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Biomedical subjects

R Ferrara

Publications and source records attributed to R Ferrara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Computed tomographic scans in posttraumatic epilepsy.

The occurrence of posttraumatic epilepsy was studied in 219 patients who had had a computed tomographic (CT) scan within three days after a civilian head trauma. Posttraumatic epilepsy was observed in 13 patients. All of them had focal brain damage shown by CT scan. The predicting power of both clinical risk factors and CT scans was analyzed by multiple logistic regression. Only an intracerebral hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage plus satellite extracerebral hematoma proved significantly associated with posttraumatic epilepsy. This result has important implications in the design of posttraumatic prophylaxis trials.

Brain↗
PubMed1986

Prognostic and electroclinical features of grand mal epilepsies.

We studied the electroclinical features and prognosis of 103 patients with tonic-clonic seizures alone. Patients were classified into three groups according to seizure semiology and interictal EEG: primary grand mal, focal grand mal and indeterminate grand mal. Discriminant analysis showed that a number of other electroclinical features had no significant classificatory power. Patients have been followed for 2-10 years. At the last observation 40% of patients were free from tonic-clonic seizures and 23% had fewer than 1 seizure a year, without differences among the three groups. The appearance of 'minor' (absence or partial) seizures during follow-up occurred in 12 patients and did not change the prognosis of tonic-clonic seizures. At the end of follow-up, 96% of patients had a normal social adjustment. Grand mal epilepsies therefore appear to have a good prognosis.

Electroencephalography↗
PubMed1985

Heparinizable graft copolymers from chlorosulphonated polyethylene with poly(amido-amine) segments.

The synthesis and the physical characterization of three graft copolymers (PES/PAA) obtained from chlorosulphonated polyethylene (PECS) and three different secondary amino end-capped poly(amido-amine)s are reported. The properties of these heparinizable materials appear to be suitable for constructing prosthetic devices for biomedical use. The heparin adsorbing ability and the stability of the complex with heparin of the three copolymers have been evaluated, by means of biological tests, as activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT) and Thrombin Time (TT).

Adsorption↗
PubMed1985

Asymptomatic large arachnoid cyst of the middle cranial fossa. A clinical and neuropsychological study.

The authors studied a 26-year-old healthy subject in whom a large arachnoid cyst of the right middle cranial fossa was revealed by chance. As there were no subjective or objective neurological findings, we checked the existence of any neuropsychological impairment. In spite of this, the patient obtained a good general performance level and sometimes the hemisphere containing the cyst performed better, in accordance with the patient's handedness.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Anti-carcinoembryonic antigen sera acquiring higher tumor specificity by absorption with a plasma factor.

A factor reacting with antisera against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was isolated from healthy donors' plasma. Ten different antiCEA sera were absorbed with this plasma factor (P-factor): the antiCEA activity was mostly, or completely, removed in 8 sera. Only 2 of these absorbed sera (here defined as type A) still presented a high CEA binding activity by radioimmunoassay and, on tissue sections, selectively stained most of the colonic adenocarcinomas and areas of severe dysplasia in neoplastic adenomas. Contrary to the behaviour of the antisera against the P-factor, of the unabsorbed antiCEA sera, of a commercially available antiserum and of a monoclonal antibody, the P-absorbed type A antiCEA sera appeared unreactive with normal colonic mucosa and granulocytes. Absorption with the P-factor allows us to obtain antiCEA sera with higher tumor specificity.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Long term prognosis after occlusion of middle cerebral artery.

Seventy patients who had developed occlusion of the middle cerebral artery confirmed by angiography between 1970 and 1980 were followed up after an average of six years. Fourteen patients had died in the acute stage of the initial stroke. In the remaining 56 patients actuarial analysis showed that the observed incidence of survival for five years was 81.8% compared with an incidence of 94.1% in a matched normal population. Six patients sustained new strokes, four of which were ipsilateral to the middle cerebral artery occlusion. The observed cumulative incidence of subsequent strokes was 2% a year for the first five years of follow up. Twelve patients developed epileptic seizures.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Late seizures in patients with internal carotid and middle cerebral artery occlusive disease following ischaemic events.

The occurrence of post-infarction epilepsy was investigated in 68 patients with angiographically proven internal carotid artery occlusion and in 56 patients with middle cerebral artery occlusion. Epileptic seizures occurred during follow-up in 9% of the carotid artery group and in 21.4% of the middle cerebral artery group. The different incidence of seizures in the two groups was statistically significant. The physiopathological mechanism of the late post-infarction epilepsy is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

CT scan prediction of late post-traumatic epilepsy.

Out of 233 patients admitted for head trauma during 1977-1978, 93 had a CT scan examination within the first 48 hours. Forty-nine of these had at least one clinical risk factor for post-traumatic epilepsy. Ten of this group developed post-traumatic epilepsy. In all cases early CT scan showed focal brain damage, which was related more significantly to post-traumatic epilepsy than to risk factors.

Brain Edema↗
PubMed1982

BCA (breast cancer antigens): different purification extraction methods.

Various types of extraction were tested to increase the immunological yield of BCA, a CEA-like primary breast cancer associated carcinoma antigen. To allow a comparison, the different extraction techniques were applied to only one breast tumour. The comparison of the various systems was based on two parameters: protein yield and immunological activity, assayed in a RIA 125I CEA-anti CEA system. The following extraction methods were described and compared in this paper: 3M KCl; 1N HClO4; neutral pH extraction (PBS) in the absence and presence of various detergents (anionic, neutral and cationic), basic pH extraction (1N NaOH) and acid pH extraction (1.5M acetic acid) in the presence of urea and various detergents. The more significant systems were applied also to the extraction of CEA, from colonic adenocarcinoma liver metastases. The best results for both the antigens studied were obtained by using neutral detergents (1% NP 40) at neutral pH.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1982

Extraction and partial purification of a CEA-like BCA from a pool of pre-selected breast carcinomas.

By exploiting the cross-reaction among the antigens associated with a pool of breast carcinomas, preselected according to their antigenic content, a CEA-like BCA, with a specific activity of 1400 U/micrograms has been extracted, by means of 3M KCl, and partially purified by means of ConA Sepharose affinity chromatography and bioabsorption, employing, for the latter, a cross-reacting antiserum (anti CEA). The subsequent labelling, after Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, points out an immunological activity at the apex of the first peak versus anti CBC (or C.BCA) and anti CEA.

Absorption↗
PubMed1977

A study of plasma CEA by a direct radioimmunoassay method in 1704 cases.

The authors have used an original method of direct radioimmunoassay of plasma CEA for testing plasma of 1704 patients affetected by various neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. The percentage of positive results in blood from patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastroenteric tract was 66.8%. The positivity in other non-neoplastic diseases was 2.7%, except for liver cirrhosis and other chronic hepatopathies, which showed 29.6% of positive reactions. The test should be clinically useful in the differential diagnosis of gastro-enteric carcinoma.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1976

Spectroscopic properties and related functions of the stigma measured in living cells of Euglena gracilis.

The spectroscopic properties of stigma inside green and dark-grown cells and of isolated stigma globules have been studied by means of a microspectrophotometer build in the Laboratory. On the base of these results and of the analysis of the absorption spectra of a stigma suspension, cell suspension and the cell methanolic extracts, it can be inferred that pigments localized in the stigma are free carotenoids which are not closely packed and do not show an ordered arrangement. Furthermore, the efficiency of the stigma as shading device is duscussed.

Carotenoids↗