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Biomedical subjects

A Martini

Publications and source records attributed to A Martini.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Antibody reactivity against single stranded DNA of various species in normal children and in children with diffuse connective tissue diseases.

The aim of this work was to study possible differences in the humoral response against autologous and heterologous (bacterial and mammalian) ssDNA in children with diffuse connective tissue diseases (DCTD) compared with age matched controls. We found that IgM anti ssDNA were significantly increased in systemic lupus eritematosus (SLE) and in juvenile arthritis (JA), but not in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). IgG anti ssDNA were significantly elevated only in children with SLE. We next evaluated the binding specificity to human and bacterial ssDNA by inhibition assays. We found that SLE and JA sera recognised epitopes shared in common to endogenous and bacterial ssDNA. In contrast, in normal subjects IgG binding to bacterial DNA was not inhibited by human DNA, while IgG anti human ssDNA were cross reactive with the bacterial antigen. These data suggest that natural antibodies (IgM) producing cells are activated in some but not all DCTD, and that normal children have different reactivity against autologous and heterologous ssDNA with respect to SLE and JA patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

CD5 positive B lymphocytes in seronegative juvenile arthritis.

We investigated the levels of circulating CD5+ B cells in 43 patients with seronegative, HLA-B27 negative juvenile arthritis, 7 patients with juvenile dermatomyositis (DM) and 16 children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We found that CD5+ B cell levels were high in juvenile arthritis (p less than 0.01), normal in juvenile DM and decreased in SLE (p less than 0.01) compared to 33 age matched controls. In juvenile arthritis, the increase of CD5+ B cells appeared to be independent of discuss activity and was present in all the onset types except in a subset of patient with late onset pauciarthritis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Unilateral microfibrillar abnormalities in a case of asymmetric Marfan syndrome.

The Marfan syndrome is a dominantly inherited connective-tissue disorder characterized by ocular, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal abnormalities. Although the underlying biochemical and molecular defect(s) of this pleiotropic disease is currently unknown, we have consistently observed apparent diminished content of elastin-associated microfibrillar fibers accumulating in skin, or produced by cultured fibroblasts, from patients with the Marfan syndrome and have documented the cosegregation of these immunofluorescent abnormalities of microfibrillar fibers with the Marfan syndrome phenotype in family studies. Recently, an unusual patient has been described with unilateral phenotypic features of the Marfan syndrome, providing an unique opportunity to compare microfibrillar fibers and other connective-tissue components between the affected and nonaffected sides. In the present report, we demonstrate striking differences in apparent content of microfibrillar fibers, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence of skin and fibroblast cultures, that are revealed when multiple homologous samples derived from different sides of the patient's body are compared. In contrast, no differences in apparent content of type III collagen or in the biosynthesis and apparent structure of types I and III (pro)collagens were found. HLA types and chromosome heteromorphisms were identical in fibroblasts from both sides of the body, eliminating the formal possibility of chimerism and suggesting that a postzygotic mutation accounts for the asymmetric manifestation of the Marfan syndrome in this patient. The observation of striking decreases in microfibrillar fibers on the affected side of the body provides further evidence that abnormalities of this component of the elastic fiber system may be central to the pathogenesis and possibly the etiology of the Marfan syndrome.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1990

A pilot study with monosialoganglioside GM1 on acute cerebral ischemia.

Reported here are the results of an open controlled study on the use of GM1 in cases of ischemic strokes in its acute phase. A statistically significant improvement was observed in cases treated with GM1 for neurological deficits (assessed by Mathew's rating scale, modified by Fritz-Werner) at 21, 60 and 120 days and for disability at 120 days.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

[Trimetazidine versus betahistine in Ménière's disease. A double blind method].

The efficacy and acceptability of trimetazidine (60 mg daily) in the treatment of Meniere's disease were compared with those of betahistine (36 mg daily) during a double-blind study spanning two months. Enrolled in the study were 45 patients (33 treated with trimetazidine, 23 with betahistine) presenting cochlear symptoms (vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss) compatible with a diagnosis of Meniere's disease. Five patients dropped out of the study (3 in the trimetazidine group did not comply with the therapy and 2 in the betahistine group complained of poor response to the treatment) and were not taken into account in the final analysis, which therefore bore on 40 patients (19 receiving trimetazidine and 21 receiving betahistine). Trimetazidine was found to be significantly more effective than betahistine as far as the overall evolution of the ENT disease was concerned, yielding 79% and 57% improvement rates in each group, respectively (p = 0.027). Complete disappearance of the dizziness attacks was noted in 10 patients out of 19 in the trimetazidine group, versus 5/21 patients in the betahistine group (p = 0.06). There was no statistically significant difference between both treatments, as assessed from other clinical or audiometric criteria. Clinical acceptability was equally excellent in both treatment groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Frequency of autoantibodies in normal children.

Very few data have been reported on the frequency of autoantibodies (AAs) in normal children. In the present study we investigated the frequency of 14 AAs in a total of 268 apparently normal children (151 boys and 117 girls; age range, 1 month to 14 years). Forty-one children (22 boys and 19 girls) were positive for at least one AA, usually in a low titer; two children were positive for two AAs. None of these children had a personal or family history of autoimmune diseases. The percentage of children positive for each AA was as follows: antinuclear, 3%; anti-smooth muscle, 2.6%; antireticulin, 2.6%; antimitochondrial, 1.1%; rheumatoid factor, 0.6%; antiribosomal, 0.4%; anti-gastric parietal cells, 5.2%; and anti-thyroid microsomal, 1.3%. Anti-double-stranded DNA, anti-intestinal epithelial cells, antiliver and antikidney microsomal, antithyroglobulin, anti-islet cells, and complement-fixing anti-islet cell antibodies were not detected in any serum. Fifteen of the 41 positive children were checked for the presence of AAs two years later; six (40%) were still positive, always for the same AA, without major differences in titer. Our results suggest that the overall frequency of AAs in apparently healthy children is quite similar to that reported in young adults; this AA positivity seems most often to represent a transient phenomenon.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Variation of serum IgG subclass concentrations with disease activity in juvenile chronic arthritis.

Nineteen patients with juvenile chronic arthritis were followed up and serum IgG subclass concentrations measured at different stages of disease activity. Patients were divided into three groups according to clinical activity of the disease: active disease, partial remission, and remission. The results were compared with normal values obtained in 448 healthy children aged 6 months to 18 years with a homogeneous distribution for each year of age. Serum IgG subclass concentrations of each child were first log transformed and then age corrected, taking the deviation of the log transformed value from that expected for a child of the same age. It was found that patients with partial remission had increased concentrations of IgG2 and decreased concentrations of IgG1 compared with patients with active disease. This suggests that the remission inducing process, at least in juvenile chronic arthritis, is accompanied by a switch of IgG subclass production.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

A new operation for the prevention and treatment of amputation neuromas.

A stump neuroma is caused by the disorganised growth of axon cylinders into proliferating granulation tissue, but this is stopped by an undamaged epineural sleeve. We report experiments in the rat in which the epineural sleeve of the stump of the sciatic nerve was freed from nerve fascicles for about 5 mm and then sealed with a synthetic tissue adhesive. Neuroma formation was largely prevented in comparison with the results of other methods. This new technique has been used to treat 68 painful neuromas in 36 patients. All but three of the patients were cured or improved and none were made worse.

Amputation, Surgical↗
PubMed1989

Yersinia enterocolitica 08 "American strain" isolated in Italy.

A strain of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype 08: b,e,f,i, "American strain", was isolated from a child suffering from febrile enteritis, without any history of foreign travel. Such a strain, very uncommon in Italy, though isolated from a sick child, lacked both in vivo and in vitro virulence-associated characteristics as lethality in mice, spontaneous autoagglutination and calcium dependency, traits correlated to a lack of the virulence plasmid.

Child↗
PubMed1989

[A new computerized file of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis].

A computerized database for patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is presented. The program has been developed using PRIST (Patient Record Information System Tool), a flexible tool specifically oriented to clinical data management. The database consists of three main sections: the fixed record devoted to anamnestic data, the periodic record collecting the clinical, laboratory and instrumental data and the balance record devoted to a periodic balance of the disease course. The major advantages of our database are: time saving data handling, elastic procedures and easy retrospective data collection.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗
PubMed1989

Clinical evaluation of sulbactam plus ampicillin in the treatment of general pediatric infections.

Sixty pediatric patients (27 males and 33 females) between the ages of 7 months and 11.7 years (mean age = 4.3 yr) were treated with parenteral sulbactam plus ampicillin (1:2 ratio) for lower respiratory tract infections (29 cases), upper respiratory tract infections (4 cases), urinary tract infections (25 cases) or skin/soft tissue infections (2 cases). The infection was mild in 6 cases, moderate in 44 and severe in 10. The infection was acute in 57 patients, recurrent in 1 (cystitis) and was a flare-up of a chronic infection in 2 (pyelonephritis and cystitis). The children received an average dose of 48 mg/kg/d of sulbactam plus 96 mg/kg/d of ampicillin by the i.m. route (43 cases) or by i.v. drip (17 cases) in 3-4 divided doses. The length of treatment ranged between 3 and 10 d (mean duration = 6 d). At the end of therapy, clinical cure was achieved in 53 patients (88.3%), while 6 (10%) had a marked improvement. Only 1 patient, with a lower respiratory tract infection, did not respond to therapy. All 25 patients with urinary tract infection experienced bacteriological cure at the end of treatment. No side effects were reported. Mild and transient changes in laboratory parameters from baseline values were observed in 10 patients (eosinophilia, elevation of SGOT or SGPT) without clinical consequence. Sulbactam plus ampicillin was effective and safe in the treatment of bacterial infections in children and appears to be useful in the treatment of those infections in which beta-lactamase-producing organisms are involved.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1989

Comparative analysis of alternating purine-pyrimidine sites in yeast chromosomes.

It is known that under some circumstances DNA sequences made up of purine and pyrimidines in repeated alternation can undergo a transition from the right-handed to a left handed helical configuration which has been called Z-DNA. We have analyzed yeast chromosomal DNAs for the presence of alternating purine-pyrimidine stretches using a new strategy. Our strategy takes advantage of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) to separate yeast chromosomal DNAs. They are subsequently analyzed by molecular hybridization with radioactive (dC-dA)n.(dG-dT)n or (dG-dC)n.(dC-dG)n probes, autoradiography and densitometric scanning. Preliminary results obtained by the application of the new method to Saccharomyces cerevisiae are described.

Autoradiography↗
PubMed1989

[Ischemic necrosis of femoral condyles in systemic lupus erythematosus].

Avascular necrosis (AN) of bone is a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the present paper we describe two patients with SLE who presented an AN of femoral condyles 18 months and 2 years respectively after the diagnosis of the disease. In the second case, together with the destructive change of the symptomatic knee, X-ray films showed an initial involvement, still asymptomatic, of the contralateral knee.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Pharmacokinetics of iopamidol 370 in infants and children during ivp.

This research was aimed at evaluating the pharmacokinetic parameters of iopamidol 370 (a nonionic water organic iodine compound) during ivp in infants and children. All children examined in the study had symptomatic recurrent urinary tract infections; they were divided into three groups according to age (0-24 months; 25-72 months; 73-120 months). The contrast medium was injected in a dose of 1 ml/kg + 6 ml. Blood and urine samples were taken at regular time intervals over a 24-hour period in children, whereas in infants only blood samples were collected. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using a bicompartmental open model, as follows: t1/2 alpha (h) = 0.33; t1/2 beta (h) = 1.92; Vc (l/kg) = 0.40; V beta (l/kg) = 0.20; Cl (l/kg) = 0.16. These values were not significantly different, as far as our patients were concerned, from those reported in literature for adults.

Aging↗
PubMed1988

Asymmetric Marfan syndrome.

We describe a girl with Marfan syndrome in whom the clinical expression of the disease was much more evident on the left side of the body.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1988

R-plasmids in Salmonella isolates from sporadic cases of gastroenteritis.

Five-hundred and twenty seven strains of Salmonella isolated from different patients admitted to hospitals in Rome from 1982 to 1985 were screened for their resistance to antimicrobial drugs. Sixty-one strains (11.6%) were found to be resistant to two or more antibiotics; the most frequent resistances were to sulfathiazole, streptomycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol and ampicillin. Of the thirty-eight strains showing resistance to three or more antibiotics, 17 were able to transfer their resistance to E. coli K 12. The isolates were heterogeneous in plasmid population: only few strains harbored a sole plasmid, most harbored many plasmids ranging between 20 and 120 megadaltons in weight. Most strains were found to carry a conjugative plasmid of incompatibility group Inc H of 100-120 megadaltons and Inc I alpha of 60-70 megadaltons.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗