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F Moroni

Publications and source records attributed to F Moroni.

214 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
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Parameters to monitor aging with a possible perspective for intervention - an immunological approach.

Reliable aging markers are very rare, which are better than the chronological age or those symptoms which have such great individual variability that their scientific value is questionable. The effect of aging on immunological behavior of human (and animal) individuals is reasonably well established. In this communication an attempt is made to find an immunological marker of aging at the level of cell surface phenomena. It was observed that ion-channel activities, having a complex regulation, loose their flexible responsiveness in lymphocyte membranes during aging. A recently discovered voltage regulation of the calcium-activated potassium channels showed a distinct change with aging of human lymphocytes. A possibility to find a better marker system in complex regulatory processes is also discussed.

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Food restriction in female Wistar rats, IV. Morphometric parameters of cerebellar synapses.

The effect of food restriction on morphometric parameters of cerebellar synapses has been evaluated. A decrease in the number and surface density of synapses has been observed comparing 6 and 27-28 month old rats. Food restriction prevented the loss of the number and attenuated the reduction of the surface density of synaptic contacts occurring during aging. Present data support the idea that food restriction delays the appearance of age-related modifications of synaptic structures and may explain the improvement of motoric coordination and performance found in dietary restricted old animals.

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Food restriction in female Wistar rats: V. Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in the liver.

The activities of antioxidant enzymes as well as the levels of basal and enzyme induced peroxidation have been investigated in liver of female Wistar undernourished rats. Food restriction was applied starting from the age of 3.5 months by feeding the animals on every-other-day schedule (EOD). Diet restriction prevented the age-dependent increase of basal and enzyme induced lipid peroxidation in both mitochondrial and microsomal liver membrane preparations. The activities of antioxidant enzyme, i.e. superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) of liver decreased during aging in ad libitum fed rats. In the diet conditioned animals, a small increase of SOD and a complete recovery of CAT activities were observed. Present data support that food restriction improved the protection against peroxidation, and this may be in close relationship with the life prolonging effect of such a treatment.

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Aging impairs membrane potential responsiveness as well as opening of voltage and ligand gated Na+ channels in human lymphocytes.

Depolarizing effects of increasing concentrations of extracellular K(+), as well as the repolarizing effect of bretylium tosylate (BT) were evaluated in human lymphocytes from young and elderly volunteers. Cells from elderly volunteers were less responsive to depolarization induced by increased extracellular potassium concentrations than those from young volunteers. Upon a near complete depolarization induced by 140 mM K(+) in the extracellular space, a significant amount of non-responding cells were found in samples from elderly volunteers. BT, which opens the otherwise silent Na(+) channels of partially depolarized cells, with subsequent activation of the Na(+)-K(+) pump (Pieri et al., 1989). repolarized both young and old lymphocytes. However, the degree of the repolarization was only 40% in the case of lymphocytes from elderly volunteers than from that of the young. It is suggested that an increase of membrane microviscosity, characteristic of old cells, may be at least partially responsible for the decreased responsiveness of plasma membrane functions which were observed.

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Food restriction in female Wistar rats. VI. Effect of reduced glutathione on the proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes from ad libitum fed and food restricted animals.

The effect of reduced glutathione (GSH) on the proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes from young, adult and old ad libitum (AL) fed as well as from old food-restricted rats was investigated. Food restriction was applied on an every-other-day schedule (EOD) starting from the age of 3.5 months. As was expected, the cells from EOD fed animals responded to concanavalin A (Con A) much better than those from age-matched ad libitum fed rats. The presence of the antioxidant GSH in the culture medium increased the response of lymphocytes in all the models taken into account; furthermore, it decreased the differences due to aging and application of food restriction. According to present knowledge, mitogenic stimulation induces free radical production, and GSH has, among others, a strong antioxidant activity. Thus, present data suggest that splenocytes from EOD animals tolerated the peroxidative stress resulting from mitogenic stimulation better than those from AL fed ones.

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Reduced glutathione recovers the impairment of the proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes from vitamin E-deficient rats.

The effect of reduced glutathione (GSH) on the Con A induce proliferative response of splenic lymphocytes from rats fed a normal or vitamin E-deficient diet has been investigated. The animals were killed when they were 12 months old and after 11 months of dietary treatment. As was expected, a decreased response, measured in terms of blast transformation or [(3)H]thymidine incorporation, was observed in vitamin E-deficient animals when compared with the control group. This pattern can be accounted for by the large number of dead cells found in deficient animals. GSH addition into the culture medium resulted in a strong increase of the response in both groups and it eliminated the difference caused by the different dietary regimens. Taking into account that, during proliferation, an increase of respiration occurs which increases the risk of free radical production, present data suggest that GSH may substitute vitamin E in protecting the cells.

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Effect of reduced glutathione on mitochondrial parameters of proliferating splenocytes from young and old rats.

The time-dependent changes of mitochondrial membrane potential and mass have been investigated on splenocytes from young, adult and old rats stimulated with Con A in the presence and absence of reduced glutathione (GSH). In addition, the basal level as well as the level of GSH during a 3-day culture period has been determined. No age-dependent changes of cellular GSH content were observed in freshly prepared splenocytes; however, in proliferating cells from old animals the expected increase in GSH levels was delayed. As regards the mitochondrial parameters, their membrane potential and mass were measured by means of the fluorescent probes rhodamine-123 (Rh-123) and nonyl acridine orange (NAO), respectively, and flow cytometry. During aging and with time of culture, an increased number of cells showed depolarization and loss of mitochondrial mass. This age-dependent impairment was completely prevented by addition of GSH to the culture medium, which resulted in a sharp increase in intracellular GSH. The present findings support the view that an impairment of the antioxidant defense system may be responsible for the damage observed in the mitochondria of proliferating splenocytes from old animals.

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Melatonin is an efficient antioxidant.

We have compared the peroxyl radical scavenger ability of melatonin with that of vitamin E, ascorbic acid (As.A.), reduced glutathione (GSH) and mannitol. All the antioxidants, except mannitol, prevented the lysis of human erythrocytes exposed to an azo-initiator of peroxyl radicals (2,2'-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride) at 37 degrees C. The percentage of this inhibition of erythrocyte lysis varied with the concentration of antioxidants, but the efficiency was melatonin > vitamin E > As.A. > GSH. Based on the assumption that each molecule of vitamin E scavenges two peroxyl radicals, the scavenging capacity of melatonin was four peroxyl radicals/molecule.

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Food restriction in female Wistar rats. VII. Mitochondrial parameters in resting and proliferating splenic lymphocytes.

The effect of food restriction on the mitochondria of resting and proliferating rat splenocytes was examined, measuring the membrane potential and mass of these organelles, by means of the specific fluorescent probes Rhodamine-123 and Nonyl Acridine Orange, respectively. Food restriction was applied on an every-other-day schedule (EOD) starting at the age of 3.5 months. The ad libitum fed (AL) animals were killed when they were 4, 11 and 24 months old, whereas the EOD rats were killed at 11 and 26 months. Resting lymphocytes from AL rats showed an age-dependent increase of both membrane potential and mass of their mitochondria. However, the mitochondrial mass increased to a larger extent when compared with the membrane potential resulting in a decrease of the respiratory quotient (RQ), i.e. of the respiratory activity per unit of mitochondrial mass. In EOD animals, the mitochondrial membrane potential was lower and the mitochondrial mass was higher in the corresponding age-matched controls, resulting in a further decrease of RQ. Following mitogenic stimulation, most of the cells from young and adult AL rat showed an increase of membrane potential and mass of their mitochondria. In contrast about 50% of cells from old AL rats had depolarized organelles after 72 h from the stimulation. Food restriction was able to prevent these alterations allowing the majority of cells, including those from old animals, to maintain the hyperpolarization of their mitochondria during the 3-day culture. In light of the well known sensitivity of mitochondrial membrane potential to peroxidative stress, present data suggest that the increase of respiration occurring during mitogenesis may increase free radical production, which is better tolerated by cells from EOD animals than by those from AL animals.

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The modulation of intracellular glutathione level modulates the mitochondrial response in proliferating rat splenocytes.

We have investigated the effect of intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) levels on the mitochondrial parameters of proliferating rat splenocytes. The intracellular GSH content of the cells was altered by continuous culture with buthionine-S, R-sulfoximine (BSO), a specific inhibitor of GSH synthesis. BSO decreased the GSH levels, inhibited DNA synthesis and caused depolarization of mitochondria in 52% of cells stimulated to proliferate for 72 h. These data support the proposition that GSH influences the lymphocyte proliferation at more than one site, one of which is the energy producing machinery.

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Senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease: lack of changes of the cortical content of quinolinic acid.

The content of Quinolinic Acid (QUIN) was fragmentographically measured in the frontal, parietal and temporal cortex obtained at autopsy from patients affected by Alzheimer's disease-senile dementia Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT) or matched controls. The density of large cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis and the density of plaques in the hippocampal formation, parietal and frontal cortex of these patients was also evaluated in order to obtain a quantitative estimation of the Alzheimer type changes. In the three cortical areas studied, the content of QUIN was similar in AD/SDAT patients and age matched controls. The AD/SDAT patients had an important reduction of the number of large cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis magnocellularis and a much higher density of plaques in cortex and in hippocampus than age matched controls. The data reported here do not support the possibility than an accumulation of QUIN plays a role in the neuronal degeneration occurring in the cortex of patients affected by AD/SDAT.

Aged↗
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[Percutaneous nephrolithotomy of renal staghorn calculi. Experience with monotherapy treatment].

Seventy patients with renal staghorn calculi were treated with percutaneous nephrolithotripsy monotherapy. Nine patients (13%) required more than one nephrostomy to remove the stone: an overall success rate was obtained in 67% of the cases, with 27% of residual asymptomatic fragments. Open surgery was necessary in 4 patients for complications. No nephrectomies were carried out. Comparing complete and partial, better results as expected, were obtained in partial staghorn calculi. Evaluating results stratified per number of treatments, we obtained a stone-free rate of 35% with only one treatment, and 61% with two percutaneous sessions, at the discharge from the hospital. To date, initial percutaneous debulking of the stone followed by ESWL treatment on residual stones, seems to be the most suitable approach to branched calculi. However, in selected cases, PCNL treatment alone, can obtain removal of the stone in a significant percentage of cases, with minimal morbility, and, what's more, at the discharge from the hospital, without any ancillary procedure or rehospitalization.

Adult↗
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[Percutaneous treatment of calculi in the horseshoe kidney].

Horseshoe kidney and renal anomalies are not a contraindication for endourological procedures. In horseshoe kidney, anatomical features and impaired drainage of urine, make stone treatment by ESWL technically difficult and fragments output unsuccessfully. By PNL, via a middle or upper calix posterior approach, is possible to remove the stone without serious complications. Technical modifications of traditional percutaneous approach are required to deal with these cases. A careful preoperative study of caliceal and pelvic anatomy by retrograde pyelography with films taken in lateral and oblique position is needed to plan the correct approach to the stone. However, a skilled use of endourological procedures and techniques are required. Authors present our experience on two cases successfully treated.

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