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Biomedical subjects

A Lippi

Publications and source records attributed to A Lippi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

The immunophenotype in infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: correlation with clinical outcome. An Italian multicentre study (AIEOP).

A detailed analysis of immunophenotype of 112 infants aged less than 18 months with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) was performed. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of age at presentation (under 6 months: group 1: 6-12 months: group 2; 13-18 months: group 3). There were three cases of T-ALL (2.6%). The proportion of other subtypes was: common ALL in 59 patients (52.68%), pre-B ALL in 15 patients (13.3%), pre-pre-B ALL in 27 (24.1%) and acute undifferentiated leukaemia (AUL) in eight patients (7.14%). In non-T ALL, positivity to CD10 (corresponding to C-ALL and pre-B ALL) was distributed in the three age groups as follows: 38.88% (group I) 65.38% (group II) and 86.36% (group III). Conversely, immature phenotypes (pre-pre-B and AUL) were found more often in the younger patients of groups I and II, as well as anomalous phenotypes, such as the presence of myeloid antigens (MyAg) and of CD7. Prognostic significance was evaluated as event-free survival (EFS) by statistical analysis. A better outcome in CD10-positive ALL than in CD10-negative ones (48% v. 25% of long-term survivors) was demonstrated in all infants. Similarly, EFS was significantly better in MyAg-negative than in MyAg-positive cases. These results were confirmed also when adjusting for white blood cell count. This allowed the identification of CD10-negative, MyAg-positive ALL, which were relatively more frequent in infants and had a poorer clinical outcome with the current therapies. This study stresses the prognostic relevance of the immunological study in infant leukaemias and its utility in choosing different therapeutic modalities for poor risk phenotypes.

Antigens, CD↗
PubMed1992

Validation of the Hodkinson abbreviated mental test as a screening instrument for dementia in an Italian population.

We investigated the accuracy of the Hodkinson abbreviated mental test (AMT) as a screening instrument for dementia in an Italian population. The AMT was administered by nonmedical personnel to 124 subjects > 59 years old. Each subject independently underwent a clinical evaluation for dementia (DSM-III criteria), and scores on the AMT were compared to corresponding clinical diagnoses (standard for comparison). Twenty of the 124 subjects were found to be affected by dementia upon clinical investigation. Although a score of 6 on the AMT showed the best combination of sensitivity (90%) and specificity (89%), only a score of 7 yielded 100% sensitivity (71% specificity). Specificity was higher in men, younger, and more educated subjects.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Assessment of liver iron overload in thalassemic patients by MR imaging.

The use of MR imaging has been proposed for the assessment of the hepatic iron overload in transfusion-dependent thalassemic patients treated with desferrioxamine. The aim of the study was to correlate serum ferritin levels and MR signal intensity of the liver parenchyma. Results on 12 patients showed that the ratios between the signal intensity of liver parenchyma and muscle and fat are promising parameters for predicting iron overload.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Effect of a terpenoid, (-)-6-hydroxy-4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-1-cyclohexene-1-ethanol, on drug-metabolizing enzymes and glutathione content in rat liver and lung.

1. Chronic treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats with the new terpenoid mucoregulating drug (I) did not modify activities of the drug-metabolizing enzymes (phase I and phase II) of liver and lung. 2. Acute treatment of rats with I did not affect the GSH content of liver and lung, but administration of the corresponding alpha, beta-unsaturated ketone (II) produced considerable GSH depletion in both tissues, the original GSH levels being restored after a few hours. 3. The results are discussed in comparison with those previously obtained with the structurally related drug trans-sobrerol (III).

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Circulating thyroid and gastric parietal cell autoantibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with complex abnormalities of immunoregulation and a role of autoimmunity in its pathogenesis has been accepted. MS is reportedly associated with several autoimmune diseases, but few studies are available on the prevalence of organ-specific autoantibodies in this condition. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of anti-thyroglobulin (TgAb), anti-thyroid microsomal (MAb) and gastric parietal cell (PCA) antibodies in 113 patients (63 females, 50 males, age ranging 15-62 years) with MS and in 51 neurological controls. The diagnosis of MS was made according to McDonald and Halliday criteria. TgAb and/or MAb were detected by passive hemagglutination in 19 (16.8%) patients with MS and in 3 (5.9%) of the controls. All positive TgAb and/or MAb were observed in MS females (19/63 = 30.1%), with significantly higher frequency than in female controls (X2 = 5.15, p less than 0.025). The presence of circulating thyroid antibodies was higher in patients with clinically definite or progressive probable MS and in those with long standing disease. In contrast with thyroid antibodies, no difference in the frequency of PCA, as assessed by radioimmunoassay, was observed between MS and controls. These data support a specific association between thyroid autoimmunity and MS. The appearance of thyroid autoimmune phenomena seems to be related to the reliability of the diagnosis of MS and the duration of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Prevalence of clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease and other dementing disorders: a door-to-door survey in Appignano, Macerata Province, Italy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of dementia in an Italian population using a door-to-door 2-phase design. As part of a social and health survey, we administered the Hodkinson abbreviated mental test to all persons over age 59 residing in the Commune of Appignano on January 1, 1987 (N = 778). We then investigated all subjects scoring 7 or less on the cognitive test following a standardized diagnostic protocol. We found 48 patients affected by dementia, yielding a crude prevalence ratio (cases per 100 population over age 59) of 6.2; prevalence ratios were 2.6 for Alzheimer's disease, 2.2 for multi-infarct dementia, 0.8 for mixed dementia, 0.4 for secondary dementia, and 0.3 for unspecified dementia. Age- and sex-specific prevalence ratios increased steeply with age and were consistently higher in women for Alzheimer's disease and in men for dementia of all types and multi-infarct dementia. Alzheimer's disease was slightly more frequent than multi-infarct dementia; however, the most common type of dementia varied across age groups. Most cases of Alzheimer's disease were sporadic and had a late age of onset. Comparison with other populations suggests that dementia of all types is as frequent in Appignano as elsewhere, and that Alzheimer's disease might be more frequent in rural than in urban populations.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1990

Superoxide anion production by doxorubicin analogs in heart sarcosomes and by mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase.

This study investigates the effects of daunorubicin, 4-demethoxy-daunorubicin, 11-deoxydaunorubicin, 5-imino-daunorubicin, doxorubicin, 4'-epidoxorubicin and the new derivative 4'-iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin, on superoxide anion production in heart sarcosomes and by mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase. In cardiac sarcosomes all the anthracyclines tested enhanced NADPH-dependent superoxide formation which followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics and their Vmax were similar to that of doxorubicin except 5-iminodaunorubicin which did not affect superoxide production and 4'-iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin which showed significantly lower Vmax and Km. The superoxide formation by NADH dehydrogenase in the presence of anthracyclines appeared to follow saturation kinetics, depending by NADH. 4-Demethoxydaunorubicin and 4'-epidoxorubicin showed Vmax higher than that of doxorubicin although the Km values were similar. By contrast 5-iminodaunorubicin failed to increase superoxide production over control levels and 4'-Iodo-4'-deoxydoxorubicin hardly enhanced superoxide production by NADH dehydrogenase. A marked difference of superoxide formation rate was shown for the molecules tested in our in vitro system. The behaviour displayed in vitro by the imino- and iodo-derivatives well correlate to their moderate cardiotoxicity in vivo. For the other molecules tested, the poor correlation between the in vitro production of superoxides and the in vivo cardiotoxicity degree might depend on the pharmacokinetic steps which may modify the cardiac effects of these anthracyclines.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

cblC disease: case report and monitoring of a pregnancy at risk by chorionic villus sampling.

We have studied the uptake of both propionate and leucine in a chorionic villus sample from a fetus at risk for cblC disease. The ratio of propionate to leucine incorporation (x 10(-3] was 3.85 +/- 0.27 (n = 8) in the at risk sample, and 2.8 +/- 0.14, and 3.1 +/- 0.15 (n = 4) in two control samples. The finding of an unaffected fetus was confirmed by the absence of methylmalonic acid in amniotic fluid or maternal urine in the second trimester, and after birth by study of cultured fibroblasts from the baby. Because of the reported variability in propionate incorporation in chorionic villus biopsies, however, we recommend that chorionic villus sampling be confirmed by amniocentesis.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Full automation of catecholamine metabolite determination by column switching and high-performance liquid chromatography.

The urinary catecholamine metabolites, vanimandelic acid, homovanillic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, were extracted on a silica-bonded strong-anion-exchanger cartridge (SAX) and then injected into an high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) system by column switching. Chromatography was performed on a reversed-phase analytical column with electrochemical detection. Full automation was obtained by coupling two devices: a solid-phase automatic sampler and intelligent autosampler. For each substance the recovery was greater than 95% and the coefficient of variation was ca. 3%; the analysis takes 11 min. Substance instability problems are overcome, because the samples are extracted and injected in rapid succession. The normal values and correlation with manual HPLC were established for a large number of samples.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗
PubMed1989

Effects of trans-sobrerol on drug metabolizing enzymes in the rat.

1. Metabolism of 14C-trans-sobrerol (I) by Sprague-Dawley rat liver microsomes did not result in covalent binding to proteins, lipid peroxidation or cytochrome P-450 destruction. 2. Subacute and chronic treatment of Sprague-Dawley rats with (I) resulted only in an increase in liver cytosolic GSH-S-transferase. 3. Acute treatment of rats with trans-sobrerol or its metabolite, 8-hydroxycarvotanacetone (II) produced considerable GSH depletion, faster in the case of II, in both liver and lung; the original GSH levels were restored within 24 h. No significant increase in lipid peroxidation was found even when GSH was at its lowest level. 4. UDP-glucuronyltransferase and GSH-S-transferase conjugation occurred with trans-sobrerol and some of its metabolites although at low rates.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Brain damage after treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A report on 34 patients with special regard to MRI findings.

In 34 patients treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), central nervous system (CNS) damage was assessed by clinical evaluation and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twenty-seven of them had been off therapy from 5 to 109 months (median 64 months) while 7 had not completed the maintenance phase of their treatment. All the patients were disease-free when evaluated. None of the 3 patients who showed clinical CNS damage during the follow-up was symptomatic when submitted to MRI, while periventricular hyperintensity in T2-weighted images, suggestive of leukoencephalopathy, was present in 8 of the 34 patients. These subclinical abnormalities appear to be more frequent, transient in nature and treatment-related in patients evaluated shortly after the induction phase. Similar MRI findings seem, on the contrary, to be consequences of the disease on the CNS when appearing in long-term survivors.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗