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Biomedical subjects

A Balsamo

Publications and source records attributed to A Balsamo.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Role of the (acyloxy)methyl moiety in eliciting the adrenergic beta-blocking activity of 3-(acyloxy)propanolamines.

Some totally aliphatic 3-(acyloxy)propanolamines were synthesized with the aim of testing whether beta-blocking activity could be obtained from this class of drugs, even in the absence of an aromatic group. The significant and, in most cases, competitive beta-blocking activity shown by the compounds under examination, together with the results of a theoretical study in which their reactivity was compared with that of other adrenergic beta-blocking drugs, seems to confirm a hypothesis previously advanced on the basis of knowledge about the action mechanism of adrenergic beta-blocking drugs and of the results of structural studies. It was also possible to suggest some considerations about the role played by the (acyloxy)methyl portion of 3-(acyloxy)propanolamines in eliciting their adrenergic beta-blocking activity.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed1987

Hormones and handedness: left-hand bias in female congenital adrenal hyperplasia patients.

An excess of left-handers among males has been attributed to early androgen exposure. This theory was supported by our observation that girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are more left-biased than their normal sisters. Male CAH patients, with prenatal androgen exposure similar to that of unaffected brothers, had typical male-handedness patterns.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Conformational effects on the activity of drugs. 11. Stereostructural models for the direct activation of the alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptor.

Two kinds of cyclic analogues of norepinephrine (NE, 7) and isoprenaline (ISO, 8), in which the C(1)-C(2) side chain of these amino alcohols is incorporated in its preferred conformation in the ring of the 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-morpholines 9 and 10 (2-DPMs) and in the ring of the 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-piperidinols 11 and 12 (3-DPPs), respectively, were synthesized and assayed for their adrenergic activity on various isolated preparations. The 2-DPMs and the 3-DPPs showed an alpha- and beta-agonist activity comparable to that of NE and ISO and to that of the trans-2-amino-5,6-dihydroxytetrahydronaphthalen-1-ols 13 and 14 (2-ADTNs), which represent another kind of semirigid analogue of NE and ISO. Through a comparison of the stereo structures of the compounds examined and of their pharmacological properties, it was possible to suggest a spatial situation in which the pharmacophoric groups of the adrenergic drugs examined (aryl moiety, amine nitrogen, and alcoholic or ethereal benzylic oxygen) should interact at the receptor site. This spatial situation corresponds to the one found in the preferred conformation of NE and ISO. It was also possible to construct two theoretical three-dimensional molecular models that provide information about steric requirements for the direct activation of alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

An interdisciplinary approach to the design of new structures active at the beta-adrenergic receptor. Aliphatic oxime ether derivatives.

On the basis of results previously obtained from structural and theoretical studies on beta-adrenergic drugs, a series of aliphatic oxime ether derivatives (AOEDs) was synthesized. As expected, pharmacological in vitro tests showed that compounds examined exhibit a marked and competitive antagonism at beta-adrenoceptors; the beta 2/beta 1 selectivity ratio indicated that they are more active on the tracheal than on the cardiac beta-receptor. The chemical reactivity of the AOEDs was studied through the calculation of the electrostatic molecular potential (EMP) on a model compound in its preferred conformation. The results showed that the EMP trend agrees with that previously calculated for other beta-blocking drugs.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1984

In vivo isotope study of the thyroid with 99mTcO4- in neonatal congenital hypothyroidism.

Seventeen patients, screened from a neonatal programme for hypothyroidism were studied. As well as the scintigraphic investigations, serum TSH, T3, free T3, T4, free T4, and TBG were measured in all patients. Not more than 11.1 MBq (300 microCi) 99mTcO4- was administered IV. A gamma camera with a parallel-hole collimator on line with the computer was used. The method allowed good statistics to be obtained in 5-10 min in a wide field of exploration, thus reducing the problems of positioning and prolonged immobilization of the young patient. The data collected in the computer were elaborated to define better the characteristics of the thyroid image. This kind of in vivo study introduced into a screening programme, enables an 'anatomic' diagnosis of the defect to be obtained before starting the therapy. This is undoubtedly valuable from the epidemiological point of view, enables early determination of the degree of thyroid insufficiency, and contributes to the formulation of a prognosis based on the degree and on the moment in which prenatal harm occurred.

Computers↗
PubMed1984

Neonatal screening for cystic fibrosis by dried blood spot trypsin assay. Results in 47 127 newborn infants from a homogeneous population.

47 127 newborn infants from the Emilia-Romagna region were screened for cystic fibrosis by dried blood spot trypsin assay. In the initial 12 099 subjects screened with a non-standardized method, two children with cystic fibrosis were observed. Of the remaining 35 028 newborn infants, 299 showed high immunoreactive trypsin values; retesting revealed persistent elevation in 11. Sweat testing confirmed cystic fibrosis in 6 subjects and was normal in 5. Clinical monitoring of these 5 children has, as yet, shown no pathological signs. No false-negative test results have yet been identified. In our region, cystic fibrosis frequency would appear to be 1 case every 5 890 newborn infants. Our study confirms that elevated immunoreactive trypsin is characteristic of newborn infants with cystic fibrosis and that screening by determination of immunoreactive trypsin is of great benefit since it allows early diagnosis and a rational approach to therapy.

Cystic Fibrosis↗
PubMed1984

Thyroid function and prolactin levels in insulin-dependent diabetic children and adolescents.

We evaluated serum thyroid hormones, TSH, and prolactin before and after induction of TRH and thyroid microsomal autoantibodies in 91 diabetic children and adolescents (mean age 11.11 +/- 4.13 yr), with illness ranging from a few days to 14.25 yr, and in 127 "short-normal" subjects (mean age 10.32 +/- 3.18 yr). All were clinically euthyroid. The control pubertal subjects showed T4, rT3, TBG, and rT3/T3 ratio values that were significantly lower than those of prepubertal subjects. The PRL area was significantly higher in pubertal than in prepubertal females. In diabetic patients, differences between pubertal and prepubertal subjects were similar to those of controls regarding T4 levels and PRL area only. T3, T4, and fT3 appeared to be significantly lower than in controls, while the rT3/T3 ratio was higher. A negative correlation (r = -0.277, P = 0.009) between T3 and HbA1 levels was demonstrated. Furthermore, thyroid function was not different in subjects with or without retinal changes or in subjects with or without residual B-cell function. Microsomal autoantibodies were observed in 6.25% of the subjects examined, though none showed any clinical or humoral sign of impaired thyroid function. In conclusion, the lower T4 and rT3 values detected in pubertal controls suggest an increased efficacy of peripheral thyroid activity in this particular life span. Considering the fact that, in diabetic children, such a decrease in rT3 at puberty is not present and that the T3 value in diabetic children is persistently lower than in controls, it would seem that even diabetic children show a "low T3 syndrome," as in adult diabetic subjects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Serum autoantibodies and thyroid lymphocytic infiltration in endemic goitre.

Patients with thyroid diseases from areas of endemic goitre in Northern Italy were examined for thyroid antibodies by passive haemoagglutination. Of 40 schoolboys with goitre only one had thyroid antibodies (AT) in the blood. Among 182 adults with grade 1-2 goitre, examined within an area of low endemia, the frequency of AT was 7%, not significantly different from that found in the 286 persons with thyroid 'O' living in the same area. Among 181 adults with grade 2-3 goitre, examined within an area of serious endemia, the frequency of AT was 16%; the percentage went up to 24% in 144 patients operated on for goitre. AT frequency was 36% in 87 patients with toxic goitre, more than 70% in 97 patients with Graves' disease and 17% in 60 patients with cancer of the thyroid. AT occurred three times more frequently in women than in men. Microsomal antibodies were more frequently detected than anti-thyroglobulin antibodies: the opposite was true in thyroid cancer. Lymphocytic infiltration (IL) of the gland was observed in 45% of the 464 simple goitres and in 52% of the 60 cancers of the thyroid: it was more frequent and intense in women. Among the 144 patients operated on for goitre the frequency and the titre of AT progressed in parallel with the intensity of the lymphocytic infiltration. Patients with a greater lymphocytic infiltration and higher AT had a higher TSH. Multinodular non-toxic goitre and autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis can be present in the same thyroid gland and the clinical expression will depend on which condition predominates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

How many cases of true precocious puberty in girls are idiopathic?

Fifteen girls with true precocious puberty were examined by computerized tomography. In seven hypothalamic hamartomas were suspected. A pneumoencephalogram was performed in six cases (one patient refused), with the following results. In five, the radiological features were highly suggestive of tuber cinereum hamartoma. All of our patients with pubertal signs appearing before the age of 2 years and 80% of the girls with early menstruation were in the group with suspected hamartoma. The luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels of these five girls were significantly higher than those observed in the other girls with idiopathic precocious puberty. We conclude that there is a high frequency of small hypothalamic masses (suspected hamartoma) in girls with true precocious puberty (33% of the patients in our group), that it is important to confirm the presence of the mass with pneumoencephalography, and that surgery for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes should be carefully considered, given the absence of any neurologic symptoms for a long time after the appearance of the first pubertal signs.

Child↗
PubMed1983

Synthesis and antibacterial activities of new (alpha-hydrazinobenzyl)cephalosporins.

Some (alpha-hydrazinobenzyl)cephalosporins, I (R = Me, CH2OAc, Cl) and II (R = Me, CH2OAc), structurally related (formula; see text) to cephalexin, cephaloglycin, and cefaclor have been prepared and evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity. The synthesis involves the condensation of the chloride hydrochloride III (R = H or Me) with the 7-aminocephem derivatives IV. The hydrazino compound I (R = Cl), an analogue of cefaclor, resulted in being the most active compound of the series.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1983

Neonatal screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Capillary blood samples from 42930 infants born in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna were collected for 17-hydroxyprogesterone radioimmunoassays on days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, or between days 7 and 15 of life. A microfilter paper method modified from that of Pang et al.1 was used for this assay. Pathologic values of 17-hydroxyprogesterone were found in 5 infants giving an incidence in this homogeneous Caucasian population of 1:8586. We also investigated 17-hydroxyprogesterone values in relation to the day of sampling and the possible correlation between 17-hydroxyprogesterone values and birthweight and gestational age. We concluded that neonatal screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia caused by 21-hydroxylase deficiency was possible by this method and that the infants' maturity and the particular day of collection of the samples affect the values but not the validity of the screening.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗