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L Ginaldi

Publications and source records attributed to L Ginaldi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Altered lymphocyte antigen expressions in HIV infection: a study by quantitative flow cytometry.

To identify surface antigen changes that may contribute to the immune deficiency in infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), we quantified, by double-staining flow cytometry, the number of antigens of the main peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets from 30 HIV-positive persons and compared them with those of 19 HIV-negative healthy donors. Standard microbeads with different capacities to bind mouse immunoglobulins were used to convert the mean fluorescence intensity values into numbers of antigen molecules per cell, measured as antibody binding capacity. The level of expression of different lymphocyte antigens in HIV-infected patients differs from that seen in normal blood lymphocytes. Some of these surface markers are decreased, whereas others are increased, and their expression is modulated depending on the specific cell subset considered. The expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8 on T lymphocytes is significantly decreased; moreover, CD3 is down-regulated on activated and nonactivated T lymphocytes and on CD4 and CD8 cells. In contrast, the expression of CD2 on T cells is significantly increased. Natural killer cells exhibit down-regulation of CD7, normal levels of CD8 and CD56, and overexpression of CD2. Our results also identified, for most of these antigens, quantitative differences in membrane expression according to different disease stages, as assessed by the CD4 T-cell count. Quantitative flow cytometry therefore may provide useful insights into the lymphocyte functional defects characterizing HIV infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Activated naive and memory CD4+ and CD8+ subsets in different stages of HIV infection.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes and the correlations between the main lymphoid phenotypes indicative of activation and/or functional states during the course of HIV infection. Immunophenotype studies by flow cytometry were performed on blood samples from 59 HIV-1-positive patients, divided into four stages, and 18 seronegative healthy controls, to determine the expression of HLA-DR, CD29 and CD45RA on CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes. HLA-DR expression was elevated on the total lymphocyte population and in both the main T subsets. Its presence on CD4+ lymphocytes probably has a different significance in the first phase of infection when it is indicative of reactive activation, in contrast to the more advanced stages of disease when it favors the spread of HIV infection among this cellular subset. The increasing state of immune activation is also confirmed by a proportional decrease in the expression of CD45RA, substantial stability of CD29 and an increase in double-negative CD4+ cells as the infection proceeds. Also CD8+HLA-DR+ lymphocytes increase during the course of disease. The parallel increase of the CD8+CD45RA+ subset in asymptomatic patients suggests the presence in this phase of infection of peripheral blood immature and activated CD8+ cells. Similarly to CD4+, the CD29 subset of CD8+ lymphocytes remains unchanged compared to controls during disease progression. In both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets we observed the increase of a double-negative sub-population of uncertain significance. HLA-DR, the memory marker CD29 and the naive marker CD45RA seem to be the more promising and helpful indicators for a better staging of disease and may provide information that accurately correlates with progression of infection. The peculiar trend of the described phenotypic alterations could represent changes in the immune response to HIV during disease progression and facilitate the definition of specific immune patterns in different stages of HIV infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Clinical uses of flow cytometry in hematological oncology].

In the last decades, the classification of schemes of haematological malignancies have undergone considerable changes both in terms of modifications of previous concepts and of methodological approaches, in parallel with the acquisition of new information on the physiopathological and functional pattern of haemic cells and of their precursors both at the lymph node and bone marrow level. The cyto-morphological aspects of haemic were better defined and integrated by the application of cyto- and histochemical methods, which were subsequently supplemented by bioenzymatic and cytogenetic techniques, then by immunophenotypical studies and finally by biomolecular investigations. Through the use of monoclonal antibodies and the introduction both in research and routine diagnostic practice of multiparameter analysis techniques, it is now possible to correlate several cellular parameters, to identify clonality of malignant cells as well as their lineage assignment and maturation stage. Flow cytometry has become an important, rapid and objective method for the diagnosis of haematological neoplasias. In the present survey we have illustrated the different expression of surface, cytoplasmic and nuclear antigens in haematological malignancies, their correlation with the clinical course of the disease and their diagnostic and prognostic significance.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1997

Quality control study of H2 breath testing for the diagnosis of carbohydrate malabsorption in Italy. The "Tenue Club" Group.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: H2 breath testing is increasingly used in Italy. The aim of this multicenter study was to assess the accuracy of this technique in the diagnosis of carbohydrate malabsorption. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire was used to collect information about H2 breath testing methods and to design the quality control study. Fifteen out of 23 laboratories responded to the questionnaire and 12/23 completed the entire study. RESULTS: The survey revealed that a large variety of H2 testing methods are employed in Italy, but none have been previously tested for accuracy. This prospective study showed that these tests fail to identify > 20% of patients with malabsorption. In contrast, a new method based on single H2 breath measurement at 6 hours after lactulose ingestion and a cutoff value of greater than 5 ppm, had a sensitivity of 92% +/- 4% and a specificity of 94% +/- 0.5%. Increasing the cut-off to 10 ppm resulted in a sensitivity of 88% +/- 9% and a specificity of 100%. This improved accuracy was obtained with a much simpler testing procedure in which only one breath sample is analyzed, in contrast to the baseline and multiple subsequent samples that are analyzed using the currently employed techniques. CONCLUSIONS: A great improvement in the accuracy of the H2 breath test, as well as a considerable saving in terms of time and costs, may be possible through the use of a new, simplified H2 breath test followed by careful H2 analysis.

Breath Tests↗
PubMed1996

The effect of age on hemopoiesis.

Although several workers have described numerous changes affecting the hemopoietic system during senescence, the existence of univocal "hematological disease" closely related to the elderly is controversial. Many of the hematological changes described, such as sideropenic or megaloblastic anemia, are frequently the consequence of the different pathological conditions which often affect elderly patients. This review will consider the most important alterations of hemopoiesis and coagulation in the elderly, the causes capable of influencing hematological changes in old people, and their pathogenesis. Some of the major diagnostic problems encountered in the management of elderly subjects with hematological changes are also addressed. In the presence of an elderly patient with hematological alteration, it is necessary to follow a precise diagnostic schedule, which should first of all exclude the presence of a primary hematological disorder, and consider the different extrahematological conditions which frequently occur in elderly subjects (malignancies, malnutrition, chronic infections from immunological abnormalities, hormonal changes, deficiencies of various organs and systems etc.) and are responsible for many different hematological changes. These must be tackled rationally so that treatment may not only be symptomatic, but may also directly intervene on the cause of the disorder.

Aging↗
PubMed1996

Differential expression of CD3 and CD7 in T-cell malignancies: a quantitative study by flow cytometry.

Most T-cell antigens are expressed on normal and neoplastic T lymphocytes and for this reason it is not easy to distinguish between the immunophenotype of normal and malignant T cells. We have addressed this problem by comparing the levels of expression of CD3 and CD7 on T lymphocytes from 18 healthy donors with those of 61 cases of T-cell leukaemia using quantitative flow cytometry with a method that converts fluorescence intensity into number of antigen molecules per cell. Normal T lymphocytes expressed 124 +/- 25 CD3 and 20 +/- 3 x 10(3) CD7 molecules per cell. The mean CD3 values were significantly lower in all types of T-cell leukaemia than in normal T cells (P < 0.05), with the exception of Sezary syndrome. The lowest CD3 values were found in T-lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), 30 +/- 21 x 10(3), and adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL), 38 +/- 31 x 10(3), followed by T-prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL), 92 +/- 47 x 10(3), and granular lymphocyte leukaemia (GLL), 95 +/- 21 x 10(3). In contrast, the number of CD7 molecules was significantly higher in T-All, 35 +/- 7 x 10(3) (P < 0.01), and T-PLL, 29 +/- 12 x 10(3), than the normal controls (P < 0.01), whereas ATLL and GLL showed a low CD7 expression, 13 +/- 3 and 12 +/- 3 x 10(3), respectively. Our results show that the quantitative analysis of CD3 and CD7 and their combined evaluation may enable a distinction between normal and leukaemic T cells and could facilitate the monitoring of minimal residual disease. This study has also defined the T prolymphocyte as a cell of intermediate maturity between thymic derived and peripheral T lymphocytes.

Antigens, CD7↗
PubMed1996

Differential expression of T cell antigens in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes: a quantitative analysis by flow cytometry.

AIMS: To obtain reference values of the level of expression of T cell antigens on normal lymphocyte subsets in order to disclose differences which could reflect their function or maturation stages, or both. METHODS: Peripheral blood from 15 healthy donors was processed by flow cytometry with triple colour analysis. For each sample phycoerythrin (PE) conjugated CD2, CD4, CD5, CD8, and CD56 monoclonal antibodies were combined with Cy5-R-phycoerythrin (TC) conjugated CD3 and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) conjugated CD7; CD2- and CD7-PE were also combined with CD3-TC and CD4-FITC. Standard microbeads with different capacities to bind mouse immunoglobulins were used to convert the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of the lymphocyte subsets identified by multiparametric flow cytometry into the number of antigen molecules per cell, measured as antibody binding capacity (ABC). RESULTS: CD4+ (helper/inducer) T cells exhibit a higher CD3 antigen expression compared with CD8+ (suppressor/ cytotoxic) T lymphocytes. Within the CD4+ T cells, the CD4+CD7- subset expressed a lower level of CD3 compared with CD4+CD7+ and CD8+CD7+ cells, and higher CD2 and CD5 expression than the main CD3+CD7+ subset. Major differences in antigen expression were also detected between CD3+ T cells and CD3-CD56+ natural killer (NK) cells: NK cells exhibited higher levels of CD7 and CD56 and lower levels of CD2 and CD5 than T cells. Significantly lower CD5 expression was also detected in the small CD5+ B lymphocyte subset compared with T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative flow cytometry with triple colour analysis may be used to detect antigen modulations in disease states and to increase the accuracy of diagnosis by comparison with findings in normal counterparts.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Secondary leukaemias. Clinical and cytobiological aspects.

Patients treated with radiation and cytotoxic agents for a variety of neoplastic conditions develop with increased frequency a secondary leukaemia, usually a form of acute myeloblastic leukaemia. The authors illustrate and discuss the various morphological and cytobiological which characterize the "preleukaemic phase", and which comprise myelodysplastic alterations, cytochemical abnormalities, concerning the presence of glycogen and free iron in the red cell series, as well as a number of changes in enzymatic activities in the myeloid series, cytokinetic changes, indicative of accumulation of cells in G0 and G1, cytogenetic non-random abnormalities, involving specific chromosomes, and finally in vitro cultures which show a reduction in colony formation. The authors underline the differences between primary and secondary preleukaemic myelodysplastic states, consisting in the presence in the latter of frequent hypocellularity, fibrosis and almost invariability a clear involvement of multiple cell lines.

Chromosome Aberrations↗
PubMed1995

Subclinical coeliac disease is a frequent cause of iron-deficiency anaemia.

BACKGROUND: Although it is known that anaemia may be the only presenting symptom in coeliac disease, prevalence figures of unsuspected coeliac disease in anaemic patients are not available. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of antigliadin and antiendomysial antibody tests in the diagnostic algorithm of anaemic patients. METHODS: Two hundred consecutive anaemic patients were tested for antigliadin antibodies, and those positive were also tested for antiendomysial antibodies. All patients positive for antigliadin and antiendomysial antibodies underwent intestinal biopsy. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were antigliadin antibody-positive, and 10 were also antiendomysial antibody-positive. In all 10 a jejunal biopsy was consistent with coeliac disease (prevalence, 5%). This prevalence rose to 8.5% when patients with macrocytic anaemia or with microcytic anaemia due to previous bleeding or responsive to oral iron therapy were excluded from the calculation. CONCLUSIONS: Coeliac disease is a frequent cause of iron-deficiency anaemia, and antigliadin and antiendomysial antibody tests should be always performed in the diagnostic algorithm of anaemic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Epididymal lymphoma. A case report.

Primary epididymal lymphoma is an unusual observation. Only 2 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the epididymis have been previously reported. We describe the clinical and pathologic features and management of a primary high-grade malignant lymphoma of the epididymis in which a tentative diagnosis of lymphoma was made on the basis of cytologic examination and immunochemical staining of the material obtained from an aspiration needle biopsy.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Selective involvement of monocytes by acquired myeloperoxidase deficiency in a case of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

The authors describe a case of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia in which a myeloperoxidase (MPO) deficiency of circulating monocytes was first detected by automated differential cell counting, and subsequently confirmed by cytochemical and immunocytochemical investigations. MPO activity in neutrophil granulocytes from the same case was found to be normal. MPO deficiency in monocytes appeared to be associated with impaired phagocytic capacity and, based on the results of immunophenotypic and ultrastructural studies, was most likely attributable to a partial maturation arrest of monocytes. The present case suggests that MPO deficiency in myelodysplastic syndromes may have its origin in a number of different pathogenetic mechanisms.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Tuftsin deficiency in AIDS.

Tuftsin is an endogenous tetrapeptide that stimulates phagocytosis and is released from the Fc fragment of IgG by a splenic endocarboxypeptidase. Tuftsin activity and splenic function were measured in 21 patients with AIDS, 7 patients with AIDS-related complex (ARC), 22 patients who had undergone splenectomy, and 37 healthy volunteers. There was a significant inverse correlation between tuftsin activity and splenic function in all subjects. Tuftsin activity was significantly lower in patients with AIDS, ARC, and in those who had undergone splenectomy compared with healthy volunteers. Tuftsin deficiency may contribute to the risk of bacterial infection in symptomatic HIV-positive individuals.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

Howell-Jolly body counting as a measure of splenic function. A reassessment.

Non-surgical and surgical asplenia predisposes to fatal infections; therefore, simple, non-invasive and repeatable tests for assessing splenic function are required, even in non-specialized medical institutions. Howell-Jolly bodies are the most characteristic peripheral blood abnormality after splenectomy, but their counting is not considered a reliable measure of splenic function. In this study, in a group of splenectomized subjects and of patients with non-surgical hyposplenism, we have compared counting of Howell-Jolly bodies, stained by both the May-Grünwald/Giemsa method and the Feulgen reaction, with pitted cell counting which is considered a reliable technique for the assessment of splenic hypofunction. A significant correlation has been found between Howell-Jolly body counts, stained by either technique, and pitted cell counts (P less than 0.0001). Through Howell-Jolly bodies were never detectable when pitted cell counts fell between 4 and 8%, values consistent with a very mild splenic hypofunction, for pitted cell counts above 8% their increase was always associated with increasing Howell-Jolly body counts. These data suggest that, although pitted cell counting represents a more sensitive method for evaluating splenic function, Howell-Jolly body counting may still be regarded as a simple and reliable technique for identifying and monitoring those cases associated with a real risk of overwhelming infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Recurrence of Hodgkin's disease after a 28-year disease-free interval. A case report.

The authors describe a case of nodular-sclerosing Hodgkin's disease, originally observed in clinical stage III B and treated by systemic chemotherapy, with relapse after a 28-year disease-free interval. As far as we know, the length of remission in this case is second only to that of a case recently described by Hung and co-workers. Therefore, although according to data in the literature relapse after a very long disease-free interval is more frequently observed in patients with stage I A and II A disease, it may occur also in cases with symptomatic, widespread disease. This phenomenon, while reflecting the complexity of relations between the different factors (histologic subtype, clinical stage, host vs tumor defenses, therapy, etc.) that variously affect the clinical course and outcome, underlines the need for cautiousness when assessing the ultimate prognosis of individual cases of Hodgkin's disease.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Diamine oxidase plasma activities after treatment with heparin and jejunal morphometry in untreated coeliac disease.

Diamine oxidase plasma concentrations after treatment with heparin were measured and compared with the surface to volume ratio of jejunal biopsy samples assessed by a morphometric technique in patients with untreated and treated coeliac disease and in biopsied controls. As expected, enzyme activity was significantly lower in patients with untreated coeliac disease than in patients on a gluten-free diet and in biopsied controls. No difference was found between treated patients and biopsied controls. There was a significant overall correlation between plasma enzyme activity and surface to volume ratio of jejunal mucosa, although two untreated patients without an overt malabsorption syndrome but with a very low surface to volume ratio had normal enzyme activity. This study shows that in coeliac disease plasma diamine oxidase activity after treatment with heparin does not always mirror the extent of the jejunal lesions, particularly in those patients with minimal or unrelated symptoms who would benefit most from a valid screening test to identify their condition.

Adult↗