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Biomedical subjects

G Galli

Publications and source records attributed to G Galli.

At least 217 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Correlation between plasma levels of fenofibrate and lipoprotein changes in hyperlipidaemic patients.

Eleven hyperlipidaemic patients received two formulations of fenofibrate (differing in in vitro dissolution) in randomized sequence, each for 6 weeks. Formulation N, giving a 2-3-fold higher plasma fenofibrate level compared to R, lowered both the cholesterol and triglyceride levels far more than R. Changes in the total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were not significantly correlated with the fenofibrate level. A highly significant correlation was detected for triglycerides in Type IV patients, and for changes both in very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and triglycerides in the entire group of patients. In conditions of widely distributed steady state levels of an absorbable hypolipidaemic drug, a significant correlation may thus be detected between the plasma level and the reduction of VLDL - associated lipids.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Non-invasive radioisotopic evaluation of placental blood flow.

The authors have evaluated placental blood flow using a non-invasive radioisotopic approach. The procedure involves the intravenous administration of 113mIn and the technique is a modified version of a previously reported method for a non-diffusive tracer kinetics analysis. The method is presented in detail and its performance is evaluated in 17 normal and 32 pathologic pregnancies (19 intrauterine growth retarded patients; 7 patients with iso-Rh immunization; 5 patients with gestational diabetes, and 1 pregnancy with extensive fetal malformation which was not included in any group). The normal pregnancies showed a flow index of 5.34 +/- 1.64 (1 SD) units compared to the pathological pregnancies value of 2.73 +/- 0.73 (1 SD) units (p less than 0.001). The conclusions drawn are: (1) the method is very well suited to clinical evaluation of placental blood flow; (2) the evaluation of placental blood flow cannot be directly equated with fetal development as it is not its only determinant, and (3) no other independent test to evaluate the radioisotopic study in terms of accuracy exists.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Release of leukotrienes, induced by the Ca++ ionophore A23187, from human lung parenchyma in vitro.

When chopped human lung is stimulated with the Ca++ ionophore A23187 (0.25-10 microM) leukotriene (LT) B4, LTD4 and LTE4 are found in the incubation medium according to different patterns. LTD4 is released promptly and its levels increase up to 45 min after the stimulus (A23187, 10 microM) and decline later (120 min); LTE4 formation follows a sigmoidal shape and continues to accumulate even 2 hr after the challenge; LTB4 levels reach a plateau at 45 min. LTC4 was undetectable in most experiments but it was found to accumulate when reduced glutathione (10 mM) was added. Addition of exogenous LTC4 to unstimulated fragments of human lung shows that an effective interconversion to LTD4 and LTE4 takes place: A23187 stimulates formation of LT and cyclo-oxygenase products dose dependently; a statistically significant formation of LT occurs at A23187 concentration of 1 microM whereas thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 6-K-prostaglandin F1 alpha levels increased significantly only at 2.5 microM A23187. Pretreatment with U-60257 (100 microM) prevented formation of LT without a concomitant increase of TXB2 levels. Indomethacin (1.5 microM) blocked the release of 6-K-prostaglandin F1 alpha and TXB2 without a shift of arachidonic acid towards LT-like activity. Addition of exogenous LTC4 did not trigger synthesis of TXB2 or 6-K-prostaglandin F1 alpha. Our results indicate that reduced glutathione levels and the activity of the enzymes involved in LT biosynthesis and/or metabolism play an important role in controlling the pattern of LT release from human lung.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed1985

Aneurysms of the thoracoabdominal aorta.

Five cases of thoracoabdominal aneurysms are reviewed. These cases were observed during the last 10 years and their incidence was 4% of all aortic aneurysms admitted in the same period. In all the patients the Crawford's technique by graft inclusion with visceral vessel reattachment by direct suture, without by-pass, was adopted. Of the five patients, two underwent elective surgery and three emergency surgery. While the mortality rate in the patients operated on election was 0%, on emergency it was 66,6%.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Surgical treatment of infected pseudarthrosis of the humerus.

The authors report 16 cases of infected lesions of the humerus with delayed consolidation or pseudarthrosis. The treatment consisted of radical surgical debridement, freshening of the bone fragments with removal of all necrotic tissue, and stabilisation with a Hoffmann-Vidal external fixation device. Healing occurred between 3 and 6 months after operation. The one case of failure was attributable to inappropriate technique (inadequate resection of the ends of the fragments).

Debridement↗
PubMed1985

The role of osteotomy in the treatment of pseudarthrosis of the neck of the femur in younger patients.

The authors discuss 34 cases of pseudarthrosis of the neck of the femur that were subjected to two different types of osteotomy, namely the support osteotomy of Putti and the valgising osteotomy of Pauwels. The following conclusions were reached: both methods produced good healing of the pseudarthrosis; with regard to the functional result, valgising osteotomy associated with a degree of lateralisation must be the operation of choice because it compensates for the shortening and prevents the Trendelenburg gait.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

The cDNA sequences of the sea urchin U7 small nuclear RNA suggest specific contacts between histone mRNA precursor and U7 RNA during RNA processing.

3' Processing of sea urchin H3 histone pre-mRNA depends on a small nuclear RNP which contains an RNA of nominally 60 nucleotide length, referred to below as U7 RNA. The U7 RNA can be enriched by precipitation of sea urchin U-snRNPs with human systematic lupus erythematosus antiserum of the Sm serotype. We have prepared cDNA clones of U7 RNA and determined by hybridization techniques that this RNA is present in sea urchin eggs at 30-fold lower molar concentration than U1 RNA. The RNA sequences derived from an analysis of eight U7 cDNA clones show neither homologies nor complementarities to any other know U-RNAs. The 3' portion of the presumptive RNA sequence can be folded into a stem-loop structure. The 5'-terminal sequences would be largely unstructured as free RNA. Their most striking feature is their base complementarity to the 3' conserved sequences of histone pre-mRNAs. Six out of nine bases of the conserved CAAGAAAGA sequence of the histone mRNA precursor and 13 out of 16 nucleotides from the conserved palindrome can be base paired with presumptive U7 RNA sequence, suggesting a unique hybrid structure for a processing intermediate formed from histone precursor and U7 RNA.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Influence of diamide on aggregation, cytoskeletal proteins, and arachidonic acid metabolism in human platelets.

Simultaneous addition of diamide (azodicarboxylic acid-bis-dimethylamide, DIA), a SH-oxidizing agent, and collagen causes a deaggregation of otherwise irreversibly aggregating platelets. Thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 12-HE-TE formation is inhibited depending on the concentration ratio between collagen and DIA. Thus, at 0.25 mM DIA and 20 micrograms/ml collagen neither TXB2 nor 12-HETE were measurable, but a full scale reversible aggregation is induced. Deaggregation is further attained by adding DIA to collagen-induced aggregates at a time, when maximum amplitude has been achieved. Investigation of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites under these conditions revealed no influence of DIA on AA metabolism. Therefore, AA metabolization seems to play a minor role in collagen-induced aggregation and DIA-induced deaggregation. Polymerization of certain cytoskeletal proteins of the platelets, after addition of DIA, parallels DIA-induced deaggregation. DIA inhibits endogenous AA release, probably by interaction with platelet plasma membrane. DIA seems to inhibit the release of the alpha-granula protein thrombospondin.

12-Hydroxy-5,8,10,14-eicosatetraenoic Acid↗
PubMed1984

HMGCoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase in human liver.

The activities of HMGCoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase were assayed in liver biopsies of patients with or without cholestyramine treatment. The active dephosphorylated form of HMGCoA reductase and the activity of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase were under the detection limits in untreated subjects. After cholestyramine treatment activities of both enzymes were stimulated and the active form of HMGCoA reductase became detectable in four out of the five tested patients. In two subjects who received cholestyramine, the effect of exogenously added [4-14C] cholesterol on cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase was tested. In the presence of Tween 80, the detergent by which [14C]cholesterol was suspended, the enzyme activity was profoundly inhibited and synthesis of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol was extremely low.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Evaluation of enzyme activities by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: HMGCoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase.

Methods are described for the evaluation of HMGCoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activities. The methods are based on the measurement by selected-ion monitoring of mevalonate, formed from HMGCoA and of 7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol formed from cholesterol, respectively. The methods are as sensitive as those based on the use of radioisotopes but less time-consuming because quantitation is carried out on total lipid extracts. In the case of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, the procedure does not require the use of exogenous cholesterol as the substrate, so problems related to its equilibration with endogenous microsomal cholesterol are avoided.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Quantitative analysis of alpha, beta-thujone, pulegone, safrole, coumarin and beta-asarone in alcoholic beverages by selected-ion monitoring.

Interest in the quantitative analysis of flavouring agents in alcoholic beverages arises from the possible toxicological consequences deriving from their use. The method reported here, based on gas chromatography with selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry (SIM), allows the simultaneous measurement of alpha, beta-thujone, pulegone, safrole, coumarin and beta-asarone at the ppb level in alcoholic beverages.

Alcoholic Beverages↗
PubMed1984

Effects of dietary proteins on the regulation of liver lipoprotein receptors in rats.

Female rats fed a 1.2% cholesterol diet with animal proteins (casein) develop a significant hypercholesterolemia, with a marked increase of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)-associated cholesterol. Substitution of soy proteins for casein in the diet counteracts the increase of both total and VLDL cholesterol. Studies of liver receptor activity were carried out with both casein and soybean-cholesterol diets, to define the site of action of soy proteins. Binding of a cholesterol-rich lipoprotein fraction (beta-VLDL) to hepatic membranes is normal when a soybean-cholesterol diet is administered, and markedly reduced with casein-cholesterol. The activity of receptor-linked enzymes, HMG-CoA reductase, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase and acyl-CoA:cholesterol O-acyltransferase (ACATase), is differently affected by the two diets. HMG-CoA reductase activity is reduced by both diets with, however, significantly higher enzyme activities in the soybean-cholesterol-fed group. Both 7 alpha-hydroxylase and ACATase activity levels are significantly raised by casein-cholesterol but are in a normal range with soybean-cholesterol. These findings suggest that the hepatic receptor regulation of cholesterol metabolism is differently affected by animal and vegetable proteins in the diet.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Vehicle effects in ophthalmic bioavailability: an evaluation of polymeric inserts containing pilocarpine.

A series of polymeric ophthalmic inserts containing pilocarpine were formulated with four different types of polyvinyl alcohol, PVA, and two types of hydroxypropylcellulose. Pilocarpine was present as the nitrate, or as the salt with polyacrylic acid, PAA. In-vivo miosis vs time experiments on albino rabbits, showed that all inserts increased significantly the bioavailability of pilocarpine, with respect to a standard solution of pilocarpine nitrate. Two PVA inserts, containing the PAA-salt of pilocarpine, were particularly effective. The preparations were also submitted to in-vitro release tests and to differential scanning calorimetry, to ascertain the release mechanism, and to verify, via the thermal behaviour, possible interactions between drug and polymers. The chemical and physiochemical factors, most likely to influence the ophthalmic bioavailability of pilocarpine from the present preparations, are briefly reviewed.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Dependence of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolization in human blood platelets on reduced coenzymes.

In human platelets the metabolization of AA is linked to a consumption of the reduced coenzymes NADPH and GSH which can be attributed to about 70% to the cyclooxygenase (CO) and to about 30% to the lipoxygenase (LO) pathway. In GSH depleted platelets the conversion of AA in the LO pathway to 12-HETE is strongly impaired, whereas the formation of the stable CO products from exogenous AA is not decreased, but accelerated. When platelets are deprived from GSH by oxidation to GSSG, the release of endogenous AA from phospholipids in activated platelets is inhibited.

Arachidonic Acid↗