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Biomedical subjects

P Parisi

Publications and source records attributed to P Parisi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes and unilateral developmental opercular dysplasia.

The case of a 15-year-old right-handed girl with developmental delay, mild retardation, astereognosis, and tactile discrimination impairment in the left arm, is reported. During sleep, right partial simple motor seizures with sialorrhea and saliva pooling were present, sometimes followed by secondary generalization. Absences and drop attacks were also observed. Electroencephalography revealed left centrotemporal spike waves spreading to the homologous contralateral region, generalized 3-Hz spike-and-wave complexes enhanced by hyperventilation, and generalized polyspike-and-wave discharges during drowsiness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed right perisylvian (opercular) malformation. Benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECCTS) is a focal idiopathic epilepsy presumed to be of genetic origin. Although brain damage is not expected, structural lesions including opercular macrogyria have been reported. This coexistence has been considered mainly causal and only exceptionally causal. The Foix-Chavany-Marie syndrome or operculum syndrome is the result of bilateral opercular damage. In our child the right structural and the left functional lesions appeared mutually activated, yielding a transient opercular syndrome. The concomitance of BECCTS and developmental opercular dysplasia is suggestive of a common genetic substratum.

Adolescent↗

Screening for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with Child's A cirrhosis: an 8-year prospective study by ultrasound and alphafetoprotein.

One hundred and forty-seven patients with Child's A cirrhosis and no evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma were followed up in an 8-year prospective surveillance program with testing by ultrasound and alphafetoprotein every 6 months. Eighteen of 147 patients were HBsAg positive. Anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies were found in 103 out of 133 cases tested. Sixteen patients had a history of heavy drinking. Thirty hepatocellular carcinomas were detected during follow up. At the time of diagnosis, ultrasound detected focal lesions in all the patients whereas alphafetoprotein was below diagnostic levels. The hepatocellular carcinoma was single in 26 patients and multiple in four. The overall 8-year cumulative tumor-free rate was 69% (95% confidence interval = 58-73). The yearly hepatocellular carcinoma incidence from 1985 to 1992 was respectively 2%, 1.5%, 2%, 3%, 5%, 4.8%, 7% and 10%. The initial value of AFP > 50 ng/ml and < 400 ng/ml was significantly related to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This series shows that the cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis in Italy is higher than previously reported, but lower than that observed in Asiatic areas. A 6-month interval for ultrasound is reasonable to detect treatable tumors. Alphafetoprotein has no value for early diagnosis, although its intermediate values (> 50 and < 400 ng/ml) may indicate the presence of undetectable cancer which will appear during the follow up, and suggests that ultrasound should be employed more frequently in patients with these values.

Aged↗

Segmental ischemic colitis associated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs.

We have seen two cases of a segmental ischemic colitis develop during nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment. No other possible etiologic factors were shown. The short-term clinical course and the follow-up were uneventful. NSAIDs have been reported to cause different lesions in the large bowel, either by worsening preexisting colonic diseases or by inducing a primary pathology. We suggest that ischemia should be considered a possible mechanism of NSAID-associated colitis. Such ischemic colitis, not triggered by severe cardiovascular disease or operation, may be related to NSAIDs more often than currently recognized.

Aged↗

Twinning and the r/K reproductive strategy: a critique of Rushton's theory.

The theory of r selection, favoring population growth, as opposed to K selection, favoring more efficient utilization of resources, has in recent years been applied by Rushton to contrast human ethnic groups in terms of their r/K reproductive strategies, suggesting the existence of a continuum from r groups, producing many offspring but providing little parental care, to K groups, producing few offspring but providing much parental care. Rushton's theory, which is largely based on ethnic differences in twinning rates, is here critically examined. It is pointed out that twinning rate differences are not necessarily genetic in origin since various environmental factors clearly play a role, and also that twinning, as a mode of reproduction, is not necessarily an r strategy, considering the high prenatal and perinatal selection to which it has been, and still is, associated. Moreover, Rushton misinterprets a number of relevant aspects related to the biology of twinning. The claim that ethnic differences in twinning rates provide evidence for an r/K typology in human populations with respect to reproductive strategies does not appear to be warranted.

Animals↗

Trends in monozygotic and dizygotic twinning rates by maternal age and parity. Further analysis of Italian data, 1949-1985, and rediscussion of US data, 1964-1985.

The dizygotic twinning rate in Italy, adjusted for maternal age and parity, declined from 8.9/1000 in 1949-1953 to 6.0/1000 in 1978-81, but may have stabilized or recovered slightly in the early 1980s. The long decline was greatest in the oldest mothers, and the recent increase, if any, has been principally in first births and in women under 30. The monozygotic rate rose from 3.8/1000 in 1969-73 to 4.3/1000 in 1982-85, having been relatively stable prior to that period. No good explanation for these trends is apparent.

Adult↗

Acute liver disorders in left-sided heart failure.

A case of apparent acute hepatitis developed during a mild attack of left-sided heart failure is reported. No shock or significant systemic hypotension was observed which are usually reported in such patients. The signs of the liver impairment were transient, subsiding with the successful treatment of the heart failure.

Acute Disease↗

[Evolution of the echographic picture in primary liver tumor associated with cirrhosis].

To study the sonographic (US) evolution of hepatocellular carcinoma, 53 tumors in 45 untreated patients were observed regularly with real-time US for a period of 6 to 56 months. At the beginning, 25 tumors were hypoechoic, 18 isoechoic, 4 hyperechoic, and 6 had mixed hypo/hyper echo patterns. At the follow-up, 7 initially hypoechoic tumors had changed to hyperechoic or to mixed echo patterns; 8 hypoechoic tumors had become isoechoic; 9 of the 25 initially hypoechoic neoplastic lesions had maintained the same echo density. Ten of the 15 initially isoechoic tumors had changed to mixed echo patterns, and 5 had remained unchanged. Three initially isoechoic lesions and a hypoechoic one had turned into diffuse patterns; 2 initially hyperechoic neoplastic lesions had remained unchanged; 1 had switched into hypoechoic, and 1 changed to mixed echo pattern; 4 out of 6 tumors with echo pattern had remained unchanged, 1 had become hyperechoic and 1 hypoechoic. The current study has proven various tumors less than or equal to 3 cm phi to be isoechoic, and most tumors greater than 3 cm phi to have mixed hypo/hyper echo patterns. The echogenicity of small hepatocellular carcinomas increases with the tumor growth, and remains unchanged when they do not increase in size.

Aged↗

Increasing trend in the monozygotic twinning rate.

Recent changes in the estimated incidence of monozygotic twinning in 15 European populations are described. The overall trend was an increase in the monozygotic twinning rate (MZTR) since the 1960s, particularly in those countries in which the use of oral contraceptives (OC) was widespread. A slower increase or even a decrease in the MZTR was observed in countries with low use of OC. Some countries, eg, Sweden, demonstrated an unexpectedly sharp increase since the 1960s. In Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany the MZTR was already strongly increasing as early as in the 1950s, clearly before the introduction of the pill. The influence of several other factors on the MZTR is discussed, such as toxic and teratogenic agents, pelvic infection diseases caused by the use of intrauterine devices, the increased use of ovulation inducers and neuroleptics as well as changes in the registration of perinatal deaths.

Age Factors↗

Colour blindness distribution in the male population of Rome.

A total of 3,285 young males selected at random from the school population of Rome have been administered the Ishihara plates for colour blindness. Those who failed to read all plates correctly were further administered Farnsworth's Panel D-15 and the diagnoses of colour blindness were made by an ophthalmologist and cross checked. A total of 201 subjects were found to be colour-blind, allowing a gene frequency estimate of 0.061 +/- 0.004. This is the first reliable estimate for the Italian population and appears to be lower than for other Caucasoid populations. The gene frequency of colour blindness is known to increase from 0.02-0.04 in 'primitive' populations to 0.07-0.09 in Caucasoid populations, possibly as a result of a selection relaxation.

Adolescent↗