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Biomedical subjects

P Piazza

Publications and source records attributed to P Piazza.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

TRH test in alcoholics: relationship of the endocrine results with neuroradiological and neuropsychological findings.

Neuroradiological, neuropsychological and neuroendocrine parameters were evaluated in 20 non-depressed alcoholic men after 4 weeks (N = 11) or after at least 1 year (N = 9) of abstinence from alcohol and in normal men (N = 9). With regard to normal controls, 4-week abstinent alcoholics showed larger lateral and third ventricles, without modification in the number of cerebral sulci, and altered scores of tests evaluating subcortical and frontal function. Furthermore, in these patients the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and PRL (prolactin) responses to thyrotropin releasing hormone were higher than in controls, suggesting a reduced hypothalamic control of TSH and PRL secretion. Taken together, these findings suggest the presence of a frontal-subcortical disorder in alcoholics. Patients who had been abstinent from alcohol for at least 1 year were not distinguishable from controls for neuroradiological, neuropsychological and neuroendocrine findings, suggesting that the alcohol-related brain alterations are reversible after a long period of abstinence.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Augmentation of cellular immune function during the early phase of zidovudine treatment of AIDS patients.

Twenty-five patients with AIDS in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 002 were treated with either low or high dosages of zidovudine. This resulted in moderate, transient increases by 10 and 20 weeks in lymphocyte blastogenesis and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production in vitro in response to phytohemagglutinin with and without recombinant interleukin-2. Immune responses to cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus type 1 antigens were augmented less frequently during therapy. Natural killer (NK) cell lysis of uninfected and human immunodeficiency virus-infected cells was also transiently increased by 10 and 20 weeks. IFN-gamma production, the only immune parameter directly associated with increases in numbers of CD4+ T cells, peaked at 10 weeks of treatment. The limited efficacy of zidovudine treatment in AIDS patients is associated with moderate, temporary increases in nonspecific and herpesvirus-specific T lymphocyte responses and NK cell function.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

[Arterio-jugular difference of oxygen and intracranial pressure in comatose, head injured patients. I. Technical aspects and complications].

The monitoring of the comatose head injured patients is based on the recording of several data; the intracranial pressure measurements (ICP), associated with the arterial pressure recording, gives a good estimate of the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) but further information about the cerebral perfusion are needed. Based on the assumption that the cerebral metabolic rate is kept constant strong relationships exist between the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the arterovenous difference of oxygen (AVDO2). In order to obtain samples of cerebral venous blood a catheter must be inserted in the internal jugular vein (IJ) with the tip of the cannula reaching the superior jugular bulb. In 224 patients we measured the ICP trough ventricular or subdural catheters; invasive measurement of the arterial pressure was also carried on in all the patients. In 45 patients we measured the AVDO2 and we tested the safety and the reliability of the jugular vein cannulation. During the insertion of the jugular catheters a slight increase of ICP, without any clinical significance, was recorded; in two cases (on a total of 45) accidental carotid puncture occurred. In 9 cases we tested the concordance of the oxygen content between the two IJs; looking at the mean values no statistical difference is detected between the two sides but in some cases relevant differences are recorded. In two cases we inserted the catheters more cranially, reaching a sinus of the cranial basis; the blood collected from these points carries less oxygen that the blood collected in the neck. The rate of infection in this series of ICP monitoring is very low (1.78%) and we had no bleeding at the moment of the insertion of the catheters. Since no significant complications related to the IJ cannulation were recorded we conclude that these techniques are safe and can be easily performed in the clinical setting. Further studies are required in order to investigate the clinical meaning of the differences in the IJs content of oxygen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

MR cisternography of the cerebello-pontine angle and internal auditory canal in diagnosis of intracanalicular acoustic neuroma.

One hundred and fifteen patients, suffering from sensorineural hearing loss were tested with a 1.5 T superconducting magnet. The authors describe utility of both T1-weighted multiple slice and T2-weighted multiple echo images for the evaluation of cerebello-pontine angle, internal auditory canal and their neurovascular content. In seventy-three cases MR cisternography was normal. The remaining forty-two cases were subdivided into twenty extracanalicular masses, eleven small intra-extracanalicular and nine purely intracanalicular lesions. All the lesions were histologically proven acoustic neuromas, except one intracanalicular mass which was a meningioma. Examination was inconclusive only in two cases and decision was then made to follow the clinical course. Advantages of MR cisternography over CT and air CT cisternography, such as absence of ionizing radiation and contrast material, easy multiplanar evaluation of the region of interest and the possibility to delineate both the cisternal and canalar extremities of the tumor mass are pointed out.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Usefulness of computerized tomography in the prognosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage].

The authors reviewed the computed tomographic (CT) scans of 129 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The close correlation is stressed between the severity of the symptoms onset and the amount of blood demonstrated on CT scans. The importance is confirmed of CT in the prognostic evaluation of SAH. As a matter of fact, CT findings define the location and the amount of blood: these factors are closely related to the occurrence of vasospasms -i.e., the primary cause of death and poor outcome. CT also shows the possible complications (hematoma, hydrocephalus, mass effect) that, when present, have a negative impact on prognosis, independent of the neurologic condition. Finally, the authors point out how a reliable prognosis of SAH is based upon combined clinical evaluation and CT study.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[The optic pathways: a magnetic resonance study at 1.5 tesla. I. Anatomy].

The authors retrospectively examined one hundred and twenty-nine patients who had undergone MR examination of the sellar, parasellar and orbital regions, to evaluate MR capabilities in demonstrating the optic pathways and their relationship to the most important anatomical structures nearby. T1-weighted images allowed a very good evaluation not only of the optic pathways as a whole, but also of the intracanalicular and intracranial segments of the optic nerve; the optic tracts and geniculate bodies were also clearly demonstrated. Optic radiations were clearly visible on both T1- and T2-weighted images. The orbital portion of the optic nerve could be evaluated with T1-weighted images, which showed its external profile. However, only multi-echo T2-weighted images allowed the nerve to be differentiated from perineural spaces, filled with cerebrospinal fluid, thus giving a true cisternographic effect.

Geniculate Bodies↗
PubMed1988

HIV-1-specific production of IFN-gamma and modulation by recombinant IL-2 during early HIV-1 infection.

Specific cellular immune responses to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) were assessed in mononuclear leukocyte cultures from homosexual men with documented, early phase HIV-1 infection. Cell cultures from men with a mean duration of 1.3 yr (range, 0.3 to 2.2 yr) of HIV-1 infection were treated with UV-inactivated, whole, purified HIV-1 Ag together with various concentrations of rIL-2. Cell supernatants were harvested after 5-day incubation and assayed for IFN activity against encephalomyocarditis virus in human WISH cells. IFN subtypes were characterized by neutralization of antiviral activity with antiserum specific for human IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha. Results showed that cultures from 68% (17 of 25) of the HIV-1-seropositive subjects produced "immune" IFN-gamma in response to whole HIV-1 Ag plus rIL-2. IFN-gamma was induced in only 20% (5 of 25) of cultures treated with HIV-1 Ag alone. Enhancement of HIV-1-specific IFN-gamma production by rIL-2 was synergistic rather than additive in that titers induced by the mixture were consistently higher than the sum of IFN titers induced by HIV-1 or rIL-2 alone. This effect was not demonstrable in cultures from 18 HIV-1-seronegative men. Similarly, HIV-1-immune specific augmentation of IFN-gamma production by rIL-2 was noted for PENV9, a recombinant HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp41 and gp120 fragment. Production of IFN-gamma may be an important, HIV-1-immune specific parameter in the host response to this retrovirus.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1988

[Presentation of a case of spinal osteoid osteoma causing dorsal scoliosis. Role of high resolution CT].

A case of vertebral osteoid osteoma in a 19 years old female is described. The tumor was located at D7 right peduncle and was responsible for a mild left convex curve dorso-lumbar scoliosis. The patient had been complaining for 3 years because of a stablike pain at medio-dorsal level. The symptomatology was exacerbated by erect position, during the night and was relieved by salicylic acid. Diagnosis was suspected on the basis of scintigraphic and computed tomographic features and confirmed at surgery. Limited value of plain films and the importance of bony scintigraphy and high resolution computed tomography to establish the localization and nature of the lesion are stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Dissection of the internal carotid artery. Personal case reports and a review of the literature].

The clinical and angiographic features of 20 patients affected by internal carotid artery dissection are reported. In one patient the neurological signs were related to a traumatic event, in two cases the symptoms presented after hyperextension of the neck during athletic events, while their onset was apparently spontaneous in the remaining 17 patients. Plain CT was normal in 14 cases and positive for ischemic necrosis in 6 patients. Angiography demonstrated extensive/segmental stenosis of the internal carotid lumen in 12 cases (60%), pseudoaneurysmal dilatation in 3 cases (15%), and complete carotid occlusion in 5 patients (25%). The "double lumen" feature was seen in 3 cases at the origin of the dissection. One patient died, surgical ligature of the internal carotid artery was performed in two cases, while the other patients received medical treatment with platelet inhibitors, except for the young patient affected by post-traumatic artery dissection. Complete recovery was observed in 82% of the patients. Follow-up angiograms demonstrated normal recanalization of the internal carotid artery in 4 out of 6 patients; one of them had two false aneurysms which following angiograms demonstrated to be completely resolved. Regression of stenosis was observed in 6 of the remaining patients by Doppler US. On the whole, the recanalization of the internal carotid artery was observed in 59% of cases. Angiographic findings seemed not to play a decisive role in the prognosis of carotid dissections, which largely depends on the overall patient's condition and on the presence/absence of ischemic cerebral damages.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

[The role of computerized tomography in the diagnosis of osteoid osteoma].

Radiological diagnosis of osteoid-osteoma is based upon conventional radiographic techniques, i.e. plain film and tomography, scintigraphy and Computed Tomography (CT). The authors report on the use of CT in 13 patients affected by histologically verified osteoid-osteoma, in different locations, as related to their main clinical and epidemiological signs. A comparison is made of the diagnostic contribution of the different techniques, including scintigraphy and tomography, when available. CT results were evaluated referring to fundamental semiologic elements, such as the presence of the nidus--with or without calcifications--of perilesional sclerosis, hyperostosis and periosteosis. As a rule, we can affirm that CT allows a better spatial location in the metaphysodiaphyso-epiphyseal areas, the only exception being represented by location in the metacarpal and phalangeal bones, which are better evaluated in the axial plane due to their thinness. CT is otherwise indispensable for a correct evaluation of the posterior vertebral arch.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

[Preoperative embolization of angiomas of the face. Remote angiographic results].

Preoperative embolization was performed on 27 patients with facial angiomas supplied by the external carotid branches. Sixteen were males and 11 females; 13 of these angiomas were high-flow arteriovenous (A-V), 14 were low-flow capillary malformations. Fourteen patients underwent surgical removal after preoperative embolization; in this group embolization was carried out with Spongel in 3 cases and with Lyodura in 11 cases. In 12 of these patients the last angiographic examination was performed 3-6 years later: angiography evidenced no recurrence in 8 cases (67%), while in 3 cases (25%) there was capillary residual angioma of negligible size. Treatment was unsuccessful in one patient only, due to the large recurrent A-V angioma. Thirteen patients underwent embolization only, which was carried out with Lyodura in 10 cases, and with Ivalon in 3 cases. On 12 of these patients the last angiographic study was performed 2-14 months later: there was recurrent A-V angioma in 5 patients (42%), who underwent a subsequent embolization; angiography evidenced no recurrence in the other 7 patients (58%). In both series, the best results were obtained in the patients with low-flow capillary angiomas. Embolization and subsequent surgical removal are the treatment of choice for facial angiomas; embolization alone is useful in the management of surgically inaccessible vascular malformations, and it can be the only treatment in patients with small low-flow angiomas when distal occlusion of the feeding vessels with Lyodura or Ivalon particles is performed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Effects of substantia nigra stimulation on hypothalamic rage reaction in cats.

The effects of substantia nigra (SN) (pars compacta) stimulation on the rage reaction elicited by ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) were investigated in the cat. The studied parameters of the rage reaction were: the current and the frequency threshold for the appearance of the hissing and the hissing latency. A facilitatory effect induced by the SN on the hypothalamic rage reaction was observed in the form of a decrease in the hypothalamic stimulus threshold for the hissing appearance and a decrease in the hissing latency. Moreover, when the VMH was stimulated with parameters below the threshold for the hissing display, simultaneous nigral activation determined its appearance. The excitatory influence exerted by the SN on the affective component of the aggressive behavior is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1986

Stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (A10 region) enhances the hypothalamic attack behavior in the cat.

The influence of the A10 region of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) on the quiet biting attack evoked by stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic nucleus (LH) was studied. The latency of the biting was considered as reference value and measured with stop-watches; it remained constant when hypothalamic stimulation was performed with the same parameters. Simultaneous activation of the A10 neuron group induced a facilitation of the aggression in the form of a decrease in the biting latency or a display of the attack pattern when LH was stimulated with parameters below the threshold for biting appearance. The facilitatory effect of the A10 neurons of the VTA is discussed.

Aggression↗
PubMed1986

The interference of antibiotics with antigen-specific antibody responses in man.

The effect of a series of antimicrobial drugs on human antigen-specific primary antibody response in vitro was investigated. Of the five agents tested, only streptomycin and gentamicin induced an appreciable reduction in the antibody response; penicillin G, rifampin and amikacin had a poor or irregular effect. The precise mechanisms of action of these substances on mammalian cells remain to be elucidated since an assessment of their capacity to interfere with the immune system is of particular importance in those patients with induced or acquired immunodeficiencies. In this respect, we provide an inexpensive and sensitive method for the preliminary screening of potentially immunosuppressive drugs.

Animals↗