to obtain hydrolysis, and then with the second oating conditions are:a glass column, 2 m long, packed with 3% SE-30 on Chromosorb WHP; colum temperature 190 degrees C; injector and detector temperature 260 degrees C; carrier gas: nitrogen (30 ml/min). The extraction of biotin from multivation solid preparations is performed with absolute ethanol, starting from an expected quantity of about 250 microgram. It is suggested to work at the same time with an internal standard.

Biotin

Sugar as a vehicle for iron fortification.

Sugar as a vehicle for iron fortification presents several advantages over the other vehicles used in the last three decades. In vitro studies demonstrated that ferrous sulfate added to sugar in proportion of 1 mg to 1 g, respectively, is maintained in the ferrous form for a period of at least 1 year and does not induce adverse changes in the vehicle. Sugar, by itself, carries practically no inhibitors for the absorption of iron. Iron absorption from fortified sugar mixed with vegetals is the same as that of native vegetal iron. The absorption from fortified sugar is increased more than 50% over that observed from native vegetal when it is administered as a drink during the ingestion of a meal. A further increase in absorption was found when fortified sugar was administered with beverages. The mean absorption ratio of fortified sugar given with orange juice, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola to a reference dose of iron ascorbate was between 0.45 and 0.66, which is more than 3 times the absorption of this iron fortification mixed with vegetals. The mean absorption ratio from coffee was 0.30, and from coffee with milk, 0.15. These data indicate that the fortification of sugar with iron could be a better procedure for the prevention of iron deficiency than the iron fortification of bread and wheat products, from which iron is poorly absorbed. It could be used in developing countries where beverages are highly consumed by the low socioeconomic class. This program could be extended to all sugar consumption or be restricted to soft drinks.

Absorption

Sugar as a vehicle for iron fortification: further studies.

The data presented confirm the advantages of sugar as a vehicle for iron fortification over other vehicles used in the past. The absorption comparison between ferric and ferrous salts added to sugar demonstrated that Fe(III)-EDTA Complex and ferrous sulfate exhibited the highest absorption, while ferric ammonium citrate was poorly absorbed. It was also found that Fe(III)-EDTA reacts slowly with the tannin contained in tea; the color of the tea changes slightly in the first 2 hr after the addition of the fortified sugar. Iron absorption of sugar fortified with ferrous sulfate was tested in seven beverages. The mean absorption ratio from fortified sugar given with beverages to reference dose of iron ascorbate ranged between 0.42 and 0.70, that is, more than 4 times the absorption from fortified sugar when it is administered with a meal containing one or more vegetals. An absorption of between 0.25 and 0.80 mg of iron/soft drink sugar fortified with 3 mg of iron as ferrous sulfate can be expected in subjects with various degrees of iron deficiency. Thus, two soft drinks per day between meals would be enough to meet the iron requirement in more than 95% of menstruating women, even though the daily iron absorption from the diet is about 0.8 to 1.0 mg.

Absorption

Iron absorption by humans from hemosiderin and ferritin, further studies.

Iron absorption from hemosiderin and ferritin biosynthetically labeled with radioactive iron has been studied in 61 subjects. The geometrical mean iron absorption from hemosiderin in both normal and iron deficient subjects was 3.4%. Its mean absorption ranged from 1.9% in normal subjects to 4.7% in subjects with moderate iron deficiency and 7.3% in subjects with marked iron deficiency. The iron absorption from hemosiderin was markedly increased when it was administered with ascorbic acid or liver. The absorption of iron from hemosiderin when hemosiderin and wheat were consumed in a meal, was lower than the absorption from wheat. Iron from liver ferritin and liver hemosiderin were less absorbed in this study than that previously reported for liver hemoglobin. The studies presented here support the possibility that ferritin and hemosiderin form an iron pool different from the non-heme pool formed by vegetal iron, egg iron and ferric and ferrous salts.

Absorption