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Biomedical subjects

C Serra

Publications and source records attributed to C Serra.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Increased replication of T-cell-tropic HIV strains and CXC-chemokine receptor-4 induction in T cells treated with macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, MIP-1beta and RANTES beta-chemokines.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: To study, in T-lymphoid cells, the effects of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, MIP-1beta and RANTES beta-chemokines on the replication of T-cell-tropic HIV-1 strains, since it has been reported that beta-chemokines interfere with the replication of macrophage-tropic HIV-1 strains, but not T-cell-tropic strains. METHODS: Freshly phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-activated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and cultured PHA-activated T cells from healthy volunteers, as well as the C8166 T-cell line, were treated overnight with beta-chemokines before infection with T-cell-tropic HIV-1 isolates, or human T-lymphotropic virus type IIIB. HIV replication was followed by detecting the production of infectious particles, p24 antigen, and viral sequences. CXC-chemokine receptor (CXCR)-4 expression was followed by detection and quantification of specific transcripts. RESULTS: Pretreatment of T cells with MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta and RANTES affected T-cell-tropic strains, increased the replication of HIV-1beta and HIV-1RPdT strains dose-dependently, as well as virus absorption and provirus DNA accumulation. These findings were associated with increased accumulation of CXCR-4 transcripts, and mediated by the protein tyrosine kinase signalling. Moreover, beta-chemokines stimulated PBL proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Beta-chemokines increase the adsorption and replication of at least some T-cell-tropic HIV-1 strains, and this is related to stimulated expression of the CXCR-4 coreceptor.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1998

Duplex Doppler findings in splenic arteriovenous fistula.

Splenic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a rare cause of portal hypertension. An early diagnosis is crucial because lethal complications may occur if the disease is not treated. We report a case of AVF in a noncirrhotic patient in whom the diagnosis was made by duplex sonography. This technique can differentiate between AVF and other, more common vascular abnormalities in the left upper quadrant in patients with portal hypertension. Duplex sonography can therefore be recommended as the first imaging approach in this population.

Arteriovenous Fistula↗
PubMed1998

Duplex-Doppler evaluation of the effects of propranolol and isosorbide-5-mononitrate on portal flow and splanchnic arterial circulation in cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: A decrease in portal flow is an important pharmacological effect of drugs used for the prophylaxis of variceal bleeding. AIM: To assess the acute and chronic effects of propranolol, and the effect of the acute addition of isosorbide-5-mononitrate, on splanchnic circulation. METHODS: Measurements of portal blood flow volume (PBFV) and of Doppler ultrasound pulsatility index of the superior mesenteric, femoral and interlobar renal arteries were performed in 10 cirrhotic patients with varices at baseline, 90 min after propranolol or placebo, after 30 days of chronic propranolol treatment and 45 min after the addition of isosorbide-5-mononitrate. RESULTS: The mean PBFV was significantly lower at all times than at baseline, with the greatest mean percentage decrease achieved after the addition of isosorbide-5-mononitrate (> or = 20% in all patients). Acute changes, however, did not predict the chronic effects in many patients. Isosorbide-5-mononitrate significantly increased the mesenteric and femoral pulsatility indices, whereas no significant change was observed in the kidney. CONCLUSIONS: Propranolol significantly decreases PBFV, but chronic effects cannot be reliably predicted by the acute change. All patients achieved a decrease in PBFV of > or = 20% after the acute addition of isosorbide-5-mononitrate to chronic propranolol treatment.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1998

Genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in Sardinians: an immunological study.

OBJECTIVES: We studied the in vitro production of variably MS-related cytokines from Sardinian MS and healthy donors bearing the two "Sardinian" MS-associated HLA-DR alleles: DR3 and DR4, with the purpose to evidentiate possible differences in their immune response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ELISA were used for detection of cellular products by mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. RESULTS: PHA-activated HLA-DR4+/DR3- mononuclear cells produce significantly higher amounts of TNF-alpha compared with the DR3+/DR4-. In addition, homozygous HLA-DR3+ mononuclear cells from MS patients produce significantly lower amounts of IL-10 than those from homozygous HLA-DR3+ healthy donors. CONCLUSION: The abnormal production of detrimental or regulatory cytokines may account for the genetic susceptibility to MS in different HLA-subgroups of Sardinian MS patients.

Cytokines↗
PubMed1998

Vertical banded gastroplasty at more than 5 years.

BACKGROUND: Optimal evaluation of the results of surgery for morbid obesity requires a long-term follow-up for at least 5 years. METHODS: One hundred patients were operated by vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) and revised with a follow-up of no less than 5 years. Sixty patients were morbidly obese with a body mass index (BMI) of between 40 and 50 kg/m2, and 40 were super-obese with a BMI of >50 kg/m2. Follow-up included 93 patients (93%). RESULTS: Initial surgical mortality was nil. Twenty-five patients required surgery for complications related to the technique (25%) and one patient died due to pulmonary embolism after a re-stapling operation. The percentage excess weight loss was 54.3%, and the BMI was 33 kg/m2 for the 84 patients followed to 5 years post VBG. Only 40 out of 92 patients (43.5%), obtained the weight loss benefit due to the operation. None of them is able to eat a regular diet, and the quality of food intake has been severely affected in some of them. CONCLUSIONS: VBG is, in our experience, a safe and technically simple operation, but the long-term results are questionable. The reoperation rate was high, and weight loss and quality of life are superior with other operations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Gene therapy of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) by gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited immunodeficiency characterized by severe recurrent bacterial and fungal infections of several organs. The disease is due to the inability of phagocytic leukocytes to generate reactive oxygen species upon phagocytosis. The defect arises as a consequence of mutations of the genes encoding for the subunits of a membrane NADPH oxidase, which catalyzes the production of superoxide anion (O2-). CGD represents an ideal candidate disorder for gene therapy, since the disease has a recessive inheritance, its phenotype is exclusively expressed in phagocytic cells, and a partial correction is likely to be effective. Given the short half-life of mature phagocytes, the optimal target cell population for gene transfer is the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell. Transduction of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors with retroviral vectors carrying the cDNA of the defective gene results in the correction of the enzymatic defect in myeloid cells differentiated in vitro. Still, the effective development of a clinical gene therapy protocol for this disease will await a substantial improvement in our current technology for the identification and manipulation of hematopoietic stem cells, and in our understanding of their biological and molecular properties.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1997

Bioavailability of Desmin, a low molecular weight dermatan sulfate, after subcutaneous administration to healthy volunteers.

The bioavailability of two different s.c. doses of Desmin (a new low molecular weight dermatan sulfate) was evaluated in 12 healthy volunteers (6 men, 6 women aged 22-45 years) who were injected, on 3 separate days and with a wash-out period of at least 21 days between each administration, with 200 and 300 mg of Desmin by the s.c. route and 200 mg by the i.v. route. Immediately before injection and at various times thereafter (after 15 min and 30 min for i.v. only and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h for both s.c. and i.v. dosing), blood samples were drawn to investigate bioavailability by measuring several coagulation parameters: activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, inhibition of factor Xa, Heptest, and heparin cofactor II. Furthermore the local tolerance of the s.c. and i.v. injections were investigated. The s.c. administration of the two Desmin doses had a negligible effect on the activated partial thromboplastin time and a very small effect on the thrombin time, measured with human thrombin; in contrast, Heptest, heparin cofactor II, and anti-Xa activities increased, with a good drug bioavailability (more than 100%). The plasma effects of Desmin were dose dependent only when measured by Heptest, which also gave a greater response after the s.c. administrations. There were no symptoms of intolerance or pain at the injection site after single i.v. and s.c. Desmin administration.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Intra- and extrahepatic arterial resistances in chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

Thirty patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), 84 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 42 controls, underwent noninvasive measurement of hepatic artery resistance index (RI) by means of Doppler ultrasound (US), at the porta hepatis and in the intrahepatic branches, in order to investigate possible changes related to: (a) the liver disease; (b) the site of measurement; and (c) ageing. The intrahepatic RI differed among LC, CH and controls (0.731, 0.690 and 0.643, p < 0.05), whereas the RI at the porta hepatis did not (0.754, 0.748 and 0.729, respectively). Intrahepatic RI correlated with age in LC (r = 0.51, p < 0.0001) and in controls (r = 0.49, p < 0.001). In LC, it correlated also with the presence and size of esophageal varices (r = 0.32, p < 0.05). In conclusion, an increase of hepatic artery RI in chronic liver diseases can be demonstrated when assessed in the intraparenchymal branches. The increase of hepatic artery RI with ageing should be considered in future studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Persistent infection of human vascular endothelial cells by group B coxsackieviruses.

Group B coxsackieviruses (CVBs) cause >20% of the cases of myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Information on the permissiveness of vascular cells to CVBs is scant. Interactions of CVBs with human vascular endothelial cells (ECs) were investigated in vitro. All 6 CVBs (CVB-1 to -6) consistently infected primary EC cultures and an immortalized EC line without producing cytopathology. Whereas replication of types 1, 2, 4, and 6 ceased within 30-60 days after infection, CVB-3 and -5 caused a persistent infection. Replication of CVB-3 and -5 continued for >260 days. In ECs, the constitutive production of interferon-beta, but not of other cytokines, appeared to confer resistance to CVBs. Persistence of CVB-3 and -5 was associated with the chronic release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, a cytotoxic cytokine that also has a negative inotropic effect on myocardial cells. The results suggest that chronic endothelial CVB infections may play a role in vascular disease.

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1997

Preliminary results of the duodenal switch.

BACKGROUND: The duodenal switch (DS), as a modification of the bilio-pancreatic diversion (BPD), is a 'complex' hybrid operation. METHODS: Sixty patients were operated on during the last 3 years. RESULTS: Two patients died early (3.3%); two late deaths occurred at 4 and 7 months, one due to liver failure and the other due to malnutrition and refeeding syndrome (3.57%); three patients required conversions (5.3%). The two early deaths and all the patients who required conversions had a previous vertical banded gastroplasty. Eleven patients had minor liver abnormalities corrected with medications, and one patient had severe diarrhea for more than a year. Eleven female patients have iron deficiency anemia that requires parenteral supplementation. Mean percent excess weight loss was 86% at 2.5 years. CONCLUSIONS: The DS has been, in our experience, an unsafe operation with unacceptably high operative and postoperative mortality. The conversion rate is acceptable. Weight loss, quality of food intake and life have been excellent. Inadequate follow-up can be dangerous if patients fail to report for regular visits.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Employee and public responses to simulated violations of no-smoking regulations in Spain.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated compliance with regulations prohibiting smoking in public places by using a new method of smoking simulation. METHODS: Sites in Sabadell, Spain, were visited by observers who lit a cigarette, simulating the act of smoking, and noted the placement and content of signs indicating smoking restrictions. RESULTS: A warning was given in only 17% of sites. A significant association was observed between the presence of signs banning smoking and the elicitation of a warning from people present. CONCLUSIONS: Simulating the violation of smoking restrictions may be used as an efficient method of assessing enforcement of the prohibition of public smoking.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Determination of DDT and related compounds in blood samples from agricultural workers.

An analytical method combining a solid-phase (C18) clean-up and GC-electron-capture detection using a capillary column, was implemented to determine p,p'-DDT and its metabolites (p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE), as well as other organochlorine pesticides in whole blood samples from 30 farmers and 24 non-occupationally exposed workers. The average concentrations for the quantified pesticides, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDE, were 0.9, 1.5 and 8.0 micrograms/l whole blood for exposed workers and 0.3, 0.5 and 3.3 micrograms/l for unexposed workers, respectively. GC-MS was used to confirm the identity of the pesticides found. Solid-phase extraction and the protocol used give a cleaner analytical matrix, not only improving sensitivity and resolution, but also allowing analyses with smaller blood samples as compared to other methods.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1996

Periodontal disease, oral microbial flora and salivary antibacterial factors in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients.

One hundred and thirty-one patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 (IDDM) and 20 healthy controls were checked for the presence of periodontal diseases and for some oral microbiological parameters. Results demonstrated that IDDM patients, who were well compensated from both the metabolic and clinical point of view, showed a prevalence for periodontopathies, which only differed slightly from controls. Only the presence of gingivitis was significantly higher in IDDM patients than in healthy subjects. Both anaerobic and aerobic microbial flora did not show substantial differences for either group. Among the salivary antibacterial factors studied, lysozyme was significantly decreased in diabetic patients compared to controls. It is concluded that IDDM patients undergo periodontal complications with a frequency quite close to that of non-diabetic healthy subjects, when the disease is under strict metabolic and clinical control.

Acetylglucosaminidase↗
PubMed1996

The soluble interleukin-2 receptor, peripheral blood, and reticulocyte fractions in acute pancreatitis.

CONCLUSION: In acute pancreatitis (AP), the peripheral blood analysis, including reticulocytes (RC) and RC fractions, and its relationship to the changes of the levels of the soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) can provide useful information about the involvement of the immunoinflammatory system in AP and can indicate the severity of the disease. BACKGROUND: In the disease clinical assessment, we correlated the sIL-2R serum levels to the peripheral blood components (including RC and RC fractions) to serum albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) during AP. METHODS: In 21 patients with AP, sIL-2R, the total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, red blood cell (RBC) counts, RC, RC fractions, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), platelets (PLT), albumin, and CRP were evaluated from the onset to the sixth day of illness. RESULTS: sIL-2R increased in all the patients. The increase was directly related to eosinophils, monocytes, and to middle-aged (MFR) RC, and inversely related to neutrophils and the old (LFR) RC. MFR-RC were directly related to the total WBC count, eosinophils, and basophils, and inversely related to Hb and albumin. LFR-RC behaved in the opposite manner. CRP increased in 16 patients; this rise was directly related to WBC, RC, and MFR-RC, and inversely related to Hb, LFR-RC, and albumin. sIL-2R and CRP values were not statistically interrelated, but when the CRP levels were higher, the increase in sIL-2R was greater and more sustained.

Acute Disease↗