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Biomedical subjects

A Castagna

Publications and source records attributed to A Castagna.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Slow wave sleep and cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) in HIV-infected asymptomatic men.

Alterations of sleep structure have been reported in asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected subjects. In these patients some authors have found an increased percentage of slow wave sleep (SWS) and a SWS preponderance in the second half of the night, as well as subjective sleep complaints. Other authors have found an increased stage 1 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and reduced stage 2 NREM percentages in asymptomatic subjects. We evaluated the macrostructure and the microstructure (cyclic alternating pattern, CAP) of sleep in nine HIV-infected asymptomatic men without sleep complaints or psychiatric illness, in comparison with nine age-matched controls. Our study showed a decreased amount of SWS and a significantly higher CAP rate in HIV-subjects, suggesting an altered organization of the sleep process in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection of the nervous system in AIDS by polymerase chain reaction analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.

To evaluate the diagnostic relevance and the clinical impact of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in the diagnosis of CMV infection of the central nervous system (CNS), 220 acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with neurological disease were examined. CSF was drawn 1-180 days before death, concomitantly with clinical neurological disease, and autopsy was performed in all the cases. CMV DNA was detected in the CSF from 36 of 45 patients (82%) with CMV infection of the CNS, and in 2 of 175 without CMV infection of the CNS at autopsy. The sensitivity of the method was 82%, the specificity 99%, the positive predictive value 95%, and the negative predictive value 96%. An extensive CMV ventriculitis or encephalitis was shown by histopathology in the majority of the CSF PCR-positive patients with overt clinical encephalitis. Minor CMV lesions only, not likely to cause relevant clinical symptoms, were observed in some CSF PCR-positive patients, concomitant with other opportunistic CNS diseases. CSF PCR is a reliable means for diagnosis of CMV infection of the CNS in patients with AIDS. A positive PCR result, however, requires careful interpretation in the individual clinical context.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1995

Low levels of LTB4 in cerebrospinal fluid of AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis.

In this study we evaluated the release of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 12 patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which disease was complicated by Cryptococcal Meninigitis and in CSF of 12 control subjects with inflammatory and degenerative pathologies of the Central Nervous System (CNS). We obtained low levels of LTB4 in all the AIDS patients (mean 60.5 pg/ml), while the HIV negative subjects with degenerative and inflammatory pathologies of CNS showed a mean of 91.5 pg/ml. The finding of low levels of this inflammatory reaction mediator agrees with the limited clinical symptoms of cryptococcal meningoencephalitis in patients affected by AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1994

Different time-courses of i.v. lidocaine effect on ganglionic and spinal units in neuropathic rats.

The effect of intravenous lidocaine (4 mg kg-1) on ganglionic and spinal neuronal hyperactivity following sciatic chronic constriction injury (CCI) was studied in anaesthetized and curarized rats. A significant difference in the time course and magnitude of the lidocaine effect on the two neuronal populations was found. Longer lasting and more potent inhibitory effects on the dorsal horn neurones in comparison with ganglionic neurones were observed. By contrast the magnitude and time course of the inhibitory effects were highly comparable in dorsal horn neurones before and after acute rhizotomy. The results indicate that peripheral and central effects of lidocaine are not sequentially related. The likelihood that lidocaine inhibition at central sites may have a role in its analgesic effect, at least in the neuropathic model, is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Polymerase chain reaction for Toxoplasma gondii DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid of AIDS patients with focal brain lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To study the accuracy of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Toxoplasma gondii DNA in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of AIDS patients for the diagnosis of T. gondii encephalitis. PATIENTS: Eighty-two AIDS patients with brain lesions. At autopsy, 19 patients (group A) had toxoplasmic encephalitis and 33 (group B) primary brain lymphoma or other infections. Brain histology was not available for 30 patients; cerebral lesions improved after anti-Toxoplasma therapy in 16 (group C), but there was no improvement in 14 patients (group D). METHODS: T. gondii RH strain was serially diluted in microplate wells. After heat denaturation, nested PCR was performed on diluted tachyzoites and on 10 microliters CSF with primers flanking the B1 repetitive region of T. gondii genome. RESULTS: DNA from one to five tachyzoites was detected in each experiment. PCR was positive in eight (42.1%) out of 19 group A samples, none of the group B samples, 10 (62.5%) out of 16 group C samples and none of the group D samples. Among group A and C patients, PCR was positive in all 11, and in seven out of 24 (29.1%; P < 0.04) patients who had received anti-Toxoplasma therapy for less or more than 1 week at the time of rachicentesis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Nested PCR for T. gondii in CSF may improve early differential diagnosis of AIDS-associated focal brain lesions. Higher diagnostic accuracy was achieved when lumbar puncture was performed in the first week of anti-Toxoplasma therapy.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1993

Epstein-Barr virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with AIDS-related primary lymphoma of the central nervous system.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is constantly associated with AIDS-related primary lymphomas of the central nervous system (CNS). To assess whether EBV DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) could be used as a tumour marker, CSF samples that had been taken within 180 days before death from 85 patients with HIV infection and neurological disorders at necropsy were examined retrospectively by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for EBV. Histologically evident primary CNS lymphomas were found in 17 patients, and EBV was shown in tissue by in-situ hybridisation in 16 of the 16 cases examined. All 17 patients with primary CNS lymphoma had EBV DNA in CSF. EBV DNA was found in CSF from 1 of 68 HIV-infected patients without histologically detectable lymphoma at necropsy. PCR for EBV DNA in CSF was 100% sensitive and 98.5% specific for AIDS-associated primary CNS lymphoma, and may be useful as a diagnostic tumour marker.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1993

T and B cell responses to cytomegalovirus antigens in healthy blood donors and bone marrow transplant recipients.

We measured the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) from single T cells and the T cell proliferative response to different cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens in healthy blood donors and bone marrow transplant recipients. The antigens consisted of a CMV nuclear antigen (CMV na) containing the pp65-kDa matrix protein and the immediate early antigens but lacking CMV glycoproteins, and an antigen comprising native CMV glycoproteins (CMV gp). We also measured the IgG antibodies to CMV na and CMV gp. The T cells reacted to CMV na in CMV seropositive blood donors both with the production of IFN-gamma and with proliferation, while bone marrow transplant recipients had a deficient T cell response. After stimulation with CMV gp, no T cell response could be observed in CMV seropositive subjects. IgG antibodies to CMV na coexisted in plasma with similar levels of antibodies to CMV gp.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Reduced frequency of HIV-induced brain lesions in AIDS patients treated with zidovudine.

We evaluated the effect of zidovudine on HIV-induced lesions of the brain by comparing the neuropathological findings in 82 treated and 120 untreated patients who died from AIDS. We observed a statistically significant reduction of the number of cases with multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) in the brain and MGC-associated neuropathological damage in patients treated with zidovudine. The effects of zidovudine were time and dose related in the first 12 months of treatment, while longer periods of therapy produced no further results. The antiretroviral treatment particularly affected the frequency of diffuse demyelinating lesions of the cerebral white matter. In the patients who died with HIV-induced brain lesions but no other opportunistic brain diseases, the percentage of cases with clinical history of severe dementia was significantly lower in the group treated with zidovudine.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1992

Mediator release in cerebrospinal fluid of human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with central nervous system involvement.

In this study we evaluated the release of some mediators of inflammatory reactions such as histamine (H), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 15 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), eight with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system (CNS) and seven without HIV-related neurological pathology, and of 25 HIV-negative control subjects with other neurological diseases. The cerebrospinal LTB4 level was increased in all the AIDS patients (mean 348 pg/ml); the control group revealed normal levels of LTB4 in the CSF (mean 63.2 pg/ml). The PGD2 level in the HIV-positive (mean 264 pg/ml) patients was higher than of the control subjects (mean 50 pg/ml), while low LTC4 levels were found both in the HIV-positive and control groups. We did not find any significant concentration of H in the CSF of either the HIV-positive or the control subjects. These findings may be due to the presence of chronic HIV infection or to the opportunistic infections of the CNS that so often occur in the latest stages of the disease.

Brain Diseases↗
PubMed1992

Cytomegalovirus infection of the central nervous system in patients with AIDS: diagnosis by DNA amplification from cerebrospinal fluid.

A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF and serum samples from 19 AIDS patients with intracerebral CMV infection diagnosed at autopsy were retrospectively examined. As controls, CSF and serum samples from 15 AIDS patients with only extracerebral CMV involvement at autopsy, from 10 AIDS patients without CMV infection at autopsy, and from 10 anti-human immunodeficiency virus-negative patients without ongoing CMV infection, were studied. CMV DNA was detected from patients with intracerebral CMV infection in 9 of 9, 5 of 6, and 1 of 4 CSF samples collected, respectively, 1-30, 30-90, and 90-300 days before death. Twelve of 13 sera from these patients were CMV PCR-positive. None of the control patients had CMV DNA in CSF. PCR was positive in 6 of 8 sera from AIDS patients with only extracerebral CMV infection and in serum from 1 AIDS patient without CMV involvement at autopsy. CMV PCR on CSF is highly sensitive and specific. It should be considered a rapid and reliable diagnostic method for CMV infection of the central nervous system.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMed1992

Cerebrospinal fluid beta 2-microglobulin in AIDS related central nervous system involvement.

We measured cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-M) in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients with or without clinical evidence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. The CSF beta 2-M level was significantly higher than the serum level in AIDS patients with neurological symptoms, but not in AIDS without neurological symptoms, suggesting an increased shedding of this protein in CSF, as a result of rapid cellular turnover within CNS. CSF beta 2-M level increases both in Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) related and in opportunistic CNS syndromes, confirming that beta 2-M is a non specific marker of CNS involvement in AIDS. Nevertheless, the highest CSF beta 2-M values were observed in patients with severe dementia and autoptic diagnosis of multifocal giant cells encephalitis (MGCE) without other opportunistic diseases. This observation could have important implications for monitoring AIDS dementia complex in AIDS patients. Finally, 5 out of 7 (71%) AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis showed a decline in CSF beta 2-M level well related to the decrease of cryptococcal antigen (Crypto-Ag) titres and the clinical remission. This data suggests that CSF beta 2-M determination could be used as a useful test in monitoring efficacy of therapy of CNS pathologies in AIDS patients.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1992

[Effect of various heavy metals on the ATP content of spermatozoa from Arbacia lixula L.--activity of mercury].

This work reports the evaluation of some toxic effects induced by mercury on sea urchin sperm. Spermatozoa of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula L., were treated with 0.003, 0.03 and 0.06 mg/l of Hg. We estimated the amount of ATP of sperm cells with the luciferin-luciferase reaction, and we also observed motility, fertilizing activity and number of sperm bound to the eggs. The results clearly show that ATP levels are strongly affected by mercury concentrations, already three hours after the beginning of treatment. We propose the use of ATP determination in sea urchin sperm as a bioassay, because they, even more than eggs and developmental stages, readily suffer the environmental stresses.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1991

Elevated alpha-tumor necrosis factor levels in spinal fluid from HIV-1-infected patients with central nervous system involvement.

To assess the role of alpha-tumor necrosis factor in the pathogenesis of central nervous system involvement during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection, we recorded clinical data and measured alpha-tumor necrosis factor levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 45 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1, classified as group II/III (10), group IV A (5), group IV B (10), and group IV C-1 (20) of the Centers for Disease Control acquired immunodeficiency syndrome classification system and 42 controls. Alpha-tumor necrosis factor was above the limit of detection in only 3 of 15 sera and 3 of 15 cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients in group II/III and group IV A, whereas it was detected in 17 of 30 sera (p less than 0.05) and 22 of 30 cerebrospinal fluid (p less than 0.0002) samples from clinically more advanced patients (group IV B and group IV C-1). Alpha-tumor necrosis factor mean values were 21.5 pg/ml in sera and 50.0 pg/ml in cerebrospinal fluid from group IV B patients and 30.4 pg/ml in sera and 24 pg/ml in cerebrospinal fluid from group IV C-1 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed1991

Kappa light chain predominance in serum and cerebrospinal fluid from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patients.

We measured kappa/lambda light chain ratios of Ig and IgG in 41 serum and 34 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 47 patients at different clinical stages of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and in serum and CSF samples from control subjects. Both ratios were more elevated in HIV-1 seropositive subjects than controls. The elevation was more evident in samples from asymptomatic seropositive patients (ASP) than those from patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In addition, there was a statistically significant elevation of Ig kappa/lambda ratios in ASP CSF compared to serum. We also delineated the light chain composition of oligoclonal IgG bands (OCB) by isoelectric focusing followed by immunofixation in CSF and serum samples from selected ASP and patients with AIDS who had neurological involvement. Five of six AIDS and all seven ASP samples had IgG OCB exclusively or predominantly of the kappa type. Four IgG OCB of the lambda type and one free lambda chain band were seen in CSF from a pediatric AIDS patient. The presence of an abnormally elevated kappa/lambda ratio correlated with the presence of IgG kappa OCB (p less than 0.02). We conclude that HIV-1 infection is associated with a kappa light chain predominance and with OCB mainly composed of kappa light chains.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Immunological study in newborns at risk for HIV-1 infection.

We have performed an isoelectric focusing study (IEF) to detect the presence of oligoclonal bands (OB) in serum and in 5 of the correspondent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 14 HIV-seropositive mothers and their newborns. CB were also searched in serum from 4 newborns every 3 months over a period of 12 months. OB were present in 8/14 sera and in 3/3 CSF obtained from the mothers; CSF OB were different from the correspondent serum indicating an intrathecal synthesis. OB were also visualized in serum, but not in CSF, from 3 newborns studied at birth: two of them died respectively at 4 and 5 months of age. One of the 4 newborns that were serially studied showed the appearance of OB at 12 months of age. A comparative study between sera obtained at the moment of delivery from the mother and her newborn showed that oligoclonal banding patterns were superimposable. Our data indicated that: 1) the IgG forming OB in the newborn's serum derive from a passive filtration from mother's serum; 2) the presence of OB seems to be an unfavourable prognostic feature in infants at risk for HIV-1 infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗