Biomedical subjects

W Grassi

Publications and source records attributed to W Grassi.

93 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Microvascular dynamics at the nailfold in rheumatoid arthritis.

Conventional and fluorescence videomicroscopy using Na-fluorescein as tracer was performed in 13 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Waaler Rose titers less than 1: 112, 10 patients with titers greater than or equal to 1: 112 and 11 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) (control group). At the nailfold different microvascular diameters, capillary flow pattern, red blood cell velocity and transcapillary diffusion of Na-fluorescein were determined. Mean red blood cell velocity was significantly (p less than 0.02) decreased in patients with RA and high titers (0.23 +/- 0.21 0.21 mm/s) when compared to OA patients (0.59 +/- 0.20 mm/s). Abnormal flow patterns, in 2 cases even a reversal of flow direction, were only observed in RA patients and not in controls. Mean transcapillary and interstitial diffusion of Na-fluorescein was not enhanced at the nailfold in RA-patients. These findings do not exclude increased microvascular permeability in synovial membranes or in RA patients with vasculitis.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interactive image analysis in the rectal mucosa of rheumatoid arthritis.

Interactive measurements of 22 quantitative parameters concerning the status and inflammation of the mucosa were taken in the rectal biopsies of patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, or with mild nonspecific morphological abnormalities (M.N.M.A.) and inflammation of the lamina propria or with Infective Colitis. The results showed that mean and standard deviation values of the rheumatoid patients are generally intermediate between those of control cases and those of M.N.M.A. and Infective Colitis. The variance analysis revealed that significant differences in some of the features exist between the four groups. Stepwise discriminant analysis helped in identifying three parameters that contributed significantly to discriminating 96.30% of the cases: Mucin area/Mucosal area; Number of inflammatory cells in the lower half/Number of inflammatory cells in the upper half of the mucosal thickness; Number of Granulocytes/mm2 of the lamina propria. Of the 27 cases included in the study, only one belonging to the control group was allocated incorrectly by the computer to the Rheumatoid Arthritis category. High correlation coefficients were observed between some of the morphometric, serological and clinical data in the rheumatoid patients. The highest values were between Number of Mononuclear cells/mm2 of lamina propria and C-Reactive Protein (+0.920) as well as between Mucin area/Mucosal area and serum IgM level (-0.950).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Periungual capillary microscopy in patients with chronic polyarthritis and psoriasis arthropathica].

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of nail bed capillary abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. In 10 per cent of rheumatoid patients the morphological pattern of the nail bed capillaries of the ten fingers was remarkably variable. Long capillaries and a clearly visible subpapillary plexus were the most prominent findings in these patients. The only significant finding observed in patients with psoriatic arthritis was a high subpapillary plexus visibility. Avascular areas and giant loops (typical of scleroderma) were not found in either disorder.

Arthritis↗