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Biomedical subjects

A Nastasi

Publications and source records attributed to A Nastasi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Impedance vector distribution by body mass index and conventional bioelectrical impedance analysis in obese women.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To compare the body fluid status assessments provided by conventional bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and vector BIA in moderate and severe obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 516 normotensive Caucasian women (mean age: 48 +/- 9.2 years), who were age-matched and divided into four groups on the basis of their body mass index (BMI): 99 normal weight women with a BMI of 19-25 Kg/m2; 228 preobese overweight women with a BMI of 25-30 Kg/m2; 132 women with class I-II obesity (BMI: 30-35 Kg/m2), and 57 women with class III obesity (BMI: 40-64 Kg/m2). Single-frequency (50 kHz) tetrapolar (hand-foot) bioelectrical impedance measurements were made, and total body water (TBW) and extracellular water (ECW) were estimated using conventional BIA regression equations. The RXc graph method was used for vector BIA, with the set of 327 women with a BMI of 19-30 Kg/m2 being adopted as the reference population. Mean vector displacement followed a definite pattern, with progressive vector shortening as the BMI increased, and along a fixed phase angle. This pattern indicates more TBW due to a greater soft tissue mass with average normal hydration. Short and downsloping vectors indicating fluid overload were more frequent in the group with class III obesity than in the group with class I obesity (19 vs 5%). The absolute values of TBW and ECW were significantly higher in the obese and overweight subjects than in those with normal weight subjects. TBW as a percentage of body weight was significantly lower in the obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS: BMI influenced the impedance vector distribution pattern, which proved to be consistent up to a BMI of 64 Kg/m2. Obese women with an altered body composition can be identified and monitored using vector BIA.

Body Composition↗
PubMed2003

Nutritional intervention in a hemodialysis pregnant woman: a case report.

Pregnancy in dialysis patients is a rare occurrence. When pregnancy does occur, the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and neonatal complications, such as prematurity and growth retardation, are fairly high. The authors describe their experience in the follow-up of a patient with chronic renal failure who became pregnant during regular dialysis treatment and followed nutritional care. The outcomes were successful and she gave birth to a healthy baby. It is emphasized that special dedication to the nutritional control enabled a good outcome of the pregnancy. The importance of the nutritionist intervention in the follow-up of dialysis patients with the integration of a multidisciplinary staff is stressed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Drug resistances in salmonella isolates from animal foods, italy 1998-2000.

We investigated the distribution of serotypes and patterns of drug resistance of 206 strains of salmonella isolated in southern Italy in the years 1998-2000 from raw food of animal origin, faeces of food animals and animal feed. To improve knowledge of mobile genetic elements carrying the resistance genes, some molecular features were also investigated within isolates resistant to three or more antibiotics. A high proportion of isolates, 52.2% and 37.7%, respectively, belonging to both Typhimurium and other serotypes of animal origin, proved to be multidrug resistant. The DT104 complex specific multidrug pattern of resistance was quite infrequent among isolates other than Typhimurium, but resistances to nalidixic acid and kanamycin were more frequent within these last ones (36.9% vs. 11.4% and 56.5% vs. 2.2%, respectively). Class I integrons were detected in isolates of Typhimurium and seven different serotypes. The relevance of food animal environment as a drug resistance reservoir and animal food as a potential resistance gene vehicle between the farm and human ecological niches is confirmed by our findings.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Sicily based on spoligotyping and variable number of tandem DNA repeats and comparison with a spoligotyping database for population-based analysis.

In a previous study, we proposed to associate spoligotyping and typing with the variable number of tandem DNA repeats (VNTR) as an alternative strategy to IS6110-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for molecular epidemiological studies on tuberculosis. The aim of the present study was to further evaluate this PCR-based typing strategy and to describe the population structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in another insular setting, Sicily. A collection of 106 DNA samples from M. tuberculosis patient isolates was characterized by spoligotyping and VNTR typing. All isolates were independently genotyped by the standard IS6110-RFLP method, and clustering results between the three methods were compared. The totals for the clustered isolates were, respectively, 15, 60, and 82% by IS6110-RFLP, spoligotyping, and VNTR typing. The most frequent spoligotype included type 42 that missed spacers 21 to 24 and spacers 33 to 36 and derived types 33, 213, and 273 that, together represented as much as 26% of all isolates, whereas the Haarlem clade of strains (types 47 and 50, VNTR allele 32333) accounted for 9% of the total strains. The combination of spoligotyping and VNTR typing results reduced the number of clusters to 43% but remained superior to the level of IS6110-RFLP clustering (ca. 15%). All but one IS6110-defined cluster were identified by the combination of spoligotyping and VNTR clustering results, whereas 9 of 15 spoligotyping-defined clusters could be further subdivided by IS6110-RFLP. Reinterpretation of previous IS6110-RFLP results in the light of spoligotyping-VNTR typing results allowed us to detect an additional cluster that was previously missed. Although less discriminative than IS6110-RFLP, our results suggest that the use of the combination of spoligotyping and VNTR typing is a good screening strategy for detecting epidemiological links for the study of tuberculosis epidemiology at the molecular level.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Clonal relations among Salmonella enteritidis phage type 3 outbreak isolates traced by DNA fingerprinting.

Isolates of Salmonella enteritidis PT3, a rare phage type, were recovered from patients and strains were isolated from an outbreak of gastroenteritis that occurred during the summer of 1997 in North-East Sardinia, Italy. To investigate possible clonal involvement in the outbreak and to evaluate the capacity to discriminate among S. enteritidis PT3 strains, a number of molecular typing methods including ribotyping with a mixture of PstI and SphI (PS-ribotyping), PFGE with endonuclease XbaI and RAPD typing with four arbitrary primers was used. The typical XbaI endonuclease generated PFGE pattern also explained the prevalence of highly clonal S. enteritidis PT3 strains in the outbreak and adjacent areas. RAPD fingerprinting with primers OPA 4, OPB 15, OPB17 and P1254 exhibited a single but unique RAPD profile among the outbreak strains from various sources that differed significantly from control strains. The results of this study showed that when an appropriately chosen set of primers is employed, RAPD fingerprinting can be used as an alternative, rapid, highly reproducible technique for tracing the clonal relations of S. enteritidis PT3, and can be more discriminatory than PFGE. Furthermore, this study revealed the possibility of PT3 causing outbreak.

DNA Fingerprinting↗
PubMed2000

Can dietary intake influence plasma levels of amino acids in liver cirrhosis?

BACKGROUND: Modifications in plasma amino acid patterns in cirrhotics are attributed to impaired liver function, being more evident in alcoholic than in viral cirrhosis. AIM: To evaluate whether diet influences plasma amino acid concentrations in different aetiological groups of cirrhotics. PATIENTS: Study population comprised 40 patients with cirrhosis (25 virus- and 15 alcohol-related], all Child A, and 30 healthy subjects (controls). METHOD: A food frequency and quality questionnaire was utilized to determine dietary history and alcohol intake. Nutritional status was evaluated by anthropometric method. Amino acids were determined, on venous blood samples, using a specific analyzer while cysteine was evaluated by fluorescent high power liquid chromatography RESULTS: The total daily intake of calories, proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates was similar in all individuals. Food quality distinguished the cirrhotics from the controls, but not the different aetiological groups of cirrhotics. Plasma cysteine levels were significantly lower, while aromatic amino acids and methionine were significantly higher, in all cirrhotics (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively, versus controls). The decrease in cysteine and the increase in other amino acids were more marked in alcoholics (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Ethanol intake, but not diet, further enhances the changes in plasma aromatic amino acids, methionine and cysteine induced by impaired liver function in patients with cirrhosis, suggesting a direct interference of alcohol in their metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Surveillance of multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium in southern Italy in the years 1992-1997.

Spread of multidrug-resistant strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) is increasingly reported worldwide. The presence of a pattern of resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamides and tetracycline (ACSSuT), in some cases associated to trimethoprim and infrequently to quinolones, is of particular concern. This resistance pattern appears to be chromosomally encoded and, in most epidemiological studies, closely related to definitive type 104 (DT104). In southern Italy multidrug-resistant isolates of S. typhimurium had been identified since 1980, but only during 1992 S. typhimurium strains with chromosomally encoded drug resistance were first isolated from domestic animals. One hundred fifty-five isolates--52.5% of the multidrug-resistant strains identified in the years 1992-1997--were submitted to phage typing and plasmid profile analysis. Ribotyping was also performed in comparison with a random sample of 150 strains susceptible or resistant to three or less antibiotics identified in the same interval of time. Four ribotypes (RTs)--1, 5, 8, and 48--included approximately 90% of the multiresistant strains, RT8 accounting for 61.2%. Phage type (PT) 193 is the most prevalent phage type. Phage typing and ribotyping suggest that few bacterial clones are involved in spread of multidrug-resistant S. typhimurium strains in southern Italy.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Optimization of the kinetics of cooling of kidneys: a pig model.

We determined the kinetics of cooling in multiple organ procurement for the kidney in a pig model. A biometric analysis by regression enables us to define the factors which influence the rate of temperature decrease: weight of the donor, average rate of perfusion and difference of temperature between the rectal temperature and the temperature of the perfusion solution at initiation of cooling. The description of the temperature as a function of time follows an exponential model of the type T(t) = T0. e(dt) where d is the rate of decrease. The rate of decrease varies according to the above factors. The cellular viability ratio (CVR), was correlated to the rate of cooling. The mean CVR was 91% (SD 4.95) when the rate of cooling was more than 1 degrees C/min. This was compared to 75% (SD 11.17) when the rate was less than 1 degrees C/min (p = 0.023). Our experience leads us to believe that the average cooling rate is frequently too low (<1 degrees C/min). This model can be used to predict and control the kinetics of cooling and may help to define the best way of cooling for future xenotransplantation.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Outbreak of Salmonella enteritis bongori 48:z35:- in Sicily.

Salmonella bongori 48:z 35 :- was first isolated from a lizard in Chad in 1966 and was classified as a biochemically atypical strain of the subgenus I of Kauffmann. Successively, some additional strains with different antigenic formulas but similar bioche

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Detection of Salmonella spp. in food by a rapid PCR-hybridization procedure.

A rapid and sensitive PCR-hybridization procedure for detection of Salmonella serovars in food samples was developed. This method is based on three subsequent steps: (1) extraction of nucleic acids from a 2 ml aliquot of the pre-enrichment medium used for the conventional culture method after 6 h of incubation at 37 degrees C; (2) amplification with primers selected from the sequences of invE and invA genes; (3) Southern blot and hybridization with a biotin labeled oligonucleotide probe. The entire procedure requires 30 h. The PCR-hybridization assay was able to detect as little as 50 fg of purified chromosomal DNA of S. typhimurium and 0.2 cfu g-1 of an artificially contaminated food sample. Of 245 food samples analyzed by culture and PCR-hybridization, 20 were positive by both methods and 16 were positive by PCR-hybridization only. None of the 209 PCR-negative samples tested positive by culture. The sensitivity, specificity, alpha and beta error values of the results of the PCR-hybridization procedure, compared with those of culture, were 100, 92.9, 0 and 7.1%, respectively. These results indicate that a short pre-enrichment and PCR-hybridization could be used as a screening test for the detection of Salmonella in food samples.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1998

A community-based outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium associated with salami consumption in Northern Italy.

An outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium belonging to phage type (PT) 193 occurred in autumn 1995 and involved 83 individuals in a large area of Northern Italy (Lombardy Region). Epidemiological and microbiological investigations of strains isolated from clinical and food specimens revealed that the vehicle was a batch of salami, produced on 4 September 1995 by a local firm. The outbreak was contained when the batch was withdrawn from sale. Insufficient ripening of the salami had allowed the salmonella to survive, emphasizing the need to define criteria for the ripening process of foods such as salami.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1998

A foodborne outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis vehicled by duck and hen eggs in southern Italy.

A foodborne outbreak of Salmonella enteritidis PT4 is described. This microrganism was detected in a home-made dessert, in the duck and hen eggs used for its preparation and in faecal samples of six persons involved in the outbreak. PCR ribotyping revealed that all the strains shared a profile of S. enteritidis never previously identified in southern Italy and quite different from that of the strains simultaneously isolated in the same geographic area. The possible identification of a clonal variant of S. enteritidis PT4 host-adapted to duck is hypothesized.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Cell cycle-dependent protein expression of mammalian homologs of yeast DNA double-strand break repair genes Rad51 and Rad52.

Recently, human and rodent homologs of yeast repair genes Rad51 and Rad52 have been identified and proposed to play roles in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. In this study, cell cycle-dependent expression of human and rodent RAD51 and RAD52 proteins was monitored using two approaches. First, flow cytometric measurements of DNA content and immunofluorescence were used to determine the phase-specific levels of RAD51 and RAD52 protein expression in irradiated and control populations. The expression of both proteins was lowest in G0/G1, increased in S and reached a maximum in G2/M. No difference was found in the whole-cell level of RAD51 or RAD52 protein expression between gamma-irradiated and control cell populations. Second, cell cycle-dependent protein expression was confirmed by Western analysis of populations synchronized in G0, G1 and G2 phases. Analysis of V3, a hamster equivalent of SCID, indicates that the protein level increases of RAD51 and RAD52 from G0 to G1/S/G2 do not require DNA-PK.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Epidemiological analysis of strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis from foodborne outbreaks occurring in Italy, 1980-1994.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR-) ribotyping was performed on 243 strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis isolated during the years 1980-1994 from 58 foodborne outbreaks occurring in different regions of Italy. The majority (37) of the outbreaks were attributed to phage type (PT) 4, followed by PT1 (seven outbreaks); the latter was identified in 1993 in Italy in epidemic strains of Enteritidis. In eight cases more than one phage type was recognised from a single event. Nine PCR-ribotypes (PCR-RTs) were detected, with a strong prevalence of PCR-RTs f7 and e5 (23 and 21 outbreaks, respectively). In two instances two distinct PCR-RTs were identified within strains from a single outbreak. All but one of the PT1 outbreaks were caused by PCR-RT f7, whereas PT4 outbreaks could be subdivided into six subsets. Clustering of isolates was consistent with data obtained from epidemiological investigations. PCR-ribotyping proved to be an effective and reliable tool for subtyping isolates of Enteritidis belonging to the most frequent phage types. Nevertheless, in terms of laboratory expertise and lack of inter-laboratory standardisation, this typing technique is best suited for reference laboratories.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Epidemiology of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis infections in southern Italy during the years 1980-1994.

Increased frequency of identification of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis as a causative agent of sporadic and epidemic cases of infection in humans, along with isolation in many parts of the world of strains belonging in a large proportion to a few phage types, has made phage typing alone inadequate for epidemiological investigations. In southern Italy the epidemic increase in isolation of S. enterica serotype Enteritidis that has been observed since 1990 has been associated in approximately 80% of isolates with phage type 4 (PT-4), in agreement with the epidemiological observations from other European countries. We have applied polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotyping in association with phage typing to a sample of non-outbreak strains and to all the outbreak strains sent for identification and typing to the Southern Italy Centre for Enterobacterial Pathogens between 1980 and 1994 from hospital and public health laboratories. This technique identified 15 distinct profiles among the 405 strains examined. Whereas a single profile (PCR ribotype a1) appeared to be closely related to PT-8, and to characterize a high percentage of the strains circulating during the early non-epidemic years (1980-1985), 11 patterns were recognizable within PT-4, and 5 within PT-1. Some of these apparently emerged after 1990. This subdivision enabled attribution of the epidemic circulation of PT-4 to multiple clones of S. enterica serotype Enteritidis.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗
PubMed1996

Phage types and ribotypes of Salmonella enteritidis in southern Italy.

Differently from other European countries, Southern Italy was affected by a considerable increase in human infections due to Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) only after 1990. On the present investigation, two groups of S. Enteritidis strains isolated during the low-incidence period 1980-1984 and the epidemic period 1990-1993, respectively, have been submitted to phage-typing and ribotyping in order to ascertain whether the epidemic increase was determined by the spread of a foreign bacterial clone or not. Among the 150 isolates relative to the aforesaid two periods, 12 different phage types (PTs) were observed. PT4 was the most common phage type among the strains isolated in 1980-1984 (61%) as well as in those of the epidemic period 1990-1993 (72%). PT8 was the second most frequent (33%) phage type in 1980-1984. It was substituted by PT1 (19%) in the 1990-1993 period. Analysis of rDNA patterns obtained after Hinc II digestions and Escherichia coli rRNA hybridizations showed 8 different patterns, A to H. The great majority of the strains studied (140 isolates, 93%) belonged to the ribotype A, showing a similar frequency both in 1980-1984 (36 of 39, 92%) and in 19901993 (104 of 111, 94%). The predominance of PT4 and ribotype A among both preepidemic and epidemic strains is in agreement with the hypothesis that host genetic diversity decline and modern farming practices in the poultry industry have facilitated a widespread dissemination of preexisting endemic strains. This hypothesis urges to plan new strategies in preventing S. Enteritidis infections.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗
PubMed1996

Alterations in the progression of cells through the cell cycle after exposure to alpha particles or gamma rays.

A G1-phase delay after exposure to alpha particles has not been report ed previously, perhaps because immortalized cell lines or cell lines from tumor cells were used in past studies. Therefore, we compared the effects of alpha particles (0.19 or 0.57 Gy) and approximately equitoxic doses of gamma rays (2 or 4 Gy) on progression of cells through the cell cycle in normal human skin fibroblasts. Cell cycle analyses were performed using flow cytometry by measuring incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) in each phase of the cell cycle up to 44 h after irradiation. We observed an alpha-particle-induced G1-phase delay in human skin fibroblasts even at the lowest dose, 0.19 Gy. At equitoxic doses, more pronounced and persistent G1-phase delays and arrests were observed in gamma-irradiated cultures in that increased fractions of the G1-phase cells remained BrdUrd- over the course of the study after gamma-ray exposure compared to cells exposed to alpha particles. In addition, G1-phase cells that became BrdUrd+ after gamma irradiation re-arrested in G1 phase, whereas BrdUrd+ G1-phase cells in alpha-particle-irradiated cultures continued cycling. In contrast, comparable percentages of cells were delayed in G2 phase after either alpha-particle or gamma irradiation. Both gamma and alpha-particle irradiation caused increases in cellular p53 and p2lCip1 shortly after the exposures, which suggests that the G1-phase delay that occurs in response to alpha-particle irradiation is dependent on p53 like the initial G1-phase delay induced by gamma rays.

Alpha Particles↗