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Biomedical subjects

A Caprioli

Publications and source records attributed to A Caprioli.

108 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Spatial learning and memory, maze running strategies and cholinergic mechanisms in two inbred strains of mice.

The acquisition process of the radial maze task was studied in two inbred strains of mice, C57BL/6 and DBA/2. A quantitative and qualitative evaluation of performance was performed and the pretest level of activity was measured. The results showed a significant correlation between activity and performance since the highly active C57BL/6 mice exhibited better performance of the radial maze task than the less active DBA/2 mice. Moreover, for correct trials, strain-dependent maze-running strategies were observed: while both strains displayed about the same percentage of clockwise and spatial strategies, it was observed that among the spatial strategies C57BL/6 used a larger number of different correct solutions. Subsequently, the effect of scopolamine administration on working memory processes was assessed in sequential and discrete trials. A different reactivity of each strain to anti-cholinergic treatment was found in discrete trials since only DBA/2 mice were impaired. The effect of scopolamine is discussed in relation to the different models of information processing involved in learning and memorizing the experimental rule.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Toxin production and haemagglutination in strains of Escherichia coli from diarrhoea in Brescia, Italy.

Two hundred and ninety-nine different strains of Escherichia coli, isolated from 172 patients with diarrhoea and 113 healthy subjects, were examined for enterotoxin, cytotoxin and haemolysin (Hly) production and for mannose-resistant haemagglutination (MRHA) and invasive properties. Three strains proved enterotoxigenic, none enteroinvasive; cytotoxin and Hly production was shown in 25 strains from patients and in 3 from controls. Ten strains produced the cytotoxic necrotizing factor (CNF), 6 released other factors which kill cell cultures. Hly production was shown in 21 strains, 9 of which were also positive for CNF. MRHA was detected in 26% of strains from diarrhoea compared with 14% of strains from healthy people. A strong association between toxin production and MRHA was demonstrated. Serotyping results showed that the strains exhibiting virulence traits mostly belonged to serogroups commonly involved in extra-intestinal infections. The possible role of strains of E. coli showing one or more virulence factors as opportunistic pathogens in diarrhoeal diseases is discussed.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMed1985

Cefoxitin and cefamandole levels in the human bile.

The bile levels of cefoxitin and cefamandole were studied in 75 patients. The two antibiotics were shown to be present at high concentration and to undergo a rapid metabolization. It is concluded that they represent the antibiotics of choice in the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of biliary tract infections.

Bile↗
PubMed1985

Acute childhood diarrhoea in Naples: an aetiologic study.

A potential aetiologic agent was detected in the stools of 56% of 118 children hospitalized in Naples for acute diarrhoea. Rotavirus and Salmonella were the agents most commonly associated with disease, accounting for 23 and 17 percent of cases, respectively. Campylobacter jejuni, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia and Shigella were less frequently isolated (total, 11% of cases). These findings fit well with the epidemiological picture described for other developed countries, except for the isolation rate of Salmonella which widely exceeds that reported in other investigations. Cytotoxic strains of E. coli and other Gram-negative bacilli were identified in the stools of 18 children; the possible pathogenic role of these strains is unknown and needs further investigation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1984

A cell division-active protein from E. coli.

A purification procedure for a protein obtained from an pathogenic strain of E. coli is described. The protein-called CNF-is active in inhibiting the duplication of cultured mammalian cells. Since nuclei division is apparently normal, treatment of cultured cells with CNF leads to the formation of gigantic, polynucleated cells. The purified protein is chromatographically and electrophoretically homogeneous. A partial characterization of CNF protein is also given.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1984

Enteric infections, cow's milk intolerance and parenteral infections in 118 consecutive cases of acute diarrhoea in children.

One hundred and eighteen consecutive cases of childhood acute diarrhoea (mean age: 10.5 months) were studied after admission to our Pediatric Unit in Naples over a 13-month period. A diagnosis was established in 92 patients (78%): 55% of patients were found to have an infectious enteritis (among them, 5 had ETEC infections and 1 had an ST-producing Klebsiella infection), 12% a parenteral infection, 11% cow's milk intolerance. The occurrence of gross blood (P less than 0.01), leukocytes, and reducing substances in the stools was more commonly associated with infectious enteritis than with diarrhoea due to all other causes. In 14 patients (8 of whom were malnourished), diarrhoea ran a prolonged course. In all, the eventual outcome was favourable. Our findings, while confirming that infectious enteritides account for most of acute diarrhoeas in children, stress the importance of parenteral infections and cow's milk intolerance in this condition. Also, the need for an accurate search for enterotoxigenicity of enterobacteria before ruling out their pathogenetic role is stressed.

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1983

Partial purification and characterization of an escherichia coli toxic factor that induces morphological cell alterations.

A factor produced by several strains of Escherichia coli isolated from enteritis-affected children has been shown to produce both a necrotizing effect on rabbit skin and striking morphological alterations on CHO, Vero, and HeLa cells. The same strains were found to have hemolytic activity on sheep erythrocytes. The toxic, cell-altering factor was demonstrated to be different from both heat-labile and heat-stable enterotoxins and from Vero toxin. The main effect induced by the isolated factor on cultured cells was the formation of large multinucleated cells. The partial purification achieved suggests that the same factor (most likely a protein with a molecular weight of 70,000 to 80,000) is responsible for toxic and cell-altering activities, whereas a different molecular species is responsible for hemolytic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Antimicrobial resistance among Salmonella isolates from hospitals in Rome.

The susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of 569 salmonella isolated collected in 1977-8 from patients in hospitals in Rome was tested. Fifty-nine per cent of all isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials. Resistance was most common to sulphathiazole, tetracycline, streptomycin, whereas colistin, gentamicin, tobramycin, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole and nalidixic acid were the most active in vitro. Multiple resistance was most frequently found in strains of Salmonella wien and S. typhimurium (94% and 38% respectively). A significant change in the resistance pattern of S. wien was observed between 1977 and 1978, with a significant increase of susceptibility to some antimicrobials in 1978. Twenty-one R-plasmids transmissible to E. coli K12 were derived from 46 resistant strains of S. typhimurum.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1982

Isolation of Salmonella wien heat-labile enterotoxin.

An enterotoxic activity has been identified in culture filtrates of Salmonella wien. The enterotoxin causes fluid accumulation in rabbit ligated ileal loops, firm induration and erythema in rabbit skin and morphological alteration in chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures; it was revealed by treatment with calcium phosphate gel, and purified on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and BioGel A-1.5 m. The enterotoxic activity was eluted from the BioGel column in two peaks. Approximately 50-70% of the enterotoxic activity of the first peak, corresponding to the excluded volume, was resistant to heating at 75 degrees C for 30 min, while the activity of the second peak was completely destroyed by this treatment. From the heat-labile peak a protein, in homogeneous form, was isolated exploiting its affinity towards agarose gel filtration media. This protein, with enterotoxic activity was also present as shown by SDS-PAGE, in the first peak, eluted from the Bio-Gel column, where it appears to be closely associated with cell wall or membrane components and thus protected from heat denaturation. The isolated enterotoxin is stable in alkaline conditions but it is sensitive to acidic pH values; moreover, it stimulates adenylate cyclase in cell culture systems. Thus, it appears to possess properties similar to both cholera toxin and the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli. These results indicate that the enterotoxin is a protein in nature and it is postulated that it may participate in the pathogenesis of S. wien infection.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spatial learning and memory in the radial maze: a longitudinal study in rats from 4 to 25 months of age.

This longitudinal study was designed to investigate whether previous experience may influence performances and strategies of rats tested in the radial maze without external cues when aged 4, 13, and 25 months. Their performances and strategies were compared with those of another group of rats tested only when aged 25 months. Expert old animals showed a good retention of previous experiences, whereas age-matched nonexpert animals exhibited some acquisition deficits. On the contrary, in the course of aging, the animals kept modifying their strategies independently of experience. In summary, we can conclude that previous experience is likely to influence performances of the aged rat but not the strategies adopted which are strictly age-dependent and independent of acquired experience.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of long-term acetyl-L-carnitine on stress-induced analgesia in the aging rat.

Cold water swim (CWS) analgesia in the rat is mediated by the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. An age-dependent increase of CWS-induced analgesia was observed in male Sprague-Dawley young (4 months), adult (15 months) and old (26 months) rats. Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) chronically administered (75 mg/kg/daily in drinking water for 8 months) to old rats was able to maintain the stress-dependent response at the same levels as in adult rats. This effect may be explained by ALCAR capability of retarding the age-dependent loss of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus, thus maintaining the glucocorticoid competence of this structure which exerts a negative feedback control over the HPA axis activity.

Acetylcarnitine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Spatial memory and NGF levels in aged rats: natural variability and effects of acetyl-L-carnitine treatment.

The natural variability of behavioral performance of aged rats was used to evaluate the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) on spatial learning and NGF levels in different brain areas. We used a cluster analysis procedure to subdivide the aged animals into three classes of performance (good, intermediate, and poor). These three classes were equally subdivided into controls and ALCAR-treated animals in order to investigate its effect on spatial retention. The stratification of animals prior to treatment allowed us to highlight the state dependency of the action of ALCAR. The effect of the molecule in improving spatial retention was evident only in the intermediate performance group. Furthermore, the drug reduced the NGF levels in the basal forebrain of treated animals, especially in the intermediate performance group. These results suggest a performance-dependent effect of ALCAR and a nonlinear relationship between NGF levels and learning ability in aged rats.

Acetylcarnitine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cryptosporidiosis in patients with hematologic malignancies.

The clinical features of cryptosporidial infection in 20 patients with hematologic malignancies were assessed. Five patients had severe diarrhea, 10 had moderate diarrhea, and five were asymptomatic carriers of Cryptosporidium. Extraintestinal cryptosporidiosis with pulmonary involvement was observed in one case and relapse of cryptosporidiosis in four. All but one patient recovered from cryptosporidiosis whether or not spiramycin was administered. Cryptosporidiosis in T cell-depleted recipients of allogeneic bone marrow transplants did not appear more severe than that in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation or conventional chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hemolytic-uremic syndrome: association with vero cytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. An epidemiological and microbiological study on possible animal reservoirs].

Vero cytotoxin-producing strains of Escherichia coli (VTEC) appear to be in man associated with a range of clinical symptoms from mild non bloody diarrhoea to haemorrhagic colitis and severe haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). We present two patients affected by HUS who were investigated to determine evidence of infection by VTEC. In one of the patient free fecal cytotoxin active on Vero cells was detected as well as seroconversion of VT-neutralizing antibody titre. Both children were living in the same county town, but all parents denied any animal contact. The source of infection was not identified but one child had eaten ground beef during the period immediately prior to the onset of symptoms. Epidemiological informations are presented and the results of a study on the possible animal reservoir are illustrated. Fecal cultures were performed on 38 stools specimen obtained from non diarrheal beef cattle and pork. One VT- producing Escherichia coli strain was isolated in pork faeces (20 stools sample) whereas two VTEC were found in cattle faeces (18 stool sample).

Animals↗