High DeltaN p63 isoform expression favours recurrences in odontogenic keratocyst--odontogenic keratocystic tumour.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Cocchi.
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PURPOSE: This study analyzed the prognostic factors for carcinoma of the parotid gland and the role of surgery alone or with radiotherapy in treating these lesions. METHODS: Forty-five patients with malignant parotid tumors were studied retrospectively. Patients were treated by combined surgery and radiation therapy between 1984 and 1995 at the Maxillo-Facial Departments of the General Hospitals of Bologna and Parma. Resection was conservative when possible, depending on the extent of the tumor. The median follow-up time was 54 months. Data regarding incidence, tumor stage and grade, local control, distant metastases (calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method), and survival were analyzed. Cox's multiple linear regression was used to identify patient and tumor characteristics with the greatest prognostic significance. RESULTS: The actuarial 5- and 8-year disease-free survival rates were 81% and 62%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor stage was a more prognostic variable than tumor grade. Residual microscopic disease at the excision margins was also an important prognostic variable. Laterocervical metastases affected 4 patients (9%), and distant metastases appeared in 8 patients (18%). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative irradiation is indicated for patients with stage III and IV disease, patients with positive excision margins, and for patients with lymph node metastases.
Hemimandibular hyperplasia is a well-defined, rare asymmetrical mandibular malformation. It is characterized by diffuse enlargement of the condyle, the condylar neck, and the ramus and body of the mandible. Because the anomaly begins before puberty, it is understandable that the maxilla follows the downward growth of the mandible. Pathogenesis is due most likely to clear hyperactivity in the condyle, which can be documented histologically with an actively proliferating cartilage. Therapy is largely based on the patient's age. The authors present their series of nine individuals with hemimandibular hyperplasia treated with various surgical methods between 1992 and 1994. A therapeutic approach called orthopedic maxillary management applied to two of the nine patients is presented. The objective is to maintain the occlusal maxillary plane in a correct position in growing patients. All clinical results, except one, were satisfying and showed good postoperative stability.
Two cases of malignant mesothelioma metastatic to the brain and maxillary bone respectively are reported. This latter localization has never been described in literature. The diagnosis resided primarily on immunohistochemistry.
BACKGROUND: The tenet that peritoneal dialysis is capable of either normalizing or improving blood pressure control in uraemic patients is based on outdated or monocentric experiences. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of hypertension and the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy in a large, multicentric cohort of patients on peritoneal dialysis. METHODS: Twenty seven out of the 50 centres belonging to the Italian Co-operative Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group took part in the study. The main patient selection criteria were: peritoneal dialysis therapy for at least 3 months and no peritonitis or changes in dialysis technique for at least 1 month. Clinical blood pressure was measured according to WHO/ISH guidelines. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was carried out using a SpaceLabs 90207 recorder. Hypertension was defined according to WHO/ISH criteria and staged according to the criteria of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC), 5th Report. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring recordings were used to evaluate white-coat hypertension, blood pressure load and the dipping phenomenon. RESULTS: Five hundred and four subjects were evaluated. Hypertension was prevalent in 88.1% of the population, and 362 out of 444 hypertensive patients were on antihypertensive therapy. JNC staging revealed that 188 patients had moderate to severe hypertension. Blood pressure load was pathological in 77.3% of the patients receiving antihypertensive treatment. White-coat hypertension was identified in 9.1% of the hypertensive patients not on antihypertensive therapy, and 53.1% of the patients were non-dippers. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that hypertension is a dramatic, unsolved problem in uraemic patients treated with peritoneal dialysis, and casts doubts on the effectiveness of our current peritoneal dialysis strategies and pharmacological management of hypertension.
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OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of hypertension, the average blood pressure level, the 24 h blood pressure profile, and the efficacy of antihypertensive therapy for a large population of peritoneal dialysis patients.DESIGN: A cross-sectional, observational multicenter study. METHODS: From 504 peritoneal dialysis patients (18% of the Italian peritoneal dialysis population) involved in a multicenter observational study, we selected 414 who had undergone successful ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (i.e. no hours with data absent, >/= 75% successful readings and monitoring duration >/= 24 h). Office blood pressure measurements and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were performed for each patient on the same day with a standard mercury sphygmomanometer and a SpaceLabs 90207 device, respectively.RESULTS: According to World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension criteria, 44 peritoneal dialysis patients (10.6%) were normotensive and 370 patients (89.4%) were hypertensive, 304 (82.1%) of whom were being administered antihypertensive therapy. Daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressures were both significantly lower than office systolic and diastolic blood pressures (140.7 +/- 19.7/72.1 +/-11.1 versus 148.3 +/- 23.6/85.6 +/- 12 mmHg; P < 0.001). The difference between office blood pressure and daytime blood pressure was significantly correlated to office blood pressure (P < 0.001 for systolic and P < 0.001 for diastolic). The diurnal blood pressure rhythm evaluated by visual inspection of hourly mean plots was not influenced by sex, age, antihypertensive treatment, and peritoneal dialysis modality. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures exhibited a day-night mean decreases of 8.6 +/- 11.7 and 7.7 +/- 6.9 mmHg, respectively, and daytime blood pressure values were significantly higher than night-time ones (P < 0.001). Two hundred and twenty patients (53.1%) were nondippers according to O'Brien's criteria, 247 patients (59.7%) were nondippers according to Verdecchia's criteria, and 269 patients (65.0%) were nondippers according to Staessen's criteria. Only 39 patients (9.4%) had a reversed circadian rhythm. The day-night differences of systolic and diastolic blood pressures were in a unimodal distribution. Among hypertensive patients not being administered antihypertensive therapy, only six patients ( five women and one man) had white-coat hypertension. Among hypertensive patients being administered antihypertensive therapy, 235 patients (77.3%) had 24 h blood pressure loads > 30%.CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of hypertension among peritoneal dialysis patients. White-coat hypertension is very rare in this population. Despite the extensive use of antihypertensive therapy, control of blood pressure is maintained in a large number of our peritoneal dialysis patients. Any classification of patients into dipers and nondippers must be interpreted cautiously.
An association between hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease is well described in the literature. We conducted an observational study in order to evaluate the lipid profile, the prevalence of hyperlipidemia and its relationship with age, sex, duration of CAPD, peritoneal glucose load (PGL), serum albumin (ALB), serum glucose (GLU), and BMI in a large cohort of uremics undergoing long-term treatment with CAPD. 457 nondiabetic patients (245 males, 212 females; mean age 63.8 +/- 11.9 years; mean duration of CAPD: 41.8 +/- 26.9 months) treated during 1992 in 25 centers participating in the Italian Cooperative Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group (ICPDSG) were studied. The serum lipid parameters evaluated were triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (CHO), HDL-cholesterol (HDL). Indications given in the New England Journal of Medicine, SI Unit Conversion Guide, 1992, were adopted for normal ranges. In the whole population the evaluation of lipid parameters showed: TG 227.4 +/- 123.3 mg/dl, CHO 232.8 +/- 56.0 mg/dl, HDL 40.7 +/- 12.0 mg/dl. No differences were found between the two sexes with regard to age, BMI, duration of CAPD, distribution of renal diseases, TG, ALB, and GLU; whereas CHO and HDL were significantly lower in males than in females (CHO: 222.2 +/- 53.5 vs. 245.0 +/- 56.5 mg/dl, p < 0.001; HDL: 39.3 +/- 11.4 vs. 42.6 +/- 12.6 mg/dl, p < 0.05). The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was significantly lower in males than in females (19.7 vs. 35.4%; p < 0.001). The multiple regression analysis indicated that TG were directly correlated to PGL (p < 0.05), and HDL was inversely correlated with TG (p < 0.001). The coexistence of the two variables (TG and HDL) may increase the risk of cardiovascular events. Further strategies should therefore be developed to select and manage CAPD patients to reduce the incidence of hyperlipidemia.
INTRODUCTION: A case of solitary fibrous tumour of the cheek is described. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The lesion is documented by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The patient is a 55 year old man and the tumor is constituted by a nodule measuring 2 cm in its greatest axis. The neoplastic cells are spindle shaped and arranged in a storiform pattern. They stain for vimentin and CD34. DISCUSSION: The differential diagnosis from morphologically similar lesions, such as leiomyoma, schwannoma, benign fibrohistiocytoma and myoepithelioma of the salivary glands was taken in consideration. The present case, together with those reported in the literature, indicates that solitary fibrous tumours arise in any site of the organism.
The advent of microsurgery has revolutionized the reconstruction of composite tissue defects of the mandibular region. Well-vascularized bone and soft-tissues can be used to repair any kind of oromandibular defects and many of the morphological and functional goals of mandibular reconstruction can now be achieved. The ideal flap should provide a vascularized bone of sufficient length and height, easily shaped to match the original mandible with a thin, abundant soft-tissue component. The donor site morbidity should be minimal and a two-team approach possible. Different flaps have been used for mandibular reconstruction including fibula, iliac crest, radius and scapula. According to us, fibula free-flap satisfies many of these requirements and is the flap of choice in most cases of difficult mandibular reconstruction. 8 fibula free flaps were used in 6 cases of primary and 2 cases of secondary reconstructions. The defects were secondary to resections of oral cancers in 4 cases and of osteosarcomas in 4 cases. The mandibular defects were between 8 and 16 cm in length. Multiple osteotomies were used to shape the bone and miniplates were utilized for rigid fixation of the osteotomized bone and of the remaining mandible. An important soft-tissue defect was present in 6 cases requiring a skin paddle for oral lining. In 6 cases there was a complete survive of the flaps with very satisfactory results and good mandibular contour. There was one flap failure for a venous thrombosis and in one case the flap was removed after 8 days for complications independent of the microvascular technique. Donor site morbidity was minimal with no significant gait disturbance. In conclusion, the advantages of microvascular surgery and the reliability of fibula free-flap make it an attractive and versatile option in one-stage reconstruction of composite tissue defects in the mandibular region.
We studied 212 patients from 13 Italian dialysis centers to evaluate the clinical aspects of dialysis-related amyloidosis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The mean age was 64.2 +/- 12.3 years and mean time on dialysis was 36.9 +/- 25.1 months. Residual diuresis was 615.7 +/- 554.0 mL/day and plasma beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) level was 27.0 +/- 12.8 mg/L. Radiological skeletal examination, neurological problems related to beta 2M, and urinary and dialytic balance of beta 2M were evaluated. Correlations between age, time on dialysis, residual diuresis, beta 2M plasma levels, beta 2M peritoneal and renal removal, carpal tunnel syndrome, and bone disease were studied. Only the number of bone lesions had a significant positive correlation with patient age and negative correlation with residual diuresis. The latter had an inverse relation with beta 2M plasma levels. Dialytic age did not correlate with any of the parameters. No other correlation was observed. Hand lesions were found in 85% of patients with bone dialysis-related amyloidosis. In conclusion, residual diuresis in our patients played a positive role in the number of bone localizations. Only age, but not time on dialysis, had a positive impact on the bone lesions. The high percentage of hand lesions suggests that the observation of this skeletal segment is a simple, safe, and effective modality of bone follow-up for dialysis-related amyloidosis.
Over a 10-year period, 1,990 end-stage renal disease patients in 30 centers were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis by the Italian Cooperative Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group. At the start of treatment, patients had an average age of 58.4 years, with a 66% prevalence of one or more clinical risk factors for premature death. Patient survival was 51% and 33% at 4 and 8 years on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, respectively, and technique survival was 62% and 48%, respectively. Occurrences of peritonitis progressively reduced until they reached an incidence of 0.50 episodes/yr in the last 5 years (1985 to 1989). Hernias and catheter-related problems did not influence the dropout rates. These Italian Cooperative Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group results demonstrate that continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is a viable dialysis technique for long-term treatment of chronic renal failure and that it is an effective alternative to hemodialysis, especially for older and high-risk patients.
CAPD outcomes were compared between a group of 301 diabetic patients (mean age +/- SD, 58.9 +/- 12.7 years, 55.8% males) and a group of 1689 non-diabetic patients (mean age +/- SD 57.8 +/- 14.8 years, 55.9% males) treated in 30 centres participating in the Italian Cooperative Peritoneal Dialysis Study Group from 1980 to 1989, with follow-up observation periods of 444 years (mean +/- SD, 1.48 +/- 1.24) and of 3502 years (mean +/- SD, 2.07 +/- 1.91) respectively. CAPD was the first modality for 87.2% of diabetics and 78.1% of non-diabetics (P < 0.001). The percentage of patients who needed a partner for CAPD was 45.9% in diabetics and 30.2% in non-diabetics (P < 0.001). In diabetics compared with non-diabetics, cardiovascular diseases and cachexia were nearly twice and infections other than peritonitis more than three times as frequent in causing death. In diabetics, survival was significantly worse (P < 0.0001) and the relative risk of death 2.13 times higher (P < 0.001). The technique survival and the relative risk of drop-out were not significantly different in the two groups. Clinical problems were the most important cause of drop-out among diabetics. The probability and relative risk of drop-out due to peritonitis, as well as of the first peritonitis episode, were not significantly different between the two groups and between diabetics using or not using intraperitoneal insulin. Days per patient year of hospitalization, excluding the first, were 18.4 in diabetics and 14.3 in non-diabetics. CAPD-related problems caused hospitalization in a similar way in the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
In the present multicenter study, 120 pts who had been treated by both hemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for at least 6 months each, were invited to answer questions on 34 matters, to compare symptoms and their well-being while on the two treatments. Patients were invited to choose HD or CAPD and indicate the reasons for their choice. For 28 patients the first treatment was HD and for 92 CAPD. The mean time between the change of therapy and the study was 46 +/- 35 months. Their final choices were found to be strictly related to the present treatment (p < 0.001). The reasons for choice of CAPD were: more free time (21%), more freedom (67%), better well-being (44%), less worry (5%); for HD they were: more free time (53%), better well-being (39%), less worry (13%), no need for a peritoneal catheter and fewer clinical complications (19%). The catheter was considered more cumbersome than the A.V. fistula, the time involved was considered to be shorter on HD by 52 patients and on CAPD by 39, thirst and cramps were considered to be more frequent and severe on CAPD by half of the patients. The prevalence and severity of problems and symptoms and choice of treatment were not related to sex, job, education or age.
The patient survival (PS) and technique survival (TS) were evaluated in 1990 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) (males: 55.9%, mean age +/- SD: 58.4 +/- 14.8 years), treated in 30 centers participating in the Italian PD Study Group, from 1980 to 1989 (follow-up: 3953 years; mean +/- SD: 2.02 +/- 1.86 years). The total PS was 50.7% at 4 years, compared to 73.3% of patients without clinical high-risk condition (HRC) at the beginning of CAPD. In this group (34.0%) PS was significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared, respectively, to patients with cardiovascular disease (30.5%), diabetes (13.1%), and age > or = 70 years (11.2%). The percentage of death reached the mean value of 11.3% per year without any statistically significant tendency to variation during the follow-up, despite the increased number of patients > or = 65 years old and those with HRC (p < 0.001). Cardiovascular diseases (47.3%) and cachexia (17.8%) were the most frequent causes of death, whereas the mortality due to peritonitis showed a progressive increase in patients with peritonitis incidence 1 ep/year (G4) compared to those with < 0.5 ep/year (G2). Peritonitis (0.68 ep/year) was the most frequent cause of technique failure (30.0%), with clinical complications (18.2%) and peritoneal membrane failure (16.4%) as the second and third causes. The dropout percentage was 8.3% per year with a significant decrease over time (p = 0.012) and a positive correlation with the reduction of peritonitis incidence (p = 0.035). The total TS was 50.1% at 7 years, and it was significantly worse in G4 compared to G2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
To evaluate whether the continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) technique is able per se to obtain lower beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2M) plasma levels than hemodialysis (HD) or whether other factors, such as residual diuresis, can make a significant contribution, we compared 69 CAPD and 38 cuprophan HD patients, matched for age and dialysis duration. Residual diuresis was 680.3 +/- 531.8 mL/day in CAPD and 285.5 +/- 381.8 mL/day in HD (p < 0.001) subjects. Daily diuresis was > 300 mL/day in 63.8% of CAPD and in 31.6% of HD patients. The beta 2M plasma levels were 26.3 +/- 9.9 mg/L and 34.9 +/- 13.3 mg/L (p < 0.001) in CAPD and HD, respectively. In both groups the difference was significant when we compared the patients with diuresis below versus above 300 mL/day (p < 0.001). Instead, the differences were not significant upon comparing the CAPD and HD patients with the same amount of daily diuresis. The comparison between beta 2M plasma levels and residual diuresis showed a significant inverse correlation in both groups (p < 0.001). We conclude that the dialysis technique itself does not affect beta 2M plasma levels. The diuresis volume may be a very important factor in lowering beta 2M levels in both CAPD and HD patients. CAPD's capacity to maintain a higher diuresis for longer than HD may account for the lower beta 2M plasma levels in CAPD patients.
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We studied 1,622 patients who started regular dialysis treatment between 1985 and 1989 in 19 centers from the Italian CAPD Study Group. There were 962 pts (59%) and on HD; 660 pts (41%) on CAPD. CAPD pts were older and had more risk factors at the start than HD pts (p < 0.0001). Overall patient survival was not statistically different between CAPD and HD at 6 years (42% CAPD; 54% HD). Multivariate analysis (Cox's model) on all population revealed that age and pretreatment risk factors had a statistically significant impact on patient survival (p < 0.0001), but not the type of dialytic treatment (CAPD or HD). When multivariate analysis was applied separately by treatment modalities, in HD group age and risk factors had the same negative influence on survival (p < 0.0001) while in CAPD group the influence of age on survival was less significant (p 0.025). This multicenter study carried out with appropriate statistical methods in a large number of pts demonstrates that patients' survival at 6 years is not different on CAPD and HD (despite the worse patient selection on CAPD) and can be even better on CAPD for aged patients.