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Biomedical subjects

A Licata

Publications and source records attributed to A Licata.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Cholecystectomy and colorectal cancer: an improbable correlation.

Several scientists have mentioned the cause and effect relationship between cholecystectomy and onset of large bowel cancer but have reached no real conclusions since the valid theoretical premises have often been denied by clinical series. In this report also, no statistically significant correlations between cholecystectomy and colorectal cancer have been found. It is suggested that this operation is only an epiphenomenon of a different etiologic phase, for instance, type of diet.

Cholecystectomy↗
PubMed1988

Monitoring calcium intake in osteoporosis by assay of nephrogenous cyclic AMP.

We studied the relationship between urinary and nephrogenous cyclic adenosine monophosphate (CAMP) and intake of calcium in patients with clinical osteoporosis. Serum and urinary Ca, alkaline phosphatase, and CAMP were measured by standard techniques. Lumbar mineral density was assessed by dual photon absorptiometry. Mean (+/- SD) urinary and nephrogenous CAMP was 4.6 +/- 1.4 mumol/g creatinine (0.52 +/- 0.16 mumol/mmol creatinine) and 15 +/- 8.0 nmol/L GF in patients using an extra gram of Ca carbonate daily and 6.5 +/- 2.6 mumol/g creatinine and 32 +/- 18 nmol/L GF in patients consuming dietary Ca (p less than 0.05). Serum Ca was increased (p less than 0.05) in the supplemented group (9.8 +/- 0.4 vs 9.3 +/- 0.6 mg/dL [2.4 +/- 0.099 vs 2.32 +/- 0.14 mmol/L]) but urinary Ca and serum alkaline phosphatase were similar. Bone mineral density was the same in both (0.88 +/- 0.19 vs 0.87 +/- 0.08 g/cm2). We concluded that CAMP is greater in patients with no supplemental Ca in the diet. This test may be useful to assess patient compliance and biological availability of dietary or supplemental Ca.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Treatment of bacterial peritonitis.

Cefotetan is a semi-synthetic cephamycin antibiotic. It has combined activity against aerobes and anaerobes which makes it of particular use in the treatment and prevention of intra-abdominal infections in the surgical patient. In the course of 3 years we have evaluated the therapeutic use of cefotetan in 107 patients. Early in the evaluation of this antibiotic we used cefotetan in combination with aminoglycosides in 35 severely ill patients with intra-abdominal infections. These patients were generally in poor condition. Good results were obtained in this high risk group. A further 72 patients received cefotetan monotherapy, usually at a dose of 2 g twice daily. The majority of these patients presented with intra-abdominal infections. Overall a successful clinical response of 94% was obtained with antibiotic therapy. In conclusion the results obtained support the therapeutic use of cefotetan in the treatment of moderate to severe intra-abdominal infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Lectin-binding pattern on the surface epidermis of Ambystoma tigrinum larvae. A light- and electron-microscopic study.

The surface epidermis of Ambystoma tigrinum larvae was examined at the light- and electron-microscope levels using five different lectin conjugates as probes for the detection of sugar residues on the cell membranes. Concanavalin A (Con-A), wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA), Ricinus communis agglutinin I (RCA-I), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin and soybean agglutinin (SBA) conjugates clearly labelled the surface cells, especially their apical surfaces. At electron microscopy, the labelling on plasma membranes was found to exhibit regional differences. Among the lectins tested WGA displayed a particularly characteristic binding pattern. WGA also bound to basolateral cell surfaces, including the tight-junction zone which was also stained by the RCA-I conjugate. The different labelling intensity and staining patterns obtained with the conjugates indicated the polarity of the cell surfaces. It is also assumed that the WGA staining of the basolateral membranes and intercellular spaces reflected transcellular transport, which is facilitated by acidic glycoconjugates. Other functional aspects of the polarized distribution of the lectin conjugates were also correlated with the receptor sites of certain sugar residues.

Ambystoma↗
PubMed1987

Occurrence of gastrin-releasing peptide-like and bombesin-like immunoreactivities in the epidermal sacciform gland cells of the clingfish Lepadogaster candollei.

Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP)-like and bombesin (BOM)-like immunoreactivities were localized in the exocrine sacciform gland cells and in the surface epidermis of the clingfish Lepadogaster candollei with the use of previously characterized antibodies. The GRP-like and BOM-like peptides show resemblance to those immunohistochemically found in the dermal secretory products of the amphibian skin. The immunoreactive peptides tested in this study are unusual bioactive components of secretory sources of exocrine glands since these peptides were first demonstrated in cells of the neuroendocrine system. The results suggest that such bioactive compounds may exert regulatory activity in the absorptive processes of the skin epithelium and in influencing secretion release from exocrine complexes.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Enzyme cytochemical and immunocytochemical studies of flask cells in the amphibian epidermis.

The localization of oxidoreductases and transport enzymes in flask cells of the amphibian epidermis was studied at the light-microscopic level. In these cells, the deposition of cytochemical reaction products was very similar to that found in fish epidermal ionocytes, thus demonstrating histochemical similarities between these two types of cells. The present histochemical results revealed high levels of activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALPase), potassium-dependent nitrophenylphosphatase (K+-p-NPPase) and carbonic-anhydrase isozymes (CA-I and CA-II) in the apical region of the flask cells, indicating that enzyme zonation may be the main site of the ion pumping.

4-Nitrophenylphosphatase↗
PubMed1985

Patterns of enzyme activities in the gills of the catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) exposed to the anionactive detergent Na-alkyl-benzenesulphonate (LAS).

The effect of sodium-alkyl-benzenesulphonate (LAS) on the activity of the respiratory enzymes of the gills of Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch) was investigated. After 48 h exposure, the main injury to gills was the progressive separation of the lamellae from their vascular components. The enzymes of the aerobic part of the metabolism showed a decrease in activity, whereas the activity of lactate dehydrogenase was strongly increased, thus indicating that LAS has a high potential to interfere with aerobic mechanisms; however, the mode of action of it has yet to be clearly defined.

Alkanesulfonates↗
PubMed1985

The effect of an anionic detergent on complex carbohydrates and enzyme activities in the epidermis of the catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch).

The histochemistry of various oxidative enzymes and complex carbohydrates in the epidermis of the catfish Heteropneustes fossils was investigated after exposure to sublethal concentrations of the detergent sodium alkylbenzenesulphonate. It was found that the detergent treatment was accompanied by a marked increase in the number of mucous cells which produce histochemically detectable amounts of acidic glycoproteins with a shift towards the production of O-acetylated sialic acids. The activities of mitochondrial enzymes were lost in the superficial cell layers. In contrast the activities of glucose-6-phosphate and lactate dehydrogenase increased considerably. The rise in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was correlated with the metabolic requirements for the enhanced production of mucus under stress. The changes in both enzyme activities and in the chemical composition of mucus may provide a suitable experimental model for histochemical investigations of the effects of stress induced by pollutants on aquatic organisms.

Alkanesulfonates↗
PubMed1985

Binding of concanavalin A to secretory epidermis in the fish Blennius sanguinolentus pallas: light microscopic and ultrastructural studies.

Concanavalin A (Con A) lectin from jack bean Canavalia ensiformis DC binds to alpha-D-glucopyranosyl and alpha-D-mannopyranosyl residues of the cuticular secretions (glycocalyx) attached to apical plasma membrane in the skin surface cells of Blennius sanguinolentus. The presence of Con A positive carbohydrate components is also observed in some secretory vesicles close under the apical cell membrane and in the goblet cell secretion spread over the surface of the skin. Other lectin labeling methods might offer a new tool for the cytochemical demonstration of glycoconjugates containing sugar residues on plasmic membranes of the epithelial cells. This can provide an insight into the functional significance of the carbohydrate moieties, attributable to the specialization of the cell membranes.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Ultrastructural demonstration of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and K+-p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (K+-p-NPPase) in the epidermal ionocytes of Blennius sanguinolentus.

Cytochemical techniques were used for the light and electron microscopical localization of alkaline phosphatase and potassium-dependent nitrophenyl phosphatase in the epidermal ionocytes of the Teleost Blennius sanguinolentus. The heavier deposition of the reaction products obtained with the different media was shown in the cytoplasmic surface of the labyrinth tubules, the apical vesicles and in intimate association with plasmic membranes. Both plasma membranes and intracellular activities are affected by the addition of specific inhibitors L-p-bromotetramisole oxalate and ouabain) to both complete and control media. The significance of the cytoplasmic localization of both the two enzymes is discussed with reference to current models of transepithelial ion transportation.

4-Nitrophenylphosphatase↗
PubMed1983

[Pathology caused by suture materials in patients with gastric resection. Endoscopic findings].

The authors report the results obtained from an endoscopic study on 131 gastric resected patients, who in 18.3% showed a pathology due to suture thread. The Authors dwell upon the clinical picture shown by these patients, and also consider the cases performed on urgency for hematemesis and/or melaena, and upon the diagnostical role of endoscopy. Moreover, they report the results obtained through the endoscopic therapy, which in 100% of the cases allowed the removal of the suture thread.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

[Comparative aspects of the white body of Cephalopoda and the bone marrow of mammals].

The compared observations carried out in the white body of the Cephalopod Todarodes sagittatus and in the bone marrow of the Mammalian Rattus rattus enabled us to note, especially on the electron microscope, some resemblances among the main cellular types, and namely between leucoblasts and promyeloblasts, between proleucocytes and promyelocytes and between leucocytes and granulocytes. These resemblances are due also to the presence, in both series, of indispensable conditions to the protein synthesis in the cytoplasm. In any case one can assume that the considered series are formed by "synthetic activity cells with irreversible behaviour".

Animals↗