[Molecular approach in the diagnosis of human tuberculosis].
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Piana.
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The work is a synthesis of the qualitative monitoring on waters resources (specially surface water), that were potable and distributed as drinkable waters in north Sardinia between 1996-2002. The obtained results point out: for the surface waters, recurrent problems of elevated turbidity, color, oxidability, microbial contamination and eutrofication; for the ground waters, lower levels of pollutants even if an high content of natural elements and substances that, for as of natural origin, could endanger and limit the use as drinkable water (sodium, chlorides, iron, manganese). Drinking water plants have, largely, solved the main causes of ineffectiveness of treatment such as the demolition of the organic load and the formation of trihalomethanes but it as been found an high concentration of chlorites; occasionally, the values of ammonia, aluminum, iron, manganese and, rarely, trihalomethanes are out law in piped.
The study reports the results of a survey by questionnaire on the health staff's smoking habits in the Hospital-University Complex of Sassari. Thirty-one percent are smokers: 35.5% among nurses, 21.4% among doctors and 40.4% among service staff. Daily smokers are 87.2% and 46% smoke 10 or more cigarettes per day. The great part of the sample thinks that it has to participate in tobacco control programs, although 6.0% of doctors disagree. Multiple correspondence analysis showed different profiles on attitudes and smoking habits among health staff components. Among no-smokers, nurses, technicians and service staff are not favorable to the tobacco control campaigns thinking they should not be a role model to others. Among smokers, service staff and some physicians showed a similar profile; moreover, they smoke in front of patients. These results indicate that the smoking attitude of some health staff components might be a "negative" model to which refer and it might interfere with tobacco control programs.
Protein composition of platelets of eleven type I diabetic patients and thirteen control subjects were analyzed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Bands have been scanned and quantified. No significant difference was shown between controls and patients in any of the bands identified in electrophoretic patterns of whole platelet, membrane fraction, resting, activated and aggregated cytoskeleton. Data suggest that alterations observed in platelet function of diabetic patients cannot be connected to the changes in protein composition.
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BACKGROUND: Structural and functional platelet alterations are present in essential thrombocythemia (E.T.). Platelet aggregation patterns are highly variable; moreover, structural, biochemical and metabolic platelet defects have also been shown. In this study, data on function and structure of platelets from a group of patients affected with E.T. are reported. Since cytoskeleton proteins are involved in activation and aggregation mechanisms, we investigated the cytoskeleton protein composition of resting, activated and aggregated platelets using electrophoretic analysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Studies were performed on 13 patients affected with E.T. On the basis of their functional behavior in response to thrombin, patients were divided into two groups: T1 (5 patients) and T2 (8 patients). A group of 11 healthy subjects was examined as control. Washed platelets were stimulated with 0.05 or 0.25 U/mL thrombin in the presence or the absence of EGTA in order to obtain activated or aggregated platelets. Triton-insoluble residues of activated and aggregated platelets were electrophoresed on 4.5-15% linear gradient SDS polyacrylamide gel, visualized by Coomassie blue stain and scanned with a densitometer. RESULTS: On the basis of the response to thrombin, group T1 was composed of subjects showing completely normal functional behaviour, while group T2 included patients who were more active than controls in response to low thrombin concentrations. By comparing the densitometric data of the two groups of patients it is possible to show that cytoskeleton structures in the T2 group have a significantly higher protein content than normals and than group T1. Platelet treatment with high thrombin concentrations cancels every difference between the two groups of patients with the exceptions of a 33-Kd protein and actin, which remain higher in group T2. CONCLUSION: Abnormal platelet function and quantitative cytoskeleton protein content can be correlated in patients affected with E.T. In the platelets of those patients who display higher responsiveness to thrombin, either altered calcium homeostasis or changes in membrane viscosity leading to altered thrombin receptor expression, or both these events, could be present.