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Biomedical subjects

G Meduri

Publications and source records attributed to G Meduri.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Quantitative study of centrolobular hepatic fibrosis in alcoholic disease before cirrhosis.

In an attempt to determine the importance of perivenular fibrosis (PVF) in alcoholic liver disease, we studied 71 liver biopsies using histological grading and a morphometric method. The histological grading used 7 variables which allowed us to classify the patients into 7 groups: controls, patients without alcoholic hepatitis but with steatosis, steato-fibrosis, portal fibrosis and patients with mild, moderate, or severe alcoholic hepatitis. The quantitative analysis examined 3 parameters: (1) The inner diameter of the terminal hepatic veins (THV). (2) The thickness of the THV rims, related to perivenular fibrosis (PVF). (3) Centrolobular fibrosis (CLF) which represented the association of perivenular and perisinusoidal centrolobular fibrosis. No changes in the inner diameter of the terminal hepatic veins was observed for the different groups except in the case of severe alcoholic hepatitis. This fact indicated the absence of veno-occlusive lesions in early stages of mild and moderate alcoholic disease. In severe alcoholic hepatitis, THV were destroyed by centrolobular scars and most of them were indistinguishable and unmeasurable. Of the 26 cases with steatosis (with or without portal fibrosis) only two cases with steatofibrosis showed perivenular fibrosis. In contrast, a significant increase in PVF and in CLF appeared in patients with alcoholic hepatitis. CLF is easier to quantify and more significative than PVF. Thus, it seems to us that CLF is a better indicator of the intensity of sclerosis and of the risk of developing cirrhosis than PVF alone.

Fatty Liver, Alcoholic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ovarian steroids in endometrial angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis, the sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, is fundamental for human endometrial development and differentiation, which are necessary for implantation. This vascular process is supposed to be mainly mediated by the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), also named vascular permeability factor (VPF). We report here the expression and modulation of VEGF and its receptors, Flk-1/KDR and Flt-1, in the functionalis throughout the menstrual cycle. Using immunocytochemistry, VEGF is localized in glandular epithelial cells and in the surrounding stroma, as well as in capillaries and spiral arterioles. The localization of VEGF on the endothelium correlates with the presence of Flt-1 and Flk-1/KDR receptors on vascular structures, including capillary strands that have not yet formed a lumen and that have been previously described in tumors as angiogenic capillaries. The strongest immunoreactivity for both VEGF and Flk-1/KDR receptor on endothelial cells is detected in the proliferative and midsecretory phases. Enhanced expression of VEGF and its Flk-1 receptors on narrow capillary strands during the proliferative phase may account for the rapid capillary growth associated with endometrial regeneration from the residual basal layer following menstrual shedding of the functionalis. The vascular expression of Flt-1 is more important in the secretory than in the proliferative phase, associated with a high microvascular density and an increase in vascular permeability in the implantation period. Consistently with these in vivo observations, the treatment of isolated endometrial stromal cells with estradiol (E(2)), or E(2) + progesterone, significantly increased VEGF mRNA over the control value in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that the expression of VEGF and its receptors is cyclically modulated by ovarian steroids, and that this endothelial growth factor acts on the endothelium in a paracrine fashion to control endometrial angiogenesis and permeability.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Olfactory function evaluated by SPECT.

Few articles on neuroimaging techniques in the study of central and peripheral olfactory pathways are present in the literature. By Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), cortical perfusion increment after sensorial stimulation can be evaluated objectively. In the present research, 10 healthy adults underwent SPECT by CER.TO.96 cerebral tomograph, before and after olfactory stimulation with lavender-water. A variable degree of cortical activation was detected in all patients. Gyrus rectus (+24.5%), orbito-frontal cortex (right +26.6%, left +25.6%), and superior temporal (right +9.9%, left +5.5%) cortical areas were always activated. A slight perfusion increase was present in middle temporal (right +3.2%, left +2.1%) and parieto-occipital (right +0.4%, left +2%) regions. Five patients affected by posttraumatic anosmia were also investigated: they showed a perfusion increment markedly inferior to 0.5% in every olfactory area. SPECT is a rather diffused, easily performed technique which yields objective semi-quantitative information on brain perfusion. Hence, it can be regarded as a promising contribution in the fields of smell neurophysiology, clinical olfactometry, and medicolegal queries.

Adult↗