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Biomedical subjects

E Berti

Publications and source records attributed to E Berti.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

HLA antigens in juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis.

The incidence of histocompatibility antigens HLA-A, B, C, DR was studied in 32 Italian children with dermatitis herpetiformis. A significantly increased relative risk was found for B8 (R.R.=6.2), which was present in 50% of the patients as against 14% of the controls and for DR3 (R.R.=11.7), present in 69% of the patients as against 16%. DR7 also appeared to be increased, but only among DR3-negative patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence of DR3 between children with abnormal and normal jejunal biopsy, though there does seem to be a difference in expressivity of the intestinal involvement between DR3 apparent homozygous, DR3 heterozygous and DR3-negative patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

[Neisseria gonorrhoeae: evaluation of a new medium for selective isolation].

The AA. have compared a new medium for the selective isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the Modified New York City - M.N.Y.C.) with the classic Thayer-Martin medium (T.U.). The study has been carried out on 490 patients of the Center for Venereal Diseases of the University of Milan. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been isolated in 31% of cases on M.N.Y.C. and in 27% on T.M. On the M.N.Y.C. medium the growth has been much more rapid and luxuriant. No culture has ever been found to be positive on T.M. and negative on M.N.Y.C. On the M.N.Y.C. medium the bacterial contamination and the growth of yeasts was noted to be less frequent, in particular on cultures from female patients.

Culture Media↗
PubMed1979

[Cutaneous mycobacteriosis of aquaria. A disease transmitted from fish to man].

The Authors refer about one case of cutaneous infection from Mycobacterium marinum transmitted to man from tropical fishes of a fish tank. The Authors describe the lesions produced by mycobacterium in man and in fish, as well as the relevant hystological findings and the microbiological enquiries carried out for isolation and typing. The possibility of direct transmission of a tubercular infection from fish to man has been demonstrated. The Authors think it to be useful a careful sanitary control on the ichthyc fauna destined to domestic fish tanks.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of duodenal and jejunal lesions in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Sixty-eight patients with dermatitis herpetiformis underwent jejunal suction biopsies and/or multiple endoscopic duodenal biopsies to evaluate the incidence of small bowel mucosal atrophy and to compare the diagnostic yield of the two methods. Small bowel function tests were also performed to evaluate the extent of functional impairment. Small bowel lesions were observed in 89.4% of jejunal suction biopsies and in 100% of endoscopic duodenal biopsies. Of the 10 patients who underwent both procedures, one had lesions only in the duodenum, one had more severe lesions in the duodenum than in the jejunum, while the remaining 8 patients showed identical lesions at both sites. The 1-h blood d-xylose test after a dose of 5 g proved more sensitive than xylosuria or serum folic acid assay in detecting subclinical malabsorption. Finally, histological features of gluten-sensitive enteropathy can be found in nearly 100% of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with duodenal biopsies is at least as sensitive as jejunal suction biopsy in assessing small bowel involvement in dermatitis herpetiformis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors: a "benign" tumor with hepatic metastasis after 11 years.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) constitue the largest category of primary non-epithelial neoplasms of the stomach and small bowel. They are characterized by a remarkable cellular variability and their malignant potential is sometimes difficult to predict. Very recent studies, using mitotic count and tumor size as the best determinants of biological behavior, divide GISTs into three groups: benign, borderline and malignant tumors. We report on a male patient who underwent a right hepatectomy for a large metastasis 11 years after the surgical treatment of an antral-pyloric gastric neoplasm, histologically defined as leiomyoblastoma and with clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical features of benignity (low mitotic count, tumor size < 5 cm, low cellular proliferation index). Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the hepatic metastasis showed the cellular proliferation index (Ki-67) to be positive in 25% of neoplastic cells, as opposed to the primary gastric tumor in which Ki-67 was positive in only 5% of neoplastic cells. In conclusion, although modern immunohistochemical techniques are now available to obtain useful prognostic information, the malignant potential of GISTs is sometimes difficult to predict: neoplasms clinically and histologically defined as benign could metastasize a long time after oncologically correct surgical treatment. Therefore, benign GISTs also require consistent, long-term follow-up.

Hepatectomy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Experimental vitreous replacement with perfluorophenanthrene.

PURPOSE: We studied the toxicity of perfluorophenanthrene (PFP), used as short-, medium-, or long-term internal tamponading substance, on the rabbit choroid and retina. The aim was the check whether PFP is tolerated as a tamponade in the eye or damages the retina, and if any such damage is due to toxicity or to emulsification which may stimulate phagocytosis. METHODS: Twenty-four right eyes of rabbits operated by vitrectomy were filled with 0.8-1 ml of PFP as retinal tamponading substance. Twelve eyes were operated by vitrectomy and filled with 0.8-1 ml of balanced salt solution as the control group. Direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy was done on the third and seventh day after surgery, then once a week. Enucleation, with histological and immunohistochemical examination, was done on the second day, then in the first, second, fourth and eighth weeks after surgery. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Histological examination showed progressive damage of the chorioretinal tissues right from the second week: the chorioretinal structure was completely altered from the eighth week. Immunohistochemical examinations showed that glia cells were involved in the inflammation consequent to internal tamponade with PFP.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Coagulation factor XIII, endothelial damage and systemic sclerosis.

In the blood coagulation process, Factor XIII (F XIII) is responsible for the stabilization of the fibrin clot. The hypothesized ability of this blood coagulation factor to affect collagen synthesis and degradation led to its use in the treatment of scleroderma. However, the complex mechanism of action of F XIII remains unclear. The aim of our study was to assess possible effects of F XIII on endothelial damage, regarded as an early pathogenic event in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Thus, we measured plasma levels of von Willebrand factor antigen (vWF:Ag), a marker of endothelial cell injury, in 22 patients with SSc, 9 of whom were treated with F XIII and 13 who do not receive the drug. The plasma concentration of F XIII has also been analyzed. Interestingly, the vWF:Ag plasma levels within the group of SSc patients treated with F XIII were significantly lower than those of untreated SSc individuals (p < 0. 02). On the other hand, the highest mean value of vWF:Ag was found in a subset of untreated subjects having SSc with severe lung involvement, supporting a strict relationship between elevated levels of vWF:Ag and severity of the disease. In contrast, plasma concentration of F XIII resulted normal in all but 3 SSc patients, ruling out a deficiency of this blood coagulation factor as promoting the occurrence of SSc. These preliminary findings seem to support the hypothesis that F XIII may play an improving role on endothelial damage, other than the initially suggested action on collagen metabolism, in SSc.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cytotoxicity of paclitaxel in combination with cisplatin and a new Pt-mercaptopyridine complex.

In vitro synergy has been reported for exposure to paclitaxel prior to cis-platin (cis-DDP), whereas the reverse sequence resulted in antagonism. There is no clear evidence for an intracellular origin of the schedule-dependent interaction, but several hypotheses have been proposed, such as effects at the level of DNA crosslinks, or binding to tubulin sites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of these two drugs as single agents, in combination and in sequence, against a human colon adenocarcinoma cell line (LoVo). Moreover, we considered the new Pt-mercaptopyridine complex C/2, was like cis-platin in being able to alter DNA conformation. We have therefore studied the cytotoxic effects after single agent exposure, concomitant exposure (paclitaxel + cis-platin and paclitaxel + C/2) and sequential drugs exposure (paclitaxel-->cis-platin and cis-platin-->paclitaxel or paclitaxel-->C/2 and C/2-->paclitaxel). Our results demonstrate that the most cytotoxic effect is induced by paclitaxel and C/2 exposure both in the case of concomitant cell treatment and sequential exposure paclitaxel-->C/2.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Differential diagnosis between usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) assessed by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of high-resolution CT in the differential diagnosis between UIP and NSIP, and the correlations with histological and functional findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients underwent thin-collimation spiral CT (1 mm), with 10-mm interval. Pulmonary function was assessed with a pneumotacograph and body plethysmograph connected with a computer for data analysis. Three pathologists, blinded to the clinical and functional data, provided a histological diagnosis based on established criteria reported in the literature. The study group only included patients with a histological diagnosis of either UIP or NSIP. RESULTS: We achieved a correct diagnosis of NSIP in 86.6% of cases (76.4% sensitivity; 84.6% specificity), whereas UIP was correctly diagnosed in 73.3% of cases (84.6% sensitivity; 76.5% specificity). An 80% agreement was achieved between the HRCT and histological findings in the whole case series (73% sensitivity, 87% specificity, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The most important finding of our study was that a ground glass appearance equal to or greater than 15% is highly suggestive of NSIP. Therefore, our results could be useful to confirm a suggested diagnosis of NSIP.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of cellular immunity in the pathogenesis of autoimmune skin diseases.

The pathomechanism of most autoimmune skin diseases is still elusive; however, recent clinical and basic research is leading novel insights into the cellular and molecular biological underlying pathways. Several types of infectious skin diseases are infiltrated by significant number of gamma/delta T cells and similar observations have been made in selected immune-mediated skin conditions. In particular, a role for gamma/delta T cells has been suggested in discoid lupus erythematosus, contact dermatitis, herpetiformis dermatitis, necrotizing cutaneous vasculitis, and cutaneous lesions of systemic sclerosis. The pathogenesis of these diseases is different and this may suggest multiple potential functions of this subset of T cells in the immune system of the skin. Furthermore, most T cells infiltrating tissue and organs undergoing fibrosis have the potential to produce high levels of interleukin 4. This is particularly true for the CD8+ or CD4+ CD8+ double positive T-cell subsets. Furthermore, leukocyte recruitment is a key event in immunity and a better understanding of the signals involved in autoimmune diseases constitutes a valuable basis for the development of new strategies, which control leukocyte migration and function under pathological conditions.

Apoptosis↗