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Biomedical subjects

E Banfi

Publications and source records attributed to E Banfi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Evidence for (lipo) oligosaccharides in Borrelia burgdorferi and their serological specificity.

SDS-PAGE and Western immunoblot profiles have been determined for different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi. Major proteins of 60 kDa, 41 kDa corresponding to flagellin, 34-36 kDa and 30-31 kDa corresponding to OspB and OspA respectively, and 18-20 kDa corresponding to 'pC' fractions were detected. A "rough" lipopolysaccharide which we called lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of 8-11 kDa appeared to be present, being detected by specific silver staining, as in crude Borrelia lysates as in proteinase K digested Borrelia strains, quite similar in shape among the different strains examined. The LOS reacted in Western blotting with immune anti-B. burgdorferi rabbit serum and also with sera collected from humans affected by Lyme borreliosis. The LOS did not react with sera positive for syphilis or leptospirosis, and their immunological specificity is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Preliminary evaluation of in-vitro antimycobacterial properties of N1-(aryliden)-2-pyridinecarboxyamidrazones.

After preliminary in vitro screening of 17 newly synthesized compounds belonging to the chemical class of N1-(aryliden)-2-pyridinecarboxyamidrazones, active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the ten most promising agents against three clinical isolates were determined by agar dilution. Compounds 12 and 14 were the most active, each inhibiting strain H37Rv at concentrations of 8 microg/ml and having a MIC of 16 microg/ml against the human isolates. The results obtained in this preliminary study confirmed the interesting antitubercular properties of these newly synthesized compounds and allowed us to carry out our investigations over a large number of isolated clinical strains.

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Serosurvey of Leptospira agglutinins among railway employees in the National Railway Compartments of Bologna and Venice.

An epidemiological investigation was performed to evaluate the prevalence of anti-leptospiral agglutinins within a selected population: the railway workers of the Italian Railway Compartments of Bologna and Venice. Leptospira infection prevalence was found to be 10.38%, which represents the highest frequency ever reported in Italy. There was a significantly higher prevalence of agglutinins among the staff of the Railway Compartment of Venice. A clear prevalence of the bratislava serovar was registered, followed by the australis serovar and the icterohaemorrhagiae serovar. The influence of different kinds of railway work and that of supposed risk factors, such as hobbies and housing conditions, together with the influence of the ABO blood groups on the distribution of Leptospira agglutinins, are discussed.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1989

Rapid flow cytometric studies of Borrelia burgdorferi phagocytosis by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

The interactions between a strain of Borrelia burgdorferi and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes were studied by flow cytometry in the presence of specific or non-specific opsonizing factors. The capacity of the borrelias to stimulate leukocyte metabolism was also investigated. The results indicated that a low phagocytosis by isolated purified polymorphonuclear leukocytes did occur in the presence or absence of specific antibodies. Within whole blood the percentages of phagocytosting leukocytes increased in the presence of non-specific opsonizing factors. No stimulation of the oxidative metabolism stimulated by Borrelia was observed and PMA or zymosan stimulation of leukocytes was inhibited by the spirochaetes.

Borrelia↗
PubMed1989

First human isolate of Leptospira interrogans as serovar bratislava in Italy.

A strain of Leptospira interrogans was isolated from a patient suffering from leptospirosis and was typed by the Cross Agglutination Absorption test using monoclonal antibodies prepared against different serovars of the Australis serogroup. This newly isolated strain belonged to serovar bratislava. It is the first reported isolation from man, in Italy, of Leptospira bratislava, thus supporting the emerging role of this serovar in human leptospirosis.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1989

Restriction endonuclease analysis of four Borrelia burgdorferi strains.

A restriction endonuclease analysis was performed on four strains of Borrelia burgdorferi: one isolated from man (SF), one from Ixodes dammini (B31) and two from I. ricinus (BITS in Italy and B45 in Germany). Digestion by Taq I and Hae III gave the best resolution of the DNA fragments. Three different restriction patterns were obtained: BITS and B45 showed only one band difference. These results correlate with the reactivity of the four strains with monoclonal antibodies.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1988

Leptospiral lipopolysaccharide presence in the outer envelope: electrophoretic evidence and immunological specificity.

Purified preparations of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) extracted from two different strains of Leptospira interrogans have been electrophoretically analyzed in order to determine their location at the level of outer envelope (OE). Evidence has been collected for the presence of some LPS fractions in the OE, suggesting that a part of this molecule is embedded in the membrane structure. The serological specificity of the LPS has been in addition tested by means of monoclonal antiserovar antibodies (Moabs); the results indicated that the LPS structure is endowed of the immunodeterminants of the serovar. The remarkable relevance of this finding for the Leptospira taxonomy is discussed.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1987

Effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on adhesion of Campylobacter jejuni in vitro.

The effects of sub-inhibitory concentrations (MIC 50 and MIC 25) of clindamycin, erythromycin and chloramphenicol on the adherence of Campylobacter jejuni to INT 407 cells were studied. The results indicated that the adhesion was inhibited at various extents, mostly by MIC 50, and that the inhibition increased with time. The interpretation of our data is that the antibiotics can interfere with the adhesin(s) synthesis.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1986

Alkaline phosphatase and gamma glutamyltranspeptidase in human lymphomas.

Alkaline phosphatase (AP) and gamma glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) were studied in normal lymphoid cells and in 28 cases of human lymphomas (23 of non-Hodgkin's and 5 of Hodgkin's disease). The expression of AP was enhanced in several samples with a high proportion of mature B cells, particularly in centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma, whereas tissues mainly composed of T cells always showed low levels of this enzyme. GGT levels were high in thymus, as well as in centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma and other NHL, thus demonstrating no restriction to a particular cell lineage. Some B-cell neoplasms with cellular origin different from that of centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia and centrocytic lymphoma, had low levels of both enzymes. The role of investigation with specific antibodies against these two enzymatic activities in the physiology of lymphoma cell membrane is discussed.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1986

Serosurvey on the presence of leptospiral agglutinins in humans in Northern Italy.

The article reports data concerning a serosurvey carried out in the province of Gorizia as a part of a research project sponsored by the National Research Council (CNR) on the epidemiological status of leptospirosis in Northern Italy. Microagglutination tests have been carried out on sera taken from randomly chosen healthy people and from humans exposed to occupational hazards, at a representing sample size for each category. The results have shown 8.29% agglutinin prevalence in healthy people, serovars bratislava, sejroe and canicola being predominant. Prevalence agglutinin rates were higher in meat workers (11.76%), sweepers (16.66%) and breeders (40%); in the latter category antibodies to Leptospira hardjo have been found out; this is the first reported instance of human contamination by L. hardjo in Italy.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1986

Heterogeneity of lipopolysaccharide banding patterns in Leptospira spp.

Strains of Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira biflexa, examined by electrophoresis after whole cell lysis and protein digestion, revealed the presence of 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate and an heterogeneous lipopolysaccharide electrophoretic banding pattern, which was characteristic of the species.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗
PubMed1984

New trends in the rapid serodiagnosis of leptospirosis.

TR/Patoc slide test, ELISA and TIA (Thin-Layer Immunoassay) were evaluated for their use in a rapid serodiagnosis of human leptospirosis. The results obtained indicated that the TR/Patoc slide test is very sensitive and able to detect within a few minutes early antibodies against whichever serovar of leptospires, like the antigens of the Galton test. The value of the ELISA test in detecting antibodies at a low level is confirmed. The TIA assay, employed here for the first time for the diagnosis of leptospirosis, though sensitive seemed too long to perform and consequently it is not a test of choice for a rapid screening of sera.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed1983

Activation of complement by leptospires and its bactericidal activity.

Bactericidal activity of complement was found to be effective on saprophytic Leptospira biflexa strains and not on Leptospira interrogans strains, by means of viable counting; the killing effect on saprophytic strains was probably due to a direct activation of the complement system via the alternative pathway. On the contrary the pathogenic strains seemed to activate the complement at a lower extent and were, in any case, resistant to the lytic action of the activated complement.

Animals↗