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Biomedical subjects

G Favia

Publications and source records attributed to G Favia.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Physical map of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.

Random cDNA clones, cosmid clones and RAPD polymorphic fragments have been localized by in situ hybridization to the ovarian nurse cell polytene chromosomes of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. We thus established 85 molecular markers for 110 sites within the whole A. gambiae polytene chromosome complement. The cDNA clones analyzed were isolated at random, and their exact localizations were determined by in situ hybridization. For 15 of the cDNA clones, a partial nucleotide sequence has been obtained; for nine of them sequence searches in the GenBank database revealed high degrees of similarity with published sequences. The cosmid clones analyzed were obtained as the result of screening with a few of the aforementioned cDNA clones of particular interest, or taken from a small set of randomly isolated cosmid clones. The RAPD clones are polymorphic fragments, potentially diagnostic for the various chromosomal forms of A. gambiae that are currently being analyzed.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Sialadenoma papilliferum: an immunohistochemical study of five cases.

Sialadenoma papilliferum (SP) is a rare, benign, salivary gland tumor which most commonly arises in the palate. It has a typical biphasic gross and microscopic appearance which distinguishes this tumor from other papillary-like tumors of the oral cavity. This study reports the clinico-pathologic features of 5 new cases and analyzes the morphologic and immunophenotypic features of their cell components. Adluminal epithelial cells of duct-like structures appeared immunoreactive to cytokeratin 19 and to S-100 protein antibodies; two subsets of basally-located cells were identified by means of immunohistochemistry. One cell subset expressed cytokeratin 14, S-100 protein, GFAP, vimentin and smooth muscle actin immunoreactivity; this antigenic profile is consistent with myoepithelial differentiation. The second subset of basal cells expressed cytokeratins 13 and 14 reactivity but it was negative to all other antibodies. Anti-CD 1a and anti-S-100 protein antibodies revealed distinct cells with dendritic processes which resembled Langerhans cells. The extralobular location of SP, the continuity between neoplastic duct-like structures and the surface epithelium along with the presence, within the excretory ducts adjacent to the tumour, of lesions which possibly precede the development of SP give further strength to the hypothesis of an origin from the excretory ducts of this tumor. Langerhans cells seem to be present in sialadenoma papilliferum but their role in this tumor is still unclear.

Actins↗
PubMed1996

[Necrotizing sialometaplasia. The clinico-pathological analysis of 6 cases].

The clinical and histopathological findings of 6 cases of necrotizing sialometaplasia (NS) are discussed and compared with the literature. The authors report 4 cases of NS of the minor salivary glands and 2 cases with associated tumor of the parotid gland and describe age, sex, site, clinical presentations, prognosis, etiopathogenesis and histological features of NS. Analysis of the data shows the difficulty of a differential diagnosis of NS of the minor salivary glands with other ulcero-erosive diseases of the oral cavity with traumatic, neoplastic or inflammatory origin.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

The white gene of Ceratitis capitata: a phenotypic marker for germline transformation.

Reliable germline transformation is required for molecular studies and ultimately for genetic control of economically important insects, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata. A prerequisite for the establishment and maintenance of transformant lines is selectable or phenotypically dominant markers. To this end, a complementary DNA clone derived from the medfly white gene was isolated, which showed substantial similarity to white genes in Drosophila melanogaster and other Diptera. It is correlated with a spontaneous mutation causing white eyes in the medfly and can be used to restore partial eye color in transgenic Drosophila carrying a null mutation in the endogenous white gene.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗
PubMed1995

Adrenocortical carcinoma. Our experience.

Adrenocortical carcinoma represents only 0.2% of the causes of deaths from cancer and this extremely low incidence rate implies that few medical centers have sufficient experiences to permit logical conclusions to be drawn regarding its treatment. From 1979 to 1993 we operated on 215 patients for adrenal diseases. The male/female ratio was 1:2.5 and the median age was 47 years (range 13-70). Eighty patients presented a clinical picture of hypercortisolism, 66 had a Conn's syndrome and 38 a pheochromocytoma; 30 had a nonfunctioning cortical or medullary tumor and one a metastatic adrenal mass. Of 141 patients with cortical tumors, 19 (13.5%) had malignancy of which 9 (7 males and one female, mean age 62 years) were nonfunctioning and 10 (3 males and 7 females, mean age 43 years, range 15-65) associated with a Cushing's syndrome. Seventeen patients underwent surgery, and two had multiple CT-FNAB-confirmed liver metastases and received o,p'DDD and chemotherapy treatment only. Tumor staging was the following: 3 (16%) stage I patients (tumor size varying from 4 to 5 cm), 7 (37%) stage II patients (tumor size 6-20 cm, mean 12 cm) and 9 (47%) stage III or IV. In 14 of the 17 operated patients the surgical approach was a lateral extraperitoneal incision with 12th rib partial resection. One patient had postoperative hemorrhage and reoperation was necessary. Operative mortality related to adrenalectomy was 0% although in three cases a nephrectomy was necessary because the mass completely surrounded the kidney. Three patients had a second operation 21-48 months after adrenalectomy for local recurrence of the disease. Overall survival time ranged from 2 to 42 months, the one-year survival rate was less than 40% and only six patients are still alive, 2-18 months after surgery. Tumor size and its endocrine functionality did not seem to correlate with prognosis in our experience.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Polymorphisms detected by random PCR distinguish between different chromosomal forms of Anopheles gambiae.

We have applied PCR amplification using random primers to distinguish between incipient species of the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Individuals belonging to three chromosomally characterized West African forms of this mosquito, which are important epidemiologically as they differ in vectorial capacity, were sampled both from laboratory stocks and from wild populations collected in three localities. The techniques used allowed for the unambiguous classification of the mosquitoes, providing a tool for rapid and efficient diagnosis, which previously relied on cytological examination of polytene chromosomes.

Africa, Western↗
PubMed1994

Analysis of the Anopheles gambiae genome using RAPD markers.

RAPD analysis technique is used as a rapid and reliable tool for genome analysis in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. Using more than eighty different commercially available primers we identified more than sixty different DNA segments that were differentially amplified in different strains of An. gambiae s.s. and An. arabiensis. An estimate of the cytogenetic position of these markers is provided by their hybridization to divisional dot-blot filters. Potentially useful RAPD markers can be cytogenetically mapped with more precision by in situ hybridization and, as they segregate as dominant markers in a Mendelian fashion, they can also be genetically mapped relative to other genes or rearrangements. Finally, we identified markers for their potential use in the identification of different mosquito strains.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Squamous cell carcinoma in oral lichen ruber planus. A clinico-pathological and immunohistochemical study of 11 cases].

The malignant transformation of lichen ruber planus (LRP) is a quite frequent event for which, at present, no clear pathogenetic explanation has been given. Recently, attention has been paid to growth factors and growth factor receptors as possible pathogenetic factors of malignancy, even if not enough studies have been performed to exploit their role in oral diseases. Aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) in squamous carcinomas arising in patients with LRP. The study has been performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue biopsies obtained from 11 patients with previous diagnosis of LRP in which squamous carcinoma had developed. A monoclonal anti-EGFr antibody has been used, with the ABC technique, on histological sections. EGFr has been immunolocalized in basal and suprabasal epithelial layers in LRP with the highest intensity of staining in the areas with strong inflammation. EGFr immunostaining could be detected in dysplastic areas as well, even if the intensity of staining seemed to decrease with severity of dysplasia. In well-differentiated squamous carcinoma EGFr was intensely expressed, especially in mature keratinized cells. Weaker or absent EGFr immunoreaction was detected in moderately and poorly differentiated carcinomas. The results of the present study seem to show that EGFr is expressed in squamous carcinomas arising from LRP. The variability of EGFr expression in inflamed oral mucosa, in dysplastic areas and in tumors with different degrees of differentiation seem to point out that EGFr might somehow regulate the maturation and replication of epithelial cells in LRP and in its malignant counterpart. The speculations achieved from the present study need further evaluation on wider series of cases and, possibly, with different antibodies which would allow the identification of mutant forms of the receptor.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

[Radical interventions in the treatment of thyroid carcinoma].

From 1970 to 1993, 196 patients with thyroid cancer were treated surgically. In 26 (13.2%) an invasion of local and regional structures was observed. Eighteen patients had papillary or follicular carcinoma and 9 anaplastic carcinoma. Tracheal invasion occurred in 11 cases and 7 patients underwent total thyroidectomy, segmental resection of the trachea (1-5 rings) and reanastomosis, associated preoperatively in 2 cases with Nd:YAG laser photocoagulation. Six of thirteen patients with muscle invasion are alive at 2-16 years follow-up; 3 patients with tracheal invasion died in less than 6 months and the others seem to be free of disease 6-14 years after operation.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗
PubMed1993

Opa-like repeats in the genome of the Medfly Ceratitis capitata.

The sequence determination of several genomic clones isolated from the Mediterranean fruitfly Ceratitis capitata identified the existence of opa-like repeats, often more than one being clustered in small chromosomal segments. These repeats have previously been shown to consist of stretches of tandemly reiterated glutamine-encoding residues, and they are found in multiple genes of several organisms. Most of the repeats described here are flanked or interrupted by stop codons in all reading frames and, thus, could not possibly be part of protein-coding sequences. Furthermore, these repeats, of which there are several hundred in the genome of the Medfly, can be used effectively for the determination of sequence polymorphisms, providing a convenient approach to obtain additional landmarks for the construction of genomic maps of this economically important insect.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Molecular characterization of a Drosophila melanogaster variant strain defective in the Sgs-4 gene dosage compensation.

The X-linked Sgs-4 gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a salivary glue protein. Here we report the molecular characterization of a non-dosage compensated variant strain, named Karsnas, in which males accumulate only about half of the Sgs-4 polypeptide amount as do females. The results obtained show that significant nucleotide sequence alterations are accumulated within the Sgs-4 coding and 3' untranslated region of the variant strain, thus suggesting a possible role of these sequences in the Sgs-4 dosage compensation.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Expression of intermediate filaments in chordomas. An immunocytochemical study of five cases.

An immunocytochemical investigation has been carried out on five cases of chordoma (2 of the sacrum, 2 in the spheno-occipital bone and 1 in the parapharyngeal area) to study the expression of the 5 classes of intermediate filaments (IF): cytokeratin (CK), desmin (DES), GFAP, neurofilaments (NF) and vimentin (VIM). Our results show that constant coexpression of CK, NF and VIM does occur in chordomas, whereas DES and GFAP are not demonstrable in tumor cells. The three detected IF are invariably present in all cell types but not in intracellular vacuoles or in the extracellular mucoid substance. The pattern of immunoreactivity of chordomas appears very unique as very few other neoplasms demonstrate the simultaneous occurrence of 3 distinct IF. Only choroid plexus tumors have been shown to manifest CK-NF-VIM immunoreactivity. The complex immunophenotype of chordomas may be related to their supposed origin from the notochord which normally undergoes conspicuous changes in location and morphology during embryonal development. Such changes might require the contemporary presence of multiple IF; IF expression, in fact, is known to be related to cell function and morphology. Notochordal cells and their neoplastic counterpart may consequently express an IF pattern which reflects unique architectural and morphological variations occurring during embryonal and tumor growth. Together with the speculative value of the detection of CK, NF and VIM in chordomas, the unusual immunocytochemical pattern of these tumors might provide useful diagnostic tool in differential diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The use of somatostatin in acute pancreatitis--results of a multicenter trial.

This study involves a multicenter trial aimed at evaluating the comparative beneficial therapy of somatostatin and traditional symptomatic therapy in the management of acute pancreatitis. According to our final data somatostatin has not proved to be any better than traditional medical treatment. Nevertheless, in our opinion, the advantage of a single and expeditious therapy makes somatostatin administration preferable to the combined employment of several therapeutic measures usually applied in these circumstances.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

[Echography in the study of sialolithiasis].

The US results are reported of 38 patients affected with sialolithiasis of the major salivary glands (37 cases of submandibular and 1 of parotid location). Sonography allowed all intraparenchymal calculi to be detected, as well as 59% of intraductal calculi. Associated US pathological features were: gland swelling in 36 cases (94%); ductal ectasia in 14 cases (61%); irregular echo structural arrangement of glandular parenchyma in 3 patients with multiple stones. US can be considered an useful diagnostic tool in sialolithiasis, for it allows the alterations in glandular structure in the late stages to be evaluated. Moreover, it may be repeated as often as necessary in the cases with multiple and/or recurrent stones.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[The CT aspects and pathological correlations in gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma].

CT morphology of malignant pathologies of the stomach was evaluated by filling the stomach with water. Fifty-three patients were examined who were affected with carcinoma, and 12 with lymphoma. Carcinomas either determined parietal thickening of 7 mm to 3 cm or appeared as endoluminal vegetations with a big implant base. Neoplastic tissue had higher density than adjacent gastric wall in 80% of the cases, and the same density in the extant 20%. Only mucinous carcinomas appeared as isodense, the other histological types being hyperdense. The patients with gastric lymphoma presented with small endoluminal vegetations or parietal thickening of 6 mm to 2 cm. Lymphomatous infiltrates had lower density than normal adjacent gastric wall in 65% of the cases, and the same density in the extant 35%. CT allowed even small lesions to be identified in malignant gastric diseases; nonetheless, the method is to be considered a complementary technique to conventional radiology or endoscopy. The attenuation value of parietal alterations helps distinguish gastric carcinomas from lymphomas, because of the hyperdense/hypodense aspect of the lesion. On the contrary, a gastric carcinoma or lymphoma cannot be diagnosed when the tumor has the same density as adjacent gastric wall.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

[Orofacial tuberculosis. A general and anatomico-clinical analysis of 35 cases].

Anatomo-clinical data of 35 cases of maxillofacial tuberculosis are reported; the different clinical presentations of primary and secondary forms (ulcers are the most common clinical feature) and of rare form (lupus) are described and the problems concerning differential diagnosis and therapy are discussed. In the author's experience the microinvasive cytohistologic techniques (FNAB) with elective histochemical stains have been founded very usefully. The role of the stomatologist in the early diagnosis of this still-diffuse and misleading pathology is also underlined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Hürthle cell tumor of the thyroid: which surgical approach?].

Hürthle cell tumors are a very particular thyroid disease. Controversies exist about the most adequate treatment. Radical surgery is sometimes advocated also for benign lesions, due to their malignant potential, but conservative surgery is thought to be adequate in most cases. The Authors' experience consists of 8 Hürthle cell tumors: 7 adenomas and 1 carcinoma. The latter has been treated by total thyroidectomy and the patient died after 6 months. Adenomas have been always treated by conservative procedures and there is no recurrence at a 2-6 year follow-up.

Adenoma↗