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Biomedical subjects

A Caruso

Publications and source records attributed to A Caruso.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

[Role of transesophageal echocardiography in aortic dissection].

Aortic dissection, especially type A, is a life-threatening condition, that requires a prompt and accurate diagnosis to ensure a rapid and precise therapeutic approach. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a highly reliable technique because of its sensitivity and specificity (near 100%; almost similar to nuclear magnetic resonance), and because it is a very low risk, rapid and easy diagnostic tool. Two hundred sixty-one patients were admitted at our institution in a 6-year period (1988-1994), because of a suspicion of aortic dissection. Two hundred forty-seven of them were submitted to TEE and the diagnosis was compared with surgical data in 124. There was only one false positive by TEE. Sensitivity of TEE vs surgery was 100%, specificity 93.7%, diagnostic accuracy 99%. Agreement between TEE and surgery in the setting of intimal tear was 69.2%. These data confirm the usefulness of TEE in the diagnostic approach to aortic dissection and the therapeutic decision, without using other methods.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Current cardiologic diagnosis of infective endocarditis].

This report shows the importance of non-invasive techniques in infective endocarditis (IE) diagnosis. ECG is quite specific in identifying perivalvular extension of infection when conduction system disease is demonstrated but has a low degree of sensitivity overall. Our casuistry (76 patients with IE) confirms the literature data about the great importance and the utility of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography to detect vegetation presence or complications as abscesses or valvular leaflet perforations. Therefore, these techniques are widely applied to predict major clinical events as embolism and death or to suggest a surgical therapy. Nuclear medicine studies play a minimal role. Magnetic resonance imaging appears to be an effective tool in this setting; however, because of a paucity of clinical data, its precise utility has not yet been determined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Synthesis and pharmacological properties of benzothiazole, 1,3-4-oxadiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives.

The reaction of the 2-amino-substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazoles 9, 10 and the benzothiazoles 11, 12 with ethyl cyanoacetate is described. The obtained cyanoacetamide derivatives 13-16 gave the benzylidene derivatives 18-21 by condensation with benzaldehyde. 2-Phenyl-5-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-7-one (17) was also obtained. Moreover, the preparation of 6,7,8,9-tetraydro-5H-1,3,4-thiadiazolo[2,3-b]quinazolin++ +-5-thio-derivatives 22-25 and N-(1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl-5-substituted)-3,4-5,6-tetrahydro-anthran ilic acids 26-29 is also described. All above compounds and compounds, related to them, 1-8 were tested for their analgesic and antiinflammatory activities and the pharmacological screening results are reported and discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Evidence for the involvement of opioidergic systems in medprotine-induced analgesia in the mouse.

Intramuscular administration of medprotine, a protein fraction of human placenta (30-300 kDa), produced dose-dependent and long lasting analgesia as evaluated by various analgesic tests in mice. Activity was found in a dose range of 0.05-0.6 mg/kg in the phenylbenzoquinone and acetic acid writhing tests and 1.5-5 mg/kg in the hot-plate test. In this latter model, medprotine enhanced morphine-induced analgesia. Pretreatment with naloxone antagonized the effect of medprotine in all assays. The antinociceptive response of medprotine was not modified after a ten day pretreatment and no overt withdrawal symptom could be observed after either interruption of chronic treatment or administration of a precipitating dose of naloxone. It is concluded that the analgesic activity of medprotine may be mediated through either the opiate receptors or activation of endogenous opioidergic systems.

Acetates↗
PubMed1994

The use of nifedipine as first-line hypotensive therapy in gestational hypertension.

Nifedipine was administered to 49 pregnant women with gestational hypertension as first-line therapy, and were longitudinally studied as paired observations for 3 or 10 day intervals of treatment with nifedipine until delivery. All the patients assumed a slow release formulation of nifedipine at the dose of 40-80 mg/24 hr in 2-3 administrations. Blood pressure was taken at least 4 times a day. The patients were divided in two groups: 32 women with non proteinuric gestational hypertension (NPGH) and 17 women with proteinuric preeclampsia (PP). No statistically significant modification of blood pressure was observed in both groups under treatment. However, NPGH showed a trend to reducing, while PP demonstrated a tendency to worsening both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. After treatment with nifedipine the platelet count of both groups was found unchanged. No adverse fetal or newborn effects imputable to the drug were observed. The present study demonstrates that nifedipine alone, at the doses used, is not effective in reducing blood pressure in long-term treatment. However the treatment could concur to avoid sharp and dangerous increases of blood pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Early experience with the Jyros bileaflet valve in the mitral position: high incidence of valve thrombosis.

The Jyros valve is a new bileaflet valve with the unusual feature that the hinge is expected to rotate continuously inside the housing. Nine isolated Jyros mitral prostheses were implanted from July to October 1993. All patients survived the surgical procedure and during the follow up underwent transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE) for the evaluation of hinge rotation. Neither TTE nor TEE were able to show hinge rotation in any patient at any time. Five patients had prosthetic thrombosis. In the successfully treated with thrombolysis. In the remaining patient thrombolysis was contraindicated. Eight patients are alive; one died of gastro-intestinal bleeding a few months after discharge. The absence of hinge rotation may be the triggering mechanism of valve thrombosis although no explanted prostheses were available for examination. Further studies are necessary to understand the mechanism of valve thrombosis with the Jyros bileaflet prosthesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of 3H-pyridazino[4,5-b][1,4]benzothiazin-4(10H)-one derivatives.

The dialkylamino-alkylation of 3H-pyridazino[4,5-b][1,4]benzothiazin-4(10H)-one-5,5-dioxide 5 produced the 3-dialkylaminoalkyl-derivatives 6. To the same compounds we arrived by selective reduction of the corresponding N-oxides 4, derived from the oxidation of the 3-dialkylaminoalkyl-3H-pyridazino[4,5-b][1,4]benzothiazin-4( 10H)-ones 3. Similarly, the oxidation of the 10-dialkylaminoalkyl analogues 8 afforded the corresponding derivatives 9. The synthesized compounds were tested, as hydrochlorides, for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The results showed that many of these compounds possess a very good analgesic activity, superior to that of phenylbutazone, apparently not related to the position and the peculiarities of the aminoalkylic side-chain. The anti-inflammatory activity was moderate, comparable only for 4 c to that of phenylbutazone. In the most active compounds a very low ulcerogenic potential and a high LD50 have been observed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Development of a flow cytometric assay for the detection and measurement of neutralizing antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus.

Cells infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) develop viral antigens which can be detected by immunofluorescence. We developed a flow cytometric immunofluorescence assay (FIFA) which provides a quantitative analysis of HIV-1 p24 using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) as a specific reagent. The reduction of HIV p24 antigen expression in viral infected cells was then used to determine HIV neutralizing antibody titers in human sera. Results obtained by FIFA for detecting neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1, when compared with results obtained by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), showed an overall index of agreement of 94.1%. The correlation between the neutralizing antibody titers obtained with each method was found to be highly significant (ro = 0.8; p < 0.01). The simple methodology and the adaptability of this FIFA to various assay conditions make it suitable for routine purposes and for assessing the efficacy of vaccination strategies.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1993

Protective effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide in different experimental models of gastric ulcers.

Intravenous administration of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) prevented in a dose-dependent manner reserpine-induced gastric mucosal damage, but failed to affect the lesions produced by ethanol administration. In pylorus-ligated rats, CGRP significantly reduced gastric volume, total acid and peptic activity output as well as ulcer formation. These protective effects of CGRP were not present when rats were pretreated with cysteamine. Our data suggest that CGRP exerts its antisecretory and antiulcer activity, at least in part, by interfering with somatostatin transmission.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

A monoclonal antibody to the NH2-terminal segment of human IFN-gamma selectively interferes with the antiproliferative activity of the lymphokine.

To gain more information about the relationship between the structure of IFN-gamma and its activity, a peptide corresponding to a hydrophilic peak between amino acids 4 and 16 was used to immunize mice and generate mAb. mAb IGMB-15 reacts to both native and rIFN-gamma and neutralizes the antiproliferative activity of IFN-gamma without affecting its antiviral activity or its ability to up-regulate HLA-DR Ag expression. Moreover, we observed that mAb IGMB-15 was unable to inhibit the binding of radiolabeled IFN-gamma to its cellular receptor. These findings show that the NH2-terminal region may somehow be involved in the biologic activity of IFN-gamma. Besides, the capability of mAb IGMB-15 to inhibit the antiproliferative but not the antiviral activity of IFN-gamma in the same cell (HEp-2) suggests the presence of different elements involved in signal transduction, which may account for the multiple activities of the lymphokine.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Flow cytometric indirect immunofluorescence assay with high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2.

Cells infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2 develop viral antigens which can be detected by immunofluorescence. We developed a flow cytometric indirect immunofluorescence assay to detect and quantitate antibodies to HSV-1 and HSV-2 in human sera. Results obtained by flow cytometry for detecting antibodies against HSV-1, when compared with results obtained by ELISA, showed an index of overall agreement of 100%. The correlation between the antibody titers obtained with each method was found to be highly significant. An index of overall agreement equal to 94.1% was observed between results obtained by flow cytometry and by immunofluorescence as concerns the discrimination of HSV-2 positive from negative samples. However, the correlation between antibody titers was found to be not statistically significant. The flow cytometric assay proved to be type-specific.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Purification of interleukin-2 antibodies from healthy individuals.

By covalent binding of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) to Sepharose, it was possible to immunopurify specific human anti-IL-2 antibodies from a pool of immunoglobulins obtained from healthy subjects. Since low quantities of the ligand released by the matrix could interfere with the evaluation of the biological activity of anti-IL-2 antibodies, the antibody preparation was subjected to pepsin digestion which is known to destroy the IL-2 molecule. Purified human anti-IL-2 antibodies were found to be mostly IgG1 and able to neutralize IL-2 induced peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) proliferation in vitro. The availability of purified anti-IL-2 antibodies, obtained from healthy individuals, able to modulate IL-2 activity, could be important in several therapeutic approaches.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed1993

Expression of activation markers on peripheral-blood lymphocytes following oral administration of Bacillus subtilis spores.

This study was undertaken to assess the capability of Bacillus subtilis spores to modify the peripheral-blood lymphocyte (PBL) subsets or determine the de novo expression of activation markers. The data we obtained show that spores of B. subtilis are able to increase the expression of certain cell activation markers and that such activation is dose-dependent. In fact, doses of 2 x 10(9) spores did not give rise to changes in any of the parameters evaluated, while doses of 6 x 10(9) increased the HLA-DR antigen expression on T-lymphocytes. At the highest dosage used (12 x 10(9), B. subtilis spores caused the appearance of cells bearing the CD25 and CD71 activation markers. Therefore, such cell activation markers may prove useful for monitoring the activity of B. subtilis spores, and possibly of other immunomodulating agents, in the course of clinical research.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1993

High-titre antibodies to a foreign epitope elicited by affinity-purified hybrid LamB proteins.

A monoclonal antibody to the LamB protein, named LBS-1, was developed and characterized. It was then covalently bound to Sepharose and used to purify hybrid LamB proteins from Escherichia coli crude extracts. A peptide of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) NH2-terminal region, inserted within the LamB protein, was used as a model to assess immune response in mice injected with sonicated E. coli extract or with affinity-purified hybrid LamB protein. None of the mice immunized with the whole bacterial extract produced antibodies to IFN-gamma. On the other hand, all the mice immunized with the purified protein developed high-titre anti-IFN-gamma antibodies. These results might be due to the presence of bacterial components capable of masking the LamB protein to the immune system. The use of affinity-purified LamB proteins may constitute in some instances a more effective way of generating an immune response against foreign epitopes as opposed to whole bacterial antigens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Ovarian sensitivity to follicle-stimulating hormone during the follicular phase of the human menstrual cycle and in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the existence of a different sensitivity of ovaries to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) during the follicular phase of the human menstrual cycle and in patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Thirty-four normal subjects and 13 patients with PCOS were treated intravenously by FSH (75 or 225 IU) or saline at different stages of follicular phase. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), FSH, estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T) in samples collected for a period of 26 hours after the injection. RESULTS: In patients at the early stages of follicular phase (baseline E2 < 50 pg/mL), FSH increased in dose-dependent manner E2 and E2:T-stimulated area under curve (AUC) in respect to saline experiments. In PCOS subjects, saline E2, and E2:T-stimulated AUC were significantly lower than normal women. Follicle-stimulating hormone (75 IU) dramatically increased these values, and no difference was seen in respect to 75 and 225 IU FSH-treated controls. In patients with E2 baseline plasma levels > 50 pg/mL, FSH (75 or 225 IU) failed to increase both E2 and E2:T-stimulated AUC in comparison with saline studies. CONCLUSIONS: Early stages of follicular phase in normal and polycystic ovaries are the most responsive to the elevation of circulating FSH levels, whereas the ovarian sensitivity spontaneously decreases as follicular maturation enhances.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Long-term naltrexone treatment normalizes the pituitary response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone in polycystic ovarian syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of opioid system on the exaggerated LH response to GnRH test in the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). DESIGN: Pituitary stimulation (GnRH 100 micrograms) in a group of PCOS patients under basal condition and after 4 weeks of treatment with naltrexone. RESULTS: In the PCOS group, the naltrexone treatment determines a significant reduction of the LH response (calculated as the area under curve) to GnRH test, with a similar significant decrease of the LH:FSH. CONCLUSION: Naltrexone normalizes in the PCOS group the pituitary response to GnRH test, abolishing every statistical differences with the control group.

Adolescent↗