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Biomedical subjects

A Corti

Publications and source records attributed to A Corti.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Tumor necrosis factor in congestive heart failure: a mechanism of disease for the new millennium?

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a protein belonging to the family of cytokines, is one of the leading mediators of the immune response to inflammation. Its widespread biological effects are modulated by two circulating binding proteins corresponding to the extracellular domain of the membrane receptors, namely soluble TNF receptors. TNF-alpha was first supposed to be linked with congestive heart failure (CHF) on a cachexia-inducing basis. In patients with advanced CHF, elevated levels of circulating TNF-alpha and soluble TNF receptors have been found. The pathophysiological implications of activation of the TNF system in CHF seem to rely mainly on its effects on the heart and the endothelium. TNF-alpha exerts a negative inotropic effect both directly and indirectly, this latter being mediated by enhancement of nitric oxide production. Moreover, TNF-alpha has been suggested to trigger the apoptotic process in cardiac myocytes. There is consensus on the detrimental role played by TNF-alpha in CHF further supported by the evidence of a temporal association between TNF activation and transition from asymptomatic to symptomatic CHF.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased brain concentrations of polyamines in rats with encephalopathy due to a galactosamine-induced fulminant hepatic failure.

Polyamine concentrations including putrescine, spermidine and spermine were documented in two brain areas of rats with mild and severe stages of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) due to fulminant hepatic failure induced by galactosamine HC1 injection (3 g kg-1 i.p.). In the mild stage of HE putrescine increased by 3-4 times whereas spermidine and spermine showed a slight increase. The scenario, however, was found to be changed going from the mild to the severe stage of HE, since in this last stage spermidine and spermine showed a further rise while putrescine was found to be significantly lower than in the mild stage of HE in both the brain areas studied. The changes in the ratio among the three polyamines with an enhanced prevalence in the severe stage of HE of spermidine and spermine are likely to be related to the exhaustion of the synthetic pathway of putrescine or to a reduction of the interconversion to this polyamine from spermidine and spermine. Considering that these last two polyamines potentiate the N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptor mediated toxicity and that they might exert neurotoxic effects per se, there are clear reasons for suspecting an implication of the described changes of polyamines in the neurochemical mechanism which sustain HE and to surmise a potential therapeutic effect in this pathology of non-competitive antagonists of polyamine-site on N-methyl-D-aspartate glutamate receptors.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased levels of clusterin mRNA in the ventral prostate of the aging rat are associated to increases in cuboidal (atrophic) cell population and not to changes in apoptotic activity.

In the ventral prostate of the intact rat, clusterin mRNA is expressed in a small population of cuboidal epithelial cells undergoing apoptosis, but not in the columnar cells comprising the vast majority of the glandular epithelium. Upon castration, clusterin mRNA expression and apoptotic activity are turned off in the cuboidal cells and turned on in the columnar ones. We show here that the progressive enhancements in the abundance of clusterin mRNA, occurring in the rat ventral prostate upon aging, are based on increases of the cuboidal cells at the expense of the columnar ones. DNA fragmentation, a typical sign of apoptosis, assayed both by agarose gel electrophoresis and in situ staining, was undetectable in 3-month-old rats but was evident among the cuboidal cells of 24-month-old animals and columnar cells of 1-day castrates. The DNA content of the ventral prostate did not change significatively between young and old rats, indicating that no increase in the rate of cell death occurs within the age interval examined. It is concluded that the enhancement in cuboidal cell population, the consequent augmented accumulation of clusterin mRNA, and the increased frequency of DNA fragmentation that we have detected in the aging rat ventral prostate are not directly related to the rate of apoptosis.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The surgical treatment of small juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA).

JNA is a rare disease of young males. It is a benign tumor and may be classified in three stages according to clinical and radiologic criteria. The treatments proposed for this tumor are different: by estrogens, by embolization, by radiotherapy or by surgery. The surgical techniques described in the literature are: paralateronasal; Rouge-Denker's transmaxillary; Bocca's transpharyngeal; transpalatine. Authors report their experience about nine stage I JNAs in young males treated and cured by surgical transpalatine technique. The follow-up is from 2 to 6 years. No relapse have been noted and no velo-palatine dysfunction has ever been complained of.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Birth injuries and congenital deviation of the nasal septum in the newborn infant].

Authors report an experience performed in a randomized group of newborns to evaluate the frequency of post-partum septal deviations. 349 subjects out of 1042 have been examined in a 7 months period. Newborns have been examined with an otoscope and 2 different kinds of nasal lesions have been considered: pyramid deformation with septum dislocation and columella deviation; deviation and sub-luxation of the septum. 250 newborns were born on natural delivery and 99 after Caesarean section. In the former group 8 pyramid deformation and 10 septal deviations have been found; in the latter only 4 septal deviations have been revealed.

Birth Injuries↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Allergic and disergic children rhinopathy.

Authors studied 42 children affected with obstructive rhinopathy. They complained nose obstruction with mono or bilateral difficult nasal breathing, permanent (rarely seasonal) symptoms, hypertrophic adenoids, nasal hypersecretion, hearing loss and recurrent otitis media. Two groups of tests were performed: 1) to document the entity of nasal stenosis and the correlated otologic diseases: rhinomanometry by Mercury NR1 rhinomanometer; tympanogram, classified according to Jerger; tubotympanogram, according to Honjo, Morimitsu and Cocchini. 2) To formulate etiologic hypothesis: Prick skin tests; immunoenzymatic specific and total IgE assay; nasal smear; secretory IgA assay. In 8 children anamnesis showed an environmental allergy while familiar anamnesis was positive in 26 cases. Skin tests and/or IgE assay were positive in 14. Neutrophilia in nasal smear was noted in 30, lymphocytosis in 2 and eosinophilia in 5. Secretory IgA were decreased in 39. Children were divided into three classes: A: no documented atopic component; B: disergic children; C: allergic children.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Caudal anesthesia for hypospadias operations in children].

Bupivacaine induced caudal block as unique anaesthetic procedure in 80 children who underwent surgical correction of hypospadias, resulted of great efficacy and easy employment. Furthermore, the method permitted to avoid intubation and the use of general anaesthetic drugs with their relative complications and provided a great postoperative analgesia.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Perioperative water-electrolyte therapy in urologic surgery in childhood].

Renal function was evaluated before and after introduction of different intraoperatory methods of hydroelectrolytic re-equilibrium in 172 children who underwent urological surgery. 24 h postoperatory renal function resulted not affected in the treated group, while significantly reduced in untreated patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of differentially glycosylated forms of the soluble p75 tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor in human urine.

Human urine is known to contain a 30 kDa soluble form of the p75-TNF receptor (sTNF-R2). In this work we have purified sTNF-R2 from the urine of normal subjects and further characterized its structure and activity. sTNF-R2 was resolved by reducing SDS-PAGE in a major band of 30 kDa, similar in size to the previously described urinary sTNFR2, and in a minor band of 45 kDa. "Western" blotting analysis with anti-TNF-R1 and anti-TNF-R2 antibodies showed that both bands were immunologically related to the membrane TNF-R2. Glycosylation studies indicated that the 30 kDa is N-glycosylated while the 45 kDa form is N- and O-glycosylated, and suggested that both forms contain terminally linked sialic acid that is differentially recognized by lectins. These results indicate that human urine contains, besides the 30 kDa form, a new form of 45 kDa characterized by different glycosylation type and degree.

Amidohydrolases↗