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C Vitali

Publications and source records attributed to C Vitali.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Demonstration of beta 1-adrenergic receptors in human placenta by (-)[125I]iodocyanopindolol binding.

The highly specific beta-adrenergic radioligand (-)[125I]iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) was used to characterize the beta-adrenergic receptor subtype present in human placenta. Binding of ICYP to membranes from human placenta was saturable with time and ligand concentration, of high affinity, and demonstrated appropriate stereoselectivity and agonist rank order of potency for binding to a beta-adrenergic receptor. From saturation binding curves, the KD and Bmax values for ICYP binding were 233 +/- 51 pM and 690 +/- 139 fmol/mg of proteins, respectively. Analysis of inhibition of ICYP binding by beta 1- and beta 2-selective adrenergic antagonists via Hofstee analysis resulted in linear plots, indicating the existence of a homogeneous population of beta-adrenergic receptors. From the resulting KI-values for the beta 1-selective drugs practolol (4.0 +/- 0.9 microM) and metoprolol (0.19 +/- 0.07 microM) and for the beta 2-selective drug ICI 118,551 (0.30 +/- 0.06 microM) it is concluded that the beta-adrenergic receptor in human placenta is of the beta 1-subtype. This is further supported by the fact that (-)-noradrenaline and (-)-adrenaline were equipotent in inhibiting ICYP binding.

Female↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence of neuromuscular hyperexcitability features in patients with primary fibromyalgia.

The presence of clinical and electromyographic (EMG) features of neuromuscular hyperexcitability (NMHE) and of the commonly associated neurovegetative disturbances (NVD) were investigated in 49 patients with primary fibromyalgia (PF) and in a control group of 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). At least two clinical features of NMHE were present in 39%, and at least three NVD in 63% of PF patients. In contrast, only 1 RA control had two NMHE features (p greater than 0.005) and three NVD (p less than 0.001). Moreover, a significant post-ischemic spontaneous EMG hyperactivity was observed in 11 PF patients, and in only 1 control with RA (p less than 0.05). Finally, in patients with PF the number of tender points were correlated with psychological tests for depression (p less than 0.02), and the number of NVD. The present study shows that in patients with PF there is a large prevalence of NMHE complaints and NVD. The potential underlying pathogenetic mechanisms are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parotid sialography and lip biopsy in the evaluation of oral component in Sjögren's syndrome.

In order to evaluate their sensitivity and specificity, parotid sialography (PS) and labial salivary gland biopsy were performed in 150 putative patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) (74 with SS alone and 76 with SS associated with other well-defined disorders). Although PS and LSGB strongly correlated to each other (Kendall's Tau 0.47, z = 7.78, p less than 0.0001), PS confirmed the diagnosis of SS in a significantly higher prevalence of patients with respect to LSGB (63% vs 37%, chi 2 = 18.25, p less than 0.001). When the sensitivity and specificity of PS and LSGB were calculated, PS showed a better sensitivity, and an only slightly lower specificity than LSGB (86% vs 70% and 78% vs 86% respectively). In conclusion, our study indicates that PS has been unduly overlooked in the past decades as a diagnostic tool for the salivary component of SS, and should be reconsidered as a potentially useful and relatively non-invasive procedure in the approach of patients with this disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Statistical evaluation of different clinical and serological parameters for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome.

The potential value for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) of 28 clinical and 18 serological parameters was evaluated in 38 patients with primary (1 degree) SS, 29 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 30 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 22 with mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), by means of a stepwise discriminant analysis. Twelve patients with RA, 11 with SLE, and 8 with MC had evidence of sicca syndrome and were then classified as having a secondary (2 degree) SS. When comparing the various disease groups to each other, it was always possible to select different combinations of clinical and serological variables which defined highly significant discriminant functions. In addition, some parameters appeared to have a stronger discriminant power between different disease groups. For instance, 1 degree SS was well discriminated from RA by anti-Ro antibodies (Ab) and normal C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, from SLE by normal complement levels and the positivity of rheumatoid factor, from MC by the absence of liver involvement and normal complement levels. While anti-La Ab had the highest value in differentiating patients with 1 degree from those with 2 degrees SS, anti-Ro Ab and recurrent parotid swelling seem to be typical features of patients with SS with respect to those with other connective tissue disease but without sicca syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Salmonella isolated in the province of Macerata and their sensitivity to some common chemoantibiotics and to some of recent clinical introduction].

A study has been carried out in order to evaluate the sensitivity of a group of some 215 Salmonella strains identified in the triennium 1976-1978, in the district of Macerata (Italy), to 16 chemoantibiotics. The average percentage of sensitivity to chemoantibiotics, as a whole, vary from 100% (sisomycin) to 81% (furazolidone). The global sensitivity of different strains, of early diffusion and recent appearance in Italy, by MIC and MBC estimated, progressively increase as follow: A. wien, typhi, typhimurium, infantis, braenderup, paratyphi B, enteritidis, agona, panama.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sero-epidemiological studies of the anti-rubella immunological status of a sample of the female population].

A retrospective study on the prevalence and distribution of haemoagglutination inhibiting rubella antibodies in a sample of 4493 women (3150 in pregnancy), showed a low percentage of vaccinated women ( 0.6%) and high share of negative sera (12.6%). The Authors carried on the analysis subdividing the data according to age of the women, their pregnancy's condition or quarter, their residence (Rome and out of Rome) and occupation (housewife and not). The Pearsonian chi-square showed a significant difference between the lower immunization of housewife group and that of non-housewife group. Moreover the seropositivity decreases according to aging.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Activity criteria in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Several clinical indices have been proposed to measure disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disorder characterised by alternate phases of flare and remission. Over the last 5 years a European multicenter study was carried out in order to reach a consensus on the definition of SLE activity. A new index, ECLAM (European Consensus Lupus Activity Measurement), was created and then validated in the first and in the second parts of the study, respectively. In addition, a comparison between ECLAM and the other most commonly used lupus activity indices was performed. ECLAM appeared to be the best activity index for classifying lupus patients, whether used as a single state index (i.e., to measure activity at a given moment in time) or as a transition index. (i.e., to measure variations in activity over time).

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sjögren's syndrome, mixed cryoglobulinaemia and the monoclonal gammopathies.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) represents a pathological model of the evolution from polyclonal B lymphocyte activation to oligo-monoclonal B cell expansion, which may culminate in the development of a true lymphoproliferative disease. The different phases of this process are usually marked by the appearance of type II mixed cryoglobulins in which the monoclonal component is commonly represented by an IgM with rheumatoid factor activity. A similar mechanism exists in mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC), a different pathological entity in which hepatitis C virus infection has been demonstrated to play an important etiopathogenetic role. Although there are significant differences between SS and MC, they also share many clinical and immunological characteristics, which suggest that common pathogenetic mechanisms may underlie both disorders.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

International survey on the management of patients with SLE. I. General data on the participating centers and the results of a questionnaire regarding mucocutaneous involvement.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and treatment of the mucocutaneous (MC), neuropsychiatric (NP), and renal (RN) manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remain unsolved issues. To shed light on these issues, a questionnaire was prepared and sent to 153 lupus centres around the world, in order to determine the level of agreement between experts in their approach to these complex aspects of the disease. METHODS: The first section of the questionnaire was designed to collect information on the characteristics of the responding lupus centres. The second section was dedicated to MC manifestations, with questions focusing on: (i) the frequency of MC manifestations as a whole and of the single clinical MC entities; (ii) clinical features, outcome and therapy of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE); (iii) the utility of the lupus band test (LBT); and (iv) the use of various therapeutic protocols to treat MC manifestations. RESULTS: Sixty-one questionnaires from 19 countries were analysed. Out of these, 37 were completed by Departments of Rheumatology, 21 by Departments of Internal Medicine or Clinical Immunology, and 3 by Departments of Nephrology. About 66% of these centres stated that they were currently following more than 100 lupus cases, 95% had an in-patient ward and 82% had their own laboratory. The American College of Rheumatology classification criteria and various scales for disease activity assessment were regularly used by 87% and 57% of centres respectively. The overall prevalence of MC manifestations was judged to be over 30% by 82% of the respondents (Rs), and over 60% by 36% of the Rs. Among the different MC manifestations, malar rash was reported to be the most frequent (40%), followed by alopecia (24.1%) and oral ulcers (18.6%). In reporting the prevalence of each MC manifestation, the Rs showed a low level of agreement, the coefficient of variation (CV) being > 0.75 for all of the manifestations listed with the exception of malar rash (CV = 0.54). Poor agreement among centers was also found for the reported association of various MC manifestations with SCLE (15 different answers), and on the prognostic factors for SCLE (17 different answers). There was agreement on the best procedure (up to 70% of the Rs preferred a non-UV exposed skin area) and on the utility of the LBT (83% using it only for diagnostic purpose). Hydroxychloroquine was the most popular therapeutic protocol, being used by 85% of the Rs for a wide variety of MC manifestations. Among other therapies, azathioprine was used by 59%, dapsone by 41%, and thalidomide by 35% of the Rs, all to treat a wide spectrum of MC manifestations. Pulse steroid, cyclosporin A and pulse cyclophosphamide were less commonly employed (by 27%, 22% and 13% of the Rs, respectively), and were reserved for the most severe MC manifestations, particularly vasculitis. CONCLUSION: The present survey indicates that, although most of the participating centres had extensive experience in the management of SLE, their approach to the MC manifestations was not homogeneous, and collaborative studies are clearly needed, particularly to optimise the therapeutic protocols.

Alopecia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

International survey on the management of patients with SLE. II. The results of a questionnaire regarding neuropsychiatric manifestations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic and therapeutic approach used in clinical practice for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with primary SLE-mediated neuropsychiatric (NP) manifestations. METHODS: A questionnaire was drawn up to assess how clinicians manage various clinical manifestations of SLE. A portion of this questionnaire was designed to assess how clinicians diagnose and treat primary NP-SLE. Most of the questions in the NP-SLE section consisted of lists of different clinical manifestations and laboratory or radiological studies that participants were asked to rate on a scale of importance [from 1 (extremely important) to 5 (not important)] to the diagnosis of primary NP-SLE. The questionnaire also assessed how different NP manifestations are treated in clinical practice. The relative importance of each clinical manifestation was determined through its mean score, and the agreement among participants on each issue was determined using the coefficient of variation (CV). Fifty-nine lupus centers participated in the NP-SLE portion of the survey. RESULTS: The clinical manifestations which were considered to be of extreme or major importance for the diagnosis of primary NP-SLE were seizures, psychosis, transverse myelitis, stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA) and aseptic meningitis. Among the radiological and laboratory studies, only brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) achieved "extremely important" mean scores (between 1 and 2). aPL testing was used routinely in the majority of patients (mean 96.8%; CV = 0.1), while brain MRI was used less frequently (mean 56.5%; CV = 0.61). Only brain MRI and cerebral angiography were considered to be helpful in differentiating cerebral vasculopathy from multi-infarct (mean score = 1.6 and 1.9, respectively), whereas a prompt response to treatment with increased doses of steroids was considered helpful in differentiating SLE-related psychosis from steroid-induced psychosis (mean score = 1.58). The results of aPL testing, coagulation tests for the lupus anticoagulant, an brain MRI were considered to be of extreme or major importance in decisions involving treatment with anticoagulant or anti-platelet therapy. Symptomatic therapies, such as heparin, or anti-convulsant, anti-platelet, oral anticoagulant, and antipsychotic therapy were the most widely used. Corticosteroids were the most frequently used immunosuppressive therapy. The administration of other immunosuppressive agents as specific treatment for NP-SLE was uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey found that in clinical practice, the NP manifestations currently considered to be diagnostic of primary SLE-mediated CNS involvement are not limited to those included in the American Rheumatism Association (ARA) criteria, e.g. seizures and psychosis. Antiphospholipid antibodies appeared to be the laboratory parameter most frequently relied upon in the diagnosis of NP-SLE, and in decisions regarding treatment. Apart from that, only brain MRI and, in selected cases, cerebral angiography seemed to be of real help in diagnosis. The lack of consensus regarding the treatment of primary NP-SLE manifestations most probably reflects both the complex nature of neurological illness in SLE patients and the lack of clear diagnostic criteria.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗