Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Soricelli.
43 clinically euthyroid patients with unilateral exophthalmos were examined using clinical methods, echography, and computerized tomography. The functioning of the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-thyroid axis was investigated by measurements of TSH (before and after stimulation with TRH), thyroid hormones and antithyroglobulin antibodies. After a review of the literature, the results are discussed.
With this study, the Authors, have demonstrated that atropine has an inhibiting action on the hypophysis response and that such inhibition is correlated to the length of time between the i.m. injection of anticholinergic and the intravenous administration of TRH. Such results make believe that in human, as in the animal the cholinergic system plays a role, maybe important, in the prolactin release.
Initial screening of the 2 recently developed immunosuppressive agents, cyclosporin A and cyclosporin C, in 11 murine transplantable neoplasms revealed significant increase of lifespan with long-term survivors after i.p. injection to the ascites tumors, Taper liver, Sarcoma 180J and Ehrlich.
Comparison of a water-soluble (27-487) with a water-insoluble (VP-16-213) podophyllotoxin derivative in seven murine neoplasms revealed slight therapeutic superiortiy of VP-16-213 but also slightly greater toxicity when compared with 27-487. A strikingly good response of the Taper liver tumor to both compounds was observed, providing further incentive to the use of podophyllotoxin derivatives in human hepatomas.
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The number of erythroid burst-(BFU-E) and colony-forming units (CFU-E), as well as of myeloid-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-C), has been evaluated in tibial marrow and spleen of ex-hypoxic polycythaemic mice, at sequential time intervals after the end of hypoxia. In both marrow and spleen, the kinetics of the CFU-E pool is characterized by a sharp fall from above normal to lower than normal values. BFU-E and CFU-C however rise from below normal to higher than normal levels. These results have been correlated with both the erythropoietin (Ep) and the erythropoietic activity curves. It is apparent that Ep levels largely control both the differentiation and the amplification of the CFU-E pool and it is suggested that Ep may act as a 'survival factor' at the CFU-E level and/or increase the flow of cells from BFU-E to CFU-E. The difference in response between CFU-E and BFU-E favours a clearcut distinction between these populations, whereas the similarity between the BFU-E and CFU-C response suggest a close relationship between these two cell populations. It is also of interest that the murine spleen functions as a large reservoir of erythroid microenvironment for hypoxia-induced stress erythropoiesis.
Thirteen experimental mouse neoplasms were tested by cytidine (CR)-deaminase and deoxycytidine (dCR)-kinase levels. Four neoplasms, Sarcoma T241, Adenocarcinoma E0771, Lewis lung carcinoma (LL), and Sarcoma 180 Japan (S180J), considered to have high deaminase and sufficient dCR-kinase activities, were tested in vivo for combination chemotherapy with cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) and the CR-deaminase inhibitor, tetrahydrouridine (THU). THU did not significantly improve the growth inhibition of ara-C in a wide range of combinations in T241, E0771, LL, and the solid form of S180J, but more than doubled the survival time of the S180J ascites-bearing animals. Toxicity in the form of weight loss and toxic deaths was observed in some but not all groups, especially at high dosages of ara-C and THU. Tissue distribution of [3H]-ara-C and [14C]-THU in T241-bearing mice revealed an accelerated clearance of ara-C-derived radioactivity under the influence of THU in the tumor and five host tissues, but not in the small intestines. With the exception of the small intestines, clearance of THU-derived radioactivity was faster in all tissues studied compared to the clearance of [3H]-ara-C-derived radioactivity. Intracellular CR-deaminase levels were inhibited significantly, ie, dose dependent, in tumor and host kidney after a single ip injection of THU to E0771--bearing mice. In the solid S180J, with or without simultaneous ip administration of THU, [3H]-ara-C was not converted to 5'-di- and tri-phosphates at all. In mice bearing the ascites form of S180J, [3H]-ara-C was extensively converted to ara-C 5'-di- and tri-phosphates. THU increased both overall ara-C-derived radioactivity and the relative amounts of ara-C 5'-di- and tri-phosphates.
Werner's Syndrome is a rare genetic disease, characterized by premature aging of many tissues and organs. We studied the brain morphology and function in two patients with Werner's syndrome to assess the possible involvement of the central nervous system in this premature aging process. The two patients (brother and sister, respectively) were studied by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angiography (MRA), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with (99mTc)-d,l-hexamethyl propilene amine oxime (HMPAO), positron emission tomography (PET) with 2(18F)-Fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG), electroencephalography (EEG), and electromyography (EMG). Some of these investigations were also repeated after 1 year. The results of all these studies were normal. The premature aging process in patients with Werner's syndrome, while affecting most tissues, seems to spare the central nervous system.
BACKGROUND: Pharmacologic coronary vasodilation with adenosine, combined with myocardial scintigraphy, is a useful test for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients unable to exercise. It has been demonstrated recently that exercise 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin cardiac imaging can be used for the detection of CAD. However, no data are available comparing 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin adenosine and exercise tests in the same patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The results of adenosine and exercise 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin myocardial tomography were compared in 41 patients (37 men and four women; mean age 53 +/- 8 years) with suspected or known CAD who underwent coronary angiography. All patients were submitted, on separate days, to three injections of 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin (740 MBq intravenously): one at rest, one during bicycle exercise, and one during adenosine infusion (140 micrograms/kg/min for 6 minutes with injection of 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin at 4 minutes). A total of 902 myocardial segments were analyzed quantitatively. One patient had normal coronary vessels, 19 patients had single-vessel CAD, 12 patients had two-vessel CAD, and nine patients had three-vessel CAD (> 50% coronary stenosis) on coronary angiography. Adenosine induced a significant increase in heart rate (88 +/- 16 beats/min at peak vs 72 +/- 11 beats/min at rest; p < 0.01). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was not significantly different after adenosine infusion compared with rest. Double product was 22931 +/- 7039 at peak exercise and 11229 +/- 3413 after adenosine (p < 0.01). Agreement on the presence of abnormal single-photon emission computed tomography by adenosine and exercise was 100% by quantitative analysis. In all segments a significant relationship between exercise and adenosine 99mTc-99m-labeled tetrofosmin uptake was observed (r = 0.90; p < 0.001). Segmental agreement for regional 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin uptake score between exercise and adenosine was observed in 737 (82%) of the 902 segments (kappa value of 0.66). Concordance between the two studies for identification of perfusion status was observed in 809 (90%) of the segments (kappa value of 0.80). Sensitivity and specificity for detection of stenosed vessels were not different for dynamic exercise stress testing and adenosine 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin cardiac tomography. CONCLUSIONS: Despite different hemodynamic effects, adenosine and dynamic exercise 99mTc-labeled tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging provides similar information in the diagnosis and localization of CAD.
OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence that myocardial segments with reverse redistribution are viable in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of myocardial revascularization on systolic function and thallium-201 uptake in such segments. METHODS: Rest-redistribution thallium-201 tomography before and after myocardial revascularization was performed in 47 patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Regional function was evaluated by two-dimensional echocardiography before and after revascularization according to a 3-point scale (1 = normal, 2 = hypokinetic, 3 = a/dyskinetic). Improvement of dysfunctional segments was defined when systolic function score decreased > or =1 after revascularization. Reverse redistribution was defined as >8% decrease in relative thallium-201 uptake between rest and redistribution images. RESULTS: Reverse redistribution was found in 27 (57%) of 47 patients, corresponding to 60 (11%) of 564 myocardial segments. Of such segments, 24 (40%) had normal systolic function, 19 (32%) were hypokinetic, and 17 (28%) were a/dyskinetic. Thirty-six segments underwent myocardial revascularization, and reverse redistribution was no longer present in 86% of them subsequent to the procedure. Of 26 dyssynergic segments with reverse redistribution subjected to revascularization, 18 (69%) improved at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study indicate that reverse redistribution is a reversible phenomenon and is often associated with improvement of systolic function following revascularization in patients with chronic coronary artery disease.
Single photon emission CT (SPECT) and MRI and MR angiography studies were performed in a patient with right internal carotid artery (ICA) agenesis, left ICA aplasia, and multiple associated vascular abnormalities identified with digital subtraction angiography. Magnetic resonance angiography provided an excellent depiction of the extra- and intracranial vascular abnormalities. No evidence of brain lesions or perfusion defects was demonstrated with MRI and SPECT, despite the markedly altered vascular anatomy.
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