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Biomedical subjects

G Giuliano

Publications and source records attributed to G Giuliano.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Combined effects of traffic and electromagnetic fields on the immune system of fertile atopic women.

Object of this preliminary study was the immune response to high or low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELMF) of non-atopic and atopic fertile women with uniform exposure to toxic compounds produced by traffic. Women were divided in group A (non-atopic, non-exposed to ELMF); B (atopic, non-exposed to ELMF); C (non-atopic, exposed to ELMF); D (atopic, exposed to ELMF). "In vitro" cell proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of atopic women (groups B and D) stimulated by phytohaemoglutinin (PHA) was reduced. The ELMF exposed women (groups C and D) showed lower levels of blood NK CD16(+)-CD56+ lymphocyte subpopulations and of "in vitro" production of interferon-gamma (both spontaneously and in presence of PHA) by PBMC, suggesting that ELMF reduces blood cytotoxic activity. Serum IgE of the atopic women exposed to ELMF (group D) was higher than that of the other groups. Linear discriminant analysis including serum zinc and copper (essential enzymes for immune functions), blood lead and urinary transtrans muconic acid, a metabolite of benzene (markers of exposure to traffic) and key parameters of immune functions (CD16(+)-CD56+ lymphocyte subset, serum IgE, interferon-gamma produced by PBMC in presence of PHA, stimulation index of blastogenesis) showed absence of significant difference between groups A and C and a marked separation of groups B and D. This datum suggests that ELMF have a greater influence on atopic women exposed to traffic than on non-atopic ones.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Expression of lymphocyte subpopulations, cytokine serum levels, and blood and urinary trace elements in asymptomatic atopic men exposed to an urban environment.

The objective of this study was to analyze the role of some trace metals in the immune system of nonallergic or atopic men. One of these elements (Zn) is essential for immune function, whereas others, present in the urban environment, are known to be allergenic (Ni and Cr) or toxic (Pb). Serum levels of interleukin (IL) 2, 4, 5, and 13 and of interferon-y and immunoglobulins, blood lymphocyte subsets, blood concentrations of Pb and Zn, serum levels of Zn, and urinary Cr and Ni concentrations were determined in 17 nonallergic men (mean age 34 years) and 17 healthy nonsymptomatic atopic men living in urban areas. The mean blood concentration of Pb (a marker of exposure to toxic agents) was 11 microg/dl in both groups, which showed similar levels of blood Zn and of urinary Ni and Cr, whereas the serum Zn concentration was lower in the atopic group. Serum IgE levels were much higher in atopic men than in nonallergics, whereas serum IL-2, IL-5, and IL-13 concentrations were lower, possibly due to binding to tissue receptors and cells. Moreover, in atopic subjects, numbers of blood CD4+-CD45RO-"virgin" lymphocytes were significantly lower and the CD4+ -CD45RO+/CD4+ -CD45RO- ratio was more elevated, indicating an activation of the immune system. Serum IgE levels of atopic men, in contrast to those of nonallergic subjects, were correlated with CD19+ and CD5--CD19+ B lymphocytes. Blood Pb levels of both groups of men were correlated with CD4+, CD4+-CD45RO+, and HLA-DR+ [activated T-, B-, CO4+ -C. and natural killer (NK) cells] lymphocytes; in particular, blood Pb levels of the nonallergic men were also significantly correlated with CD25+ cells activated by IL-2, whereas those of the atopic men were also correlated with CD3--HLA-DR+ (B- and NK-cells) and CD5--CD19+ lymphocytes. Besides serum Zn levels, urinary Ni and Cr of nonallergic men were correlated with several immune parameters; in particular, urinary Cr was correlated with serum IL-5 and IgE and urinary Ni was correlated with CD4+ -CD45RO+ and CD3+ -CD25+ lymphocytes. This correlation of Ni and Cr, also found in previous studies in nonallergic subjects, confirms the hypothesis that these metals are involved in mechanisms of immune response regulation and that allergy to Ni or Cr represents an alteration of physiological mechanisms. Previous experimental studies have demonstrated that Pb exerts immunomodulatory effects on CD4+ and B- lymphocytes, enhancing the production of Th2-like cytokines and IgE. These experimental results confirm those of this study, showing in atopic men the correlation of B-lymphocytes with both blood Pb and serum IgE levels. This suggests that Pb may enhance the incidence of atopy in populations exposed to an urban environment.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1999

Cryptochrome 1 controls tomato development in response to blue light.

Cryptochrome genes (CRY) are a novel class of plant genes encoding proteins that bear a strong resemblance to photolyases, a rare class of flavoproteins that absorb light in the blue (B) and UV-A regions of the spectrum and utilise it for photorepair of UV-damaged DNA. In Arabidopsis, both CRY1 and CRY2 are implicated in numerous blue light-dependent responses, including inhibition of hypocotyl elongation, leaf and cotyledon expansion, pigment biosynthesis, stem growth and internode elongation, control of flowering time and phototropism. No information about the in vivo function of CRY genes is available in other plant species. The tomato CRY1 gene (TCRY1) encodes a protein of 679 amino acids, which shows 78% identity and 88% similarity to Arabidopsis CRY1. In order to verify the in vivo function of TCRY1, we constructed antisense tomato plants using the C-terminal portion of the gene. Partial repression of both mRNA and protein levels was observed in one of the transformants. The progeny from this transformant showed an elongated hypocotyl under blue but not under red light. This character co-segregated with the transgene and was dependent on transgene dosage. An additional, partially elongated phenotype was observed in adult plants grown in the greenhouse under dim light and short days with no artificial illumination. This phenotype was suppressed by artificial illumination of both short and long photoperiods. The synthesis of anthocyanins under blue light was reduced in antisense seedlings. In contrast, carotenoid and chlorophyll levels and second positive phototropic curvature were essentially unaltered.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

Retrospective study of adverse reactions to non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): predictive value of controlled challenge with alternative drugs.

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and NSAIDs, which inhibit the cyclo-oxygenase enzyme (C-O), are responsible, when administered at therapeutic doses, for adverse reactions mainly involving the skin and respiratory tract. The prevalence of intolerance to ASA and NSAIDs, assessed by the Section of Allergic and Immunological Diseases at the University of Bari on a population of 15,800 patients referred for allergic diseases over a period of 7 years, was found to be 11.4%. The adverse reactions to NSAIDs observed were in most cases skin complaints (88.9%), followed by respiratory symptoms (asthma +/- rhinitis, rhinitis) and general symptoms (shock, hypotension, lipothymia). The most common types of NSAIDs taken were pyrazolones, salicylics, arylpropionics, paracetamol. Controlled oral challenges with alternative NSAIDs (especially nimesulide) confirm the predictive power of this test: in fact, among patients who showed tolerance to the challenge drug, only 10.6% manifested unexpected reactions during the course of one year's follow-up.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Modulation of eosinophilic chemotaxis with azelastine and budesonide in allergic patients.

In this paper, the effect of azelastine hydrochloride, a potent inhibitor of leukotrienes (LTs) and H1 receptors for histamine, was assessed as regards modulation of in vitro eosinophilic chemotaxis. In this respect, chemotaxis of eosinophils (EOS), isolated from the peripheral blood of untreated allergic subjects in the acute phase, was significantly diminished after in vitro treatment with azelastine in comparison to values before treatment. When EOS were pre-incubated with serial dilutions of the drug, it was observed that azelastine inhibited chemotaxis in a dose-dependent fashion. Since azelastine acts in vitro as a regulator of the calcium pump, EOS were pre-incubated with different concentrations (0.6 and 3.0 mM) of Ca++. In these experimental conditions azelastine was able to reduce EOS chemotactic activity only in the presence of 0.6 mM Ca++, whereas with higher Ca++ concentrations (3.0 mM) the inhibitory effect of the drug was abrogated. On the other hand, particular attention was paid to inhaled budesonide, a non halogenated glucocorticosteroid derivative, structurally related to 16 alpha-hydroxy prednisolone, which represents a helpful for treatment mild to moderate asthma. Data obtained after in vitro treatment with budesonide of a group of allergic patients demonstrated that EOS chemotactic activity was significantly reduced in these subjects. Conclusively our data show that 1) azelastine acts as a dose-dependent antagonist of chemotaxis; 2) it may exert this action by inhibiting Ca++ flow into cells; 3) inhaled budesonide may induce inhibition of bronchial inflammation by downregulating EOS chemotactic capacity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Evaluation of monocyte chemotactic responsiveness in uraemic patients undergoing haemodialysis with different dialytic membranes.

Recent data show that monocyte chemotactic peptide-1 (MCP-1), a chemotactic factor specific for monocytes, may play a central role in regulating the activation of these cells. For this reason, the production of MCP-1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures of eight healthy subjects, six chronic uraemic subjects under conservative treatment and six chronic uraemic patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD), was assessed. In the latter group of individuals, complement-activating membranes such as cuprophan (CU) were used for 1 month followed by biocompatible non-complement-activating membranes, like polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) for the next 30 days. The chemotactic index (CI) elicited by PBMC supernatants from patients undergoing dialysis was found to be significantly higher than that obtained by supernatants recovered from normal subjects or uraemic patients on conservative therapy. Furthermore, the CI from PBMC supernatants having had contact with CU membranes was higher than that obtained from PBMC activated by PMMA. Finally, the increased chemotactic ability in the supernatants was closely correlated with the augmented MCP-1 gene expression and production, as assessed by in vitro hybridization studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Light-dependent regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis occurs at the level of phytoene synthase expression and is mediated by phytochrome in Sinapis alba and Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings.

In chloroplasts, carotenoids are essential pigments involved in photosynthesis. During-photomorphogenesis, a coordinated increase in the amounts of chlorophylls and carotenoids, in conjugation with other components, leads to the formation of a functional photosynthetic apparatus. To investigate the regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during this process at the molecular level, GGPS, PSY and PDS cDNAs have been cloned from white mustard (Sinapis alba L). GGPS encodes a key enzyme in plastid isoprenoid metabolism, while the products of PSY and PDS catalyse the subsequent steps in carotenoid biosynthesis. Due to the low mRNA levels of the genes involved, the use of a RT-PCR protocol was necessary to measure gene expression during photomorphogenesis. With light, there is an up-regulation of PSY expression, the first gene within the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, while PDS and GGPS expression levels remain constant. Treatment with different light qualities reveals a phytochrome-mediated regulation of PSY expression in developing white mustard seedlings. To obtain more detailed information on the light-regulation, Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type and phytochrome mutants were utilized. Continuous far-red and red light both increase the expression of PSY in wild-type seedlings, demonstrating that both light-labile and light-stable phytochromes are involved in PSY regulation. The response to far-red light is completely abolished in the phyA mutant, showing that PHYA mediates the increase in PSY transcript levels under these light conditions. In the phyB mutant, the red light response is normal, indicating that PSY expression is not controlled by PHYB but by other light-stable phytochromes. Measurement of chlorophylls and carotenoids under the same light regimes shows that the up-regulation of PSY expression does not necessarily result in an increase of the carotenoid content. Only those light conditions which allow chlorophyll biosynthesis lead to a significant increase of the carotenoid content. Therefore, it is proposed that up-regulation of PSY mRNA levels leads to an increased capacity for the formation of carotenoids. However, this only takes place under light conditions leading to protochlorophyllide photoconversion.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗
PubMed1997

[Classification of congenital heart diseases and surgical interventions in pediatric cardiology for the standardization of hospitalization records].

The utilization of DRGs for the evaluation of hospital activity requires the availability, on a current basis, of coded in-patient records (Hospital Discharge Form, SDO) with information concerning nosology of the patient and procedures performed. Consequently, the promotion of a standardized use of ICD.9 and ICD.9.CM code systems (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, and International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification) among clinicians is necessary. The National Research Council, Council Research Hospital for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (CREAS-IFC-CNR) has promoted the establishment of a permanent work group for the evaluation of the activity in the field of pediatric cardiology and cardiosurgery at a national level. In co-operation with two leading institution (AO "Bambino Gesù", Rome; AO "G. Gaslini", Genoa) an in-patient survey has been promoted including an overall revision of the ICD.9.CM code systems both for diagnosis and procedures in order to improve the standardization of data. Besides, the fitness of DRGs allocation by different codes has been judged. Some general and specific suggestions upon codes adequacy and DRGs identification have emerged from this study. The aim of this paper is to spread this preliminary standardization activity of the group as a contribution to the improvement of in-patient coded records quality.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Regulation of a carotenoid biosynthesis gene promoter during plant development.

Carotenoids are terpenoid pigments which are accumulated in the chloroplasts of leaves and in the chromoplasts of many flowers and fruits. Phytoene desaturase (Pds), the second dedicated enzyme in carotenoid biosynthesis, is encoded in tomato by a single copy gene. A 2 kb fragment from the tomato Pds gene, comprising 1.5 kb from the promoter and 0.5 kb from the 5' non-translated region, is able to drive developmentally regulated expression of the GUS reporter gene in transgenic tomato and tobacco plants. In tomato, high levels of Pds/GUS expression are found in organs and at stages of development where chromoplasts are formed: petals, anthers and ripening fruits. Tobacco petals and fruits, which do not contain chromoplasts, show instead low levels of Pds/GUS expression. Transgenic tobacco seedlings were subjected to treatment with a range of inhibitors of carotenoid and chlorophyll biosynthesis. The results indicate that, in green tissues, carotenoid and chlorophyll levels are tightly co-regulated and that a chemically induced arrest in pigment biosynthesis results in activation of the Pds promoter. The promoter is also induced in etiolated seedlings, which contain much lower carotenoid levels than light-grown seedlings. These data suggest that in green tissues Pds gene transcription may respond to end-product regulation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

[Recovery evaluation in a pediatric heart surgery unit using the AP-DRG classification system (All Patient Diagnosis Related Groups)].

The evaluation of Health Care activities, particularly of those concerning hospitals, is one of the most important aims for the National Health Service for a "fair" resource allocation. In the recent past a great bulk of research has been directed to methods for patient classifications in relation to resource needs. Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) is one of the most important patient classification systems related to resource allocation which has been developed in the U.S. Medicare Program (HCFA-DRGs) during the eighties and more recently adopted all over Europe, Italy included. Wide experimentation has been developed during the recent past concerning DRGs confirming its validity, but also has disclosed its limits, mostly concerning applicability outside U.S., identification of specific patient subgroups (like the pediatric patient population) and capability in distinguishing patients with apparently similar resource needs, but different clinical severity conditions. In order to overcome such limits, DRGs have been subjected to some important modification: All patient DRG (AP-DRG) is a system which should pay more attention to some patient subgroups, such as the pediatric one. Research is still looking for methods, easily extensible to the whole hospital informative system concerning the possibility of distinguishing patients with different level of severity condition. With the double aim of experiment the actual utility in the use of AP-DRG, more than HCFA-DRG in a pediatric population and find further indexes for complexity and/or severity characterization of the hospital case-mix, the 1992 in-patients hospital files of the pediatric cardiosurgery hospital CREAS-IFC-CNR was reviewed. Results confirm that some increase in the identification of the case-mix do occur by using the AP-DRG system, even if a better clinical characterization could be possible (i.e. AP-DRG 108). Of particular interest is the fact that descriptive statistical analysis of position and variability parameters do confirm the importance of the length of stay as a brief index for hospital efficiency evaluation and its organizative model characterization.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Multiple isoforms of Arabidopsis casein kinase I combine conserved catalytic domains with variable carboxyl-terminal extensions.

Three cDNA clones encoding isoforms of casein kinase I (CKI) were isolated from Arabidopsis thaliana. One full-length clone, designated CKI1, contained an open reading frame of 1371 bp encoding a protein of 51,949 D with an isoelectric point of 9.7. In addition to the highly conserved catalytic domain (of about 300 amino acids), the Arabidopsis CKI isoforms contain 150 to 180 amino acid carboxyl-terminal extensions, which show among themselves a lower level of sequence conservation. These extensions do not show any sequence similarity to nonplant CKI isoforms, such as rat testis CKI delta, which is their closest isolated homolog, or to yeast CKI isoforms. Three additional isoforms of Arabidopsis CKI were found in the data bases of expressed sequence tags and/or were isolated serendipitously in nonspecific screening procedures by others. One of them also shows a carboxyl-terminal extension, but of only 80 amino acids. Casein kinase activity was detected in the soluble fraction of Escherichia coli strains expressing the CKI1 protein. This activity showed the crucial properties of CKI, including the ability to phosphorylate the D4 peptide, a specific substrate of CKI, and inhibition by N-(2-aminoethyl)-5-chloroisoquinoline-8-sulfonamide, a specific CKI inhibitor. Like several recombinant CKI isoforms from yeast, CKI1 was able to phosphorylate tyrosine-containing acidic polymers.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Reconstitution of Arabidopsis casein kinase II from recombinant subunits and phosphorylation of transcription factor GBF1.

In contrast to the well-defined tetrameric structure of animal and yeast casein kinase II (CKII), plant CKII is found in two forms: a monomeric form and an oligomeric form whose subunit composition is not well defined. The Arabidopsis homologs of the catalytic subunit alpha (CKA1) and the regulatory subunit beta (CKB1) of CKII were expressed in Escherichia coli to examine their ability to form complexes, the effect of CKB1 on the catalytic activity, and the relationship of the recombinant enzymes to those isolated from plant material. Both subunits were found mainly in the inclusion body fraction in the bacterial expression strains, and they were solubilized and renatured with the recovery of catalytic (CKA1) and stimulatory (CKB1) activities. The combination of purified CKA1 and CKB1 proteins resulted in up to 100-fold stimulation of casein kinase activity compared with the CKA1 activity alone, showing that CKB1 has biochemical properties similar to those of the beta subunit from animals. CKA1 and CKB1 spontaneously assembled into a tetrameric complex, CKA1(2)CKB12, which had properties very similar to those of the oligomeric CKII form isolated from broccoli. However, the properties of the catalytic subunit CKA1 alone differed from those of the broccoli monomeric form of CKII-like activity. Phosphorylation of transcription factor GBF1 with the reconstituted CKA1(2)CKB1(2) enzyme resulted in stimulation of its DNA binding activity and retardation of the protein-DNA complex; these results are identical to those obtained previously with isolated nuclear CKII from broccoli.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Ultrasound diagnosis of suspected urinary tract obstruction using a stimulated diuresis test.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a stimulated diuresis test associated with ultrasound is able to differentiate pelvic dilation due to atonicity from pelviureteric junction obstruction (PUO). 42 patients (25 f, 17 m) with minimal or moderate renal pelvis dilation revealed by sonography were selected for the test. Three different measurements of the anteroposterior diameter (APD) of the renal pelvis were done at the renal hilus level, by using a transversal ultrasound scan: the first under spontaneous diuresis conditions, the second after hydration with 1.5 liters of water, and the third with a full bladder 15 min after intravenous injection of 20 mg frusemide. All the patients underwent pyelography. Baseline APD (bAPD) linearly correlated with the PAD both after hydration and frusemide (r = 0.89 and r = 0.84, respectively). A descriptive evaluation of the frequency distribution of the bAPD suggested the possibility that the data samples could belong to three populations with different underlying pathophysiological conditions. Correspondence analysis between bAPD distribution and PUO suggested that the best grouping of data was: group 1 (11 patients) bAPD < 13 mm, group 2 (14 patients) 13 > or = bAPD < or = 20 mm, group 3 (17 patients) bAPD > 20 mm (likelihood ratio chi 2 46.36; d.f. = 2). Standard intravenous pyelography showed an increase in pelvis size compatible with PUO in 2 patients from group 2 and in all patients from group 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Hepatitis B virus precore/core variation and interferon therapy.

Precore/core genes from hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and antibody to HBeAg (anti-HBe) positive individuals with active hepatitis have been analyzed to search for correlations with response to interferon before and after treatment. Pretreatment, no precore stop codon mutants were detected, even at the 3% level, in HBeAg-positive responders or nonresponders. In anti-HBe-positive patients, precore mutants did not influence response. No significant core amino acid variability was observed in HBeAg-positive patients, irrespective of interferon response. However, anti-HBe-positive cases had multiple core protein substitutions, mostly in B- ant T-helper cell epitopes, but responders had fewer (P = .02 for responders versus nonresponders and reactivators). None of four responders, three of seven reactivators, and three of three nonresponders had mutations within the major T-helper epitope from aa50 to aa69 (P = .03). Precore mutants appeared in eight of nine natural seroconverters compared with 3 of 10 interferon-induced anti-HBe seroconverters (P = .01). Those in whom precore wild-type remained after treatment often tested negative in the last available sample using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), whereas emergence of mutants led to ongoing viremia in all cases. In anti-HBe-positive cases, precore sequences remained stable during therapy, except for 2 cases in whom a precore mutant appeared accompanied by reactivation. In the core protein, anti-HBe-positive cases selected a mean of 3.5, 1.6, and 1.7 amino acid substitutions in responders, nonresponders, and reactivators respectively (P = NS). In conclusion, core but not precore sequence before therapy may predict response. Appearance of precore mutants during therapy usually predicts failure to clear virus but substitution in core does not influence outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Renal toxicity and arterial hypertension in rats chronically exposed to vanadate.

The effects of 1, 10, or 40 micrograms/ml of vanadium, given for six or seven months as sodium metavanadate in drinking water on cardiovascular and biochemical variables and the electrolyte metabolism of male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. At the end of the exposure period, all animals exposed to vanadate had increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. This effect was not dose dependent and heart rate and cardiac inotropism were not affected. The role of defective renal function and electrolyte metabolism in such effects was supported, in the rats exposed to 10 and 40 ppm of vanadium, by the following changes: (a) decreased Na, + K(+)-ATPase activity in the distal tubules of nephrons; (b) increased urinary excretion of potassium; (c) increase in plasma renin activity and urinary kallikrein, kininase I, and kininase II activities; (d) increased plasma aldosterone (only in the rats treated with 10 ppm of vanadium). The alterations in the rats exposed to 1 ppm of vanadium were: (a) reduced urinary calcium excretion; (b) reduced urinary kallikrein activity; (c) reduced plasma aldosterone. These results suggest that blood hypertension in rats exposed to vanadate depends on specific mechanisms of renal toxicity related to the levels of exposure.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Aging of the aorta: a morphological study].

Aim of this study was to evaluate the aging of aorta with respect to atherosclerotic modifications: abdominal aorta echotomography is the preferred approach for this study. In 354 elderly patients, 65 and over, we have evaluated the diameter and the course of the aorta, the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta and iliac vessels, and the presence of aneurysms. Two kinds of findings could be identified by echotomography: age-related physiologic modifications, represented essentially by an increase of the aortic diameter; pathologic changes, characteristic for atherosclerosis, of which aneurysms are the most dangerous complications.

Aged↗