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Biomedical subjects

A Quattrone

Publications and source records attributed to A Quattrone.

188 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
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Neuroocular side effects of carbamazepine and phenobarbital in epileptic patients as measured by saccadic eye movements analysis.

The effect of carbamazepine (CBZ) and phenobarbital (PB), alone and in association, on the function of specific brain structures was studied in chronically treated epileptic patients by means of saccadic eye movements (SEMs) analysis. The relationship between daily fluctuations of CBZ plasma levels and the occurrence of intermittent side effects was also evaluated. All treatments produced a significant impairment (p less than 0.001) of SEM function as compared with a group of controls. SEM abnormalities appeared to change in relation to daily fluctuation of CBZ plasma levels. When the SEM parameters were considered separately, PB showed a significantly (p less than 0.001) more relevant sedative effect, whereas both drugs appear to produce the same effect on cerebellar and pontine functions. Although impairment of SEM function was most likely far from reaching clinical significance, it represents important information for the clinician.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A role for platelets and thrombin in the juvenile stroke of two siblings with defective thrombin-adsorbing capacity of fibrin(ogen).

Binding of iodine-125-labeled thrombin to fibrin clots from two siblings with juvenile stroke was 30% of normal, and abnormally high amounts of the radioligand (not adsorbed by fibrin) were found in the supernatant. In concordance with this finding, supernatants from the patients' fibrin clots caused abnormal enhancement of platelet aggregation, ATP secretion, and binding of 125I-fibrinogen to platelets exposed to subthreshold concentrations of ADP or epinephrine. Hirudin suppressed the enhancing effect of the patients' supernatants, and substitution of gamma-thrombin for alpha-thrombin led to normalization of platelet responses. Under some experimental conditions, degradation of the patients' fibrinogen by plasmin was impaired. However, the euglobulin lysis time, the rate of fibrin degradation by plasmin, and the lysis of the patients' plasma clots by human melanoma tissue-type plasminogen activator were normal. Patients' plasmas, as well as purified fibrinogen, showed a prolonged thrombin time (partially corrected by 10 mM CaCl2) and an impaired release of fibrinopeptide A in response to thrombin. However, the release in response to reptilase was normal, and the reptilase, ancrod, and thrombin coagulase times were within control (normal) values. In addition, the patients' fibrinogen showed normal polymerization of preformed fibrin monomers, normal sialic acid content, and normal binding to ADP or epinephrine-stimulated platelets. Our studies support the concept that thrombin and platelets play an important role in the occurrence of stroke in these patients and suggest a direction to be followed to identify the mechanism(s) contributing to thrombosis in subjects with abnormal fibrinopeptide release.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Age-dependent changes in visually guided saccadic eye movements.

Voluntary horizontal saccadic eye movements (SEM) were recorded in 148 drug free healthy subjects (15-75 years of age). None had history and/or objective evidences of CNS abnormalities. SEM recordings took place always at the same time of the day, after a standard lunch. Peak saccadic velocity (PSV), saccade latency (SL) and saccade accuracy (SA) were extracted for each saccade session. A negative linear correlation was found between SEM parameters (PSV, SA, SL) and age. Aged subjects showed a significant (p less than 0.01) elongation of the to locate the target, a significant (p less than 0.01) decrease in PSV and a significant (p less than 0.01) decrement in SA.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quantitation of bcl-2 oncogene in cultured lymphoma/leukemia cell lines and in primary leukemia B-cells by a highly sensitive RT-PCR method.

BACKGROUND: The bcl-2 gene, isolated from the t(14;18) chromosomal translocation breakpoint, is able to prevent apoptotic death induced by various stimuli in different tissues. Therefore bcl-2 oncogene expression could be a key parameter for investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in the apoptosis of normal and neoplastic hematopoietic cells. METHODS: In order to evaluate bcl-2 expression in both follicular B-lymphomas carrying or not carrying the 14;18 translocation and in lymphatic leukemias, we optimized an internal standard-based method of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the rapid quantitation of bcl-2 mRNA cellular levels. A simple purification of the reverse transcription products resulted in very high PCR efficiency, so that radioactive labelling of the amplification products was avoided. RESULTS: bcl-2 mRNA levels proved to be higher in t(14;18) than in t(14;18) negative cell lines, and higher in primary leukemia pre-B cells than in early-B cells. Tested for sensitivity by identifying minimal residual t(14;18) B cells expressing the bcl-2/IgH gene, this RT-PCR method was able to detect bcl-2/IgH mRNA from just one t(14;18) positive cell out of ten million t(14;18) negative cells. CONCLUSIONS: The RT-PCR method we optimized appears to be suitable for clinical use in both leukemia/lymphoma characterization and in lymphomatous disease follow-up.

Base Sequence↗