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Biomedical subjects

F Poli

Publications and source records attributed to F Poli.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Silent lupus nephritis among patients with discoid lupus erythematosus.

A kidney biopsy was performed in 7 hypocomplementemic discoid lupus erythematosus patients despite the absence of overt renal involvement. Five patients had glomerular immune deposits and 2 patients with disseminated discoid lupus erythematosus exhibited definite proliferative glomerulonephritis. Those findings show that silent lupus nephritis may be encountered in discoid as well as in systemic lupus erythematosus, providing additional evidence supporting the unity of the disease. We suggest that hypocomplementemic patients with discoid lupus erythematosus must be carefully screened for renal disease by periodic urinalysis examinations.

Complement C3↗

[Contact dermatitis from hexamidine].

Twenty patients with contact dermatitis to hexamidine, a commonly used antiseptic solution are reported. They have been collected during a 7 months period, thus suggesting that this contact allergy is not infrequent. Hydroalcoholic solution applied on epidermless skin is most frequently responsible for the contact dermatitis. Clinical features are very peculiar with papular semi-spheric and papulo-vesicular lesions being more frequently seen than classical vesicular eczema lesions. Due to this peculiar aspect, contact dermatitis to hexamidine is frequently misdiagnosed. The delay between onset and diagnosis has been sometimes longer than one year. It is four months as a mean. Pathologic aspect of these lesions is unusual too: dermal vasculitis either lymphocytic or with pycnotic polymorphonuclear is the most frequent aspect (14 out of 23 histological sections). Epidermal spongiosis is infrequent (5 cases). Contact dermatitis has usually a long standing evolution despite removal of the allergen and topical cortico-steroid treatment. Patch-test to hexamidine are frequently followed by a worsening of cutaneous lesions. One case of anaphylaxis following patch-testing has been reported. Clinical and pathological features of this contact dermatitis, suggests that humoral immune mechanisms play a key-role in its pathogenesis.

Anti-Infective Agents, Local↗

Transformation of hamster kidney cells by fragments of BK virus DNA.

Hamster kidney cells were transformed, with comparable efficiency, by circular or linear molecules of complete BK virus (BKV) genome and by agarose gel-purified fragments of BKV DNA obtained by single or double digestions with various restriction endonucleases. Only fragments containing the complete early region of BKV DNA displayed transforming activity. Analysis by blot hybridization of the arrangement of viral DNA sequences in a cloned cell line transformed by a 3.8-kilobase fragment, obtained after sequential digestion of BKV DNA with HhaI and BamHI, showed the presence of seven viral integrations into the cellular DNA. Apparently all of the integrated viral molecules contained the entire early region of BKV DNA. Large T antigen, small t antigen, and the 56,000-dalton nonviral Tau antigen were detected in transformed cells by immunoprecipitation. The pattern of integration of viral sequences in transformed cells was constant over many generations. Likewise, large T antigen was always detected in transformed cells at various passage levels. These results may suggest that all of the sequences of the early region coding for large T antigen are required for transformation by BKV. Alternatively, subgenomic segments of the BKV DNA early region may be unable to transform because the appropriate polyadenylation site, necessary to obtain a complete functional transcriptional unit, is removed by the restriction enzyme cleavage.

Animals↗

Analysis of BK virus-transformed cells and BK virus-induced tumors by DNA-DNA reassociation kinetics.

BK virus (BKV)-transformed cells and BKV-induced tumors as well as in vitro derived tumor cell lines were all found to contain BKV DNA sequences when analysed by DNA-DNA reassociation kinetics. In transformed cells the number of viral genome equivalents per diploid cell genome (CG divided by VG) decreased with increasing generations. Likewise, single cell clones had a lower CG divided by VG than parental transformed cells. BKV-induced tumors had a high CG divided by VG. Tumor cells cultivated in vitro and their clones had a lower CG divided by VG than BKV-induced tumors from which they were derived, suggesting a multiclonal origin of tumors. Hamster tumors induced by subcutaneous inoculation of BKV-transformed cells or tumor cell lines had a higher CG divided by VG than cells producing them. Variation in CG divided by VG is discussed in terms of cell selection depending on different in vitro or in vivo conditions of cell growth. In some cases, however, the decrease in CG divided by VG most likely depends on loss on free viral sequences from transformed cells or tumors.

Animals↗

Lack of association between BK virus and ependymomas, malignant tumors of pancreatic islets, osteosarcomas and other human tumors.

BK virus (BKV) DNA sequences were not detected in 142 human tumors analyzed by DNA-DNA reassociation kinetics and blot hybridization. The investigation was focused mainly on those rare types of human tumors (ependymomas, choroid plexus papillomas, tumors of pancreatic islets and osteosarcomas) that are induced with highest frequency by BKV in experimental animals. In addition, other tumors of the urinary apparatus and of the central nervous system were analyzed. BKV tumor (T) antigen was not detected in neoplastic tissues, and BKV T antibodies were not found in sera and cerebrospinal fluids from patients with neoplasms. Sequences homologous to BKV DNA were found in normal tissue from a kidney carrying a carcinoma. The neoplastic tissue from the same organ, however, had no sequences homologous to BKV DNA. Such DNA does not belong to BKV but probably to another papovavirus related to BKV.

Antibodies, Viral↗

BK papovavirus immune complexes in glomerulonephritis.

Kidney biopsies from 98 patients were studied for BK virus (BKV) antigens by indirect immunofluorescence. Intense fluorescent staining was observed in 11/12 cases of lupus nephritis, 11/12 cases of membranous nephropathy, 21/23 cases of IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis, 3/4 cases of membrano-proliferative Glomerulonephritis and 5/12 cases of exudative glomerulonephritis. Antisera of different viruses did not react with any kidney sample. Deposition of BKV was strictly related to the presence of immunoglobulins in renal glomeruli. The specificity of reaction for antigens related to BKV was demonstrated by absorption of sera with different substances and BKV. Absorption of rabbit anti-BKV serum with human immunoglobulins completely abolished glomerular fluorescence. We conclude that the fluorescence obtained in kidney biopsies by staining with anti-BKV serum was a false positive reaction dependent on common antigenic determinants present in BKV capsid proteins and human immunoglobulins.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

The cadaver kidney transplantation programme of Milano. Immunological report.

A retrospective investigation was carried out to evaluate the infuence of HLA (A, B) matching, blood transfusions, and preexistence of lymphocytotoxic antibodies on the outcome of the cadaver kidney graft: only non-NIH standard antibodies were considered, since patients with NIH standard antibodies do not undergo transplantation in the programme of Milano. It was found that (1) about one-half the patients with transplants had antibodies in their pretransplant serum. The preexistence of antibodies directed against B lymphocytes had an unfavourable effect on the graft survival; (2) the graft did particularly well in the nonimmunized patients who had been previously transfused; the graft survival was about 80% at 3 years in these patients; and (3) the HLA (A, B) match influenced the graft survival only in patients with antibodies.

Antibodies↗

Highly sensitive chemiluminescent method for the detection of cell contamination.

Minisatellite analysis is commonly used in forensic disputes but can also be applied to the investigation of cell contamination. Such a problem arises, for example, when transplantation is performed. The presence of contamination has been investigated by other authors using radioactive methods. In the present study we describe a method that allows the detection of contamination with high sensitivity without using radioactive substances. Our technique is based on the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of minisatellite sequences (VNTR), followed by chemiluminescent detection. In particular, biotin-labelled dCTP is included in the PCR mixture and detection of PCR products is obtained following the CSPD chemiluminescent protocol (Southern-Light Nucleic Acid Detection Systems). We applied this method to artificial mixes of DNA of two individuals with alleles of different sizes. We performed progressive dilutions of an individual DNA into the other's DNA and revealed a contamination of 1 in 2500 cells. We also tested our technique searching for maternal contamination in cord blood samples in 60 cases and revealed a 18.3% contamination. The technique that we set up proves to be a very sensitive one which could be applied not only to the detection of maternal cells in cord blood but also in studying any other kind of contamination.

DNA↗