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Biomedical subjects

E Ferrari

Publications and source records attributed to E Ferrari.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Neutrophils as mediators of human skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion syndrome.

Nine patients with aortic aneurysm undergoing arterial reconstruction with temporary aortic occlusion were studied. Since a typical condition of ischemia-reperfusion of the muscles of the lower limbs was created during this surgery, muscle biopsies from the right femoral quadriceps as well as blood samples from the homolateral saphenous vein were taken: (1) before clamping of the aorta, (2) just before declamping, and (3) 30 minutes after reperfusion. Light microscopy revealed a consistent granulocyte infiltration in the ischemic and reperfused skeletal muscle. Ultrastructural damage to the muscle fibers was seen during ischemia and became more severe upon reperfusion. The recruitment of granulocytes into the muscle tissue paralleled the activation of the blood complement system and an increase in circulating neutrophils. Although a spontaneous superoxide anion (O2-) generation from such granulocytes cannot be proved, upon stimulation with formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine neutrophils showed a reduced ability in O2 free radical production at the end of ischemia and enhanced O2- generation at reperfusion as compared with the controls. All these findings indicate an active role of granulocytes in the genesis of reperfusion-induced tissue injuries.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Cardiovascular complications of interferon].

Interferon, a fairly recent drug, is used in some cancers and other diseases. The adverse effects include cardiotoxicity which was recognized from phase-I trials. Some of these complications are very common and not serious at the dose levels administered: transient hypotension at the beginning of the treatment, atrial extrasystole. Other effects are less common and not dangerous: low-level conduction impairment or reversible hypertension as the authors recalled. There are also a much more serious forms of toxicity which may be life-threatening, one of which seems to be dose-dependent and consists of the onset of cardiomyopathy, which is usually reversible when treatment is stopped, the other is uncontrollable and usually occurs in high-risk cardiac patients from the first few injections and results in sudden death induced by acute coronary artery failure and/or serious ventricular arrhythmia. The physiopathology of this cardiotoxicity remains unknown, but as it is known to exist, rigorous cardiological monitoring of all patients receiving this treatment is necessary.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

[Clinical study of the therapeutic efficacy and tolerance of nimesulide in comparison with a sodium diclofenac in the treatment of acute superficial thrombophlebitis].

The efficacy and tolerability of nimesulide were assessed in a randomized study versus diclofenac sodium in the treatment of 50 patients affected with acute superficial thrombophlebitis. Both drugs, administered in a dose of 1 tablet b.i.d. for 10 days, evidenced a prompt and effective analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity. Particularly, the tolerability of nimesulide was excellent.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Cardiovascular manifestations of Cogan syndrome. Apropos of a case].

The authors describe a case of Cogan's syndrome in a patient with ulcerative colitis complicated by several cardiovascular manifestations including bilateral coronary ostial stenosis, rapidly progressive aortic regurgitation and aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, thrombosis of the common iliac artery and pericardial symphysis. This rare form of inflammatory arteritis, the diagnosis of which is usually made on the finding of associated ocular and auditory involvement, is distinct from other types of angiitis by the predisposition to severe cardiovascular complications which influence the vital prognosis. The differential diagnosis with more common collagen diseases with cardiovascular complications is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Influence of triphasic oral contraceptives on blood rheology and hemostatic and metabolic patterns in young women. Results of a three-year study.

Long-term (three-year) variations in clinical, hemorheologic, hemostatic and blood lipid parameters were evaluated in 20 young healthy women taking a triphasic oral contraceptive. Body weight, arterial blood pressure, whole blood, plasma and serum viscosity, erythrocyte deformability, fibrinogen, fibronectin, alpha-2 macroglobulin, Von Willebrand factor antigen, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids, total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein B levels remained unchanged throughout the study. However, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A1 serum concentrations increased significantly during treatment. Long-term use of the triphasic oral contraceptive does not seem to adversely affect the blood rheology pattern or vascular endothelium function, which are the main factors responsible for the development of thromboembolic complications.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Extracellular enzymes: gene regulation and structure function relationship studies.

The first conclusion that one could make from the literature covered in this section is that most single mutations in subtilisin BPN'n do not cause major structural alterations. Even multiple mutations, though they may cause local minor perturbations at each of the altered sites, do not affect the overall structure to a large degree. Bott and Ultsch (1986) observed that the subtilisin BPN' structure is very tolerant of single mutations, and this tolerance may have been necessary for survival of the enzyme during the course of evolution. This structural tolerance is not all that surprising if one considers that the structure of subtilisin Carlsberg is very similar to that of subtilisin BPN' while the protein sequences differ by 31%. A superposition of the 274 alpha-carbon atoms of the two enzymes gives a root mean square (rms) deviation of 0.053 nm, a value indicating significant structural similarity (McPhalen and James 1988). Furthermore, the fungal enzyme proteinase K, which is classified as part of the subtilisin family, has approximately 38-40% sequence homology with bacilli subtilisins, particularly in the catalytic site and substrate-binding regions (Betzel et al. 1988). For these sequence-homology regions there is also a structural similarity indicated by a least squares superposition of alpha-carbons giving an rms deviation of 0.11 nm (Betzel et al. 1988). Thermitase, also a member of the subtilisin family, has 47% sequence homology to subtilisin BPN' (Gros et al. 1989). If the best 203 alpha-carbon atoms are superposed, then an rms deviation of 0.05 nm is obtained (Gros et al. 1989). Apparently a significant amount of sequence variation still allows for overall structural similarities in the subtilisin family of enzymes. Though the overall structure of subtilisin is not easily perturbed by single or even multiple mutations, it is clear from the evidence reviewed here that single mutations can lead to very significant effects on the catalytic efficiency, substrate preference, and stability of the enzyme. Analyzing the structural alterations in subtilisin mutants will lead to an understanding of the molecular effects of the mutations at the atomic level. This understanding enables investigators to model and predict the effects of other substitutions, and allows them to focus their efforts on those mutants that are most likely to have the desired properties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

[Cardiac toxicity of fluoro-uracil. Typical and atypical aspects. Apropos of 8 cases].

The cardiac toxicity of 5 fluoro-uracil, an antimitotic agent widely used in various protocols, has been known for 16 years. Several cases have been reported in the literature, leading to the suggestion, without formal evidence, that the chief mechanism responsible for this cardiac toxicity is "classical" coronary spasm. However, certain clinical aspects already described may shed doubt on this theory. On the basis of 8 cases, the authors report different clinical pictures all caused by cardiac toxicity of 5FU. It is of interest to note that chest pain with the classically described electrocardiographic changes did not apply in the majority of cases. The commonest pattern was asymptomatic electrocardiographic abnormalities and/or arrhythmias without angina. Among the reported cases, one patient had pain with electrocardiographic abnormalities, recurrent after the withdrawal of 5FU and resistant to maximal medical treatment, despite the absence of any coronary disease or signs of spasm. One patient had a first myocardial infarction, later rechallenge with the drug resulting in failure. In another patient, with known coronary disease, 5FU probably cause cardiogenic shock. In total, some of our cases, as well as other features described in the literature, raise questions as to the pathophysiology of the cardiac toxicity of 5FU.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[An unusual pericardial tumor: bronchogenic cyst].

The authors report the case of an intrapericardial bronchogenic cyst in a 42 year old woman with no cardiac symptoms. Despite extensive investigation, the final diagnosis was made only at anatomopathological examination. A pericardial localisation of this embryological tumour is very rare and a number of features of the condition are described. In this case, the carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) was a veritable marker of this tumour. This association, described for the first time, between a simple biological marker and an intrapericardial bronchogenic cyst, could be a valuable diagnostic aid in a pathology in which surgery could reasonably be deferred should the diagnosis of bronchogenic cyst be certain.

Adult↗