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Biomedical subjects

A Cavalli

Publications and source records attributed to A Cavalli.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Intranasal vaccination of pups in the presence of maternally derived antibodies to canine parvovirus (CPV). Evaluation of minimal immunizing dose.

The results of the intranasal vaccination of pups in the presence of maternally derived antibodies (MDA) to canine parvovirus (CPV) are reported. The minimal immunising dose of the modified live virus vaccine was evaluated in eighteen pups from three litters. Eight pups were vaccinated intranasally with 10(5.50) TCID50/ml of CPV vaccine. Another 8 pups were vaccinated with 10(4.50) TCID50/ml of CPV vaccine and the other 2 pups were vaccinated with 10(3.50) TCID50/ml of CPV vaccine. The vaccine intranasally administered was able to induce a good antibody response in pups with MDA even when the infectious titer per dose was lower than the one contained in parenterally administered vaccines.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1994

High- and low-risk groups: early and late prognostic stratification.

Prognostic data obtained from studies carried out since the advent of thrombolysis confirm the notion that short-term survival after acute myocardial infarction is primarily influenced by age and clinical indicators of infarct size or global left ventricular dysfunction. In survivors of the in-hospital phase of infarction, markers of left ventricular failure or dysfunction are still the most powerful risk predictors, whereas qualitative variables related to residual ischaemia do not predict outcome. The relatively low overall risk profile of survivors of the in-hospital phase of infarction in the GISSI-2 study appears to reflect favourable changes in the sizes of risk strata that result from a general improvement in management strategies.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Early pulmonary involvement in systemic sclerosis assessed by technetium-99m-DTPA clearance rate.

UNLABELLED: Systemic sclerosis (SS) is frequently associated with interstitial lung disease, but clinical symptoms and radiologic abnormalities may occur late in the course of the disease. This study investigated early pulmonary involvement by assessing the clearance rate of inhaled 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). METHODS: Sixteen patients with proved SS, no clinical pulmonary symptoms and normal chest radiogram were prospectively studied. The 99mTc-DTPA clearance rate was calculated as the time to half clearance (T1/2) and compared with values obtained in healthy nonsmokers. RESULTS: Six patients showed abnormally increased clearance (T1/2 < 53 min). Rapid clearance was not correlated to SS disease duration or to abnormal pulmonary function tests. Five of six patients with abnormally increased clearance underwent high-resolution CT, which in all five demonstrated pathologic findings that were suggestive of early interstitial disease. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that in SS asymptomatic patients may frequently present with abnormal 99mTc-DTPA clearance; 99mTc-DTPA lung scintigraphy may allow early detection of subclinical pulmonary involvement in SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Persistent pestivirus infection in sheep in Apulia (southern Italy).

A study in a flock of 100 sheep was carried out to detect animals persistently infected with Border Disease Virus (BDV). From buffy coats of animals without neutralizing antipestivirus antibodies, 6 non cytopathic pestiviruses were isolated in cell cultures. Using 3 monoclonal antibodies, the 6 viruses were initially characterized as BDV strains.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[The CO2 laser and endodontic surgery: an epicritical evaluation].

The authors analyse the use of laser CO2 in endodontic surgery. They describe the laser biological effects on teeth, comprehending immediate structural changes (coagulation, carbonization, volatilization, fusion of dental tissue), and side effects (sterilization, modification of biomechanical properties and biostimulation). A surgical technique joining traditional aspects and laser radiation, restoring the apical shape to the anatomical origin is described. The employment of the laser in a defocalized way allows the sterilization of the apical region even in zones normally not reachable by the usual instruments. These devices are connected with laser irradiation and could improve the clinical results either improving bone restoration on raising dental tissue resistance to acidity. The authors emphasize that, whereas the clinical follow-up is in fact similar to the results obtained in a previous traditionally treated control group an accurate surgical technique will be the real important aspect to reach the recovery and the laser irradiation can help in it.

Apicoectomy↗
PubMed1993

Antisense probes against mediatophore block transmitter release in oocytes primed with neuronal mRNAs.

Antisense oligodesoxynucleotides were used to determine whether the mediatophore proteolipid is necessary for the Ca(2+)-dependent release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Xenopus laevis oocytes were injected with poly(A)+ mRNAs extracted from the electric lobes of Torpedo marmorata. The electric lobes contain an homogeneous population of cholinergic neurons homologous to motoneurons. Addition of antisense probes hybridizing to the mediatophore 15 kDa subunit inhibited the expression of both the mediatophore proteolipid in oocyte membranes and the Ca(2+)-dependent acetylcholine release. Expression of other neuronal functions such as synthesis of [14C]acetylcholine from [14C]acetate was not inhibited. Another antisense probe specific for the sequence of a related proteolipid cDNA (the 15 kDa subunit of the chromaffin granule protonophore) was used as a control. It did not hybridize with the Torpedo mediatophore mRNA and, injected in addition to electric lobe mRNAs, it did not inhibit either mediatophore expression or acetylcholine release. We showed in addition that the mRNA primed oocytes did not contain a vesicular pool of acetylcholine. It was concluded (i) that the mediatophore proteolipid is essential for Ca(2+)-dependent acetylcholine release and (ii) that the cytosolic pool of neurotransmitter seems to be preferentially used in this system.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1993

Use of a feline panleukopenia modified live virus vaccine in cats in the primary-stage of feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

Cats in the primary stage of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) infection and FIV seronegative cats were vaccinated with a modified live Feline Panleukopenia virus vaccine (FPV-MLV). The FPV-MLV strain was not pathogenic for FIV seronegative cats, whereas in FIV infected cats it produced severe clinical signs, similar to those typically observed in cats naturally infected with field strains of FPV (fever, diarrhoea, leukopenia).

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Immune pathogenesis of hepatitis B.

Available information about the immune pathogenesis of HBV infection in man is very limited. However, the present availability of recombinant sources of the different HBV antigens expressed in the appropriate forms to induce activation of either HLA class I or HLA class II-restricted T cells, provides the necessary tools to investigate directly the mechanisms of liver damage, the role of the different cellular components of the immune system in HBV clearance and the specific nature of the immune defects potentially responsible for the chronic evolution of HBV infection. In addition, improved knowledge of HBV biology suggests a dynamic interpretation of the HBV-immune system interactions, based on which viral mutations as well as direct interferences of HBV with specific immune functions are believed to play a relevant role with respect to the outcome of HBV infection.

Hepatitis B↗
PubMed1992

Fine specificity of the human T cell response to hepatitis B virus core antigen.

The fine specificity of the human T cell response to the hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) was investigated in 23 patients with acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection using a panel of short synthetic peptides covering the entire core region. An immunodominant T cell epitope which was recognized by all except one patient, was identified within the core sequence 50-69. Two further important T cell recognition sites were represented by the amino acid sequences 1-20 and 117-131, which were stimulatory for the T cells of 69% and 73% of the patients, respectively. T cell recognition of the synthetic peptides was HLA class II restricted because the peptide-induced T cell proliferation was inhibited by anti-HLA class II but not by anti-HLA class I monoclonal antibodies. These findings may be relevant to the development of future preventive and therapeutic strategies against HBV infection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Irregular ventricular tachycardia: a possible manifestation of longitudinal dissociation within the reentry pathway.

Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia is usually regular; that is, it is associated with constant R-R intervals. In several cases, however, the cycles of ventricular tachycardia are more or less variable. Fifty-four cases of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia were evaluated in order to assess whether tachycardia was regular. Nine cases were defined as irregular (i.e., the R-R cycles varied by more than 40 msec throughout a 1-minute recording). In five cases tachycardia was "regularly irregular," since the R-R cycles could be divided into two separate groups: the group of long cycles and that of short cycles. In these cases the variability manifested according to a defined and constant pattern: bigeminal pattern (alternation of short and long cycles), trigeminal pattern (two short cycles followed by a long cycle), and so on. The regular variability of tachycardia cycle length suggests one of the following possibilities. (1) There are two alternative circuits (a short circuit and a long circuit) that share the same exit pathway. Whenever the reciprocating impulse runs through the short circuit, the R-R cycle is short; but if a block in the short circuit occurs, the impulse runs through the long circuit, resulting in a long R-R cycle. (2) There is a longitudinal dissociation within the reentry circuit; two separate pathways with different inherent conduction velocities are present. When the impulse runs through the fast pathway, the R-R cycle is short; whereas when a block in the fast pathway occurs, the impulse traverses the slow pathway, resulting in a long R-R cycle.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed1992

Washout of long-term treatment with flecainide and propafenone in patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac disease. Antiarrhythmic Drug Evaluation Group.

To assess the spontaneous variability of ventricular arrhythmias after withdrawal of apparently successful antiarrhythmic therapy, we enrolled in a washout protocol 40 patients who had completed a randomized controlled 2-year study of antiarrhythmic drugs (the Antiarrhythmic Drug Evaluation Group [ADEG] study). All of them had heart disease and were first seen with high-grade ventricular arrhythmias (Lown class 4a and 4b) at enrollment. After 2 years all of them had responded to propafenone or flecainide; patients who completed the study on a regimen of amiodarone were not considered for the washout study. A total of 27 patients discontinued flecainide and 13 propafenone. Seven days after withdrawal they underwent 24- or 48-hour ECG testing and were classified as true responders (TR) if the arrhythmias were present at the same level as 2 years previously and false responders (FR) if they were below the ADEG responsiveness level. TR patients had a third 24-hour ECG 7 days later, after rechallenge with the same treatment, and FR patients had a third ECG without drugs. Adherence to the protocol was ascertained by measuring drug plasma concentrations at every 24-hour ECG recording. No differences were found in distribution of heart disease and grade of ventricular arrhythmias between patients in the washout study and the remaining group of the ADEG trial. Twenty-four of 40 patients (60%) were true responders. In 4 of the 17 patients who had a third 24 hour ECG, the responsiveness to the same drug was not confirmed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗
PubMed1992

Fine specificity of the human T-cell response to the hepatitis B virus preS1 antigen.

The T-cell response to hepatitis B virus envelope antigens was studied in 11 hepatitis B vaccine recipients; 7 were selected to analyze the fine specificity of the T-cell response to the preS1 antigen. Four distinct T-cell epitopes were identified by peripheral blood lymphomononuclear cell stimulation with a panel of short synthetic peptides covering the preS1 sequence. The immunodominance of the preS1 epitopes included within peptides 21-30 and 29-48 was shown by their capacity to restimulate an HLA class II restricted proliferative response of T cells primed with the whole preS1 antigen. Conversely, peptide-specific T cells selected by peripheral blood lymphomononuclear cell stimulation with peptides 21-30 and 29-48 were able to recognize the native preS1 molecule, confirming that these epitopes are actually generated by the intracellular processing of preS1. Finally, amino acid residues essential for T-cell activation by peptide 21-30 were identified using 10 analogues of the stimulatory peptide containing single alanine substitutions. These results may be relevant to the design of efficient synthetic vaccines against hepatitis B virus infection.

Alanine↗