Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Summa.
The Authors introduce their experience of primary and secondary surgical treatment of hyperparathyroidism, pointing out at first the good confidence of echography, scintigraphy and TAC, in the pre-operating diagnostic of the parathyroid glands localization and then the satisfactory clinical results with a follow-up which, up to date, has not shown any relapse.
The Authors analyze the results of 83 cases of TPN in a surgical department after a revision of the literature from which it comes out how such a method has been proposed to reduce the catabolism by surgical trauma of fasting, especially after greater surgical operations.
The body composition of lean control subjects was compared with that of subjects following biliopancreatic diversion for morbid obesity, when their excess weight had been stabilized at under 40 per cent of the ideal body weight value for over two years. Lean body mass, body cell mass and fat were indirectly calculated from total body water and total body sodium, measured by isotope dilution technique. The body composition in the two groups of subjects was essentially normal, as was indicated by the percentage values of the body composition parameters and by the linear correlations between body weight and the lean body compartments size.
The nutritional status and total body composition of 33 patients with malnutrition after biliopancreatic bypass were studied. Body composition was evaluated directly by measurement of water and total sodium and indirectly by measurement of total body potassium. After nutrition with a parenteral nutritional support the conventional nutritional parameters were restored to the normal values (serum albumin and serum transferrin) and the parameters of body composition were markedly improved even though still altered with respect to healthy controls. Serum albumin and serum transferrin were shown to be very reliable indices of malnutrition but their normalization does not necessarily correspond to optimum body composition and thus to optimal normal nutrition.
Biliopancreatic diversion is a very effective method for weight reduction. In some instances it is too effective and needs to be revised.
Urine and stool total nitrogen was measured using the Carlo Erba Strumentazione NA 1500 nitrogen analyzer. Determinations were carried out on 10 mcl, 20 mcl and 50 mcl urine samples and on 20-50 mg stool samples. Both urine and stool data distributions were normal, thus indicating the reliability of the method. The NA and the classic Kjeldahl method gave very close results in the same urine specimen; slight and not significant differences were found in stool analysis, most likely caused by the poor homogeneity of the material. Due to the automation, they very short analysis time, the accuracy and the reproducibility of the results, NA 1500 can be used in clinical practice for nitrogen balance studies by direct measurement of losses.
The degree of hepatic steatosis and percentage total nitrogen content were evaluated simultaneously in a group of obese patients and after bypass surgery for obesity. The straight line relationship between sample weight and gas chromatographic response integrals shows that samples had the same water content. The higher concentration of total nitrogen in patients with higher levels of steatosis and the inverse correlation between degree of adipose infiltration and degree of total nitrogen, when water content is the same, suggest that the total liver parenchyma nitrogen concentration closely reflects the structural protein content.
Here we report a case of Corynebacterium G1 group endocarditis following acute bpn in non immunodeficient host. The bacterial strain was isolated from the surgically removed heart valve. To our knowledge this is the first report of such an isolate. Recently recurrent peritonitis in CAPD were also ascribed to the same agent.