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Biomedical subjects

E Politi

Publications and source records attributed to E Politi.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Association between polymorphisms of the atrial natriuretic peptide gene and proteinuria: a population-based study.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: In case-control studies, polymorphisms at the atrial natriuretic peptide gene (ANP) locus have been associated with presence of albuminuria in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the relationship between the ScaIand BstxI polymorphisms and albuminuria in the general population of the Mexico City Diabetes Study. METHODS: Allele/genotype frequencies were analysed by PCR-RFLP analysis using ScaI (wild, A(2) vs mutated, A(1)) and BstxI (wild, C(708) vs mutated, T(708)) enzyme. RESULTS: Among 1288 subjects, hypertension was present in 112 subjects, Type 2 diabetes in 191 and impaired glucose tolerance in 136; microalbuminuria was present in 464 subjects, and clinical proteinuria in 199. General frequencies were 0.93 and 0.96 for the wild alleles, and 0.07 and 0.04 for the mutated alleles, respectively for ScaI and BstxI. Frequency of A(1)was 0.08 in normoalbuminuric, 0.05 in microalbuminuric, and 0.05 in proteinuric patients (chi(2)=7.3, p=0.025). Frequency of T(708) was 0.06 in normoalbuminuric and 0.03 microalbuminuric and 0.03 in proteinuric subjects (chi(2)=8.1, p=0.017). By multivariate analysis, the associations between A(1)or T(708) allele and albuminuria were independent of age, sex, BMI, diabetes, and hypertension, (odds ratio (OR) 0.60, p=0.01, (OR) 0.51, p=0.004, respectively). CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: In the general population of Mexico City, both polymorphisms of ANP are associated with albuminuria independently of hypertension, and could play a role in protecting subjects against development of albuminuria.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PaHs) in subcutaneous biopsies of Mediterranean cetaceans.

The aim of the present study was to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in free-ranging Mediterranean cetaceans as they are likely to cause chemical stress in the organisms of this basin. Blubber samples were collected from live specimens of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) by means of biopsies, a non-destructive biological method. Fin whales were sampled in the Ligurian Sea, whereas striped dolphins were collected in the Ligurian and the Ionian Seas. A fingerprint of 14 PAHs was obtained for both species. In whales, the median value of total PAHs was 1970 ppb fresh weight (f.w.) while median carcinogenic PAH values were 89.80 ppb f.w.; in dolphins, the median values of total and carcinogenic PAHs were 29,500 and 676.00 ppb f.w., respectively. The different PAH values between the two species can be attributed to the different positions they take in the Mediterranean food web. The sampling period significantly influenced PAH concentrations of fin whales.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2001

A neural network approach to the outcome definition on first treatment with sertraline in a psychiatric population.

Therapy decision is one of the most important tasks clinicians have to perform in their clinical practice. The decision process requires taking into account many different factors. The Authors have proposed a neural computing approach for supporting clinical decision analysis. The mathematical model of artificial neural network (ANN) has been applied on a pool of clinical information gathered through case description freely filled by senior psychiatrists into 416 clinical charts. Sertraline, as drug for treatment, has been chosen since its clinical uses range from treatment of depression to that of many other psychiatric clinical conditions so that it has been thought to be a good candidate to this type of study. The ANN performance in forecasting successful and unsuccessful treatment cases showed an overall accuracy of classification of 97.35%. This result suggests a possible future application of this method to obtain a reliable prediction of a given psychiatric patient outcome during a specific psychopharmacological therapy, optimising the decisional making process.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation and characterization of micronuclei induced by the antitumour agent ASE [3beta-hydroxy-13alpha-amino-13, 17-seco-5alpha-androstan-17-oic-13, 17-lactam-p-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino phenylacetate] in human lymphocyte cultures.

3beta - Hydroxy - 13alpha - amino - 13, 17 - seco - 5alpha - androstan - 17 -oic-13,17-lactam-p-bis(2-chloroethyl)amino phenylacetate (ASE) is a homo-aza-steroidal ester of p-bis(2-chloroethyl) amino phenyl acetic acid and has been shown to display antineoplastic, mutagenic and genotoxic activity. In the present study an effort has been made to evaluate the ability of ASE to induce micronuclei (MN) in human lymphocytes treated in vitro using the cytokinesis-block assay. Lympocytes were treated with different concentrations of ASE (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 microg/ml) at two different cell culture times, 21 and 41 h after culture initiation. ASE treatment lasted until cell harvest, for 51 and 31 h, respectively. Two types of cultures were used, whole blood and isolated lymphocyte cultures. The content of induced MN was identified by FISH analysis, using an alpha-satellite DNA probe, in binucleate cells. Our results suggest that ASE is capable of increasing MN frequencies in human lymphocytes under both culture conditions. This increase is related to the concentration in a linear dose-dependent manner and is also dependent on the duration of treatment. FISH analysis has shown that the induced MN resulted mainly from breakage events. Additionally, a weak aneugenic effect was found at the higher concentrations in whole blood cultures as well as in isolated lymphocyte cultures. Cytotoxic effects of ASE were observed under both cell culture conditions with a linear dose-dependent relationship according to CBPI evaluation and were more pronounced in isolated lymphocyte cultures.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Polymorphic MAO-A and 5-HT-transporter genes: analysis of interactions in panic disorder.

Recurrent panic attacks, anticipatory anxiety and phobic avoidance characterise panic disorder. The influence of genetic factors on liability to the disease has been the object of several linkage and association studies and appears to relate to an oligo- or polygenic rather than a monogenic mode of inheritance. Recently, an excess of high activity monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) gene promoter alleles was found in female patients with panic disorder. An analysis of possible synergistic effects of the MAO-A gene promoter variant and the short serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene promoter variant in panic disorder was performed in a German and an Italian sample (combined panic disorder n = 144, combined controls n = 175). There was no significant difference in odds ratios, suggesting that the observed increase of genetic liability by the long MAO-A gene promoter allele is not modified by the 5-HTT gene promoter polymorphism.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Artificial neural networks: a study in clinical psychopharmacology

Controlled trials in clinical psychopharmacology may fail to provide reliable information about the benefit of treatment when the patient is viewed in a real-life setting rather than as part of a well-defined sampling procedure. A viewpoint, rooted in systems theory, is proposed based on the identification of complex relationships among such dimensions as clinician's reasoning, drug properties, and patient's condition. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technology provides efficient tools for data analysis within a systems-oriented approach. This study proposes a way to predict the outcome of psychopharmacological treatment. Analysis was conducted on retrospective data from clinical records of psychiatric patients treated with moclobemide. Twelve pharmacological, diagnostic, and topological variables were identified as the decisional items considered by six clinicians: age at onset, sex, previous treatment, duration and dose of moclobemide treatment, other drugs, psychiatric diagnosis and other clinical features. Data were binarily coded and transformed into observed frequencies in the sampling space; treatment outcome was binarily scored as the model's target. A Back-Propagation ANN based on the Delta rule with logistic transfer function was used. ANN correctly classified all cases of successful treatment (n = 51, 100%) but only half of the unsuccessful cases (n = 14, 52%). Patterns of response and areas of uncertainty were analyzed in a topological approach.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1997

Asthma and panic attacks.

Panic disorder (PD) and asthma share many common characteristics and have been found in epidemiological studies to be significantly comorbid. To investigate possible reasons for this overlapping, the authors evaluated 51 patients with asthma, assessing the prevalence of PD and sporadic panic attacks, the temporal relationship between these two disorders, and the familial risk for PD in the families of asthmatics. The results showed significantly higher prevalences of PD, sporadic panic attacks, and social phobia in asthmatics than those reported for the general population. In 9 (90%) of the asthmatics with PD, asthma appeared first. Finally, the morbidity risk for PD in families of asthmatics with PD (13.5%) was significantly higher than in families of asthmatics without evidence of panic (2%). Our results suggest that the high prevalence of PD in asthmatics might be related to a facilitating effect of asthma on the development of PD in subjects with familial predisposition to PD.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Modification of 35% carbon dioxide hypersensitivity across one week of treatment with clomipramine and fluvoxamine: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

The effects of short treatments (7 days) with clomipramine and fluvoxamine on the reactivity to inhalations of 35% CO2/65% O2 were compared in 39 panic patients who had positive responses to 35% CO2 inhalations. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design was applied. Each patient was given the 35% CO2 challenge on days 0 (before starting treatment), 3, and 7. Patients on placebo did not report any significant changes in their reactivity to 35% CO2 across the three sessions, whereas patients on clomipramine and fluvoxamine reported a significant attenuation of the reactivity on day 7. These results indicate that treatments with clomipramine and fluvoxamine decrease hypersensitivity to 35% CO2 after a few days, suggesting a relevant role of the modulation of CO2 sensitivity by the serotonergic system in antipanic properties of these compounds.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Functional promoter polymorphism of the human serotonin transporter: lack of association with panic disorder.

To probe the hypothesis of a role for a functionally relevant 44 bp insertion/deletion of the serotonin transporter promoter in the aetiopathogenesis of panic disorder, we determined the allele frequency of the variant in two samples (combined n = 158) of panic disorder patients (DSMIII-R) and compared it with its allele frequency in two ethnically matched control samples (combined n = 169). The fact that no difference could be observed (x 2 analysis) argues against a major role for this serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism in the aetiopathogenesis of panic disorder.

Alleles↗
PubMed1995

Age at onset of panic disorder: influence of familial liability to the disease and of childhood separation anxiety disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the relation of age at onset of panic disorder to liability to panic disorder and agoraphobia. METHOD: Two hundred thirty-one outpatients with panic disorder were compared with 131 surgical outpatients on demographic variables and familial risk of psychiatric disorders. The distribution of patients' ages at onset of panic disorder and several covariates were entered in a stepwise survival analysis. RESULTS: The patients with panic disorder had a significantly higher rate of childhood separation anxiety disorder and higher familial risks of panic disorder/panic disorder with agoraphobia and alcoholism. A family history of panic disorder with agoraphobia and the presence of childhood separation anxiety disorder influenced age at onset of panic disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Age at onset of panic disorder may reflect genetic penetrance, and separation anxiety disorder may be an individual predictor of earlier onset of panic disorder.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A new tripeptide, Pol 509, influences biochemical events associated with antigen presentation efficiency of PPD-specific EBV-B cells.

A synthetic tripeptide (pGLU-LEU-TRP-OCH3) Pol 509, derived from snake venom, was studied directly by analyzing the interactions with synthetic lipid bilayers using NMR spectroscopy. Functional studies were also performed by measuring the effects: i), on early biochemical events (adenyl cyclase and phospholipase C activation products), intermediate (surface Ag expression) and late (DNA synthesis) parameters following B-cell activation elicited by PPD-linkage to specific membrane Ig; and ii), on the presentation of PPD to Ag-specific T-cell lines. Comparative experiments using PMA and IFN-gamma were also performed. We found that all parameters studied were affected by Pol 509 treatment. In fact, while PPD linkage to mlg reversed the balance between cAMP and IP3 existing in unstimulated EBV-B cells, Pol 509 reduced the PPD-induced accumulation of cAMP to control values and induced a further decrease of IP3 level. Pol 509-mediated decrease of these second messenger levels was accompanied by a slight increase of HLA-DR molecule expression and DNA synthesis inhibition. Furthermore, Pol 509 enhanced the efficiency of PPD presentation to T-cell lines. Taken together, these observations suggest that Pol 509, which enhances Ag presentation by modifying second messenger levels, may be considered as a new immunomodulatory drug with immunopotentiating activity.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comorbidity of panic and somatization disorder: a genetic-epidemiological approach.

Although recent diagnostic systems support the distinctiveness of panic disorder (PD) and somatization disorder, a high level of comorbidity of these two diagnoses has been reported, indicating a need for investigations with external validators. One hundred fifty-nine outpatients with DSM-III-R PD and 76 surgical controls were screened for lifetime presence of DSM-III-R somatization disorder, and the risks for some types of psychiatric disorders in their families were computed. In our sample, 23% of women and 5% of men with PD also had DSM-III-R somatization disorder did not differ from women with PD only in age at onset of panic, agoraphobia, childhood history of separation anxiety, or lifetime diagnoses of other disorders. Familial risks for PD, PD-agoraphobia, and alcohol dependence were significantly higher for families of women with PD and women with PD plus somatization disorder than for controls. The familial risks for antisocial personality (ASP) disorder (a familial indicator for the somatization disorder spectrum of liability, phenomenologically independent from both PD and somatization disorder) were significantly higher for families of women with PD plus somatization disorder than for families of women with PD only or for controls. Application of DSM-IV criteria for somatization disorder substantially decreased the comorbidity with PD. Our data suggest that somatization disorder is not simply a form of PD, and that the two disorders may coexist in the same subject without sharing a common genetic diathesis. Compared with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV criteria for somatization disorder appear to be simpler in structure and of less complicated application.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Skin biopsy of Mediterranean cetaceans for the investigation of interspecies susceptibility to xenobiotic contaminants.

Various studies on Mediterranean cetaceans have revealed bioaccumulation of contaminants such as organochlorines (OCs) and heavy metals. The susceptibility of these animals to organic pollutants and the relationship between bioaccumulation and population decline (as in the case of Delphinus delphis) are unexplored fields. In this study, we used a non-destructive approach (skin biopsy) to explore OC bioaccumulation processes and mixed-function oxidase activity (BPMO) in four species of cetaceans: striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), common dolphin (D. delphis) and fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Significant differences in BPMO induction and OC levels were found between odontocetes and mysticetes, the former having mixed-function oxidase activities four times higher than the latter, binding with levels of OCs one order of magnitude higher in odontocetes. A significant correlation (P < 0.05) between BPMO activities and OC levels was found in B. physalus. In an ongoing project, fibroblast cultures have been used as an alternative in vitro method of evaluating interspecies susceptibility to contaminants such as OCs and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These results suggest that cetacean skin biopsies are a powerful non-invasive tool for assessing ecotoxicological risk to Mediterranean marine mammals species.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An investigation of the co-occurrence of panic and somatization disorders through temperamental variables.

OBJECTIVE: The relation of temperamental dimensions to somatization and panic disorders in women was investigated. METHOD: Eighteen patients with both panic and somatization disorders, 41 patients with panic disorder only, and 22 control subjects were compared on the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. RESULTS: The patients with somatization and panic disorders had significantly higher Novelty Seeking values than both the patients with panic only and the control subjects. The only significant correlation was between the number of symptoms of somatization disorder and Novelty Seeking. The presence of other psychiatric conditions, comorbid with panic disorder in the patient group, did not affect significantly the temperamental variables. CONCLUSIONS: A temperamental disposition characterized by extraversion, impulsivity, as well as frequent exploratory activity and pursuit of novel and pleasurable activities may help differentiate women with both somatization and panic disorders from women with panic disorder only.

Adult↗