Biomedical subjects

Cristina D'Ippolito

Publications and source records attributed to Cristina D'Ippolito.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[DNA-microarray: new technological approaches on twin studies].

The completion of the Human Genome Project, and the innovations introduced in biotechnology are changing how to study twins. Here, we summarize some molecular studies performed on populations of discordant monozygotic twins (MZ) applying microarrays. Microarrays are an orderly arrangement of high numbers of probes (DNA, RNA or proteins), immobilized onto a matrix. The microarray approach allows a global analysis of gene expression, and therefore might point out the molecular mechanisms of MZ twins' discordance, such as epigenetic mechanisms. The application of microarray to twin studies will help better define, through bioinformatics, the role of genes and environment in the development of human diseases, thus suggesting new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

Assessment of reference values for selected elements in a healthy urban population.

Reference values for 26 elements, namely Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Sr, Tl, V, W, Zn and Zr are proposed in serum and blood of 110 healthy adults of the urban area of Rome. They were included in the study on the basis of strict criteria of eligibility and exclusion. With the exception of Ba, Bi, Co, Cr, Ni, Sb, Sn Tl in serum, and Bi, Hg, Si, V and W in whole blood, experimental data for each all the other analytes were found to approach a normal distribution. The estimated 5-95% references ranges (in ng ml(-1)) were reported. For several elements the reference ranges observed overlapped information available in the literature. Gender, age, body mass index, smoking habits and alcohol consume were used as grouping variables. Mutual associations were observed for several elements, as follows: Be, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Li, Mo, Pb and Zn with sex; Ca, Pb and Si with age (< and > 45 years); Co, Cr, Mo, Sb and Tl with body mass index; Cd and Pb with smoking habit; Cr and Pb with alcohol consume.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Correlation between metal ions and clinical findings in subjects affected by Alzheimer's disease.

There is a growing interest to evaluate metals in biological fluids in Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are numerous studies on this theme, but just few papers analyzed the relationship between haematic metal concentrations and the clinical features of the disease. In this study, possible associations between clinical features of AD and the variations in serum and blood concentration of some metals, as well as the serum oxidative status and the antioxidant capacity have been investigated. Sixty subjects with AD were enrolled. Some elements correlated with gender, depression and duration of the disease. However, the most significant result was the relationship between blood Ca and Fe levels and the severity of cognitive impairment. We hypothesize that Ca and Fe might play an important role in the pathogenetic mechanisms of AD.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Concentration of elements in serum of patients affected by multiple sclerosis with first demyelinating episode: a six-month longitudinal follow-up study.

Twenty-six chemical elements and oxidative status were determined in serum of 12 patients with first demyelinating episode and brain magnetic resonance imaging compatible with the disease at different time points. Quantifications of Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Sr, V, Tl, W, Zn and Zr, as well as of serum oxidative status and antioxidant capacity were carried out. The results were compared with values obtained from healthy subjects living in the same geographic area. Concentration variability, expressed as coefficient of variation (CV), was evaluated over a six months longitudinal follow-up. The CV was higher for Li and Pb, while showed minimal variation for Ca, Cu, Mg and Zn--elements strictly body regulated. Significant difference (p < or = 0.05) in mean concentrations of Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Li, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Si, Sn and Zr between patients at time 0 and controls was also found.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Discriminant analysis to study trace elements in biomonitoring: an application on neurodegenerative diseases.

Quantification of 26 elements was performed in blood of patients affected by neurodegenerative pathologies, i.e., Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and of a control group to study the potential role of blood elements as markers for the different neurodegenerations. A multivariate discriminant analysis (stepwise method) was applied to determine the best set of variables to discriminate among subjects with different health status. Preliminary results show three classification functions of seven elements, namely Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zr.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

The Italian Twin Project: from the personal identification number to a national twin registry.

The unique opportunity given by the "fiscal code", an alphanumeric identification with demographic information on any single person residing in Italy, introduced in 1976 by the Ministry of Finance, allowed a database of all potential Italian twins to be created. This database contains up to now name, surname, date and place of birth and home address of about 1,300,000 "possible twins". Even though we estimated an excess of 40% of pseudo-twins, this still is the world's largest twin population ever collected. The database of possible twins is currently used in population-based studies on multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, celiac disease, and type 1 diabetes. A system is currently being developed for linking the database with data from mortality and cancer registries. In 2001, the Italian Government, through the Ministry of Health, financed a broad national research program on twin studies, including the establishment of a national twin registry. Among all the possible twins, a sample of 500,000 individuals are going to be contacted and we expect to enrol around 120,000 real twin pairs in a formal Twin Registry. According to available financial resources, a sub sample of the enrolled population will be asked to donate DNA. A biological bank from twins will be then implemented, guaranteeing information on future etiological questions regarding genetic and modifiable factors for physical impairment and disability, cancers, cardiovascular diseases and other age related chronic illnesses.

Aging↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical evolution of celiac disease in Italy 1982-2002.

GOALS: The aim of this work is to assess how the clinical features of celiac disease have changed in Italy after the widespread introduction of serologic tests in 1993. STUDY: Twenty Italian Clinical Centers collected information from 1982 until 2002 on 1968 patients older than 18 years diagnosed with celiac disease. RESULTS: The results show that the incidence of atypical and silent cases of celiac disease has increased after the wider availability of serological test, which has allowed earlier diagnosis and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This paper provides a view on the evolution of the clinical features of celiac disease in Italy over 2 decades. The relevance of the analysis is supported by the fact that Italy is one of the countries with the highest incidence of celiac disease. These findings underline the importance of a timely diagnosis of celiac disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Twins in biomedical research and the creation of the "National Twin Registry"].

Twins are a valuable resource for the study of complex traits. The twin method is substantially based on the comparison between correlations and concordance in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins and allows several applications in biomedical and molecular genetic research. It allows either the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the influences that genetic and environmental factors exert on phenotypes or the estimation of trait variability. Moreover, classical genetic linkage analysis is more powerful if performed in DZ twins. However, the twin method has some pitfalls, such as the necessity that collected samples be representative of both twin and general population. For this reason, over the last few years, a number of Countries have established population-based twin registers, which guarantee the maximum level of representation and, consequently, are of extreme value for epidemiological studies. Italy is also implementing a national twin register. The following is the description of the procedure that led to the establishment of the Italian Twin Registry.

Databases, Factual↗