Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Grassi

Publications and source records attributed to G Grassi.

341 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Results of autotransplantation of hepatocytes in hepatectomized rats].

With a view of clarifying the mechanism whereby the beneficial effect of hepatocyte transplantation is obtained, an autologous transplant was made of hepatocytes in the peritoneum of a surgical model of acute hepatic insufficiency in the rat, highly reproducible to the detriment of its reversibility. The cells were prepared in accordance with the non-perfusional enzymatic method proposed by Fry. The cell yield from 3 g of liver tissue was 4 X 10(6), with an index of viability of over 70%. There was no difference in survival between the treated animals and the control group, though coma appeared significantly later in the former. The conclusion is therefore drawn that transplantation offers no metabolic support to the anhepatic animal. Further investigation is required of the biochemical and metabolic aspects of the function of the hepatocyte in the light of its induction of a significant delay in the appearance of coma.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Education of the diabetic patient: 10-year experience at the Karen Bruni Center].

On the basis of a ten year experience, new behavioural and philosophical approaches to the education of insulin-dependent diabetic patients are proposed by the Karen Bruni Diabetes Center of Turin. Conceptual and methodological revisions of conventional programs should be tried out. Practical difficulties are still restricting an integrated educational treatment of the diabetic persons.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[HLA typing and insulin antibody production in insulin-dependent diabetics].

The literature of the past ten years shows that the introduction of highly purified heterologous and, lastly, homologous insulins has notably lowered the production of IgG and IgE specific insulin antibodies, but has not succeeded in completely eliminating clinical manifestations of the immune or hyper-immune response to insulin therapy. In particular, insulin allergy with or without lipodystrophy is still seen. Among the factors of insulin immunogenicity, there is a possible genetic control of the immune response in type I diabetes: determining HLA halloantigens (A, B, C, D) might identify specific immune response genes (Ir genes). Initial researches, performed until now almost exclusively upon diabetics treated with conventional heterologous insulin, seem to indicate a positive relationship between haplotype HLA - B15 - DR4 and an elevated immune response, whereas haplotypes HLA - B8 - DR3 and HLA - B18 - DR3 might protect against the formation of anti-insulin antibodies. Antigens D/DR3 and D/DR4 are known to be primitively associated to susceptibility for type I diabetes, whereas antigens B8, B15, B18 are secondarily associated to the rise in frequency of DR3 and DR4 for the "linkage disequilibrium" existing between alleles of B and D loci. The results of HLA typing are presented in 2 groups of insulin-dependent diabetics (ID) followed from an immunological viewpoint during therapy with monocomponent heterologous insulin for over 5 years. The first group is composed of 50 patients with low IgG anti-insulin antibody titers (less than 1 mU/ml, Christiansen: low responders); the second group is made up of 23 patients with high IgG anti-insulin antibody titers (greater than 2.5 mU/ml, Christiansen: high responders) and includes 5 subjects with insulin allergy (associated or not with insulin lipoatrophy) and high levels of insulin specific IgE antibodies. A study of the frequencies of various HLA-B antigens in both groups of patients, in regard to a control group of piemontese population, in relation to the intensity of association (relative risk) and to the statistical importance of frequencies, shows only a possible protective effect of the HLA-B18 phenotype (linkage disequilibrium with HLA - DR3) towards the production of anti-insulin antibodies and hyperimmune clinical manifestations, such as allergy. Reliable conclusions are not possible between low and high responders for the other phenotypes (HLA - B7, B8, B15) commonly implicated. HLA-B12 was noted in 3 of 5 patients with allergy, in 2 cases associated with B8.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Advantages and disadvantages of an experimental model for the study of acute hepatic insufficiency].

At present, there is no ideal model for acute hepatic insufficiency that assists in the understanding of its numerous clinical and metabolic problems. Pharmacological models are reversible but biologically imprecise, whereas surgical models offer a homogeneous biological answer, but are irreversible and only suitable for brief experiments. An assessment is made here of a model in the rat involving complete devascularisation of the liver by portocava anastomosis and ligation of the liver peduncle, and total hepatectomy in a single stage. The following parameters were used to evaluate the experimental usefulness of the model: reproducibility of the response and death due to acute insufficiency after a period long enough to permit the efficacy of support management to be assessed. All the controls survived for indefinite periods after portocava anastomosis, whereas the mean survival of 20 animals subjected to total hepatectomy was 12.05 +/- 5.0 hr), and coma intervened 7.5 +/- 3.3 hr after resection. These results point to the usefulness of the model in studies on the treatment of hepatic insufficiency. It is open to further improvement through alteration of the post-operative glycidic control and reduction of the radicality of liver resection.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Home self-monitoring of blood glucose with a new reflectance photometer].

The accuracy of a new reflectance photometer, RapidGluco Italamec, intended for home blood glucose monitoring was compared with that of two other reflectometers, Glucocheck Medistron and Glucometer Ames, all using Dextrostix strips, and a routine laboratory method (Glucose Analyzer Beckman). Venous blood sugar values from 300 randomly selected patients attending our Clinic, obtained with each of the reflectometers (RapidGluco, Glucocheck, Glucometer), correlated significantly with those obtained with the Glucose Analyzer (r = 0.95, 0.99, 0.90; y = 1.06x + 3.29; y = 1.04x + 0.26; y = 0.87x + 34.8). The reflectometer - Dextrostix system proved accurate and convenient for practical purposes with all three instruments. Attention may be drawn to the lower cost of the RapidGluco. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the reliability of the system when used by patients themselves, the advantages of reflectometers over visual readings of the strips, and their improvement of diabetic control.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Principles, means and evaluation of a programme for diabetes education (author's transl)].

A programme of patient information and education, as a primary tool of diabetes treatment, has been developed during the past 5 years, aiming to an effective self-management of diabetes. The programme is patient-oriented, with an essential psychological approach, based on a realistic language and following the concepts of a simple "diabetes philosophy". The diabetes is considered as an human condition, not necessarily a disease. Two phases are proposed. The first, termed "basic information", essentially consists of: 1) an individual checklist of 20 main-items to be gradually completed, with sharing of responsibilities between professionals and diabetics, according to the Etzwiler's contract concept; 2) a set of six original slide-tapes (Bell a. Howell and Reflex projectors) and video-tape films (Fairchild), with personal comments; 3) the red booklet "Condizione diabete" published in 1978 by the Karen Bruni Diabetes Centre. The second phase of the programme, termed "advanced information", is intended for a continuous up-to-dating of diabetological knowledge. The means used are: 1) periodical information meetings with discussion on various existential problems of diabetics; 2) a quarterly magazine "Centro KB", in which new techniques and investigations (such as C peptide and insulin antibody determination) are explained or local events are commented. The effectiveness of the programme has been evaluated through a questionnaire given to 305 subjects attending both the diabetes ward (in-patients and out-patients) and the diabetes clinic (out-patients only). The questionnaire asks 20 specific questions, of the multiple choice type, about day-to-day care complications, natural history of the diabetes, and so on. The percentage of total correct responses, as well as of correct responses to 3 key questions (hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, complicating infections) has been analyzed on a computer PDP 11/23 (FORTRAN) in relation to demographic and diabetological variables. The educational level appears to be positively correlated with attendance to the ward (initial hospitalization) in comparison to the out-patients clinic, young age and insulin-dependence, and schooling. No relationship was found between level of information and metabolic control, as assessed by HbA1C. Following conclusions are drawn: 1) the complete programme of patient education is particularly valuable for young insulin dependent (ID) diabetics, who really need and properly use the information; 2) to the adult-old, non insulin-dependent diabetics (NID) a limited information programme seems to be more suitable; 3) a separation between ID and NID diabetics has to be considered when planning a future information programme; 4) permanent hard personal engagement by the diabetologist, and continuous review and criticism of information means and techniques, are requested if the tasks of a really patient-oriented teaching have to be attained.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Sympathetic nervous factors, pressure variability and organ damage in arterial hypertension].

Animal models have shown that hypertension may be accompanied by an increase in sympathetic activity. The findings of increased plasma norepinephrine or increased muscle sympathetic nerve traffic have now provided clear evidence, however, that sympathetic activity is increased in essential hypertension and that adrenergic neural mechanisms are already involved in the early phase of this condition. Furthermore, in the early and late phases of hypertension, the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors frequently accompanying hypertension such as obesity, insulin-resistance, and smoking, concomitant with hypertension, brings about sympathetic activation which may be superimposed on the activation resulting from the hypertensive state itself. Finally, sympathetic activation is directly involved in the progression of end-organ damage and plays a paramount role in the cardiovascular structural changes typical of the blood pressure elevation occurring in left ventricular hypertrophy, arteriolar remodeling, and atherosclerosis. These findings underscore the importance of aiming anti-hypertensive treatment at the reduction not only of blood pressure levels, but also of enhanced sympathetic cardiovascular drive.

Animals↗