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P Manfredi

Publications and source records attributed to P Manfredi.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Measles elimination in Italy: projected impact of the National Elimination Plan.

A mathematical model was used to evaluate the impact of the Italian Measles National Elimination Plan (NEP), and possible sources of failure in achieving its targets. The model considered two different estimates of force of infection, and the possible effect on measles transmission of the current Italian demographic situation, characterized by a below-replacement fertility. Results suggest that reaching all NEP targets will allow measles elimination to be achieved. In addition, the model suggests that achieving elimination by reaching a 95 % first-dose coverage appears unlikely; and that conducting catch-up activities, reaching high vaccination coverage, could interrupt virus circulation, but could not prevent the infection re-emerging before 2020. Also, the introduction of the second dose of measles vaccine seems necessary for achieving and maintaining elimination. Furthermore, current Italian demography appears to be favourable for reaching elimination.

Child↗
PubMed2004

Prevalence of tic disorders among primary school students in the city of Pavia, Italy.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of tic disorders in children varies from 1% to 29% depending on the characteristics of the study population, the diagnostic criteria, and the study design and methods. AIMS: To calculate the prevalence of tic disorders among primary school children in Italy. METHODS: The study population comprised 2347 primary school children from the city of Pavia (pop. 80 073), Northern Italy. Using trained school teachers as the source of cases, all children with motor or vocal tics occurring intermittently and unpredictably out of a background of normal motor activity were accepted. The type, frequency, and circumstances of tic disorders were noted. School performance was correlated to the presence of tics. RESULTS: A total of 68 children (56 boys, 12 girls) aged 6-11 years were identified with tic disorders. The period prevalence was 2.9% (95% CI 2.3 to 3.7). The prevalence was 4.4% in boys and 1.1% in girls, with no detectable trends at age 6-11. Motor tics were present in 46 cases, vocal tics in 6, and motor and vocal tics in 16. Situation related tics were noted in 37 cases. A significant correlation was found between the presence of tic disorders and impaired school performance. DISCUSSIONS: Tic disorders are a fairly uncommon but disabling clinical disorder among primary school children from an urban community. The fairly low prevalence of this clinical condition, as compared to other reports, can be explained by the choice of stringent diagnostic criteria and the exclusion of patients with other movement disorders.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2001

Intravenous methadone in the management of chronic cancer pain: safe and effective starting doses when substituting methadone for fentanyl.

BACKGROUND: Patients often are rotated from other opioids to methadone when side effects occur before satisfactory analgesia is achieved. Various strategies have been proposed to estimate safe and effective starting doses of methadone when rotating from morphine and hydromorphone; however, there are no guidelines for estimating safe and effective starting doses of methadone when rotating from fentanyl. METHODS: The authors prospectively observed 18 consecutive patients experiencing chronic pain from cancer who underwent opioid rotation from intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with fentanyl to intravenous PCA with methadone. Patients were switched from fentanyl to methadone because of uncontrolled pain associated with sedation or confusion. A conversion ratio of 25 microg/hour of fentanyl to 0.1 mg/hour of methadone was used to calculate the initial dose of methadone in all patients. RESULTS: Mean pain scores decreased from 8.1 to 4.8 on Day 1 after the switch and to 3.22 on Day 4 after the switch. Mean sedation scores were 1.5 before the switch and 0.44 and 0.16 on Days 1 and 4, respectively. Among the 6 patients who experienced confusion while on fentanyl before the switch, 5 improved within 2 days of the switch. None of the patients experienced toxicity from methadone. CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of this preliminary study, the authors suggest that when switching from intravenous fentanyl to methadone a conversion ratio of 25 microg/hour of fentanyl to 0.1 mg/hour of methadone may be safe and effective.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Synthesis and expression of genes encoding putative insect neuropeptide precursors in tobacco.

Neuropeptides are the key molecules in a multiplicity of physiological processes and their use in pest control has recently been suggested. Most neuropeptides are produced in the form of a precursor that is cleaved by proteolysis to yield various biologically active peptides. To mimic this structure, a method has been developed for synthesizing genes that code for putative polyneuropeptide precursors. As a model neuropeptide, the 5-amino-acid proctolin, one of the best studied invertebrate neuropeptides, functioning both as a visceral and a skeletal neuromuscular transmitter, was chosen. The synthetic gene was introduced into bacteria and tobacco plants, where it was efficiently transcribed. We present our results as a possible approach for the expression, in a variety of organisms, of synthetic genes coding for a wide repertoire of insect neuropeptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Some unknown episodes in the history of population dynamics concerning the logistic law: the lesson of the great epidemiologists.

The author discusses the work of "the two great epidemiologists R. Ross and A. G. McKendrick. This talk is basically devoted to their 'lesson' about logistic theory and it is organised as follows: section 2 is devoted to McKendrick's [1911] contribution to the growth of microorganism populations, a paper which was not widely acclaimed, but which marks the first experimental laboratory verification of the logistic law. Section 3 is also devoted to McKendrick and to the way he repeatedly derived the logistic equation as a model for 'simple epidemics'. Finally, in section 4, we present Ross's 'A priori pathometry' theory that really emphasizes...the role played by the logistic law as the 'first principle' of the mathematical epidemiology."

Demography↗
PubMed1995

[Classification systems for the clinical approach to pervasive developmental disorders].

This paper compares four systems for the classification of pervasive developmental disorders: DSM-III-R, ICD-10, the French classification of mental disorders in children and adolescents and Manzano and Palacio-Espasa's operational classification. Five children were examined according to a protocol which included clinical and instrumental examination, the BSE scale, a development scale and a psychodynamic observation recorded by video camera. A detailed discussion of the diagnosis of one of the cases is reported as an example, while a synthetic description is given of the other four. The comparison highlights the characteristics of the four systems considered. The differing theoretical premises which inspire them mean that it is important to use all four in the clinical investigation of each case: DSM-III-R and ICD-10 can be used for the initial screening, whilst the other two can be used to classify more specifically all the forms of infantile psychosis.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Logistic effects in the two-sex model with "harmonic mean" fertility function].

"In the present paper the effects of the presence of logistic terms in [a] two-sex random mating model with 'harmonic mean' fertility function are discussed. The behaviour of the model is studied by means of a phase plane analysis. It [is] possible to show the existence, under quite natural conditions, of one (and only one) meaningful equilibrium point that is globally stable. This equilibrium is the final result of an adjustment process [and includes an]...initial period during which it is possible to observe a preliminary balancing process of the sex composition...." (SUMMARY IN ENG)

Demography↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Research on Pisa University student's life style and health].

Surveys on life and health conditions of university students besides providing useful epidemiologic data partly related to the young population. They are potentially useful for the intervention planning aimed to remove possible environmental or behavioural risk factors. Following these purpose a survey sample about 1200 student attending the University of Pisa was carried out through an anonymous questionnaire about 41 questions focused on behaviours and lifestyles of young people, possible health problems, self-perception of the health state, the use of public health services, and the more commonly used (or preferred) sources of information on health topics. The results suggest that although the self perception of the state of health is broadly positive for the majority of students, there is also a significant frequency of individuals declaring significant at risk behaviours (persistence of sexual practices at risk, drug use, alcohol and smoke abuse). The consumption, also sporadic, of psicoattive substances has been declared gives beyond 40% of the students, in particular 37% asserts to have tried drugs. The habit to smoke appeared diffused much between the students; the percentage of smokers turns out equal to 41% in total (40% females, 42% males). 76% of the interviewed ones has declared to be sexually active, the percentage of those who have declared multiple relations or occasional is elevated (12%), and 47% of the students asserts to use the condom with fixed partner and 77% with occasional partner. Moreover there seems to be a significant association between the changes in the diet and other lifestyles that are due to the "university lifestyle" (as a consequence of leaving the family or increased commuting) and the insurgence of several types of sickness, e.g. gastroenteric disturbances and fever attacks. Finally, the present investigation suggests that few interventions on services offered to students (such as accommodation, teaching structures and especially the creation of a "health office" where students can acquire information on health and other topics related to their condition) could have a significantly beneficial impact on the general state of health of the university population.

Adult↗