Biomedical subjects

G Giuliano

Publications and source records attributed to G Giuliano.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

[Falls and fractures in the elderly. Causes and consequences].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the causes of non-pathologic traumatic fractures in the elderly and their consequences on quality of life. DESIGN: A prospective trial. FOLLOW-UP: 12 months for the inpatients and 3 months for the outpatients. SETTING: Basal assessment in orthopaedic hospital; follow-up in geriatric unit. PATIENTS: Both inpatients and outpatients, 65 years and over, both sexes, both living in a nursing home and in their own home, admitted to an orthopaedic hospital because of a fall, with diagnosis of a subsequent fracture. Criteria of exclusion: patients with pathologic fracture. 121 patients were enrolled, 108 had a complete follow-up. SURVEYS: Health and functional status prior to the fracture, causes and concomitant causes of the fall, site of the fracture, complications and functional disabilities. RESULTS: The most frequent cause of fracture is an accidental fall, especially in younger elderly, other causes being acute cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Fractures occur more frequently in females. The most serious injuries affect frailer subjects, with advanced age, neurologic and multiple chronic diseases. Fracture of femur is the most frequent fracture and it has the highest risk complications, functional disabilities and death. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the high frequency of accidental falls, the authors emphasize the necessity of primary prevention, especially the removal of architectural barriers both at home and in public environment.

Accidental Falls↗

PubMed1993

Constitutive, light-responsive and circadian clock-responsive factors compete for the different l box elements in plant light-regulated promoters.

The l box is a conserved regulatory motif which is found upstream of plant genes (rbcS, cab and nia) whose transcription is regulated by light and the circadian clock. Gel retardation and UV cross-linking assays were used to resolve two different groups of I box binding factors (IBFs) in tomato nuclear extracts. Active components of the first group (IBF-1) recognize the l box of the light-responsive rbcS promoter; one factor within this group, IBF-1a, also recognizes the adjacent G box, which has been shown previously to bind a different class of plant transcription factors, the G box binding factors (GBFs). To the limit of experimental resolution, IBF-1a and GBF compete for the same nucleotides on the G box. Nevertheless, these two activities are biochemically and immunologically distinct. The relative abundance of IBF-1a shows a vast decrease in dark-adapted plants. Factors in the second group (IBF-2), recognize the l box of the nia promoter, which is regulated both by light and the circadian clock; one factor within this group, IBF-2a, also binds the l box of a second promoter showing similar regulation, the cab promoter. The IBF-2a binding sites on the cab and nia promoters show extensive homology to a circadian clock-responsive promoter element from wheat. The abundance of IBF-2a is diurnally regulated and shows a dramatic induction around the onset of the light period. Transfer of the plants in continuous darkness demonstrates that this induction is under the control of a circadian clock.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during tomato development.

Phytoene synthase (Psy) and phytoene desaturase (Pds) are the first dedicated enzymes of the plant carotenoid biosynthesis pathway. We report here the organ-specific and temporal expression of PDS and PSY in tomato plants. Light increases the carotenoid content of seedlings but has little effect on PDS and PSY expression. Expression of both genes is induced in seedlings of the phytoene-accumulating mutant ghost and in wild-type seedlings treated with the Pds inhibitor norflurazon. Roots, which contain the lowest levels of carotenoids in the plant, have also the lowest levels of PDS and PSY expression. In flowers, expression of both genes and carotenoid content are higher in petals and anthers than in sepals and carpels. During flower development, expression of both PDS and PSY increases more than 10-fold immediately before anthesis. During fruit development, PSY expression increases more than 20-fold, but PDS expression increases less than threefold. We concluded that PSY and PDS are differentially regulated by stress and developmental mechanisms that control carotenoid biosynthesis in leaves, flowers, and fruits. We also report that PDS maps to chromosome 3, and thus it does not correspond to the GHOST locus, which maps to chromosome 11.

Alkyl and Aryl Transferases↗

PubMed1993

The use of recombinant interferon alfa-2b in elderly patients with anti-HCV-positive chronic active hepatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy and tolerance of recombinant interferon alfa-2b in the treatment of anti-HCV-positive chronic active hepatitis (CAH) in subjects aged 65 years and above with those less than 65. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Outpatients in two hospitals. PATIENTS: 65 consecutive outpatients with anti-HCV-positive CAH for 1 to 30 years, having basal aminotransferase levels at least twice the normal value. Those 65 and over were randomized to an interferon group (A, n = 22) or a no-treatment group (B, n = 22). All those under 65 received interferon (group C, n = 21). INTERVENTION: Interferon at a dose of 3 mU 3 times a week for a 6-month period. A normalization of serum aminotransferase levels was considered a positive response to therapy. RESULTS: Response to therapy was positive in 62% of the treated elderly compared to 57% of the adults (P = 0.85). The two groups of responders showed a common highly significant reduction of aminotransferase (P < 0.001). Side effects were similar in elderly and young. Two untreated elderly showed spontaneous normalization of aminotransferase. CONCLUSION: Interferon in anti-HCV-positive CAH is useful in the elderly, allowing normalization of aminotransferase, improvement of the histology and remission of the disease in 62% of the cases. Side effects seem to be independent of age. Further studies are required to assess both duration of remission and usefulness of cyclic therapy in previous responders.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of N-methylformamide and N-methyl-N-(hydroxymethyl)-formamide in human urine.

A reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method which allows the determination in human urine of two important metabolites of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), namely N-methylformamide (MMF) and N-methyl-N-(hydroxymethyl)formamide (DMFOH), is reported. A single-step rapid purification of urine was performed on a C18 solid-phase extraction column and the eluate was injected directly on to the HPLC column. HPLC was carried out isocratically on Aminex Ion Exclusion HPX-87H column using 7.5.10(-4) M sulphuric acid as the mobile phase with ultraviolet detection at 196 nm. The method is specific, accurate, precise and sufficiently sensitive to be applied to the biological monitoring of MMF and DMFOH in workers exposed to DMF.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed1992

Zinc and copper in tissues of rats with blood hypertension induced by long-term lead exposure.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats received for 14 months 0, 15, 30 and 60 micrograms/ml of lead in drinking water. Both blood pressure and tissue lead were augmented with a dose-response effect, while cardiac inotropism was increased only in the rats treated with 60 ppm of lead. In the exposed animals, zinc and copper were unchanged in kidneys and testicles and augmented in the brain, while copper, but not zinc, was reduced in the heart. These data suggest a possible relation between the modifications of copper and zinc metabolism and the effects of lead on cardiovascular homeostasis.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1992

Renal mechanisms in the cardiovascular effects of chronic exposure to inorganic mercury in rats.

Male weanling Wistar rats received 200 micrograms/ml of mercury (Hg), as HgCl2, in drinking water for 180 days. At the end of the treatment, systemic arterial blood pressure was augmented, cardiac inotropism was reduced, and heart rate was unchanged. Light and electron microscopical studies of the kidney showed a mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in about 80% of the glomeruli. Tubular cells showed reduction of the acid phosphatase activity, which was related to functional abnormalities of the lysosomes. In the 24 hour urine samples of the Hg exposed rats, there was slight reduction of kallikrein activity, but evident proteinuria was not present in all samples. Plasma renin activity was reduced, that of angiotensin I-converting enzyme was augmented, and plasma aldosterone concentrations were unchanged. Mercury was accumulated mostly in the kidney of the Hg treated animals; and the content of Hg in the heart was higher than in the brain. These data show that chronic exposure to Hg acts on the kidney with complex mechanisms of toxicity; these contribute to modify systemic haemodynamics.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

[Effects of metadoxine on main biohumoral changes induced by chronic alcoholism].

The paper aims to evaluate the effects of metadoxine on liver function tests in chronic alcohol abusers without a clear alcohol dependence, by means of an open trial carried out in 7 hospitals in Tuscany. The study comprised 72 patients with a daily alcohol intake of at least 80 g for men and 30 g for women, over a period of at least 5 years. The patients were urgently requested to stop drinking, and were randomly divided into 2 groups, of which the first (52 subjects) was treated with metadoxine (500 mg twice a day) and the second (20 subjects) received only some vitamins. Interviews and blood tests were performed 1 and 2 months after the trial began. Statistical calculations were made using the chi-square and Student's tests. Metadoxine induced a more rapid reduction of SGOT and SGPT and, possibly, of Gammagt; these effects were especially evident, and were associated with a significant reduction of MCV, in 20 patients (12 in the first group and 8 in the second) in whom blood test abnormalities were greatest. No unfavorable side effects were observed that could be attributed to the drug. Metadoxine can therefore be considered a valuable resource in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

[Effects of a low-fat diet including vegetables on total blood cholesterol levels in the aged].

High total serum cholesterol and low HDL levels are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease before the age of 65. Currently in older populations their role has not yet been defined. In the elderly a low-cholesterol diet is therefore preferable to pharmacological treatment, in view of the absence of collateral effects. In this study 40 elderly patients with hypercholesterolemia were divided at random into two groups. They were respectively fed their usual diet and a legume-supplemented normal caloric diet for 8 weeks. Total serum cholesterol levels significantly decreased in the latter group from the 2nd week onward.

Age Factors↗

PubMed1990

The Po River Delta epidemiological study of obstructive lung disease: sampling methods, environmental and population characteristics.

A longitudinal study on chronic obstructive lung disease (AOD) has been started in the Po River Delta in northern Italy. The first cross-sectional study was conducted in this previously unpolluted rural area before the start of operation of a large thermoelectric power plant (2,649 megawatt). A significant output of air pollutants is expected. This will permit us to carry out a "natural experiment" to study the effects of air pollutants (SO2 and suspended particulates). A multistage stratified cluster design was chosen. Stratification was based on age and socio-economic characteristics (SES) of households, and was performed in two steps, using the different indices computed from the census data. Geographic zones represented four areas of different predicted pollution exposure, once the plant started operating. There were 3,289 subjects in the selected age group (8-64) who agreed to participate (78%); only 11% refused to participate. The participants were representative of the clusters and SES. Participants had slightly fewer employed males, who did not participate due to work. The stratification and staging method allowed us to keep an acceptable level of precision and efficiency in the sample. In fact age-related differences were not found among the SES strata and geographic zones; various socio-economic characteristics, verified from the questionnaire information, were consistent with the SES stratification. Differences between geographic zones were related to the number of households of different SES within clusters; however this reflects the characteristics of the general population in the area.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed1990

A carrot cell variant temperature sensitive for somatic embryogenesis reveals a defect in the glycosylation of extracellular proteins.

The temperature-sensitive carrot cell variant ts11c, arrested in somatic embryogenesis after the globular stage, was characterized. The sensitivity to a shift from 24 degrees C (permissive temperature) to 32 degrees C (non-permissive temperature) is greatest at the globular stage of embryogenesis, while cells proliferating in unorganized fashion and plantlets are not affected. Embryogenesis in ts11c is also arrested at the permissive temperature by replacement of conditioned culture medium with fresh medium. The timing of sensitivity of ts11c to medium replacement coincides with the sensitivity to temperature shift. Both sensitivities are recessive in somatic hybrids between ts11c and wild-type cells. Extracellular glycoproteins synthesized by ts11c at the non-permissive temperature contain much less fucose than those synthesized by the wild type. The glycoproteins synthesized by the variant under non-permissive conditions do not accumulate at the periphery of the embryo, as their wild-type counterparts do, but instead show a diffuse distribution throughout the embryo. The defect in ts11c can be fully complemented by the addition of extracellular wild-type proteins. A revertant of ts11c was isolated that simultaneously reacquired temperature insensitivity and normal glycosylation ability. Collectively, these observations indicate that ts11c is not able to perform proper glycosylation at the non-permissive temperature and suggest that the activity of certain extracellular proteins, essential for the transition of globular to heart stage somatic embryos, depends on the correct modification of their oligosaccharide side-chains.

Biological Transport↗

PubMed1989

Blood pressure changes during running in humans: the "beat" phenomenon.

In 20 runners the intra-arterial blood pressure changes determined by a long-distance run and by a maximal bicycle ergometric test were recorded by means of the portable Oxford system. A peculiar pattern of the phasic waves was observed throughout the run: continuous rhythmic pulse pressure oscillations ranging in frequency between 4 and 28/min and unrelated to respiration were detected. The shape of these oscillations prompted us to investigate whether they were due to a "beat" phenomenon, that is, to the combined effect of two waves with a nearly equal frequency. To test this hypothesis, during the run 10 athletes carried a fluid-filled container around the chest. The pressure waves recorded in the container were added by computer to those recorded intra-arterially during bicycle ergometry. The resultant harmonic showed a pattern similar to that recorded in the athlete's radial artery during running. Conversely, by subtracting the pressure waves recorded in the container from those simultaneously recorded at the radial artery during running, nearly flat tracings were obtained. The source of the beat phenomenon has therefore been identified in the wave, which generates inside the aorta and the great vessels at each foot-strike shock.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

[Changes in blood Zn, Se, Cd, Pb during therapeutic abstinence from alcohol in 101 cases of alcoholism].

The patients were subdivided into 3 groups, in accordance with clinical, echographic, laboratory and laparoscopy criteria: without liver disease, with liver disease and with alcoholic cirrhosis. In alcoholics with liver disease (with or without cirrhosis), we found a constant significant decrease in lead during abstinence, while in patients with cirrhosis zinc has a significant increase. Always lower to normal the blood selenium. The cadmium in the serum increases also after a month.

Adult↗

PubMed1988

A light-entrained circadian clock controls transcription of several plant genes.

Diurnal oscillations in steady-state mRNA levels and transcription rates were measured for seven transcripts (five of which encode chloroplast-localized proteins) in tomato seedlings: photosystem I and photosystem II chlorophyll a/b binding proteins (CAB/I and CAB/II), small subunit of RuBisCO (RBCS), actin, subunit II of the photosystem I reaction center (PSAD), subunit I of the photosystem II oxygen-evolving enzyme (OEE1), and a biotin-binding protein of unknown function. CAB/II mRNA levels were found to oscillate greater than 20-fold, showing a peak at noon, while only marginal diurnal oscillations are seen in RBCS transcripts. The oscillations are at least partially controlled at the transcriptional level. Transcription rates of both CAB/II and RBCS, measured by nuclear run-on experiments, were found to oscillate, with a peak around 8 a.m. Transcription rates of the 'biotin' clone also oscillated, with a peak around noon. Transfer of plants to constant darkness or constant light conditions alters the amplitude of the transcriptional oscillation, but does not abolish it, suggesting that it is at least partially controlled by a circadian clock. The oscillations are still visible after three days in complete darkness, and have a period very close to 24 h. The oscillator phase can be reset by out-of-phase light treatment.

Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed1988

An evolutionarily conserved protein binding sequence upstream of a plant light-regulated gene.

A protein factor, identified in nuclear extracts obtained from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum, Solanaceae) and Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) seedlings, specifically binds upstream sequences from the plant light-regulated gene family encoding the small subunit of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RBCS). RBCS upstream sequences from tomato, pea (Pisum sativum, Leguminosae), and Arabidopsis are recognized by the factor. The factor recognition occurs via a short conserved sequence (G box) whose consensus sequence is 5'-TCTTACACGTGGCAYY-3' (where Y is pyrimidine). This sequence is distinct from the GT motif described previously in RBCS promoters. Two other conserved sequences, showing a lesser degree of evolutionary conservation, are found upstream of the G box but do not bind to the G box binding factor (GBF). Twelve nucleotides within the G box are sufficient for the formation of a stable DNA-GBF complex. GBF is found in both light-grown and dark-adapted tomato leaf extracts, but it is present in greatly reduced amounts in root extracts.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1988

Transcription of Two Photosynthesis-Associated Nuclear Gene Families Correlates with the Presence of Chloroplasts in Leaves of the Variegated Tomato ghost Mutant.

Leaves of the tomato ghost mutant show a variegated green/white phenotype due to a somatically unstable genetic block in carotenoid biosynthesis. Colored carotenoids are not synthesized in white leaves; consequently, chlorophyll is destroyed by photooxidation and the plastids formed show little development of internal membrane structures. Carotenoid biosynthesis proceeds to wild type levels in green tissue, thus chlorophyll accumulates and chloroplasts develop normally. The presence of green sectors allows for the production through tissue culture of variegated green/white plants, in which growth is supported by the photosynthetic green tissue. Thus, ghost is the first plant carotenoid mutant that can be grown to maturity. We determined the steady state mRNA levels for two nuclear gene families that code for chloroplast proteins: rbcS, which codes for the small subunit of ribulose-1-5-bisphosphate carboxylase; and cab, which codes for chlorophyll a/b binding protein. In ghost plants grown in light, the steady state mRNA levels for both gene families were low in white leaves but were similar to wild type in green leaves. Light regulation of the transcripts studied was observed in both ghost green and white leaves. Transcription experiments conducted on nuclei isolated from green and white leaves indicate that the low levels of cytoplasmic mRNAs observed in the absence of colored carotenoids and/or light are due to reduced rates of transcription. We conclude that maximum transcription of rbcS and cab genes in leaves of mature tomato plants requires both light and mature chloroplasts.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1988

Variability of maximal expiratory flow-volume curve in young volley players.

In order to assess the variability of forced expiratory flows, 15 male players (age 16-19 years, height 182-201 cm) of the Italian National Junior Volley team were studied twice with the pneumotachygraph of the computerized Hewlett-Packard Pulmonary System. The first time (April), but not the second (July), all the subjects were physically trained. Each subject performed at least three acceptable forced vital capacity (FVC) maneuvers, following the standard of the American Thoracic Society, with the exception of the criterion for determining the FVC end point. Mean values of forced mid- and end-expiratory flows were significantly higher in April than in July. Inter- and intrasubject coefficients of variation were lower for FVC and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) than for the flows. However, the within-subject variability of expiratory flows is lower in our athletes than in the subjects described by other authors. Our findings indicate the importance of forced expiratory flows in detecting even minor intra-subject variations related to physical training and suggest that flow in the terminal portion of the FVC curve may be at least moderately dependent upon effort.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988

Correlation of morphological variables in the coronary atherosclerotic plaque with clinical patterns of ischemic heart disease.

The frequency and severity of "morphological" variables (fibrosis, proteoglycan accumulation, atheroma, intimal vascularization, calcification, acute intimal hemorrhage, and both adventitial and intimal lymphoplasmacellular infiltrates) in atherosclerotic plaques were related to plaque type, percentage of lumen reduction, plaque length, and intimal and medial thickness in 3,640 coronary artery sections sampled at the site of maximal lumen reduction in 8 selected segments from 100 cases of acute myocardial infarct, 50 of chronic angina, 208 of unexpected sudden coronary death with or without prodromata, and from 97 normal subjects dying accidentally. Morphological variables were occasionally observed in 1,519 sections with no lumen reduction. They were found only in sections from ischemic patients. With increasing luminal stenosis and intimal thickness, progression of the coronary plaque seemed to start as a fibrous change followed by proteoglycan accumulation in the deeper portion of the fibrous intima. Proteoglycan deposits appeared as a recurrent phenomenon. In them, atheroma or calcification develop. Intimal hemorrhage was a less frequent variable. It was found mainly in a vessel supplying an infarcted area. Lymphoplasmacellular inflammation correlated mainly with proteoglycan accumulation and atheroma, both showing a parallel increase with increasing intimal thickness and lumen reduction. No correlation was found between plaque variables and sex, age, heart weight, and infarct size. Significant variations in the distribution of plaque variables were observed among hearts of patients in the ischemic groups and between them and controls. In particular, inflammatory reaction was significantly more frequent and severe in ischemic groups than in controls, independent of the degree of coronary stenosis. Coagulative myocytolysis (contraction band necrosis), found in the majority of ischemic patients, correlated with the inflammatory reaction in supplying vessels. A peculiar tropism of mononuclear cell infiltrates for adventitial nerve structures was found. As a result, we question whether this inflammation may trigger coronary spasm and/or coagulative myocytolysis ("active" plaque vs "inactive" plaque).

Arteries↗