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Biomedical subjects

E Capparelli

Publications and source records attributed to E Capparelli.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Visual dysfunction without retinitis in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection may have noninfectious and infectious retinopathies, as well as clinical symptoms consistent with optic nerve dysfunction. Noninfectious acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related retinopathy is seen in most patients with AIDS. Morphologic studies have shown that the number of retrobulbar optic nerve fibers in patients with AIDS is decreased compared to the number of optic nerve fibers in normal control eyes. To determine whether these patients had a visual dysfunction consistent with damage to the macula and optic nerve, 78 subjects (156 eyes) were studied using color-vision and contrast-sensitivity testing. The Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue color-vision test was performed on all subjects and age-corrected color-vision scores for all groups were compared. A significant decrease in color discrimination was found in the patients with AIDS (P less than .001). Contrast-sensitivity testing disclosed a deficit of contrast threshold in patients with AIDS at four of five spatial frequencies and in patients with AIDS-related complex at three of the five spatial frequencies examined. This study demonstrated a functional visual deficit in eyes without retinitis consistent with dysfunction of the macula or optic nerve in patients with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1992

Lack of retinal toxicity of the anticytomegalovirus drug (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl) cytosine.

The drug (S)-1-(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonylmethoxypropyl) cytosine (HPMPC) is an antiherpesvirus group compound with a higher potency and longer duration of action against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) than ganciclovir or foscarnet. Twenty eyes of ten New Zealand white rabbits received 0.1-ml injections of either normal saline or HPMPC at doses of 10, 50, 100, 300, or 1000 micrograms. The animals were killed on days 14 and 28. Toxicity was assessed by indirect ophthalmoscopy, electroretinography (ERG), and light and electron microscopy. Both a- and b-wave ERG findings and indirect ophthalmoscopic appearance of retinas in all groups were normal. Light and electron microscopy of perfusion-fixed retinal tissue revealed no morphologic changes at doses of 100 micrograms or lower. The pharmacokinetics of eight rabbits injected intravitreally with 100 micrograms of HPMPC showed a 24.4-hr half-life for the drug. These results indicate that HPMPC is not toxic to the rabbit retina at 500-1000-fold the dose that is effective in suppressing CMV infections. Doses of 100 micrograms also were injected into the vitreous of monkey eyes. Intravitreal injections of HPMPC may be efficacious in inhibiting CMV retinitis for longer dosing intervals than can be used with other anti-CMV compounds.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Flecainide.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Anti-Arrhythmia Agents↗
PubMed1975

Microflora of maize prepared as tortillas.

Very little is known of the microflora in tortillas, the major component in the diet of many Guatemalans and other Central Americans. Based in a Guatemalan highland Indian village, this study examined the types and amounts of bacteria, yeasts, and molds in tortillas and in their maize precursors. Coliforms, Bacillus cereus, two species of Staphylococcus, and many types of yeast were the main contaminants, but low concentrations of alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus, facultative Clostridium, and other bacterial types were also found. When tortillas were first cooked, the bacterial counts dropped to 1,000 or fewer organisms per g, a safe level for consumption. Under village conditions, bacterial counts regained precooking levels (about 10(8) organisms/g) within 24 h and rose even higher after 48 h. Reheating caused very little change; hence, bacterial levels remained very high in old tortillas kept for later consumption. A search for the sources of contamination showed that most came from water used in preparation and from the soiled hands of women preparing the tortillas. As an attempt to correct certain nutritional needs of the population, the Institute of Nutrition for Central America and Panama initiated a tortilla fortification project in the Guatemalan village. The bacterial counts in fortified tortillas did not differ significantly from those in oridinary tortillas. Furthermore, the level of contamination was constant among tortillas of different sizes and among tortillas made from different types of maize.

Aerobiosis↗