Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F Cerutti.
A study was conducted on 28 paediatric patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), followed up for 2 years from onset of the disease. In this group, 14 were treated with semisynthetic human insulin, 14 with monocomponent porcine insulin. No statistically significant difference was found between the clinical and metabolic parameters examined in the two groups.
In the present study, we investigated the interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and the proliferative responses by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) of 23 children suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). In addition, the presence of circulating activated T lymphocytes expressing the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2 R) and HLA-DR antigens was evaluated. The patients were tested at hospital admittance, before starting insulin treatment. Decreased IL-2 production by phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-activated PBMNC of IDDM patients was observed when compared to normal donors. In contrast, the proliferative responses of PBMNC to PHA and Con A were in the normal range. The expression of IL-2 R on patient's lymphocytes was not different from that observed in normal donors, whereas the relative and absolute number of HLA-DR+ T cells was increased. These results confirm the presence in IDDM patients of an imbalanced cellular immune response and demonstrate that the IL-2 deficiency is already present at the diagnosis and is not correlated with insulin administration.
1. Intracellular Na+ concentration [Na+]i and Na+ extrusion catalysed by sodium potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase (Na+, K+-pump) were evaluated in erythrocytes from 21 obese children and 20 normal weight- and age-matched controls. 2. Obese children showed a significantly decreased Vmax. for Na+, K+-pump-mediated Na+ efflux (5638 +/- 338 vs 7597 +/- 335 mumol h-1 litre-1 of cells mean +/- SEM, P = 0.01), while [Na+]i (9.3 +/- 0.3 vs 9.1 +/- 0.5 mmol/litre of cells, mean +/- SEM, NS) and Na+ efflux in fresh cells (2380 +/- 153 vs 2533 +/- 180 mumol h-1 litre-1 of cells, mean +/- SEM, NS) were similar in both groups. 3. Mean diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in obese children than in controls, although both groups were normotensive (73.8 +/- 1.3 vs 66.2 +/- 1.9 mmHg, mean +/- SEM, P = 0.009). 4. Abnormal Na+, K+-pump activity is present in individuals with idiopathic obesity. 5. The possible link between obesity and blood pressure regulation may be mediated through modifications in Na+,K+-pump activity.
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The method presented here is based on the ability of ethambutol to give chelates with divalent cationic metals. With copper salts, the chelate presents a characteristic ultraviolet absorbance at 270 nm, making it possible to titrate ethambutol extracted from plasma with chloroform in alkaline medium. The column which was used contained silica (LiChrosorb Si 60, 5 microns) and the mobile phase was a mixture of equal parts of water and acetonitrile, containing copper sulphate and ammonia. The internal standard was a lower homologue of ethambutol with the same chelating ability. The detection limit was 0.15 mg/l. No interference with other antitubercular agents was observed.
The influence on metabolic control and the possible side effects of a diet rich in vegetable fibers was evaluated in a group of insulin-dependent diabetic adolescents. After two weeks of controlled diet, a new dietary regime with a higher vegetable fiber content (66 g/day vs 15 g/day) and an increased iron content (22.5 mg/day vs 11.5 mg/day) was assigned to each patient for a period of two months. At the end of the dietary trial, a decrease of the insulin requirement, of the mean daily blood glucose values, and of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1) was observed. Serum iron levels were statistically lowered, but still in the normal range. These data suggest that high fiber diet can improve metabolic control of type I diabetes, but cast some doubts because of possible side effects on intestinal absorption of oligo-elements.
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Acid-stable interferons (IFN-alpha or IFN-beta) are produced by nucleated cells infected by virus, while acid-labile interferon (IFN-gamma) is synthesized by activated T-lymphocytes. IFN-gamma or an atypical form of acid-labile IFN-alpha have been observed in the circulation of some patients with autoimmune disease. It is believed that autoimmunity and/or viral infections are involved in the pathogenesis of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. We therefore examined the sera of newly diagnosed diabetic children for the presence of virus-induced or acid-labile IFN. Significant IFN levels (greater than or equal to 8 U/ml) were observed in 11 of 29 patients when compared to 31 healthy children in the same age range. The inhibitor is characterized by species specificity, acid-lability and neutralization with anti-serum for IFN-gamma.
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Clinical experience carried out on 88 high risk patients subjected to open-heart surgery with ECC is reported. The series was subdivided into two groups of patients (A and B) and to these were applied the same surgical and anaesthesiological approaches and the same extracorporeal perfusion technique. In Group B, however, a different method of myocardial protection was employed, in the form of preventive administration of pharmacological doses of betamethasone (3 mg/kg). The results point to a marked reduction in the incidence of postoperative complications in the heart, lungs and bloodstream in Group B compared with Group A.
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We studied the behavior of fast hemoglobin fractions in newly discovered diabetic patients, before and in the 10 days immediately following the beginning of insulin therapy, in order to verify whether or not the rapid improvement of glycemic control involved a rapid reduction of total HbA1 and of its fractions. We observed a rapid and highly significant fall of HbA1(a+b+c) and HbA1c levels after only 1 or 2 days of insulin therapy, followed by a slower decrement in the other 3-10 days. HbA1(a+b) showed a slower decrement trend, reaching levels significantly below baseline values only after 7-10 days. These results suggest that rapid changes occurring in glycosylated hemoglobin levels after the beginning of insulin treatment in newly discovered diabetic patients involve mainly HbA1c. The kinetics of glycosylated hemoglobin reduction, with a first rapid decrement followed by a slower one, may suggest the hypothesis that rapid changes are due to reversible Schiff base de-glycosylation, the ketoamine linkage being the true index of long term glycemic control.
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