Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Fornaciari

Publications and source records attributed to G Fornaciari.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Isolation of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in 4,000-year-old mummified human tissue from northern Chile.

A segment of DNA unique to the kinetoplast of Trypanosoma cruzi was isolated from spontaneously mummified human remains from the coastal area of northern Chile at sites dated from 2000 BC to about AD 1400. Following rehydration of the desiccated human tissue samples of heart, esophagus, or colon, the samples were extracted and primers employed to bind to a 330 bp kinetoplast minicircle DNA sequence present in T. cruzi. This segment was then amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the target segment was visualized by gel electrophoresis. This method enables the identification of Chagas' disease in an ancient body in the absence of recognizable anatomic pathological changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Goiter in an eighteenth-century Sicilian mummy.

Goiter is still a frequent pathological condition of the thyroid gland. Goiter consists of an enlargement of the gland caused by several physiopathologic events, the most important of which is deficient intake of iodine. A series of eighteenth-century mummies housed in the church of Santa Maria della Grazia in Comiso includes one individual showing a pathological condition, with a very large swelling in the antero-inferior region of the neck. X-rays showed small scattered radiopaque foci. Routine histology showed a large number of circular follicles immersed in fibrous tissue. Finally, immunohistochemistry revealed a strong reactivity for thyroglobulin. The data confirmed the nature of the tissue as thyroid, and the macroscopic diagnosis is that of thyroid goiter.

Goiter↗
PubMed1999

Microsatellite instability and mismatch repair gene inactivation in sporadic pancreatic and colon tumours.

Genomic instability has been proposed as a new mechanism of carcinogenesis involved in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and in a large number of sporadic cancers like pancreatic and colon tumours. Mutations in human mismatch repair genes have been found in HNPCC patients, but their involvement in sporadic cancer has not been clarified yet. In this study we screened 21 pancreatic and 23 colorectal sporadic cancers for microsatellite instability by ten and six different microsatellite markers respectively. Microsatellite alterations were observed at one or more loci in 66.6% (14/21) of pancreatic cancers and in 26% (6/23) colon tumours, but all the pancreatic and half of the colon samples showed a low rate of microsatellite instability. All the unstable samples were further analysed for mutations in the hMLH1 and hMSH2 genes and for hypermethylation of the hMLH1 promoter region. Alterations in the hMLH1 gene were found only in colorectal tumours with a large presence of microsatellite instability. None of the pancreatic tumours showed any alteration in the two genes analysed. Our results demonstrate that microsatellite instability is unlikely to play a role in the tumorigenesis of sporadic pancreatic cancers and confirm the presence of mismatch repair gene alterations only in sporadic colon tumours with a highly unstable phenotype.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗
PubMed1999

p53 overexpression in lymph node metastases predicts clinical outcome in ductal pancreatic cancer.

In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of both p53 overexpression and proliferating activity in 133 primary ductal pancreatic carcinomas and in their regional synchronous lymph node metastases by immunohistochemistry, by using DO7 and MIB1 monoclonal antibodies, respectively. Tumor samples and lymph nodes were obtained from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival material of patients operated on between 1976 and 1996. Patients had a well-documented clinical history and were given accurate follow-up. p53 accumulation was observed in 77 (54%) of 133 primary tumors and in 22 (44%) of 50 patients with nodal metastases. The p53 overexpression was directly related to proliferating activity (p = 0.01) in the primary tumors. A significant direct correlation was present between the p53 expression in the primary tumor and in nodal metastases (p = 0.01); the same occurred for proliferating activity by MIB1 (p = 0.002). The patients' overall survival was affected by the presence of nodal (p = 0.02) and distant (p = 0.0001) metastases. The p53 immunoreactivity in nodal metastases was associated with a statistically significant decrease in the postoperative survival period (p = 0.005). Multivariate analysis confirmed these results, and the only two parameters that maintained statistical significance were M1 status (p = 0.0006) and p53 overexpression in nodal metastases (p = 0.01).

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

Renaissance mummies in Italy.

The paleopathological study of 40 Italian Renaissance mummies has allowed us to perform about 20 diagnoses, of which 5 concern infectious (smallpox, hepatitis, condyloma, syphilis and pneumonia), 4 metabolic (obesity, atherosclerosis, gallstones and uric acid nephrolithiasis), 2 articular (DISH and rheumatoid arthritis) and 2 neoplastic (skin apithelioma and colon adenocarcinoma) diseases. The mummy of an anonymous child, dated back to the 16th century (C14=1569 +/- 60), presented a diffuse vesiculo-pustular exanthema. Macroscopic aspects and regional distribution suggested smallpox, while EM reavealed many egg-shaped, virus-like particles (250 x 50 nm), with a central dense core. Following incubation with anti-smallpox virus antiserum and protein A-gold complex immunostaining, the particles resulted completely covered with protein A-gold. These results clearly show that this Neapolitan child died of a severe form of smallpox some four centuries ago. The mummy of Maria of Aragon, Marquise of Vasto (1503-1568), reavealed on the left arm an oval, cutaneous ulcer (15x10 nm) with linen dressing. Indirect immunofluorescence with anti-treponema pallidum antibody identified a large number of filaments with the morphological characteristics of fluorescent treponemes. EM evidenced typical spirochetes, with axial fibril. These findings clearly demonstrate a treponemal, probably venereal, infection. The mummy of Ferrante I of Aragon, King of Naples (1431-1494), revealed an adenocarcinoma extensively infiltrating the muscles of the small pelvis. A molecular study of the neoplastic tissue evidenced a typical mutation of the K-ras gene codon 12:the normal sequence GGT (glycine) was altered into GAT (aspartic acid). At present this genetic change is the most frequent mutation of the K-ras gene in sporadic colorectal cancer. The alimentary "environment" of the Neapolitan court of the XV century, with its abundance of natural alimentary alkylating agents, well explains this acquired mutation. These and other diseases as, for example, a fatal puerperal complication, a thyroid goiter, a case of Wilson's cirrhosis, some cases of anthracosis and other peculiar traumatic conditions, such as a mortal stab-wound, can elucidate the pathocenosis of the wealthy classes of the Italian Renaissance.

History, 16th Century↗
PubMed1998

Sequence analysis of bacterial DNA in the colon of an Andean mummy.

We have isolated DNA from 14 tissue samples from the internal organs of an Andean human mummy (10th-11th century A.D.) and have checked the persistence of the original human and bacterial templates using the following main approaches: 1) amino acid racemization test; 2) quantification of mitochondrial DNA copy number; 3) survey of bacterial DNA in the different organs; 4) sequence analysis of bacterial amplicons of different lengths. The results demonstrate that both the original human DNA and the DNA of the bacteria of the mummy gut are preserved. In particular, sequence analysis of two (respectively 100 and 196 bp in length) libraries of bacterial 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplicons from the mummy colon shows that while the shortest amplicons give only modest and biased indications about the bacterial taxa, the longer amplicons allow the identification several species of the genus Clostridium which are typical of the human colon. This work represents a first example of a methodological approach which is applicable, in principle, to many other natural and artificial mummies and might open the way to the study of the structure of the human microbial ecosystem from prehistory to present.

Cloning, Molecular↗
PubMed1998

HCV genotypes in Northern Italy: a survey of 1368 histologically proven chronic hepatitis C patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) easily undergoes genomic changes, thus accounting for the presence of different genotypes, with different geographic distributions and different outcomes of chronic hepatitis. Type 1b is frequently found in advanced diseases; however, since this genotype is the most prevalent in older patients, the association with advanced age and severity of the disease is confounding. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the prevalence of HCV genotypes by surveying a large population of chronic hepatitis C patients in Northern Italy, and to assess if the high prevalence of genotype 1b in older patients with advanced diseases simply reflects the duration of HCV infection, rather than intrinsic biological properties of HCV. METHODS: We studied 1368 HCV-RNA positive patients, with histologically proven chronic hepatitis. Drug addiction, blood transfusions and sporadically acquired infections represented the risk factors. RESULTS: Genotype 1b, the most prevalent isolate, and genotype 2a were associated with older age, cirrhosis, sporadically-acquired infections and blood transfusion, while types 1a, 3a, and 4 were associated with younger age, chronic persistent hepatitis and drug addiction. Patients with a history of transfusions were divided into four groups depending on the period of transfusion. The prevalence of genotype 1b decreased with time. Type 3a appeared only after 1979. CONCLUSION: The severity of chronic hepatitis C could be related more to the duration of the infection rather than to the intrinsic pathogenicity of HCV genotypes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Initial tumor targeting, biodistribution, and pharmacokinetic evaluation of the monoclonal antibody PAM4 in patients with pancreatic cancer.

This pharmacokinetic study was performed to assess the potential usefulness of the murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb) PAM4-IgG1 as an immunotargeting agent for pancreatic cancer imaging or therapy. This MoAb reacts specifically with mucin purified from human pancreatic cancer. 131I-labeled PAM4-IgG1 was injected i.v. into five patients with suspected pancreatic cancer. Whole-body scans and spot views of the abdominal area were recorded with a computerized gamma camera, and specific regions of interest were drawn over the liver and spleen to define the kinetics of activity in these organs. Blood samples taken from 0.1-144 h after injection served to define the kinetics of plasma distribution and removal of activity from the body. Surgery confirmed pancreatic cancer in four of the five patients, whereas chronic pancreatitis was present in the fifth patient; in all four pancreatic cancer patients, immunostaining with the MoAb PAM4 demonstrated the presence of the specific antigen, with a cytoplasmic and endoluminal/secretory pattern of distribution. Nonspecific radioactivity accumulation in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow was low, linked essentially to the blood pool effect of circulating activity in these organs. The overall quality of scintigraphic maps recorded over the abdomen was quite satisfactory due to the low liver and spleen activity, with good scintigraphic demonstration of the pancreatic cancers (either primary or metastatic); the patient subsequently found to have pancreatitis failed to show PAM4 targeting. Except in one patient with widespread peritoneal metastases (in whom these tumor implants were detected scintigraphically already 24-48 hours after tracer injection), scintigraphic evidence of the tumor lesions was usually late, starting at about 72-96 h after tracer injection. The results obtained in this preliminary study indicate the potential usefulness of MoAb PAM4 for immunoscintigraphy in patients with either primary and/or recurrent pancreatic cancer while also suggesting that the use of the faster-clearing Fab fragments of this MoAb probably would result in improved immunoscintigraphic properties.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Prognostic value of histological grading in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Klöppel vs TNM grading.

A new histological grading system with prognostic correlation for pancreatic cancer was proposed by Klöppel et al. in 1985. Histological sections from 60 ductal adenocarcinomas operated on between January 1980 and December 1990 were retrospectively reviewed in order to compare Klöppel's grading with standard TNM's grading and assess their prognostic value. Klöppel grading was determined through the following histologic and cytologic factors: number duct-like structures, mucus production, neoplastic epithelium, arrangement and pleomorphism of nuclei, and mitotic activity. A score from 0 (well differentiated) to 2 (poorly differentiated) was given to each factor. The mean value obtained dividing the sum of the different values by the number of parameters was used to construct a malignancy scale and therefore allocate each patient to his Klöppel grading. The concordance index K between the two grading systems was relevant (K = 0.85 p < 0.001). There was no relation either between gradings (Klöppel or TNM) and preoperative duration of symptoms or between gradings and UICC stages. TNM's G2 grades of malignancy, N status, and tumor stage were significantly related to survival time (p < 0.05). Klöppel's grading does not show any advantage over the classical and simpler TNM's grading, even though it can be considered more objective and therefore more easily reproducible. This characteristic further should be enhanced by the introduction of a malignancy scale such as the "mean value."

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Not Available].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Dental Prosthesis↗