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Biomedical subjects

E Bertino

Publications and source records attributed to E Bertino.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Absence in human milk of bovine beta-lactoglobulin ingested by the mother. Unreliability of ELISA measurements.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the presence of bovine beta-LG in breast milk. METHODS: Human milk samples from 14 healthy non-atopic women on diets with different cow's milk contents were examined. The total concentration of beta-LG immuno-like proteins (beta-LGIP) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Identification of antigens was done by N-terminal sequencing. RESULTS: beta-LGIP reactivity of the milk from subjects on different diets was not significantly different. Human lactoferrin, beta-casein and alpha-lactalbumin, were identified as cross-reacting antigens. CONCLUSIONS: False-positive results in ELISA determinations of bovine beta-LG in human milk might be due to cross-reactions between polyclonal antibodies and different protein antigens.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Glucocorticoid receptors immunoreactivity in tissue of human embryos.

The exact period when glucocorticoid receptors (GR) appear in human embryos is unknown, however their presence is acknowledged in target tissues before the fetal adrenal cortex secretes cortisol. Determining when GR develop could serve as an index of the importance of glucocorticoids in the morphological and functional development of tissues. The aim of this study was to determine time of onset of GR in human tissues using an immunohistochemical method. Results indicate GR are present in tissues of 8-10-week-old human embryos: in most tissues, the immune reaction was only or predominantly nuclear.

Embryo, Mammalian↗
PubMed1996

Human milk proteins may interfere in ELISA measurements of bovine beta-lactoglobulin in human milk.

It is widely believed that cow's milk proteins ingested by the mother, in particular beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG), can pass into breast milk and thus sensitize predisposed infants. However, studies to evaluate bovine beta-LG in human milk have given conflicting results. The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between the amount of cow's milk in the mother's diet and the presence of bovine beta-LG in breast milk. Human milk samples from 14 healthy non-atopic women on diets with different cow's milk contents were examined. The total concentration of bovine beta-LG or beta-LG immuno-like proteins (beta-LGIP) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Two separation procedures utilizing ELISA plates and an affinity chromatography column were set up to identify the human whey components recognized by the anti-beta-LG antibodies. beta-LGIP reactivities of milk from three groups on different diets were not significantly different. After splitting the antigen-antibody complexes, three main protein components, human lactoferrin, human beta-casein and human alpha-lactalbumin, were identified. This study would suggest that, at least in healthy subjects, false-positive results in ELISA determinations of bovine beta-LG in human milk might be due to cross-reactions between polyclonal antibodies and different protein antigens.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Fetal growth velocity: kinetic, clinical, and biological aspects.

With the aim of determining fetal growth kinetics, prenatal data were analysed which had been longitudinally collected in the framework of a perinatal growth survey. The sample comprised 238 singleton normal pregnancies, selected in Genoa and Turin (between 1987 and 1990), and repeatedly assessed by ultrasound scans (five to nine per pregnancy). Five morphometric traits were considered: BPD (biparietal diameter), OFD (occipitofrontal diameter), HC (head circumference), FDL (femur diaphysis length) and AC (abdomen circumference). Growth rate seemed to increase in the early part of the second trimester, and decrease subsequently: velocity peaks were steeper and earlier for head diameters and circumference (about 18 weeks) than for femur length (20 weeks) and abdomen circumference (22 weeks). Velocity standards were traced using a longitudinal two-stage linear model: this ensures unbiased description of the shape of the growth curve, even when growth kinetics are asynchronous, and efficient estimation of the outer centiles--the most useful for diagnostic purposes.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1993

Immunolike growth hormone substance in tissues from human embryos/fetuses and adults.

GH immunolike reactivity was measured by RIA and IRMA tests in the extracts of tissues from human fetuses (8-32 weeks) and adults. For some fetal tissues a comparison was made with the T4 values obtained in a previous study. Both hormones were already measurable in peripheral tissues at 8 weeks of gestation. The increase in GH was faster than for T4 and it reached the zenith at approximately 20 weeks; thereafter, the GH concentration declined until delivery. In contrast, T4 progressively increased until term. Thirteen tissues were studied both in fetuses and in adults: the GH concentration was about 10 times higher in fetal tissues, with the exception of the brain and the pancreas. The brain showed the lowest GH concentration throughout fetal life and adulthood, whereas the highest GH levels were recorded in adults' pancreas, but they resulted to be artifacts since the RIA values were not confirmed by the IRMA test. In both groups of subjects the highest GH concentrations were found in kidneys, liver and small intestine; the lowest, beyond the brain, in red muscle and cartilage. Thus, the pattern of the quantitative distribution of GH in fetal tissues is the same as in adults, suggesting a functional role of the hormone in the developing human during the prenatal period, in contrast with the concept that high tissue levels of GH are a mere reflection of high GH blood levels. Moreover, in all tissues examined no correlation was found between GH and T4 concentration.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Serum prealbumin standards in the neonatal period].

Serum prealbumin standards for the first and sixth days of life have been determined by immunoprecipitation ascertained with kinetic nephelometry in two samples of healthy newborns, born at term and of normal weight.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1986

Development of thyroid function between VI-IX month of fetal life in humans.

Well-preserved thyroid glands from 28 fetuses 22-34 weeks of gestational age and from 4 term newborns who survived at most 12 days were examined to study thyroid development in late intrauterine life. Total iodine thyroglobulin (Tg), T4, T3 and rT3 were assayed before and after hydrolysis with pronase. In the same maternity unit the cord-serum of 25 healthy term newborns was also assayed and the urine iodine on the day of delivery was tested in 52 newborns and their mothers. Results are expressed as mean values +/- SD. The thyroid gland weight ratio to body weight for the preterms was 0.063 +/- 0.024; thyroid Tg content 5.9 +/- 4.0 mg/g; total thyroid iodine 41.7 +/- 35.1 micrograms/g; Tg iodination 0.72 +/- 0.37%; hormone quota of Tg iodine 39.9 +/- 12.4. Molar ratios were: T4/Tg 3.3 +/- 1.6, T3/Tg 0.25 +/- 0.14, rT3/Tg 0.072 +/- 0.059. Considerable differences in thyroid iodine content and Tg iodination were observed although the availability of iodine was presumably the same. The high Tg iodination reflects the enhanced uptake of the fetal thyroid. The quantity of iodine involved in hormonogenesis varied greatly among fetuses of the same gestational age, this being in the third term as active as in fully mature thyroids. Hormonogenesis seemed preferentially directed to production of T4 and rT3, which, in the latter case, is higher peripherically. Four preterms with a particularly low level of hormonogenesis were not seen to have deficient levels of thyroid iodine or Tg iodination and the most compromised step was the iodine utilization in the production of hormones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Congenital Hypothyroidism↗