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Biomedical subjects

C De Luca

Publications and source records attributed to C De Luca.

69 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

The noradrenergic innervation of the kidney in old Wistar rats.

Age-related changes of the sympathetic (noradrenergic) innervation of the kidney were studied in young (3 months) and old (25 months) female Wistar rats by means' of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection and catecholamine histofluorescence techniques. Body and kidney weights were significantly increased in old rats. Renal noradrenaline levels were slightly but not significantly decreased in aged animals. The density of fluorescent catecholaminergic nerve fibres was significantly decreased in old rats, primarily within branches of renal artery (at the hilum) and within interlobular and cortical radial arteries. However, in old rats the number of axonal varicosities corresponding to the site of neurotransmitter release was slightly increased in interlobular and cortical radial arteries but not in hilar branches of the renal artery. The number of cortical tubules supplied with a catecholaminergic innervation remarkably decreased with age. These findings are indicative of age-dependent changes of the intrarenal noradrenergic innervation in Wistar rats. The lack of correspondence between the results obtained using HPLC and catecholamine histofluorescence techniques underscore the importance of evaluating the age-related changes of autonomic innervation using more than one methodology.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ergosterol oxidation may be considered a signal for fungal growth and aflatoxin production in Aspergillus parasiticus.

The addition of compounds able to peroxidize cell lipids (carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), cumene hydroperoxide (CUH), or linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LAH)) to 5-day-old Czapek-Dox Medium cultures of Aspergillus parasiticus induces a significant reduction of the tri-unsaturated ergosterol (ERG) levels in fungal microsomes and mitochondria, whereas the concentrations of the di-unsaturated linoleic acid (LA; C18:2 n-6) are unaffected. Aflatoxin (AFT) output follows ERG reduction and is associated with both a renewal of fungal growth and a slow increase of ERG concentration in subcellular membranes. We suggest that, by analogy with the regulatory role played on cell proliferation and metabolism by polyunsaturated fatty acid by-products (eicosanoids) in mammalian membranes, by-products of ERG oxidation may be considered triggers sufficient to induce both further fungal growth and AFT biosynthesis.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Communication turned into prevention. The "European Week for the Safety and Health at Work": experience of the Italian Focal Point].

The constant focus on comprehensive quality of work and the promotion of an effective culture of prevention and communication, already indicated in the European Directives, gave new impetus to the strategy aimed at improving working conditions and workers' health. This study is aimed at identifying the successful factors of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, an information and awareness campaign promoted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work based in Bilbao, through the analysis of the campaign's project and of the results achieved in Italy. The European Week, now at its 7th edition, represents a peerless opportunity to spread the culture of risk prevention and to raise awareness on the adoption of measures to improve workplaces, above all in small and medium enterprises. It is, furthermore, a valuable tool to communicate and disseminate messages and to promote good practices on occupational safety and health. ISPESL is the Italian Focal Point of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and has been supporting the organization of the European Week in Italy, since the first edition. It has been strongly committing itself to promote and disseminate information on the event, relying on its national network which operates throughout the national territory. The ISPESL web-site--http://www.ispesl.it--contains a web page dedicated to European Weeks, providing information on the campaign and on the related initiatives, on the materials, and on the main events taking place in Italy.

Europe↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Echographic diagnosis of Peyronie's disease].

Thirty-six patients with Peyronie's disease were evaluated with diagnostic sonography. Radiographic and/or xeroradiographic examinations were also performed on 23 patients. Sonography could demonstrate the presence of the plaques characteristic of the disease in the majority of cases (94.5%), whereas only calcified lesions were depicted by conventional X-rays. Sonography is therefore recommended for its well-known advantages over other techniques, not only as the diagnostic methodology of choice, but also in the follow-up of the disease.

Adult↗