Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to G Palmieri.
A series of 2-(2'-acylhydrazino)-3-ethoxycarbonyl-3-aryl (or alkyl)-pyrrole derivatives was synthesized and submitted to in vitro microbiological screening. Most derivatives showed considerable antibacterial and antifungal activities.
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Since 1981 there has been a constant rise in the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and the anorectum among homosexual men in the United States. In addition, lung cancer, testicular cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, and multiple myeloma have been recently reported in persons at risk for AIDS with HIV infection, with some peculiar clinicopathological features, including age, histological type, and clinical aggressiveness. Within the GICAT (Gruppo Italiano Cooperativo AIDS & Tumori) framework, we have identified four cases of testicular cancer, two cases of leukemia, and 1 case each of cervical cancer, carcinoma of the oral cavity, lung cancer, brain tumor, and multiple myeloma in persons at risk for AIDS, mainly i.v. drug abusers, with HIV infection, diagnosed in different Italian institutions. Work is in progress in order to collect histological and clinical data on these tumors. Although these data are preliminary and are not indicative of an actual increase in the incidence of malignancies other than malignant lymphomas and Kaposi's sarcoma in the AIDS setting, clinicians should be aware of the possible association of these tumors with HIV infection.
The Authors have studied the morphological features and the proprioceptive nervous component in the coccygeus and levator ani muscles of the rabbit, using Ruffini's and Barker-Ip's impregnations. The coccygeus muscle originates from ischiatic spine and inserts on the last three sacral vertebrae and on the first four or five caudal vertebrae. The levator ani muscle originates from the ischiatic spine and the coccygeus muscle aponeurosis and inserts directly on the caudal vertebrae 3-5 or 4-6. The proprioceptive innervation in both muscles is constituted by muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs with a typical structure. Muscle spindles are more numerous than Golgi tendon organs and the spindle density is higher in the levator ani muscle.
The synthesis of 3-ethoxycarbonyl-5-aryl-pyrrole derivatives with an arylpiperazine group in position 2 is described. The in vitro biological investigation showed that compound (XVIII) had considerable antibacterial activity against gram-positive microorganisms and antifungal activity against Candida rugosa, while the other compounds did not show any significative activity.
The synthesis of some 5-substituted 2-amino-3-cyano (and 3-carboethoxy)pyrroles is described starting from the cyano- and carboethoxyacetomidines and the alpha-halogeno ketones. The compounds tested in vitro as antimicrobial agents did not show any significative activity.
We report our experience in the treatment of pleural effusion in 25 patients with metastatic breast cancer. Seventeen patients received initial systemic therapy and in 13 of them local intrapleural therapy was subsequently employed; the remaining 8 patients received local therapy only. Several modalities of local treatment were used: intrapleural chemotherapy with thiotepa and 5-fluorouracil; the production of pleural adhesion by the use of chest drainage alone or associated with instillation of sclerosing agents, such as nitrogen mustard or tetracycline. Of the 21 patients who were subjected to local therapy, 19 (90.5%) achieved an objective response (16 complete (76.2%) and 3 (14.34%) partial). Complete responses were observed exclusively in patients who had pleurodesis. Our data suggest that pleurodesis is the treatment of choice for neoplastic pleural effusion and that the use of tetracycline as a sclerosing agent is the most useful because of its availability, low cost and low morbidity.
The synthesis and microbiological activities of 1-arylideneaminoimidazole derivatives are reported. Antimicrobial data show that some of the tested imidazoles exhibited an interesting activity on Candida albicans.
The LH8-105 T cell clone, obtained by radiation leukemia virus-induced transformation of hen egg-white lysozyme (HEL)-specific mouse suppressor T lymphocytes, constitutively releases in the culture supernatant products able to induce specific suppression of the immune response to HEL. LH8-105 cells rearrange and express the genes encoding the alpha and beta chains of the antigen-specific T cell receptor and display membrane T cell receptor structures. LH8-105 mRNA specific for the alpha and beta chains of the T cell receptor were positively selected on filter-bound cDNA encoding constant regions of alpha and beta chains, eluted and translated into Xenopus laevis oocytes. Translation products were then tested in vivo for specific suppression of the anti-HEL antibody response. LH8-105 culture supernatant and translation products of LH8-105 poly(A)+ RNA or a mixture of alpha and beta chain-homologous mRNA induce HEL-specific suppression whereas translation products of LH8-105 mRNA eluted from irrelevant DNA or unrecombined mRNA eluted from alpha and beta cDNA do not exert suppressive activity. These results indicate that alpha and beta chain-homologous mRNA expressed in LH8-105 cells direct the synthesis of molecules able to induce HEL-specific suppression.
Using hybridoma technology we produced monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) to idiotypic determinants on human anti-cardiolipin antibodies purified from a patient with SLE. Hybridomas were screened by inhibition of cardiolipin binding activity of sera from patients with SLE. Seven hybridomas were selected, two of which were studied extensively. Sera from a number of patients with SLE were found to share idiotypic determinants. This cross-reacting idiotype was not detectable on anti-cardiolipin antibodies in syphilis sera. The cross-reacting idiotype was present in sera with anti-ssDNA antibodies even though some of these sera had no anti-cardiolipin antibodies. We propose that these MoAb may recognize a regulatory idiotype.
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The most developed and organized lamina running trough the biceps brachii muscle belly forms a well-marked tendinous intersection connecting the proximal tendon with the distal one. Moreover, the lacertus fibrosus arises from this lamina close to the distal tendon and blends with the fascia of the forearm and joins the extensor carpi radialis muscle. The nerve supply for the biceps tendinous intersection arises from the intramuscular rami of the musculo-cutaneous nerve, whereas the lacertus fibrosus is provided with some cutaneous rami of the same nerve. The biceps brachii tendinous intersection and lacertus fibrosus are provided with free and encapsulated nervous endings. The encapsulated corpuscles are represented by rare Pacini, Pacini-like and Ruffini receptors and by numerous Golgi tendon-organs. All these receptors have been studied by a topographical point of view and the role played by the proprioceptors in synchronizing shoulder, elbow and carpal joint movements both in the flexion and the extension of the limb, has been hypothesized.
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By two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis under nonreducing/reducing conditions, five proteins with interchain disulfide bridges are revealed on the surface of the suppressor T cell lymphoma line LH8-105 obtained by radiation leukemia virus-induced transformation of hen egg-white lysozyme-specific suppressor T lymphocytes. Two disulfide-linked surface proteins expressed by LH8-105 cells have been positively identified by immunoprecipitation with specific antisera. The major labeled membrane protein of LH8-105 cells is the murine leukemia virus env glycoprotein gp70. The second disulfide-linked molecule identified on LH8-105 cells has a molecular mass of 84 kDa under nonreducing conditions and 42 kDa after reduction, and is immunoprecipitated by an antiserum which recognizes the T cell receptor for antigen. A disulfide-linked molecule of a similar molecular mass is also immunoprecipitated from surface-labeled LH8-105 cells by a rabbit antiserum directed against a synthetic peptide predicted from the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA clone encoding the beta chain constant region of a helper T cell hybridoma. Therefore, a dimeric structure comparable to the T cell receptor expressed by cytotoxic and helper T cells is present on the cell surface of these monoclonal antigen-specific suppressor T cells.
We report the case of a child with congenital neuromuscular disease characterized by neonatal onset of symptoms, a floppy syndrome with marked weakness of facial muscles, palsy of the velum pendulum and hypomotility of the esophagus. EMG was inconclusive. Serum enzyme levels were within the normal range. Muscle biopsy specimen showed uniform type 1 fibers, smallness of the occasionally observed type 2 fibers and slight ultrastructural changes in many fibers. On the basis of the clinical and morphological features we have included the present case among the group of non-progressive congenital neuromuscular diseases.
T cells mediating hen egg lysozyme (HEL)-specific delayed hypersensitivity can be activated by synthetic peptides of the 1-18 amino acid residues of hen egg lysozyme. The N-terminal 1-18 peptides of hen egg (PHEL) and ring-necked pheasant lysozyme (PREL) are highly cross-reactive in the induction of T cells mediating delayed hypersensitivity. The N-terminal 1-18 peptides of hen egg and ring-necked pheasant lysozyme (PHEL and PREL) are not cross-reactive in the induction of suppressor T cells, demonstrating that phenylalanine at amino acid residue 3 is critical for the formation of an epitope recognized by T suppressor cells.
The proliferative response of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) to an arterial wall injury has been investigated in young (3-6 months) and old (30-52 months) rabbits, employing two different experimental models. In the first model the lesion was produced by passing an inflated balloon catheter along the abdominal and descending thoracic aorta, while in the second, the endothelium was removed from a segment of the right carotid artery by air-drying. Both experimental models produced very heterogeneous lesions in which the de-endothelialization of the arteries was often accompanied by foci of cellular necrosis of variable extension throughout the vascular wall. The autoradiographic evaluation of the proliferative response of arterial SMCs following in vivo administration of 3H-thymidine revealed different patterns of labeling according to the type of lesion produced. A significant negative correlation (p less than 0.001) was found between the proliferative response and the cellular density of the vascular district. An age-related decrease in the proliferative response of SMCs was observed only in the thoracic aorta where the damage to the tunica media was less extensive as compared to the other vascular districts.
The various types of sensory nerve endings found in the peroneus tertius muscle in the ass and in the horse have been studied with Ruffini's gold chloride method. Free nerve endings have been described as well as encapsulated receptors. These corpuscles are classified as Pacini-like, Ruffini's terminations and also Golgi's tendon-organs. The authors have pointed out the morphology, topography and structural characteristics of the above named nervous terminations and have hypothesized that a probable functional relation existed between these nervous corpuscles and the considered tendinous structure.