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Biomedical subjects

B Zappacosta

Publications and source records attributed to B Zappacosta.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Resting and stimulated human polymorphonuclear leucocytes from type-2 diabetic patients: change in purine nucleotide pattern.

It is known that polymorphonuclear leucocytes are deeply involved in the inflammatory complications of diabetes mellitus, showing many functional and biochemical abnormalities. Because adenine and guanine metabolites exert an important role in many metabolic aspects of phagocytic cells, we have investigated the pattern of purine metabolites during the respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear leucocytes in order to characterize any difference that may be significantly correlated with the abnormal neutrophil function of diabetic patients. The results obtained show clearly that polymorphonuclear leucocytes from diabetic patients are characterized by an abnormal pattern of purine nucleotides and their metabolites. In particular, the concentration of adenine and guanine triphosphates and the net amount of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysed during neutrophil stimulation by phorbol ester is higher in diabetic than in control cells. Moreover, higher values of adenosine monophosphate, inosine monophosphate and inosine have been found in diabetic cells. The behaviour of guanosine triphosphate is highly interesting. In fact, in addition to the higher concentration found in diabetic polymorphonuclear leucocytes, stimulation by phorbol ester induces a net decrease in guanosine triphosphate whereas control neutrophils show a slight increase. These findings have been associated with the ease with which diabetic neutrophils undergo metabolic activation and sustain an inflammatory response.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed1997

Very late onset Friedreich's ataxia without cardiomyopathy is associated with limited GAA expansion in the X25 gene.

Molecular analysis of spinocerebellar ataxias revealed a pathologic GAA expansion in the gene encoding frataxin in six adult patients from three families. These patients, carrying expanded alleles in the low-range size, had an exceptionally late onset and lacked cardiomyopathy, pointing to phenotypic variability of Friedreich's ataxia. Both mitotic and gametic instability of the expanded triplet repeat were present in these families.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Serum ferritin determination: is it useful in the early diagnosis of renal carcinoma?].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of ferritin as an early marker in the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The Authors dosed the pre-operative concentration of ferritin in the sera of 22 patients (16 males and 6 females) affected by stage I-II, according to Robson's classification, RCC. Plasma concentrations of ferritin were matched for the presence of tumor and for the tumor volume. The results did not evidence any relationship between plasma concentration of ferritin and the presence of renal cancer. In the same way a linear correlation did not show any significant relationship between serum concentration of ferritin and tumor diameter. Ferritin does not seem to be a usefull marker in the early diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Psychiatric symptoms do not correlate with cognitive decline, motor symptoms, or CAG repeat length in Huntington's disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the hypothesis that psychiatric disturbances in Huntington's disease are related to degree of cognitive or motor compromise and to determine correlations between CAG repeat length within the gene for Huntington's disease and disease severity. DESIGN: Consecutive series of patients with Huntington's disease. SETTING: Neurological specialty hospital. PATIENTS: Seventeen men and 12 women from 24 families. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Hamilton Psychiatric and Anxiety Rating Scales and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale were used to assess psychiatric disturbances; Folstein's Quantified Neurological Examination to evaluate motor status; and the Mini-Mental State Examination, Raven Progressive Matrices), Phonemic Verbal Fluency Test, Short Tale Test, Visual Search Test, and Benton's Visual Orientation Line Test to evaluate cognitive function. The length of the CAG repeat sequence in the Huntington's gene was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Cognitive test scores correlated significantly with each other; of these, results of the Visual Search and Short Tale tests correlated significantly with the Folstein's Quantified Neurological Examination score (P = .05 and P = .03, respectively). Results of the Folstein's Quantified Neurological Examination also correlated with the illness duration and the length of the CAG repeat. Although psychiatric scores correlated significantly among themselves (P < .01), neither cognitive compromise, motor deterioration, nor CAG length were related to the extent of psychiatric compromise. Patients who were depressed when they were examined tended to have a history of psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of correlation between disease severity and psychiatric disturbances indicates that psychiatric disorders progress nonlinearly, possibly because of differential degeneration of the striatal-cortical circuits; the possibility that psychiatric disorders are prevalent in certain families with a member who has Huntington's disease is being further investigated. The lack of correlation between CAG length and cognitive and psychiatric variables needs further investigation.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Progression of motor and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

We performed a longitudinal study (mean follow-up 86.7 months) to evaluate motor and mental deterioration in patients with Parkinson's disease. Of the original 91 patients, only 61 could be re-examined 7 years later and 11 of these had become demented (PD-Dems). PD-Dems were older with worse motor and, obviously, cognitive performance than non-demented parkinsonian patients (PDs). A global cognitive decay index (DI) was calculated for each patient. Based on this, non-demented PDs were further split into 38 stable parkinsonian patients (S-PDs) with DI-30% to +30%, and 10 deteriorated but non-demented parkinsonian patients (D-PDs) with a DI worse than -30% (as had PD-Dems). D-PDs were older and had greater motor impairment than S-PDs but did not differ from PD-Dems on these measures. D-PDs and PD-Dems deteriorated especially in attention, visuospatial and executive ability tests. Ageing seems to be the main predictive factor for mental deterioration.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Platelet lactate dehydrogenase activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: correlation with anticardiolipin antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in platelet subpopulations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to correlate platelet LDH activity with concentrations of anticardiolipin antibody (aCL). METHODS: Twelve female patients with SLE and 12 age matched female control subjects were studied. Platelets were separated on the Percoll gradient, their density values controlled by density marker beads. LDH activity was measured after platelet lysis, expressed as nU/fl. ELISA were used to measure levels of IgG and IgM aCL. RESULTS: A significant increase of LDH activity with a significant correlation to IgG and IgM aCL were found in small, light platelets with a volume < 5 mu 3 compared to large, dense platelets and to controls. LDH activity did not correlate with immunoglobulin classes, anti-DNA antibodies, and complement fractions in small and large SLE platelets. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest a possible chronic activation of subpopulations of small platelets in patients with SLE independent of thrombotic process. Low levels of aCL can mediate small platelet activation. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the small, light platelets can serve a clinical diagnostic purpose as an in vivo platelet activation index in SLE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Lactate dehydrogenase activity of platelets in diabetes mellitus.

Lactate dehydrogenase (L-lactate : NAD+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.27) activity has been measured on the subpopulations of platelets obtained from blood of diabetic patients. Small, but not large platelets show a lactate dehydrogenase activity higher than that of controls. Moreover, a positive statistically significant correlation was found between the activity of small platelets and the percent of glycated haemoglobin, while no correlation was obtained in the case of large platelets. Since we previously demonstrated that lactate dehydrogenase activity of small platelets is exceedingly high in some clinical and experimental conditions, our results not only confirm the involvement of platelets in diabetes but provide more evidence in support of our previous hypothesis of a relationship between lactate dehydrogenase and in-vivo platelet activation.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase in saliva of diabetic patients.

Although inflammatory or degenerative changes in salivary glands have been demonstrated in genetic animal models of diabetes mellitus and in experimental diabetes, no information is available in diabetics on the possible leakage in saliva of cytosolic enzymes as markers of salivary cell injury. Aspartate (GOT) and alanine (GPT) aminotransferases and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined in saliva samples collected by the Salivette method from well-controlled insulin-dependent (IDDM n = 11) and non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM n = 18) diabetic patients and from age-cross-matched healthy subjects (n = 33). In IDDM salivary concentrations of GOT (112.55 +/- 23.94 UI/L) and LDH (1120.27 +/- 168.31 UI/L) were similar to those found in the NIDDM (90.94 +/- 19.64, and 1255.43 +/- 221.40 UI/L respectively), but higher (p < 0.05) than those observed in normal subjects (33.09 +/- 3.71, and 423.58 +/- 39.94, UI/L respectively). GPT was higher in NIDDM than IDDM, which in turn was higher than in normal subjects (42.78 +/- 14.72, 16.45 +/- 3.74 and 6.85 +/- 1.52 UI/L respectively). Salivary and serum values of GOT, GPT and LDH were not correlated. Determination of cytosolic enzymes in saliva may be useful for monitoring the diabetic involvement of salivary glands.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Salivary electrolytes in treated hypertensives at low or normal sodium diet.

The aim of this study was to investigate possible abnormalities in salivary electrolytes in hypertensives treated with ace-inhibitors (ACE-I) or calcium antagonists (Ca-ANT) at low or normal sodium intake. Hypertensives treated with ACE-I (n.14) or Ca-ANT (n.22) and 13 normotensives were studied during normal or restricted Na intake. Na, K, Ca, Mg and Cl were determined in saliva samples collected by using a standardized adsorption procedure (SALIVETTE). Na intake was evaluated by determination of the 24-hr urinary Na excretion. Similar concentrations of Na, K, Ca, and Cl were found in normotensives and in hypertensives treated with ACEI or Ca-ANT both at low or normal Na diet. Magnesium in saliva appeared reduced in ACEI-treated hypertensives (0.28 +/- 0.06 mmol/l) in comparison to the similar values of normotensives (0.53 +/- 0.05) and Ca-ANT treated hypertensives (0.54 +/- 0.07). In normotensives and in treated hypertensives lowering of Na intake did not change the salivary content of Ca, Mg and Cl but produced in saliva a reduction of Na associated to a rise in K. Salivary Na/K ratio was significantly correlated with 24 hr urinary Na excretion in normotensives (r = 0.77; p < 0.05) and in hypertensives treated with ACE-I (r = 0.74; p < 0.05) or Ca-ANT (r = 0.62; p < 0.05). The low salivary magnesium in ACE-I-HT may have a role in the occasional ACEI-dependent dysgeusia. Salivary Na/K ratio may be used as a rough index of Na intake in treated hypertensives.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Platelet heterogeneity based on lactic dehydrogenase activity.

Mean lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity of human platelets is about 5 nU/platelet; expressed on a cell volume basis, it is 0.5 nU/fl. Platelet separation by means of centrifugation on a Percoll discontinuous gradient gives different subpopulations with a clear-cut change of LDH at a mean platelet volume (MPV) of about 6 fl. The LDH content of platelets with a MPV > 6 fl is constant (about 0.5 nU/fl), while that of small platelets (3 < MPV < 6 fl) is inversely correlated with the MPV and reaches a value of 1.5-2.0 nU/fl. Because small platelets are granule-depleted, we suggest that platelet LDH activity be considered as an in vivo activation index.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Lactic dehydrogenase and glycolytic activity of human platelets in uncomplicated pregnancy.

Lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) of isolated platelets was determined in a group of 103 normally pregnant and 19 unpregnant women. LDH activity is significantly increased in the last trimester of pregnancy while the isoenzyme pattern does not vary in relation to LDH increase. Moreover, glucose consumption and lactic acid production are linearly correlated to platelet LDH activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Bone metastasis associated with shunt-related peritoneal deposits from a pineal germinoma. Case report and review of the literature.

The case of a 15-year-old boy with a pineal germinoma is reported. The patient first underwent a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt followed by a stereotactic biopsy, then, because of the rapidly deteriorating neurological status, an emergency craniotomy with subtotal removal of the tumour was performed. Two months after surgery, a left femoral metastasis and extensive peritoneal lesions became evident; they were regarded as due to haematogenous and VP shunt spread of the germinoma. At that time, extremely high serum levels of placental alkaline phosphatase were detected. The patient died 6 months after the initial diagnosis. The occurrence of extraneural metastases as well as of shunt related peritoneal deposits from primary intracranial germinoma is discussed. As far as we know this is the first reported case of a combination of haematogenous as well as VP shunt spread of a pineal germinoma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effects of calcium channel blockers on the endothelial release of von Willebrand factor after exercise in healthy subjects.

Von Willebrand factor (vWF) is known to play a relevant role in the development of atherosclerotic lesions by promoting platelet adhesion to injured endothelial cells. An increase in cytosolic calcium has been shown to be associated with the in vitro release of vWF from endothelial cells. The aim of our investigation was to examine the effect of some calcium channel blockers on the release of vWF antigen (vWF:Ag) induced by exercise in two groups of eight healthy subjects during a randomized crossover study between placebo and calcium channel blockers. Placebo and verapamil (80 mg) or nicardipine (10 mg) were given orally at an interval of 2 weeks three times on the day before and once on the morning of the study day. Measurements of plasma vWF:Ag were made at rest and after a progressive maximal exercise on a cycloergometer. A significant increase in absolute values of vWF:Ag was observed after exercise in the subjects given a placebo in both verapamil (0.397 +/- 0.074 U/ml) and nicardipine (0.327 +/- 0.036 U/ml) groups, p less than 0.05. With use of verapamil the rise in vWF:Ag was blunted and not significant (0.123 +/- 0.081 U/ml) whereas a larger increase in vWF:Ag was found in the subjects given nicardipine in comparison with placebo (0.593 +/- 120 U/ml; p less than 0.05). No correlations were observed between exercise-induced changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, blood lactate level, or pH and vWF:Ag changes in the subjects given a placebo or in those given calcium channel blockers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗