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Biomedical subjects

G Carelli

Publications and source records attributed to G Carelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Predictors of skin self-examination in subjects attending a pigmented lesion clinic in Italy.

BACKGROUND: Skin self-examination (SSE) is associated with thinner melanomas in both North American and Italian patients. The knowledge of conditions associated with SSE may help in refining educational strategies for the prevention of melanoma. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate the frequency of SSE and the factors associated with SSE in subjects followed at a specialized pigmented lesion clinic (PLC) in Italy. PATIENTS/METHODS: A series of 299 consecutive subjects who visited the Florence PLC was investigated by means of a self-administered questionnaire regarding SSE habits. The statistical association between SSE and selected variables was examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, variables significantly associated with SSE were: green/blue eyes, phototype I/II, the presence of large numbers of common acquired and atypical melanocytic naevi, sunscreen use, having had a previous PLC examination, and having received a leaflet explaining SSE. SSE was less frequent in women using sunbeds and more frequent in those performing breast self-examination. Using the multivariate model, which included all the variables associated with SSE in the previous analysis, we found that, among males, the only variable significantly associated with SSE was the report of having received a leaflet explaining SSE [odds ratio (OR) 3.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-7.38]. Among females, having had a previous consultation at a PLC was significantly associated with SSE (OR 4.84, 95%CI 1.57-14.93); this might be because of the explanation and advice about skin cancer prevention customarily provided as a part of the PLC consultation at our department. CONCLUSION: Educational tools, including a leaflet explaining SSE and counselling given within previous PLC visits, seem to play a crucial role in promoting SSE habits in subjects followed at a specialized PLC consultation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Low doses of dietary lead are associated with a profound reduction in the time to the onset of puberty in female mice.

We report results from a replication in second and third generation female mice of accelerated time to puberty associated with low Pb exposure levels . Mice in the 2nd generation study are offspring of mice from the initial study; the 3rd generation mice are offspring from mice in the 2nd generation study. For each generation the time to puberty onset was markedly influenced by exposure to dietary lead. Modest increases in blood lead concentration from a normal background of 2-3 to 8-13 micro g/dl delayed the onset of puberty by 10-20% from a normal of 33-35 days to about 40-43 days; reducing blood lead from 2-3 to 0.7 micro g/dl was associated with profound acceleration of puberty to 21 days, an enhancement by over 30%. This dose-response relationship, which replicates previous novel findings, has possible ecological as well as public health significance and indicates that lead is able to induce biologically significant changes at blood lead levels previously thought to be without effect.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2006

Modì: a new mobile instrument for in situ double-pulse LIBS analysis.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technique for in situ elemental analysis. A new mobile instrument for LIBS analysis, developed in a collaboration between Marwan Technology s.r.l. and the Applied Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory in Pisa, is presented, and some applications of it and results from it are outlined. The innovative experimental set-up, based on the use of two suitably retarded laser pulses and a standardless analysis procedure, which overcomes problems related to matrix effects, greatly improves the potential of this technique for accurate quantitative analysis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Haemorrhagic bowel syndrome in dairy cattle: possible role of Clostridium perfringens type A in the disease complex.

A survey based on clinical, pathological and microbiological investigations was performed on 11 Brown Swiss cattle affected with depression, anorexia, agalaxia, ruminal hypomotility, abdominal pain and melaena. In eight animals, macroscopical lesions consisted in haemorrhagic enteritis in the small intestine. Seven of eight isolates from tissue samples were identified as Clostridum perfringens type A, and four were identified as C. perfringens type A with the beta2 toxin gene. Based on these observations, animals were considered affected with haemorrhagic bowel syndrome.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Below background levels of blood lead impact cytokine levels in male and female mice.

A number of studies have documented that Pb exerts immunotoxic effects on T lymphocytes. In studies designed to explore this general response over a broad dose range, female Swiss mice were administered six different diets containing Pb acetate 1 day after mating. During lactation, the mothers received the same feed given during pregnancy, and the same diets were administered to the offspring for 9 months after weaning. At the end of exposure, blood Pb level in the offspring was determined, and possible changes in two type 1 cytokines (IL-2, INF-gamma) and one type 2 cytokine (IL-4) in the serum were measured. At higher dietary Pb levels (40 and 400 ppm), a significant increase in IL-4 production was associated with a profound decrease in INF-gamma and IL-2 production. At the lowest Pb diet level (0.02 ppm), which resulted in a blood lead level of (0.8 microg/dL), which is below background (2-3 microg/dL) values in humans, increases in INF-gamma and IL-2 production along with a significant decrease in IL-4 production were observed. The findings provide evidence of a reversal of lead-induced cytokine skewing depending on the blood lead concentration. As blood lead concentration increases, there is a notable skewing toward Th2, while the pattern is reversed favoring Th1 development at lower blood lead values. The present findings are also notable since they indicate the potential for dietary Pb to have significant biological effects below normal background concentrations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2005

Coherent multiwave heterodyne frequency measurement of a far-infared laser by means of a femtosecond laser comb.

We demonstrate the possibility of using a femtosecond laser to measure with high accuracy the frequency of a far-infrared (FIR) monochromatic source, such as an optically pumped molecular laser, by generating in a suitable mixer a signal in the radio-frequency region at the frequency difference between n steps of a femtosecond comb and the FIR source. All the couples of modes lying a distance of n steps from one another contribute coherently to the heterodyne signal. The technique has been tested up to 670 GHz.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Cutaneous collision tumour (melanocytic naevus, basal cell carcinoma, seborrhoeic keratosis): a clinical, dermoscopic and pathological case report.

The association of contiguous or 'collision' tumours in the same biopsy specimen is not uncommon and is often reported in the literature. The most common association, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and naevus, is very difficult to diagnose clinically. We describe a 38-year-old woman with a previous history of melanoma, who presented with a modified pigmented lesion of the hip that had begun to change 6 months earlier. Histologically, the lesion was a melanocytic compound naevus and a BCC with a seborrhoeic keratosis. The case was investigated clinically and by focusing on the dermoscopic features and their pathological correlates. Cutaneous collision tumours are extremely difficult to diagnose preoperatively, even with the help of dermoscopy, in particular when one of the lesions is melanocytic.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Effects of low doses of dietary lead on puberty onset in female mice.

Female Swiss mice typically display signs of puberty at about 33-37 days of age. In the present investigation (96 female mice tested in 8 Pb exposure levels, n=12 per exposure level), the time to puberty onset was markedly influenced by exposure to dietary lead. While modest increases in blood lead concentrations from a normal background of 2-3 to 13.2 microg/dl delayed the onset of puberty by 15-20% to about 40-43 days, reducing blood lead from 2-3 to 0.7 microg/dl was associated with an acceleration of puberty to 21 days, an enhancement by over 30%. This dose-response relationship represents novel findings of possible ecological as well as public health significance and indicates that lead is able to induce biologically significant changes at blood lead levels previously thought to be without effect.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Biomonitoring of traffic police officers exposed to airborne platinum.

BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades there has been a substantial increase in environmental levels of palladium, platinum, and rhodium, the platinum group elements (PGEs), due to the widespread use of catalytic converters for automotive traction. AIM: To evaluate urinary platinum levels in occupationally exposed subjects. METHODS: A total of 161 employees from the Rome City Police Force were studied; 103 were traffic police involved in controlling streets with an average flow of vehicles, while the remaining 58 were control subjects engaged only in office work. Platinum quantification in the urine samples of these subjects was carried out by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between platinum levels in the group of subjects engaged in traffic control and the control group (4.45 (2.42) ng/l v 4.56 (2.84) ng/l, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary levels were found to be higher than those reported for other urban populations, thus showing a progressive increase in human exposure to Pt.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Effects of low doses of dietary lead on red blood cell production in male and female mice.

The effect of lead (Pb) ingestion on hematological parameters in male and female Swiss mice was assessed. Eight different doses of Pb were administered through preparation of different feeds. The levels of Pb in the diet were designed to provide exposure below (0.6 to <2.0 microg/dl) and above (>2.0-13 microg/dl) normal background. One litter of mice was exposed to each Pb dose, with the mother given the feed 1 day after mating, and the mother and offspring continuing to receive the feed until the litter was 90 days old. Male and female mice receiving below normal background levels of dietary Pb displayed enhanced red blood cell (RBC) production as measured by increased numbers of RBC and increased hemoglobin and hematocrit values. However, as the blood Pb levels approached 10 microg/dl there was a marked decrease in RBC production. These findings are significant since Pb was biologically active in a stimulating manner below typical background levels (2.0 microg/dl) while adversely effecting red cell synthesis at above background levels (7.0-13 microg/dl) encountered in the environment by humans.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2002

Effects of per os lead acetate administration on mouse hepatocyte survival.

Previously published studies indicate that hepatotoxicity is associated with high blood lead (Pb) levels in animal models and humans. The present investigation evaluated the effects of in vivo Pb exposure via drinking water on mouse hepatocyte survival in vitro when blood Pb concentrations reflected those seen in children in urban and rural settings (2-15 microg/dl). The findings indicated a biphasic dose-response with low concentrations associated with a modest decrease in hepatocyte survival, while at the highest concentration, survival was significantly enhanced (60%). Since these responses were associated with concentrations normally encountered by children, follow-up investigations are warranted.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) of dairy cows in a Mediterranean environment: a clinical, serological, and hematological study.

A longitudinal study of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in Southern Italy was carried out by monitoring two dairy farms (A and B) located in the Apulia Region. On each farm ten calves and ten heifers were observed monthly from May 1999 to February 2001 for clinical signs and blood parameters; antibodies against Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma marginale using an ELISA test were also monitored for the first eight months of the study. Totals of 28 and 14 cases of TBDs were observed in the complete herds of Farms A and B, respectively. Timing of disease appearance, categories of animals affected and changes in blood parameters are discussed.

Anaplasma↗
PubMed2002

Defining hormesis: the necessary tool to clarify experimentally the low dose-response relationship.

The authors comment on Calabrese and Baldwin's paper 'Defining Hormesis', which, to date, is the first attempt to provide a definition of hormesis that goes beyond the different interpretations of this phenomenon reported in the literature. While appreciating the effort made in this study to place hormesis in a general and at the same time specific context, the authors believe some clarifications are needed as regards the quantitative features of this phenomenon. In this connection, they speculate on whether Calabrese and Baldwin think it appropriate to include hormesis assessment criteria in the document, referring in particular to those reported in a previous paper. The authors share Calabrese and Baldwin's conclusion that future experimental models designed to study hormetic phenomena must necessarily include the time factor, which not only guarantees this phenomenon will be detected, but is also able to detect the specific type of hormesis.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2002

Hormesis and industrial hygiene: a new hypothesis for low-dose response in occupational risk assessment.

The study of Jayjock and Lewis, 'Implication of Hormesis for Industrial Hygiene', represents a challenge for the scientific community to consider hormesis as a possible working hypothesis for redefining risk assessment strategy for low-dose exposures in the realm of industrial hygiene. This invited commentary aims at examining some aspects of the study for which no proven and conclusive scientific evidence has yet been found, such as the limited nature of some statistical tests, the calculation of the safety factor, the place occupied by hormesis in industrial hygiene and, finally, the impact that scarce knowledge of this phenomenon and rejection by part of the scientific community has on the possibility of using hormesis in the safeguarding of workers' health.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

The determination of low lead levels in the bone of lead-depleted mice by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

Low lead levels in the femurs of mice fed with a lead-depleted diet have been determined by use of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with Zeeman-effect background correction. The method is based on the use of Mg(NO3)2/Pd as matrix modifier which enables significant reduction of the spectral interferences prevalent if chemical modifiers based on NH4H2PO4 with either Ca or Mg are used for samples rich in Ca3(PO4)2 matrix. The method was developed and validated by use of the NIST standard reference material 1486 bone. Bones were decomposed in a pressurized microwave-heated system using 70% nitric acid. Forty-three mice femurs, with a mass of 74.62 +/- 12.54 mg, were dissolved in concentrated nitric acid. The lead results found in SRM 1486 (1.25 +/- 0.15 microg g(-1), n = 9) were in good agreement with the certificate (1.335 +/- 0.014 microg g(-1)). Recoveries of 200 ng lead added to the SRM before or after digestion were 99.0 +/- 1.4% and 98.5 +/- 1.6%, respectively. The lead detection limit in bone samples is 0.06 microg g(-1) dry mass. This method is, therefore, suitable for the determination of very low lead levels (0.06-0.20 microg Pb kg(-1) bone) in the femurs of mice fed a diet with lead level of < 20 microg kg(-1).

Animals↗
PubMed2001

In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of the novel trinuclear platinum complex BBR 3464 in neuroblastoma.

PURPOSE: BBR 3464 is a promising new trinuclear platinum complex that has been shown to circumvent the resistance to cisplatin in a panel of tumor cell lines and xenografts with acquired or intrinsic resistance to cisplatin. The in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of BBR 3464 was evaluated and compared with that of cisplatin in neuroblastoma. METHODS: In in vitro studies, the short- and long-term cytotoxicities, cell cycle perturbations, the ability to induce apoptosis, the intracellular platinum accumulation and DNA platination were evaluated in three neuroblastoma cell lines exposed to appropriate drug concentrations for 1 h. In in vivo studies, BBR 3464 was administered i.v. at doses of 0.30 and 0.35 mg/kg three times at intervals of 4 days (q4dx3), and cisplatin was administered i.v. according to two different schedules (at 2 and 4 mg/kg three times at intervals of 4 days and at 6 and 12 mg/kg as single doses). RESULTS: In a short-term growth inhibition assay, BBR 3464 was shown to be up to 100-fold more potent than cisplatin and it was even more potent in a clonogenic assay. The difference in the antitumor effect of BBR 3464 on the different cell lines was evident in both assays, while cisplatin exerted a comparable antitumor activity in all lines tested. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated a longer-lasting block in G2/M phase induced by BBR 3464 without the early S phase accumulation induced by cisplatin. The higher potency of BBR 3464 appeared to be unrelated to the induction of apoptosis, that was lower or at most comparable to cisplatin. Cellular platinum accumulation and platinum-DNA adduct formation following BBR 3464 exposure was higher than following cisplatin exposure. These differences may have resulted from a different mechanism of action and may explain the lack of cross-resistance with cisplatin. In xenografts of neuroblastoma, BBR 3464 was confirmed to be very potent as compared to cisplatin (MTD 0.35 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg for BBR 3464 and cisplatin, respectively). The efficacy of BBR 3464 was superior to that of cisplatin when both drugs were administered on a fractionated schedule (q4dx3), while BBR 3464 appeared equally active to 12 mg/kg cisplatin administered as a single dose. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that BBR 3464 has a definite antitumor effect in neuroblastoma lines and may be a candidate for early clinical trials in children with neuroblastoma.

Animals↗