Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Ferrucci

Publications and source records attributed to L Ferrucci.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

On chromosomal DNA modifications by chemical and physical treatment of C-bands.

Experiments were performed on fixed metaphase chromosomes using standard techniques for revealing paracentromeric heterochromatin (C bands) followed by staining with acridine orange with the aim of studying C-banding mechanism. Data obtained suggest that the specific resistance to the chemical-physical treatments of the heterochromatic areas is a consequence of the particular structural conditions that the C-positive material shows only after its early renaturation.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1986

Prediction of left ventricular function in acute anterior myocardial infarction by serum creatine kinase activity and precordial ECG mapping.

Right cardiac catheterization, serial determination of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) and of CPK-MB activities, and precordial 35-lead ECG mapping were performed in 17 consecutive patients with a first anterior acute myocardial infarction (AMI) within 6 hours of the onset of symptoms. Left ventricular function as determined by the stroke index (SI, ml/m2) to mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP, mmHg) ratio inversely correlated either with the total CPK and CPK-MB released and with peak enzymatic activity, or with the entity of early (6th hour ECG) ST-segment elevation. Conversely, a direct correlation was found between the SI/PCWP ratio and the ratio of R to Q+S waves from late (48th hour) ECG. Residual left ventricular function after a first anterior AMI can therefore be estimated noninvasively in the individual patient by early precordial ECG mapping and by peak enzymatic activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

New cytogenetic techniques in the study of primate genome evolution.

Fixed metaphase chromosomes of different species and genera of Primates (five species of Macaca genus and Callithrix jacchus) have been studied after Alu I restriction enzyme digestion and DA-DAPI counterstaining, in the attempt to determine some qualitative characteristics of their DNAs and specifically of the DNA localized in the heterochromatic components of the karyotypes. The results have been discussed in the light of those already published on humans, confirming the potentiality of this approach in the study of the phyloevolutive relationships in Primates.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

The Alu I-induced bands in metaphase chromosomes of orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Implications for the distribution pattern of highly repetitive DNA sequences.

Restriction endonucleases have been recently proved to be active on fixed chromosomes, thus they are useful in chromatin structure studies. Within this class of enzymes, Alu I is able to detect the presence and localization of highly repetitive DNA sequences in human and in other mammalian and dipteran species. In this paper the pattern obtained on fixed metaphase chromosomes of orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) by Alu I digestion and Giemsa staining is shown. The results are discussed in the light of the distribution, in this species, of the I-IV human satellite DNAs. It is also suggested that in Pongo some highly repetitive sequences, different from the major human satellites, are present.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

A possible correlation between DA-DAPI counterstaining and alu I-induced bands in fixed human chromosomes.

DA-DAPI counterstaining is a technique which reveals the heterochromatic areas of chromosomes 1, 9, 15, 16 and Y in humans; a result which may be related to the peculiar characteristics of these chromosomal regions, particularly regarding their DNA content. The present report describes a different DA-DAPI stain reaction. Obtained under standard conditions, it shows positive, bright staining in a large number of chromosomes. Such a result is discussed in relation to the banding pattern produced by Alu I in human metaphase chromosomes, in view of the high degree of overlapping of the two patterns.

Chromosome Banding↗
PubMed1985

Hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of fructose-1,6-diphosphate in acute myocardial infarction.

Acute hemodynamic and electrocardiographic effects of fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP), an agent that is supposed to restore anaerobic glycolytic flux in the ischemic myocardium, were studied in 40 patients with acute myocardial infarction who were grouped into 4 subsets: subset 1, normal (15 mm Hg or less) pulmonary artery (PA) wedge pressure and normal (35 g-m/m2 or greater) left ventricular (LV) stroke work index; subset 2, elevated (more than 15 mm Hg) PA wedge pressure and normal LV stroke work index; subset 3, normal PA wedge pressure and reduced (less than 35 g-m/m2) LV stroke work index; subset 4, elevated PA wedge pressure and LV stroke work index moderately reduced to a range between 16 and 34 g-m/m2. Patients were randomized into an FDP (250 mg/kg body weight in isotonic saline solution intravenously in 20 minutes) and into a placebo group. Each subset contained 5 FDP- and 5 placebo-treated patients. After basal measurements, hemodynamic measurements were reassessed at 60, 90 and 120 minutes from the infusions, while a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram was recorded in the basal state and 120 minutes after infusion. Nonsignificant hemodynamic change was observed in the placebo subsets, and FDP failed to exert any effect in subsets 1, 2 and 3. A 24% (p less than 0.02) increase in cardiac index occurred 60 minutes after FDP in subset 4. LV stroke work index also increased, while PA wedge pressure remained unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Hemodynamic effects of digoxin in acute myocardial infarction in man: a randomized controlled trial.

Hemodynamic effects of digoxin in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been acknowledged to depend on the basal cardiocirculatory state. In the present study, the effects of digoxin in patients with AMI were evaluated in four hemodynamic subsets, based on the relationship between mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP, in mm Hg) and left ventricular stroke work index (LVSWI, in g-m/m2): subset 1: normal (less than or equal to 15 mm Hg) PCWP and normal (greater than or equal to 35 g-m/m2) LVSWI; subset 2: elevated (greater than 15 mm Hg) PCWP and normal LVSWI; subset 3: reduced (less than 35 g-m/m2) LVSWI and normal PCWP; and subset 4: elevated PCWP and LVSWI moderately reduced to a range between 16 and 34 g-m/m2. Forty patients were admitted to the study and were randomly assigned to one of two groups in each subset: control group (19 patients) and treated group (21 patients). Five patients were randomized into each of the subsets 2, 3, and 4 in both the control and treated groups, while in subset 1 there were four control and six digoxin-treated patients. Control patients were administered a placebo saline solution and digoxin-treated patients received 0.50 mg of the drug intravenously in 20 minutes. The effects of the placebo and of the drug were evaluated at 30, 60, and 90 minutes from the end of the infusion. Hemodynamic data did not vary in the control group, and digoxin did not exert any relevant effect in subsets 1 and 2. After drug infusion, cardiac index (Cl, in L/min/m2) significantly increased in subset 3 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Some factors affecting the action of restriction endonucleases on human metaphase chromosomes.

We have investigated whether restriction endonucleases produce bands on human chromosomes by extracting DNA, using staining methods which are stoichiometric for DNA. Restriction enzymes that produce C-band patterns appear to remove DNA extensively from chromosome arms. In general, however, those restriction enzymes that produce G-bands do not extract DNA from chromosomes, and their effects are believed to be due to conformational change in the chromosomal DNA; in these cases, the chromosomal regions affected appear to be determined by the chromosome structure and not by the specificity of the enzyme. DNA loss from chromosomes due to digestion by restriction enzymes may in some cases be uniform, although a G-banding pattern is visible after Giemsa staining.

Azure Stains↗
PubMed1985

The banding pattern produced by restriction endonucleases in mouse chromosomes.

The metaphase chromosomes of mouse have been treated with the restriction endonucleases Alu I, Mbo I, Hae III and Eco RII and subsequently stained with the DNA-specific dye Ethidium bromide. A striking correspondence between previous biochemical findings and our cytological results has been noticed with Alu I, Mbo I and Hae III, which were capable of digesting all but the DNA localized at the centric constitutive heterochromatic areas. Digestion with Eco RII, on the contrary, resulted in cytological data which apparently did not fit in with the biochemical results previously obtained by digesting the DNA of this species with the same enzyme. It is postulated that factors such as chromatin organization, in addition to DNA base sequence, can determine the results we report.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

S1 nuclease removes DNA from eukaryotic metaphase chromosomes: cytological evidence.

Fixed and unfixed human chromosomes, as well as fixed rye chromosomes were treated with S1 nuclease, which specifically cleaves single stranded DNA. Subsequent staining with either acridine orange, ethidium bromide or Giemsa revealed that, contrary to what has previously been reported, S1 digestion extensively altered chromosomal morphology and staining intensity, although the alteration was more pronounced in fixed as compared to unfixed metaphases. A number of mechanisms, which may account for our findings, have been invoked: a) the presence in metaphase chromatin of B-DNA/Z-DNA transitional junctions, b) the induction, by alcohol: acid fixation procedure, of nicks within regular B-DNA conformation and c) the induction of sites available to S1 by torsional stress due to metaphase high condensation degree.

Chromatin↗
PubMed1984

Intra-aortic balloon pumping in the elderly: percutaneous versus surgical catheter insertion.

The feasibility and safety of percutaneous versus intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) in the elderly were evaluated in 45 patients who were over 65 years of age (range 65-79). All the patients required counterpulsation for complicated acute myocardial infarction. IABP insertion was attempted by the surgical technique in 22 patients, while the percutaneous approach was performed in 23. A consistent improvement in the incidence rate of successful insertion was attained with the use of the percutaneous technique as compared with the surgical one (91.3% v 59.1%, P is less than 0.05). Furthermore, no major complication was observed with the percutaneous catheter, while a 9.1% (2/22) incidence rate of serious complications was reported with the surgical technique. Thus, percutaneous IABP substantially decreased the unsuccessful insertions and the risk of severe complications in old patients, despite presumably severe aorto-iliac disease. No specifically age-related technical problem seems, therefore, to limit the applicability of intra-aortic counterpulsation to elderly patients, when percutaneous IABP is employed.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Right ventricular infarction: clinical, hemodynamic, mono- and two-dimensional echocardiographic features.

In a series of 75 patients with transmural acute myocardial infarction, a right to left ventricular filling pressure ratio equal to or greater than 0.65 was assumed to be indicative of associated right ventricular infarction. Eleven (24%) out of 45 patients with infero-posterior myocardial infarction had such hemodynamic evidence of right ventricular infarction (Group A). The remaining 34 patients with infero-posterior myocardial infarction (Group B) and the 30 patients with anterior myocardial infarction did not. Two-dimentional echocardiographic examination performed 5 days after admission in the 62 patients who survived, showed right ventricular free wall asynergy in six out of eight Group A patients: in three of them right ventricular enlargement was present. No patient in Group B inferior infarction or with anterior myocardial infarction had abnormal right ventricular motion or dimensions.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Chromatin organization and restriction endonuclease activity on human metaphase chromosomes.

Human metaphase chromosomes were treated with HaeIII, HindIII, EcoRI, and AluI restriction endonucleases and subsequently stained with either Giemsa or ethidium bromide. The results obtained seemed to suggest that the structural organization of specific chromosome regions can play a primary role in determining the cytological effect after digestion with specific restriction endonucleases.

Azure Stains↗
PubMed1983

Selective digestion of human metaphase chromosomes by Alu I restriction endonuclease.

Human cytological preparations have been digested with Alu I restriction endonuclease (Endo R Alu I) and subsequently stained with acridine orange. Metaphase chromosomes treated in this way revealed a clear-cut bright/ dull longitudinal differentiation. It has been postulated that these cytological findings could be related to the selective digestion, by Alu I, of all DNA with the exception of some heterochromatic, possibly satellite, fractions.

Chromosomes, Human↗
PubMed1983

[A case of postinfarction spontaneous angina: physiopathological study of the therapeutic effectiveness of intra-aortic balloon pumping].

A 46-year-old patient showed spontaneous angina with anterior S-T segment depression 30 hours after an inferior acute myocardial infarction. Myocardial ischemia, which was resistant to drug therapy and induced acute left ventricular failure, was promptly reversed by intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP). Coronary angiography demonstrated diffuse, severe atherosclerotic disease. Efficacy of IABP in this case of spontaneous angina might be ascribed to an increase of the coronary cross-sectional area in response to the increased intraluminal pressure ("passive vasomotion").

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1982

The longitudinal differentiation produced by photo-oxidation and acridine-orange staining in eukaryote chromosomes: role and involvement of DNA base composition.

Photo-oxidation and staining with acridine-orange result in a longitudinal green/orange-red/brown-red color differentiation in fixed chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster, D. virilis, Culiseta longiareolata, and Mus musculus. Such a result has been correlated with specific DNA base sequences situated in specific chromosomal areas. In fact, given the known base composition of satellite DNA's in three of the species we studied, a correspondence seems to exist between molecular hybridization in situ of AT-rich satellite DNA's and the location of specific stain reactions in specific chromosome regions. Moreover, our results support previous findings suggesting preferential guanine destruction as a consequence of photo-oxidation.

Acridine Orange↗