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Biomedical subjects

P Pederzoli

Publications and source records attributed to P Pederzoli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Early graft injuries after pancreatic transplantation in syngeneic rats. Cytoprotective effects of gabexate-mesilate.

Failures in experimental and human pancreatic transplantation are mainly attributable to rejection, graft thrombosis, and technical problems. There are, however, problems related to other causes, such as preservation injuries, which we found to exhibit, at least within the first 6 h, the same histological patterns seen in experimental acute pancreatitis. We performed pancreatic transplantation in 110 syngeneic rats under different preservation techniques and administration of gabexate mesilate, a synthetic protease inhibitor. The results showed that antiprotease treatment reduces graft preservation injuries significantly.

Analysis of Variance

Pancreatic calcifications in patients with chronic pancreatitis. A sign of long-lasting or severe disease?

Pancreatic calcifications are particularly frequent in patients with severe pancreatic insufficiency and long-lasting chronic pancreatitis. To clarify whether calcifications point to a more severe form of the disease, irrespective of its duration, we have retrospectively analyzed patients with chronic pancreatitis submitted to the secretin-cerulein test in our center over a six-year period. Out of 120 patients, calcifications were found in 55. Higher alcohol intake and longer duration of the disease were found in patients with calcifications, compared with patients without calcifications (p less than 0.001). In both groups, lipase and chymotrypsin were more severely impaired than bicarbonate; a greater reduction of pancreatic exocrine function was found in patients with calcifications, compared to those without (p less than 0.001, Mann-Whitney U-test). When the patients were classified according to the duration of the disease or the severity of exocrine function impairment, higher percentages of patients with calcifications were found in the classes with more advanced disease. A log-linear analysis showed that the prevalence of calcifications was associated with pancreatic function impairment, even within the same class of duration of the disease. It is likely that calcifications mark more severe forms of chronic pancreatitis, even in the early phases of the disease.

Adolescent

Retroperitoneal and peritoneal drainage and lavage in the treatment of severe necrotizing pancreatitis.

In severe necrotizing pancreatitis, the retroperitoneum is the main site both of autodigestion and of the production of toxins. With the aim of removing necrotic tissues and active enzymes from the retroperitoneum, we developed a surgical approach based on a wide exposure of the pancreas and on the insertion of multiple drainages with postoperative irrigations with hypertonic solutions and antiproteases. We treated 191 patients, and our results correlated with the timing of the operation. The operative mortality rate ranges from 8.1 in patients undergoing our procedure within 48 hours from the onset of the disease to 28.4 per cent when the operation was delayed for more than 96 hours. Our technique is detailed and the indications as to the timing of surgical treatment in instances of pancreatitis are discussed.

Acute Disease

Continuous peritoneal dialysis in acute experimental pancreatitis in dogs. Effect of aprotinin in the dialysate medium.

In 27 beagle dogs, acute necrotizing pancreatitis was induced by retrograde injection of autologous bile and trypsin into the main pancreatic duct. Animals were randomly assigned to the following treatments: group 1--(9 dogs) aprotinin 600,000 KIU/d by i.v. route; group 2--(9 dogs) peritoneal dialysis for 6 d plus 500,000 KIU/L of aprotinin in the dialysate fluid; group 3--(9 dogs) peritoneal dialysis without aprotinin in the dialysate fluid. All dogs of the group 1 died within 16 h following the induction of pancreatitis and extensive necrotizing and hemorrhagic changes were seen in the pancreatic and peripancreatic areas. Six dogs of the group 2 survived and no necrotizing changes were observed 30 or 50 d after the induction of pancreatitis. Three dogs of the group 3 survived, but slight necrotizing lesions were found at the autopsy. The survival rate was higher in dogs with peritoneal lavage (p = 0.0129) or with peritoneal lavage plus aprotinin (p less than 0.0001) than in those receiving i.v. aprotinin, indicating that the latter treatment has no beneficiary effect on the course of acute pancreatitis.

Acute Disease

Thoracic complications of pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis may be associated with thoracic complications, notably chronic massive pleural effusion (CMPE) and, rarely, pseudocysts with mediastinal extension (PME) and enzymatic mediastinitis (EM). Our personal experience with 14 cases of thoracic complications (nine CMPE, two PME associated with pleural effusion, and three EM of 670 patients who underwent surgery; of these, 191 had acute and 479 had chronic pancreatitis) during 16 years (1970-1986) is reported. In the patients with CMPE, the initial symptoms were progressive dyspnea eventually associated with cough and chest pain. In the PME cases, there was dysphagia associated with left subscapular pain and left chest pain. The initial signs in the patients with EM were sudden dyspnea, cyanosis, retrosternal pain, tachycardia, and acute heart failure. A fistula between the pancreatic ductal system and the pleural cavity in seven of the nine patients with CMPE was demonstrated by intraoperative pancreatography and/or cystography. On the contrary, preoperative endoscopic pancreatography demonstrated the sinus tract in only three of the seven. In both cases of PME, computed tomography (CT) provided a correct diagnosis that was confirmed at surgery. In the patients with EM, the diagnosis was suggested by the clinical appearance and was confirmed by the chest roentgenogram and by CT. All patients had operations after varying periods of unsuccessful 2-4-week-long conservative treatment. One patient with infected ascites died postoperatively. There were no thoracic recurrences of pancreatic disease among the other patients at a 10-month-10-year follow-up observation after surgery.

Acute Disease

The fecal chymotrypsin photometric assay in the evaluation of exocrine pancreatic capacity. Comparison with other direct and indirect pancreatic function tests.

Fecal chymotrypsin (FCT) has been measured by a new photometric method (Monotest Chymotrypsin; Boehringer, Mannheim) in 78 patients: 44 with chronic pancreatitis and 34 not affected by any pancreatic disease. The results were compared with those from other tests of pancreatic secretory (secretin-cerulein test) and digestive [serum and urinary p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and pancreolauryl] capacity. When FCT values were severely reduced (below 6.7 U/g), from 90 to 100% of the patients also presented abnormal pancreatic secretory and digestive capacity. On the other hand, 87% of the patients with normal FCT (above 20 U/g) presented normal secretory and digestive capacity. Patients with intermediate FCT values (between 6.7 and 20 U/g) showed normal or abnormal pancreatic secretory and digestive capacity with the same probability. Therefore, FCT, carried out as a first test, seems to identify subjects that need no further pancreatic function tests (normal and severely impaired FCT) and patients who need other more complex functional investigations (intermediate FCT values).

Biomarkers

Pancreaticoduodenal graft in the rat: an original microsurgical technique.

The authors describe an original surgical technique for pancreatic transplantation carried out on an experimental rat model which duplicates as closely as possible the anatomic-functional situation of a pancreatic graft in man (one arterovenous vascular peduncle with one functioning kidney only). The technique entails a microanastomosis between the mesenteric artery and the portal vein of the donor organ with the left renal artery and vein of the recipient. This method appears to be technically encouraging and particularly useful in studying the early phases of ischemic graft injuries, a field in which the authors are particularly interested.

Animals

A clinical evaluation of monoclonal (CA19-9, CA50, CA12-5) and polyclonal (CEA, TPA) antibody-defined antigens for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

We measured in 193 patients, admitted to our wards for symptoms and signs suggestive of pancreatic or digestive malignancy, the serum levels of five tumor-associated antigens (CA 19-9, CA 50, CA 125, TPA, CEA) and we evaluated their diagnostic accuracy both when used alone and in combination. For CA 19-9 and CA 50 a sensitivity for pancreatic cancer as high as 92 and 88%, respectively, and specificity of 91.8% were found. A lower sensitivity vs. pancreatic cancer was found for the other tumor markers, and vs. the other digestive and nondigestive malignancies for all tumor markers (apart for CA 19-9 and CA 50 vs. biliary carcinomas). As for the combined assays, the best figures were found vs. pancreatic cancer for CA 19-9 plus CA 50, CA 50 plus CEA, CA 50 plus CA 125; a sensitivity by far worse vs. the other gastrointestinal cancers was found for all the possible combinations. We conclude that in selected symptomatic patients some tumor-marker determinations can be useful in identifying those with a high probability of harboring a pancreatic cancer, to be further studied or operated upon. The clinical relevance of this in patients already symptomatic is at present unclear.

Adult

Ciprofloxacin penetration in pancreatic juice.

The penetration of ciprofloxacin in pancreatic juice was investigated in 5 patients with pancreatic fistula. The drug was administered as a single oral dose of 500 mg after which serial samples of pancreatic juice and serum were collected for ciprofloxacin assay. The following pharmacokinetic parameters (mean +/- SD) were estimated from the serum level versus time curves: clearance 11.51 +/- 2.85 (ml/min/kg); Vd area 3.08 +/- 1.20 ml/kg; terminal half-life 3.10 +/- 0.92 h; mean residence time 5.64 +/- 1.40 h. Ciprofloxacin serum levels declined rapidly after the third hour, whereas concentrations in pancreatic juice remained elevated (above 1 mg/1) for nearly 12 h. The pancreatic juice/serum ciprofloxacin concentration ratio increased gradually fom 0.63 +/- 0.45 after 0.5 h to 6.18 +/- 4.59 after 12 h (mean +/- SD). Our data indicate that while the drug elimination half-life from the serum is short, the time-course of ciprofloxacin levels in the pancreatic juice conforms to a much slower disappearance rate. In particular, the ciprofloxacin levels achieved in pancreatic juice are constantly greater than the MICs of the bacteria generally responsible for pancreatic infections.

Adult

[Update in transplant surgery with special reference to the problem of organ donation].

The authors analyze the advances made and the current state of the art in transplant medicine and surgery, dealing at some length with the problems relating to organ donation. Particular attention is devoted to the provisions of law currently applicable in this field and those aspects currently under debate, comparing the situation in Italy with that obtaining elsewhere in Europe. The authors also focus on the need to make medical practitioners fully aware of the problem so as to achieve practical collaboration of the type possible today in West Germany.

Brain Death

Conservative treatment of external pancreatic fistulas with parenteral nutrition alone or in combination with continuous intravenous infusion of somatostatin, glucagon or calcitonin.

Treatment with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) alone or combined with continuous intravenous infusion of either somatostatin or calcitonin or glucagon have been carried out upon 45 patients with a high output external pancreatic fistula. No significant difference among these treatment schedules was observed in the percentage of closure of fistulas (85 to 100 per cent of the patients), but patients treated with TPN plus somatostatin had the fistulas close within a significantly (p = 0.000028) shorter period of time. Moreover, this treatment was associated with the strongest inhibition of the output from the fistula (minus 82.3 per cent). Since treatment with somatostatin was not accompanied by any side effect, was followed by a quite rapid closure of the fistulas and allowed an estimated economic savings of about $2,100.00 dollars per patient, it seems to be advisable in the conservative treatment of external pancreatic fistulas.

Calcitonin

[Pancreas transplant today: review of the literature].

The authors, after analysing the world literature concerning the pancreatic transplantation, dwell in considering the problems involved in the indications and techniques of the transplantation itself. Among the several problems expecting an ultimate solution, the improvement of prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of rejection seems to heavily affect the future of this surgery.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1

[Retroperitoneal neurilemmoma (considerations on 4 cases)].

The authors show 4 cases of retroperitoneal neurilemmoma, surgically treated by simple excision of the tumour. From the general observations, as well as from the analysis of the literature, they can remark the rareness of the location in such anatomical region. The clinical symptoms are common to those of the region retroperitoneal tumours, and are due to the compressive effect developed by the tumour on the contiguous structures. As regards the diagnostic procedures, they emphasize the primary value of axial computed tomography in the evaluation of the retroperitoneal pathology. The diagnosis cannot be but histologic, and is based upon the presence of the typical histologic pictures according to Antoni A and B types.

Adult