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Biomedical subjects

M Ruggeri

Publications and source records attributed to M Ruggeri.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Platelet von Willebrand factor abnormalities in myeloproliferative syndromes.

Plasma and platelet von Willebrand factor (vWF) measurements, multimeric pattern and subunit composition of plasma vWF were obtained in 29 consecutive patients with chronic myeloproliferative syndromes. In the 8 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), plasma vWF was significantly higher than in the 11 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) and in the 10 patients with polycythemia vera (PV). The RiCof/vWF:Ag ratio was low in all these groups of patients (mean 0.64 +/- 0.1, 0.66 +/- 0.2, and 0.61 +/- 0.2; normal 0.97 +/- 0.2). Bleeding time was prolonged (> 7.5 min) in 1/8 CML patients, 1/10 with PV, and 3/11 with ET. Plasma vWF multimers showed a minor loss of the largest multimers in 3/8 patients with CML, 4/10 with PV, and a more severe reduction in 9/11 ET patients. The latter pattern correlated with an abnormal proteolysis of vWF, expressed by a major increase of the 140-Kd fragment and decrease of the intact 225-Kd subunit in ET patients, whereas the 176-Kd fragment was significantly increased in all the subgroups of patients. Platelet vWF was significantly higher in CML patients in comparison to ET and normal controls. However, minor losses of the larger multimers were evident in all the subsets of patients. In ET patients also the intermediate forms were lacking in platelets, accompanied by a significant decrease of platelet RiCof. This abnormality was significantly correlated with the occurrence of bleeding symptoms in PV and ET patients (P = 0.007; Fisher's exact test). In conclusion, plasma and platelet vWF abnormalities are common findings in myeloproliferative syndromes and are more severe in ET. The more pronounced platelet vWF abnormalities in ET may reflect the more frequent bleeding symptoms observed in this disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Patients' and relatives' satisfaction with psychiatric services: the state of the art of its measurement.

Despite reservations made on its use as a means for evaluating interventions, various findings in the recent literature point to patients' and relatives' satisfaction with psychiatric services as a particularly salient and appropriate measure of outcome and quality. Even though substantial improvements have occurred in the last decade, research in the field suffers various methodological limitations regarding the study design, the instruments' construction and the lack of attention to their psychometric properties. In the last few years the need for research that develops and refines measures of client satisfaction and establishes their psychometric properties has been considered a priority in service evaluation by a growing number of authors. In spite of this, in the mental health field very few validated instruments for the measurement of satisfaction are currently available. The aims of the present paper were: (1) to update work done in the field of satisfaction with mental health services in the last decade; (2) to describe the main instruments currently available to measure patients' and relatives' satisfaction with mental health services; (3) to provide guidelines for the future development of instruments and their use in mental health settings. The author concludes by emphasizing that, in order to make further progress, considerable effort is needed in developing and spreading the use of validated instruments and discouraging the use of ad hoc measures. Comparability between studies should be pursued more vigorously in order allow both the refinement of existing instruments and a better understanding of the theoretical and substantive meaning of satisfaction with psychiatric services.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed1994

Acceptability, sensitivity and content validity of the VECS and VSSS in measuring expectations and satisfaction in psychiatric patients and their relatives.

The Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) and the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) are two newly developed, multidimensional instruments that measure expectations and satisfaction with community-based psychiatric services (CPS) in patients, relatives and professionals. This paper reports on the acceptability, sensitivity and content validity of the VECS and VSSS in 75 patients and 76 relatives attending the South-Verona CPS. The acceptability of the VECS and the VSSS to subjects was good: most items were easily understood and the vast majority of subjects cooperated and gave accurate evaluations. The VECS and VSSS proved to be sensitive to variation both between groups and across dimensions. We demonstrated that the VECS and VSSS questionnaires had a higher sensitivity than unstructured interviews in measuring service expectations and satisfaction and that a domain-specific measurement had a higher sensitivity than an overall one. The content validity of the questionnaires, according to patients' and relatives' views, was very good. We demonstrated that a key characteristic of the content validity was the questionnaire's multidimensionality, with major contributions from the dimensions "Professionals' Skills and Behaviour" and "Types of Intervention". The findings presented in this paper constitute the first complete study available in the literature on the psychometric properties of the measurement of expectations and satisfaction in a psychiatric setting. They indicated that it is possible to measure such subjective aspects in an acceptable, sensitive and valid way and that the VECS and VSSS have good psychometric properties. The data presented appear promising in the qualitative evaluation of the South-Verona CPS and the method should be of interest to those evaluating CPS in other settings.

Attitude↗
PubMed1993

High levels of histidine-rich glycoprotein and thrombotic diathesis. Report of two unrelated families.

Two new families with history of thrombosis and high levels of histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) are described. The propositus of family 1 died of massive pulmonary embolism at age 34. Among his relatives, the mother and the maternal grandmother had suffered from deep and superficial vein thrombosis in their youth. A maternal aunt had several episodes of superficial vein thrombosis (SVT). High levels of HRG were found in the mother, three siblings and two nephews. In the second family, the proposita suffered from spontaneous deep vein thrombosis (DVT) at age 24. The paternal grandmother and a paternal aunt had several episodes of SVT and DVT. Also in this family, high levels of HRG cosegregated with thrombotic symptoms. These new families confirm that genetically transmitted high levels of HRG could be associated to familial and juvenile thrombophilia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The development and use of the Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) and the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) for measuring expectations and satisfaction with community-based psychiatric services in patients, relatives and professionals.

In this paper the global design of a research project aiming at measuring expectations and satisfaction of patients, relatives, and professionals with community-based psychiatric services (CPS) in a multidimensional, sensitive, valid and reliable way is described. Some psychometric properties of two newly developed instruments, partly adapted from the Service Satisfaction Scale (SSS), the Verona Expectations for Care Scale (VECS) and the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS), are discussed. Three groups were selected for inclusion in the study: all patients living with their families who had more than 18 contacts in the last three years, according to the South-Verona Psychiatric Case Register; the relative who had been mainly caring for the patient; and all professionals working in the South-Verona CPS for at least one year. Data on 75 patients and 76 relatives are presented and show that VECS and VSSS have good content validity and test-retest reliability in both groups. Notwithstanding some differences, patients and relatives expressed similar expectations and were mostly satisfied. The current study is the first to provide a parallel measurement of expectations and satisfaction in all three above-mentioned groups; moreover, it is the first to investigate consumers' satisfaction with a CPS organized according to the principles of the Italian Psychiatric Reform.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

An endocrinological study of patients with primary cutis verticis gyrata.

An endocrinological study of 15 psychiatric patients with primary cutis verticis gyrata (CVG) and 7 control patients was carried out. The investigation of the pituitary-gonadal axis, pituitary-adrenal axis, pituitary-thyroid axis, prolactin and human growth hormone (basal values and circadian biorhythms) did not show any significant difference between the CVG and the control patients. Only levels of free testosterone were significantly lower in patients with CVG than in the control group (p < 0.05), probably reflecting an increased peripheral use of testosterone.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The bleeding time in normal subjects is mainly determined by platelet von Willebrand factor and is independent from blood group.

Bleeding time (BT) is the most important test "in vivo" evaluating the primary hemostasis. No relationship between plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) and BT has been found in normal subjects, whereas no data are available on the relationship between platelet vWF and blood group or BT in normal subjects. To clarify the reciprocal relationship between blood group, vWF and BT, we studied 177 normal subjects. The influence of blood group on BT was analyzed in 116 subjects and the distribution of platelet and plasma vWF between different blood groups in 111 subjects. Furthermore, in a subgroup of 50 subjects, a multivariate regression model, including age, platelet count, plasma and platelet vWF:Ag and Ristocetin Cofactor (RiCof), hematocrit, sex and O or non-O blood group was used to assess the joint influence of these variables on BT. BT was similar in O and non-O group (P = 0.310) and, although plasma vWF was significantly lower in O group (P less than 0.0001), platelet vWF content was similarly distributed (P = 0.873 vWF:Ag and P = 0.322 RiCof). Furthermore, platelet vWF was not correlated with plasma vWF (r = 0.06, P = 0.526). In the multivariate regression analysis, only platelet vWF, age and platelet count showed a significant, inverse correlation with BT (P = 0.004), explaining 25% of the total variation of this test. Platelet vWF resulted therefore the main determinant of BT.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Meta-analysis of double-blind placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants and benzodiazepines for patients with panic disorders.

Meta-analysis of 19 double-blind placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants (N = 13) and benzodiazepines (N = 6) for patients with panic disorders showed that active treatment had 25% greater success rate than placebo over a mean duration of 14 weeks. There were no statistically significant differences observed between treatment sub-groups (antidepressants--mean duration 16 weeks; and benzodiazepines--mean duration 7 weeks). On this basis antidepressants and benzodiazepines prescribed in clinical settings are likely to be equally effective in the short-term treatment of people with panic disorders.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗