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Biomedical subjects

P Cassano

Publications and source records attributed to P Cassano.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Nasal provocation test with hyperosmolar solutions: normal values].

Hyperosmolar solutions have recently been introduced as test-substances in the nasal provocation of vasomotor rhinitis subjects. In order to establish a norm, the test was carried out in 40 subjects without nasal pathologies, stimulating with solutions at increasing level of concentrations of NaCl (0.9% - 1.8 - 3.6% - 5.4% - 7.2% - 9%). In all subjects an increase in nasal secretion was verified in proportion to the concentration of the solutions and this increase was statistically significative, with respect to the base, from the concentration 3.6% (p less than 0.001) on words. The statistical analysis has not, however, evidenced any significant differences in secretion between male or female subjects. As far as the variation of nasal resistance is concerned, the rhinomanometric registration has revealed that the hypertonic solutions modify such resistances in a rather casual, absolutely irregular and unimportant way. These results lead to believe that the test is extremely useful in the study of the secretion component of vasomotor rhinopathy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Nasal provocation test with histamine: rhinomanometry study of normal subjects].

Nasal reactivity to histamine was evaluated in 40 normal subjects. The application of a chloride histamine solution (1 mg) registered in 90% of the subjects the appearance of sneezing with the number of sneezes ranging between one and fourteen (5.7 +/- 3.76) and an average increase in the total resistence in the inspiration phase of 93.1% (+/- 63.2) and in the expiration phase of 98.1% (+/- 60.5) with a range between 37.7% and 24.1%. The authors conclude that sneezing and above all nasal congestion evaluated rhinomanometrically represent two important parameters in the evaluation of nasal reaction; an increase greater than or equal to 200% of the total nasal resistance can surely be considered an index of nasal hyperreactivity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Erythrocyte fatty acids, plasma lipids, and cardiovascular disease in rural China.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality (coronary heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, and stroke), plasma lipids, and red blood cell fatty acid composition were examined in an ecologic study in 65 rural counties in the People's Republic of China. Means of plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations were substantially lower and the ratio of HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol was higher in this Chinese population than in Western populations. Mortality rates for CVD in China were well below Western values. Within China neither plasma total cholesterol nor LDL cholesterol was associated with CVD. A strong inverse correlation between red blood cell oleate concentrations and CVD was observed. However, red blood cell oleate concentrations were not associated with plasma cholesterol but were strongly negatively associated with arachidonate concentrations, suggesting potential diminution of CVD by oleate through reduced platelet aggregability. The results indicate that geographical differences in CVD mortality within China are caused primarily by factors other than dietary or plasma cholesterol.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Changes in nasal resistance as a result of posture in normal subjects].

The variations of nasal resistance, after lateral right, lateral left and supine recumbency have been studied in 20 normal subjects. These variations were in order of constant succession by rhinomanometry. In lateral right recumbency (first recumbency), the mean increase of nasal resistance in lower nasal cavity was 35%; on the contrary in the following recumbency the increase was twice as large as the first one. In supine recumbency the results were abnormal. In fact, with respect to the same nasal cavity, some of our subjects showed a congestion, while some showed a decongestion. It may be concluded that utilization of postural tests, like index vasomotor reactivity, must keep the increase of nasal resistance in normal subject, following postural variations in mind, in order to express a judgement of significative pathological difference.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Cholesteatoma surgery: open vs closed tympanoplasty.

The purpose of this report is to compare closed tympanoplasty (canal wall up) and open tympanoplasty (canal wall down) performed in ears with extensive cholesteatoma operated on and followed up during the past 11 years. The study has demonstrated that there are no significant differences between open and closed tympanoplasties in terms of both postoperative subjective problems and auditory results. The only definite difference relates to recurring cholesteatoma: canal wall-up operations are complicated by recurrence of cholesteatoma in a not insignificant number of ears and require a planned two-stage procedure in all the cases. By contrast, the postoperative clinical course of open tympanoplasties has been only rarely affected by cholesteatomatous complications. It is concluded that reduction of cholesteatoma recurrence to the greatest degree possible necessitates removal of the canal wall. Open tympanoplasty is an effective alternative for closed tympanoplasty in all cases in which there is a contraindication to preserving the canal wall and in all patients whose medical or social conditions prevent scheduling an operation in more stages.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Perinatal outcome, maternal weight gain, cigarette smoking and social status in Jerusalem.

Past studies have reported consistent depression of birthweight among offspring of mothers who smoked during pregnancy, but depression of maternal weight gain and increase in perinatal mortality have been inconsistent; these have been generally associated with smoking among women of low social status. Among 8,263 pregnancies in West Jerusalem from 1974 to 1976 to women who were not religiously observant, birthweight was low among infants of smokers, but maternal weight gain was not depressed nor was perinatal mortality increased. Thus, the experience of these women in Jerusalem was similar to that of continental European, and affluent British and North American women. There appears to be no inevitable link between maternal smoking and depressed weight gain, nor with markedly increased perinatal mortality (however, since numbers of deaths were small, this observation requires replication). These results are consistent with the possibility that sustained weight gain among smokers may have contributed to the suppression of an effect of maternal smoking on increased perinatal mortality.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1987

The effect of dietary imbalances on the activation of benzo[a]pyrene by the metabolizing enzymes from rat liver.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (70-80 g) were fed ad libitum a standard control diet (22% casein, 5% lard), or a high lipid diet (30% lard) or a low protein diet (6% casein) or a standard diet containing 50 ppm phenoclor DP6. After 6 weeks on these diets, the cytochrome P-450 microsomal content, the benzo[a]pyrene monooxygenase (BaP-MO) and the epoxide hydrolase (EH) were assayed. The formation of mutagenic B(a)P metabolites which covalently bind with DNA was compared. The activity of BaP-MO and of EH were increased by the high lipid diet (+27% and 106% respectively) and by the phenoclor DP6 treatment (+63% and 400% respectively), compared to the standard diet. In animals fed a low protein diet the BaP-MO was decreased (-34%) and the EH activity was strongly increased (+262%) compared to those fed a standard diet. All experimental diets increased both the activation of BaP to metabolites able to bind DNA and the mutagenicity of BaP versus TA98 Salmonella typhimurium strain. It was concluded that dietary imbalances can be considered as a factor in chemical carcinogenesis.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

[Stapedial reflex under auditory masking of bone canal: 1- The effect of white noise on threshold values].

The authors have studied the behaviour of the A.R. threshold under bone way masking sent to the vertex. The masking caused changings of the recorded track; a change of the compliance was observed in the 60% of the subjects and a rythmic waving of the (isoelectric) line was observed in 40% of the subjects. Upon these changes the A.R. were recorded for the tone test sent at similar values (almost equal) at those recorded without any kind of masker, even if a threshold shift sometimes big, existed because of the high intensity of the masking noise. The authors are making further researches to explain the meaning of these changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Newborn neurologic maturity relates more strongly to concurrent somatic development than gestational age.

The nineteen-item assessment of newborn neurologic maturity developed by Koenigsberger was applied to 682 infants born to women enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of nutritional supplementation in a poor, urban, black, clinic population. The total score of the neurologic scale, four clusters of items derived from principal component factor analysis followed by a varimax rotation, and the four clusters taken simultaneously (using Cohen's method of set correlation) were related to the conceptional age, weight, length, and head circumference of the infants. Taken in any of these ways, neurologic maturity was more strongly related to somatic development than to conceptional age. Although these results are consistent with a set pattern and order of neurologic development, they are incompatible with such a pattern following a rigid and universal time scale. Rather, at all stages of conceptional age, there appears to be a range of neurologic maturity, related more strongly to concurrent somatic development than to the child's conceptional age.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1983

Relationship of cigarette smoking and social class to birth weight and perinatal mortality among all births in Britain, 5-11 April 1970.

The joint associations of maternal cigarette smoking and social class on perinatal outcome were studied in the 1970 British birth cohort (British Births). Whereas smoking was much more frequent among women in social classes III, IV, and V, there was little difference in the birthweight decrement associated with smoking across class. Perinatal mortality, however, was increased only among smokers in the manual social classes. Thus whereas the offspring of more privileged smokers were not protected from intrauterine growth retardation, they did not suffer from increased perinatal mortality. Observations of other populations suggest a possible nutritional mediation of this protective effect.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1980

[Acoustic reflexometry in presbyacusis (author's transl)].

The authors have studied the relations between crossed and uncrossed acoustic stapedius reflex thresholds in presbyacusic subjects in order to verify whether ageing produces brain stem auditory lesions. The results showed in 55% of the presbyacusics a brain stem disorder characterized by the absence of one, several or all the acoustic reflexes; very often there was only an abnormal difference between crossed and uncrossed acoustic reflex thresholds.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Carbachol nasal provocation test in vasomotor and polyposis rhinopathy].

A group of 117 subjects suffering from vasomotor rhinopathy (33 with nasal polyposis) were studied with the nasal provocation test with carbacholine in order to evaluate aspecific nasal reactivity. The results obtained by quantifying the variations in nasal secretions and rhinomanometric resistance after application of the test substance indicate the following: a marked hypersecretory response and obstruction in 80% of the vasomotor rhinitis cases; a more marked aspecific reactivity in perennial allergic rhinitis sufferers than in those with seasonal atopic rhinopathy; a lack of statistical significance between the group of those with atopic polyposis and those with a negative skin test. The authors conclude by confirming the usefulness of the test for aspecific reactivity in the diagnosis of vasomotor rhinopathy and propose its use for better screening those patients to undergo specific hyposensitivity therapy.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Obstructive apnea syndrome during sleep in children: diagnosis and treatment].

Marked adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy is certainly the most common respiratory disturbance found among children. Most particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) leads to serious, at times fatal, consequences on the cardio-respiratory apparatus. Thus opinion in the literature unanimously holds that said syndrome is one precise indication for tonsillectomy and/or adenotomy. The present case study was performed on 19 children, age range 21 months to 6 years, with serious obstructions of the respiratory tract due to tonsillar or adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy (14 cases) or to isolated adenoid hypertrophy (5 cases). The sample was divided into 4 groups, taking into consideration the severity of the nighttime sleep obstruction and the type of obstruction. Polygraphy performed during sleep recorded objective OSA in 10 subjects with tonsillar or adeno-tonsillar hypertrophy, but no case was recorded in any subject with solely adenoid hypertrophy. The severity of the obstruction was likewise shown, judged both on the basis of frequency and duration of the pauses as well as on the cardio-respiratory complications, especially in the smallest children (less than 3 years). Furthermore, in the most serious cases significant hematological alterations were recorded. Tonsillectomy, performed in 9 of the 10 children with OSA, completely resolved the sleep disturbances and improved, or normalized, the broncho-pneumonic picture as well the hematological findings in those cases where preoperative complications were present. Even for those children who did not manifest OSA, tonsillectomy and/or adenotomy led to a more uniform rhythm and quality of their sleep.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenoidectomy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Improved diagnostic procedures in allergic RAST negative rhinitis.

Patients affected by cutinegative, RAST negative, chronic hyperreactive rhinitis showed in 15/28 cases positive intradermal tests, nasal provocation test and RAST on nasal fluids. In 13/28 cases high IgE on nasal samples could be observed and seldom were the intradermal tests positive, but in no case were the nasal provocation or nasal RAST positive. Delayed and late positive provocation tests showed different features from early reactions. Criteria of positivity and checks during provocation tests look critical. The occurrence of sinusitis and polyposis can change clinical features. Mediators released from tissues lead to bronchial hyperreactivity.

Eosinophils↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Remote masking as a test of cochlear conductive hearing losses (author's transl)].

The authors studied the remote masking (RM) in patients with Menière's disorder during the hearing loss fluctuations produced either by the disorder or by the glycerol test (Klockhoff). The RM was recorded for pulsed tones of 250, 500 and 1 000 Hz; the masker was a continuous narrow-band noise centered at 3 000 Hz, with 305 Hz (2 875-3 180 Hz) bandwidth, delivered at an overall level of 98 dB SPL. The results showed that the RM decreases during the acute phase, i.e. when the hearing loss increases, and, increases if the glycerol tests do not significantly modify the RM value. They seem to confirm the hypothesis that the RM may be due to a mechanical effect in the internal ear and suggest the possibility of using the RM as a test of end-organ rigidity.

Audiometry↗