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Biomedical subjects

A Comino

Publications and source records attributed to A Comino.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Imaging lung cancer by scintigraphy with Indium 111-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of the anticarcinoembryonic antigen monoclonal antibody FO23C5.

BACKGROUND: Anticarcinoembryonic (CEA) monoclonal antibodies are able to react specifically with the antigen and have the potential for the detection of CEA-bearing tumors. METHODS: The authors photoscanned with indium 111 (111In)-labeled F(ab')2 fragments of the murine CEA monoclonal antibody FO23C5 63 patients with a newly diagnosed and pathologically documented bronchogenic carcinoma. Planar dual views of the thorax, abdomen, and brain were acquired between the 24th and 144th hour after the radiotracer injection. Patients had a complete pretreatment workup, which included a routine multiorgan computed tomography (CT) scan, and the determination of the serum and tissue CEA concentration. All patients were followed up clinically and radiologically. Nineteen needle aspirations and biopsies, 23 surgical explorations, and 4 mediastinoscopic studies yielded 121 pathologically documented sites of reference. RESULTS: Fifty-seven of 63 scans were positive for the primary tumor (sensitivity, 0.90). The uptake of the radiotracer correlated significantly with the intensity of tissue CEA expression (Spearman R [Rs], 0.25; P less than 0.05), but not with the serum CEA level or with the histotype. Overall, the sensitivity of the anti-CEA immunoscintigraphy (IS) for the N1, N2, N3, T3, T4, and M1 disease (1987 International Union Against Cancer [UICC] staging classification) was 0.67, 0.64, 0.62, 0.31, 0.29, and 0.86, respectively. Corresponding values of specificity were 0.67, 0.81, 0.90, 1, 1, and 0.93; accuracy values were 0.67, 0.71, 0.85, 0.71, 0.76, and 0.92. The authors limited the analysis to all of the pathologically documented sites and obtained slightly superior values but no meaningful differences. The stage derived from IS readings was correct in 33 patients. The same figure was obtained after an initial clinical workup, which included physical examination, laboratory routine tests, chest radiographs, bronchoscopy, and any diagnostic procedure indicated by those tests. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-CEA FO23C5-F(ab')2 fragments are not yet "magic bullets" for perfect diagnoses; however, their staging potential seems to be remarkable. Technical improvements, single-photo emission CT, and the use of such fragments in combination with other imaging techniques might enable researchers to further improve the current results.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Flow cytometric studies in spontaneous abortions. Applications in the medico-legal practice.

In the medico-legal practice differential diagnosis between spontaneous and non-spontaneous abortion is important because causes of pregnancy wastage are often obscure and, moreover, spontaneous abortion is more common than accidental or voluntary. In all the cases in which the cause of abortion is not otherwise detectable and especially in cases of discovery of fetal adnexa, it is necessary to investigate genetic causes. Recently, DNA flow cytometric analysis has been applied in determining the genetic causes of spontaneous abortions. Among karyotypic abnormalities, flow cytometric analysis on paraffin embedded material can detect only polyploidies (triploidy and tetraploidy). Trisomies, monosomies and structural anomalies cannot be detected. In our study we tried to establish whether flow cytometry could be useful in determining the genetic cause of spontaneous abortions, in the lack of any other detectable cause. Histologic examination and flow cytometric analysis were performed on a series of 395 consecutive spontaneous abortions. Histologic examination allowed the detection of a molar pattern in about 9% of cases. DNA flow cytometric analysis showed diploidy in 346 (87.59%) cases, triploidy in 37 (9.36%) cases and tetraploidy in 12 (3.03%) cases. Combined microscopic and flow cytometric analysis revealed abnormalities in 17.5% of cases. A non-diploid pattern is more frequent in molar cases (P less than 0.001). Flow cytometry seems to be interesting in forensic pathology, as it allows the detection of some frequent genetic abnormalities in dead tissues and cells, when other techniques are no longer practicable.

Abortion, Illegal↗
PubMed1991

Relationship between histologic features, DNA flow cytometry, and clinical behavior of squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx.

Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content was done on 133 primary squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx. Overall, 76 tumors (57.1%) were not diploid (aneuploid or tetraploid). The DNA index (DI) was calculated and grouped into three levels. Fifty-seven cases had a DI in a range of 1.85 to 2.15 (44 diploid and 13 tetraploid). The cases were grouped in relation to ploidy, proliferative index, and the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) system. Every group was analyzed with respect to survival rate. Ploidy was related to histocytologic grade. In well-differentiated tumors (G1) survival rates at 48 months were 41.7% in diploid cases and 27.7% in nondiploid ones (relative risk [RR], 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89, 4.52). In NO cases that underwent surgery, survival rates at 48 months were, respectively, 81.8% and 49.2% (RR, 5.07; 95% CI, 0.76, 33.93). These results suggest that ploidy may be a new independent parameter of prognosis in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. This is useful in clinical practice because it allows the clinician to recognize those cases with poorer prognosis among the early tumors at a stage where other prognostic parameters are not yet available.

Aneuploidy↗
PubMed1991

Detection of suspected primary lung cancer by scintigraphy with indium-111-anti-carcinoembryonic antigen monoclonal antibodies (type F023C5)

Immunoscintigraphy with 111In-labeled anti-CEA-Mab (F023C5i) was carried out in 66 patients strongly suspected for a primary lung cancer and in 8 control patients suffering from different chest diseases. A sensitivity of 0.90, a specificity of 0.45 and an accuracy of 0.85 were calculated. False-negative results were mainly obtained in patients in whom the size of the lesion was below 2 cm and the tumor was centrally located. All patients affected by small-cell carcinoma were correctly identified. In 89% of the patients, a positive immunoscintiscan was associated with the presence of the antigen in the tumor. False-positive results were observed in control patients suffering from different chest diseases due to the nonspecific uptake of the tracer. The tumor definition was generally better after 120 hr than at an earlier time after injection due to the reduction of background activity. SPECT imaging defined the tumor better in each patient but did not reveal any tumor not seen on planar studies.

Carcinoembryonic Antigen↗
PubMed1990

Role of platelet-activating factor in the reperfusion injury of rabbit ischemic heart.

This study shows that the administration of the PAF receptor antagonist SDZ 63.675 (5 mg/kg body weight) before reperfusion significantly reduced the hematologic and hemodynamic alterations, as well as the size of necrotic area in rabbits subjected to 40 minutes of coronary occlusion and reperfusion. Pretreatment with SDZ 63.675 prevented the reduction of platelet counts in the blood obtained from the right ventricle (86.6 +/- 2.8% of the control preischemia value) and the transient bradycardia (85.0 +/- 2.8%), the systemic hypotension (58.0 +/- 2.8%), and the increase in right ventricular pressure (125.0 +/- 3.6%) that were evident in the first minutes of reperfusion in untreated control rabbits. Two as well as 24 hours after reperfusion, the infarct size, judged by staining with tetrazolium, was significantly reduced in rabbits treated with SDZ 63.675 (infarct size in control animals, 66.0 +/- 2.9% and 63.46 +/- 2.09% of the risk region at 2 or 24 hours, respectively, compared with 38.9 +/- 5.2% and 37.11 +/- 2.44% of the risk region at 2 and 24 hours in rabbits treated with SDZ 63.675). This result was confirmed by histologic examination of cardiac tissue 24 hours after reperfusion. In addition, SDZ 63.675 markedly reduced the accumulation of 111In-oxine-labeled platelets that occurs 15 minutes after reperfusion in the central ischemic area of the heart and in the lungs. These results suggest that PAF plays a role in the evolution of myocardial injury observed during reperfusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

[Vascular leiomyoblastoma of the liver. A personal case].

A case of vascular leiomyoblastoma of the liver is reported. This rare type of liver tumour is noteworthy for the associated paroxysmal pain attacks which are the first symptom of the disease. It should be considered in the wide range of liver tumours because, although benign, it is potentially malignant.

Hemangioma↗
PubMed1986

Aortic dissection at autopsy: a fifty-four year survey in Torino.

The Authors reviewed the postmortem findings of 36,671 autopsies performed from 1929 to 1982 in the hospitals of Torino with emergency ward. Two hundred and sixty-five cases of Aortic Dissection (A.D.) were found, and studied in relation to their frequency by sex and age, pathology, and antemortem diagnosis. The main outcome of this survey was the increasing frequency of the lesion in the autopsy population during the last 36 years considered, from 1/759 necropsies in 1947-1952, to 1/52 in 1977-1982. These data are discussed in relation to the hypothesis of a possible actual increase of A.D..

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Indices of membrane alterations in beta-thalassemic erythrocytes.

Analytical protocols for the study of thalassemic erythrocyte membrane alterations are described. Denatured hemoglobin derivatives and aggregated band 3 are separated from detergent membrane extracts by gel-filtration as high-molecular-weight aggregates and quantitated spectrophotometrically. Membrane-bound, low-molecular-weight iron is measured on SDS-solubilized ghosts by a ferrozine-based colorimetric test. We adapted these methods for microscale preparation and analysis of erythrocyte ghosts in order to have suitable tools to estimate oxidative membrane damage in human samples. Data from 11 beta-thalassemia intermedia patients and from 10 normal controls are reported as an example of the application of these methods.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Utility and limitations of flow cytometry DNA content analysis in neoplastic cells].

A review of the literature concerning the analysis of nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry is made and it is compared with own experience. The advantages and the limits of this technique are examined. The practical problems in the interpretation of the histograms and the value of the measurements are discussed. The importance of this analysis in diagnosis and in staging of many tumors and the clinical involvements are emphasized. In many tumors DNA ploidy represents a new independent prognostic variable that is useful to separate the cases with a potential worse behaviour in an early stage, when other classic parameter are not available. It is also stressed the importance of flow cytometric DNA analysis of tumor cells. This is made on the same tissues that pathologists use for histopathological diagnosis and the results are important in many cases for a diagnostic accuracy.

DNA, Neoplasm↗