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Biomedical subjects

C Briani

Publications and source records attributed to C Briani.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Radiological evidence of subclinical dysphagia in motor neuron disease.

Dysphagia in motor neuron disease (MND) may lead to dangerous complications such as cachexia and aspiration pneumonia. Functional evaluation of the oropharyngeal tract is crucial for identifying specific swallowing dysfunctions and planning appropriate rehabilitation. As part of a multidisciplinary study on the treatment of dysphagia in patients with neuromuscular diseases, 23 MND patients with different degrees of dysphagia underwent videofluoroscopy, videopharyngolaryngoscopy and pharyngo-oesophageal manometry. The results of the three instrumental investigations were analysed in order (1) to define the pattern of swallowing in MND patients complaining of dysphagia; (2) to evaluate whether subclinical abnormalities may be detected; and (3) to assess the role of videofluoroscopy, videopharyngolaryngoscopy and manometry in the evaluation of MND patients with deglutition problems. Correlations between the instrumental findings and clinical features (age of the patients, duration and severity of the disease, presence and degree of dysphagia) were also assessed. The results of our study showed that: (1) The oral phase of deglutition was compromised most often, followed by the pharyngeal phase. (2) In all patients without clinical evidence of dysphagia, subclinical videofluoroscopic alterations were present in a pattern similar to that found in the dysphagic group. (3) Videofluoroscopy was the most sensitive technique in identifying oropharyngeal alterations of swallowing. Impairment of the oral phase, abnormal pharyngo-oesophageal motility and incomplete relaxation of the upper oesophageal sphincter were the changes most sensitive in detecting dysphagia. Videofluoroscopy was also capable of detecting preclinical abnormalities in non-dysphagic patients who later developed dysphagia. Practical guidelines for the use of instrumental investigations in the assessment and management of dysphagia in MND patients are proposed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Mutations of the Apc gene in experimental colorectal carcinogenesis induced by azoxymethane in F344 rats.

We investigated in the rat the role of the Apc gene, which is mutated in familial adenomatous polyposis and sporadic colon cancer in the process leading from normal colonic mucosa to aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and finally to adenomas and adenocarcinomas. We analysed mutations in exon 15 of the rat Apc gene using in vitro synthesized protein assay in 66 ACF and in 28 colon tumours induced by azoxymethane. No Apc mutations were found in ACF, whereas five mutations were found in the tumours. The data suggest that mutations of the Apc gene are associated with the transition from ACF to adenoma and adenocarcinoma and not from normal mucosa to ACF.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

Oxidative liver DNA damage in rats treated with pesticide mixtures.

Oxidative damage was quantified in the liver of rats by measuring the levels of 8-OH-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-2DG) relative to 2-deoxyguanosine in DNA after treating rats for 10 days at a total dose of 1 mg/kg/day with a mixture of the 15 pesticides most commonly found in Italian foods (comprised of dithiocarbamate, benomyl, procymidone, methidathion, chlorpyrifos-ethyl, parathion-methyl, chlorpropham, parathion, vinclozolin, chlorfenvinphos, pirimiphos ethyl, thiabendazole, fenarimol, diphenylamine and chlorothalonil). We fractionated this pesticide mixture into subgroups in order to determine which molecules, if any, induced DNA oxidative damage. The administration of diphenylamine (0.09-1.4 mg/kg/day) and chlorothalonil (0.13-1 mg/kg/day) induced a dose-dependent increase in 8-OH-2DG levels in liver DNA. The other 13 pesticides of the mixture on the contrary, did not produce oxidative liver DNA damage. These results indicate that the toxicity of low doses of pesticide mixtures present in food might be further reduced by eliminating diphenylamine and chlorothalonil.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1997

Induction of anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies by Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides.

A frequent association exists between acute motor neuropathy, antecedent Campylobacter jejuni (CJ) and anti-GM ganglioside antibodies. Despite the chemical and immunological similarity between CJ lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and GM1, the mechanism of induction of anti-GM1 antibodies is still unclear. We used CJ LPS to immunize rats, mice and immunodeficient mice lacking in NK, CD8+ or T-cell populations. None of these animals developed significant anti-GM1 titers. However, rats immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin which contains the cross-reactive sugar epitope Gal(beta1-3)GalNAc developed high titers of IgM anti-GM1 antibodies. This occurred only after these rats were given an intraperitoneal injection of CJ LPS. These results suggest that a glycoprotein antigenic stimulus can induce B-cells which are autoreactive to ganglioside but which remain anergic. A second stimulus with a cross-reactive LPS can then overcome the anergy to induce autoantibody production. A similar mechanism may explain the occurrence of GM1 antibodies in patients after CJ enteritis.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1996

Motor neuron disease in the Padua district of Italy: an epidemiological study.

Recent epidemiological surveys indicated that the rate of morbidity and mortality from motor neuron disease (MND) has increased worldwide. We evaluated whether the incidence of the disease has also changed in Padua, Italy, using a retrospective method to study all MND cases hospitalized in the Padua district from 1980 to 1991. As in other regions of the world, we also found an increased incidence of the disease.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1995

Keyhole limpet hemocyanin contains Gal(beta 1-3)-GalNAc determinants that are cross-reactive with the T antigen.

Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) is widely used as a carrier molecule to enhance immune responses to administered antigens, and for immunotherapy of bladder and renal carcinoma. In the present study we show, using lectin and antibody binding studies, that native KLH contains Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc-bearing oligosaccharides, and that immunization with KLH in Lewis rats induces the production of anti-Gal(beta 1-3) GalNAc antibodies. This might explain the beneficial effect of KLH in bladder cancers that express cross-reactive Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc determinants or the T antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Dopamine receptor SPET imaging in Parkinson's disease: a [123I]-IBZM and [99mTc]-HM-PAO study.

Single photon emission tomography (SPET) with the novel ligand [123I]-IBZM was used to image central dopamine D2 receptors in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The aim was to assess basal ganglia (BG) receptor densities in relation to the response to L-dopa therapy. To better characterize the clinical potential of [123I]-IBZM SPET, each patient underwent a second study with the regional perfusion tracer [99mTc]-HM-PAO. Tracer activity ratios were calculated for caudate and putamen with mean activity over the cerebellar hemispheres as internal standard. In PD patients we found a significant decline of mean caudate [123I]-IBZM activity, as compared with age-matched control subjects. However, when patients were grouped according to their therapeutic behavior, the [123I]-IBZM uptake in BG ganglia regions of the PD patient group with a poor and fluctuating response to L-dopa was significantly reduced from mean values of patients with a sustained response to L-dopa therapy. [99mTc]-HM-PAO caudate and putamen uptake indexes in PD were similar to control values, even in patients with deteriorated therapeutic response. Our results indicate that BG D2 receptor alterations in PD may contribute to the altered response to L-dopa.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Increased titres of IgM anti-heparan sulfate antibody in Behçet's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Endothelial dysfunction is crucial in Behçet's disease (BD) pathogenesis, and measures of endothelial damage are potential markers of BD activity. Heparan sulfate (HS) is the most abundant proteoglycan in the endothelial cells, and anti-HS antibodies have been reported in subjects with vascular damage, due to vasculitis/vasculopathy. The aim of our study was to measure serum anti-HS antibodies in patients with BD and to determine whether their presence correlates with disease activity or clinical manifestations. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with BD (21 men, 11 women) (median age 36.81+/-12.0 years) were considered. Of these, 13 had clinically active disease at the time of study. The mean disease duration was 7.31+/- 8.2 years (median 6 years). Anti-HS antibodies were measured by ELISA. As controls, sera from 40 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects, and 78 age-matched patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were studied. RESULTS: Anti-HS IgM antibody titres were significantly higher in BD patients compared to healthy subjects (p=0.016) and SLE controls (p=0.0008). No differences in anti-HS IgG antibody titres were observed among the 3 groups. Using categorical data, increased titres of IgM anti-HS antibodies were significantly more frequent in patients with BD vs patients with SLE (p=0.02). The presence of the antibodies, of either isotype, did not correlate with disease duration, disease activity or clinical manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: BD patients have increased IgM anti-HS antibody titres compared to healthy and SLE controls. These antibodies did not correlate with disease activity or discrete clinical features, but might be relevant for pathogenic mechanisms of the disease.

Adult↗