Biomedical subjects

N Garbagna

Publications and source records attributed to N Garbagna.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

In vivo association to human colon of Lactobacillus paracasei B21060: map from biopsies.

BACKGROUND: Adhesion to the intestinal mucosa is one of the main suitable properties for probiotic bacteria. Several in vitro studies have been published, but a very few data are available about the in vivo adhesion to intestinal surfaces of probiotics. Moreover, there are no data regarding the distribution of a probiotic strain along the entire intestine. AIM: The present study aimed to preliminary evaluate the intestinal recovery of a new synbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060. METHODS: Seven volunteers participated in the study. Subjects assumed three times a day for 15 days a sachet with a synbiotic preparation containing 5 x 10(9)CFUs of Lactobacillus paracasei strain B21060. Samples were recovered from the faeces and from the cecum, transverse, descending and sigmoid colon. RESULTS: Identification at strain level showed that following administration, strain B21060 could be recovered from all sampled sites (except in one subject), representing 66.6% of the total vancomycin insensitive CFUs isolated from faecal samples, and 74.7% isolated from colonic samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 probiotic strain is able to temporarily associate throughout the different sites of the entire intestinal tract.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

PubMed2005

An optimized experimental protocol based on neuro-evolutionary algorithms application to the classification of dyspeptic patients and to the prediction of the effectiveness of their treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to present a specific optimized experimental protocol (EP) for classification and/or prediction problems. The neuro-evolutionary algorithms on which it is based and its application with two selected real cases are described in detail. The first application addresses the problem of classifying the functional (FD) or organic (OD) forms of dyspepsia; the second relates to the problem of predicting the 6-month follow-up outcome of dyspeptic patients treated by helicobacter pylori (HP) eradication therapy. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The database built by the multicentre observational study, performed in Italy by the NUD-look Study Group, provided the material studied: a collection of data from 861 patients with previously uninvestigated dyspepsia, being referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to 42 Italian Endoscopic Services. The proposed EP makes use of techniques based on advanced neuro-evolutionary systems (NESs) and is structured in phases and steps. The use of specific input selection (IS) and training and testing (T and T) techniques together with genetic doping (GenD) algorithm is described in detail, as well as the steps taken in the two benchmark and optimization protocol phases. RESULTS: In terms of accuracy results, a value of 79.64% was achieved during optimization, with mean benchmark values of 64.90% for the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and 68.15% for the multi layer perceptron (MLP), for the classification task. A value of 88.61% was achieved during optimization for the prediction task, with mean benchmark values of 49.32% for the LDA and 70.05% for the MLP. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed EP has led to the construction of inductors that are viable and usable on medical data which is representative but highly not linear. In particular, for the classification problem, these new inductors may be effectively used on the basal examination data to support doctors in deciding whether to avoid endoscopic examinations; whereas, in the prediction problem, they may support doctors' decisions about the advisability of eradication therapy. In both cases the variables selected indicate the possibility of reducing the data collection effort and also of providing information that can be used for general investigations on symptom relevance.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Dyspepsia and Helicobacter pylori infection: a prospective multicentre observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Dyspepsia still represents an unsolved clinical enigma. AIM: The aims of this study were to determine whether symptoms and Helicobacter pylori infection are predictors of organic disease in uninvestigated dyspepsia, and if H. pylori eradication improves symptoms in functional dyspepsia. METHODS: An observational study was performed on outpatients with uninvestigated dyspepsia. Symptoms were scored and H. pylori status determined. Patients with functional dyspepsia and H. pylori infection were randomly given either a standard eradicating treatment or a 1-month course of empirical treatment. The latter was also given to functional dyspeptic patients without infection. Symptoms were re-assessed in functional dyspeptic patients at 2- and 6-month follow-up visits. Patients receiving eradicating treatment were re-tested for H. pylori at the 2 month visit. RESULTS: A total of 860 patients were studied and 605 (70.3%) were affected by functional dyspepsia. H. pylori infection was diagnosed in 71.8% of patients with organic dyspepsia and in 65.0% with functional dyspepsia (p=0.053). Male sex, anaemia, smoking habit, age over 45 years, and severe epigastric pain, but not H. pylori infection, were independent predictors of organic disease. Symptoms significantly improved in most functional dyspeptic patients regardless of their H. pylori status and type of treatment. CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection is not a strong predictor of organic disease in uninvestigated dyspepsia. H. pylori eradication is not essential to improve symptoms in functional dyspepsia.

Adolescent↗