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Biomedical subjects

M Carbone

Publications and source records attributed to M Carbone.

209 records · Page 12Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of six systems for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae.

Six widely used commercial systems for Enterobacteriaceae identification (API 20 E, API 10, Enterotube, Enterotube II, Micro-ID and Minitek) were evaluated at the same time by testing 611 organisms. Conventional media were used for comparison. API 20 E, Enterotube II and Micro-ID were highly accurate and identified about 91% of the strains to the species level. The remaining organisms required additional tests and only a small minority was misidentified. Percentages of correct identification to the species level were 87.2 for Enterotube, 74.9 for API 10 and 67.1 for Minitek. Enterotube, Enterotube II and Micro-ID were, in our hands, the easiest systems to operate.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Phagocytic and intracellular killing activity of rat macrophages: critical analysis of 2 different evaluation methods].

Two different evaluation methods of the "in vitro" bacterial killing activity of macrophages were compared; the former based on the determination of the number of viable microorganisms in the supernatant of macrophage cultures by a microbiological plate method; the latter based on the evidentiation of intracellular killing by differential staining of living and killed microorganisms with acridine orange. Phagocytic and microbicidal activities of peritoneal cells were investigated by the two methods in control rats and in tumor-bearing rats. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the kinetics of phagocytosis and microbial killing were evidentiated in macrophages from tumor-bearing rats. Furthermore, both methods proved to be suitable and reproducible.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adherence of Staphylococcus strains to human urinary and buccal epithelial cells.

91 strains of Staphylococci belonging to different species were investigated for their adhesive capacity to urinary and buccal human epithelial cells. Furthermore the adherence of the same bacterial strains was evaluated in relation with their methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant properties. S. aureus showed an high adhesion to buccal and urinary cells; S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis attached mainly to uroepithelial cells and to buccal cells, respectively. Bacterial strains, either sensitive or resistant to methicillin antibiotic, did not exhibit significant differences of adhesive capacity.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphological and biochemical features of a medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.

An MCF-7 human breast cancer line variant (MCF-7/MPA), resistant to medroxyprogesterone-acetate (MPA), was obtained by continuous exposure in vitro to the drug. MCF-7/MPA cells were grown in the presence of 12.5 x 10(-6) M MPA and were selected by increasing the concentration of the drug in the growth medium in a stepwise manner from 0.025 x 10(-6) M up to 12.5 x 10(-6) M. Comparative studies of cellular morphology, cytosolic steroid receptor content and P-Glycoprotein expression were performed on both MCF-7 parental line and MCF-7/MPA variant. MCF-7/MPA cells, when compared to the parental line, exhibit a different morphology in terms of membrane alterations, reduced content of cytosolic progesterone receptor, increased expression of P-glycoprotein along with reduction of Doxorubicin (Dx) activity on the growth of MCF-7/MPA resistant cells.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Humoral immunological parameters in Italian patients with oral lichen planus.

Serum humoral immunological parameters were determined in 25 patients with atrophic-erosive forms of oral lichen planus (OLP) (Group 1), in 28 patients with reticular-plaque-like lesions of OLP (Group 2) and in 21 healthy patients without oral lesions (Group 3). Comparing patients affected by atrophic-erosive forms of OLP (Group 1) with normal controls (Group 3), increased levels of serum IgG approaching the statistical significance were found (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0572). It was also found a significantly higher value of kappa (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0017; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni's correction p < 0.001) and lambda (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.0346; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni's correction p = 0.013) light chains in patients with atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) as compared with normal controls (Group 3). However these higher levels were probably caused by strong prevalence of chronic liver diseases (40%), in patients with atrophic-erosive variety of OLP. No one of these patients was affected by autoimmune liver disease. No differences were noted between atrophic-erosive OLP (Group 1) and hyperkeratotic OLP (Group 2). This study does not confirm the suggestion that patients with OLP may have a generalized immunologic disorder and it also add some evidences that the role of humoral immunity in the pathogenesis of OLP is probably secondary to the cell-mediated reaction against basal keratinocytes.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood cell immunity in Italian patients with different varieties of oral lichen planus.

Quantitative analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was carried out in 25 patients with atrophic-erosive type of oral lichen planus (OLP) (Group 1), in 28 patients with reticular-plaque like lesions of OLP (Group 2) and in 21 healthy patients (Group 3) by using flow cytometry. CD4+ subsets decreased significantly in patients with reticular-plaque like varieties when compared with healthy patients (Group 3) (One way analysis of variance p = 0.039; t-test with Bonferroni correction p < 0.05). Moreover, in patients with hyperkeratosic forms of OLP (Group 2) CD8+ cell populations were significantly higher than in controls (Group 3) (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.035; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni's correction p < 0.0001) and consequently CD4/CD8 ratio was significantly lower in patients with reticular-plaque like lesions than in controls (Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.01; Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni's correction p = 0.013). No statistical differences between patients of Group 1 (atrophic-erosive OLP) and the other two Groups (hyperkeratosic OLP and healthy controls) were detected. 40% of the patients of Group 1 were affected by chronic hepatopathies, most of which were related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), but the data were not substantially modified after adjustment for the patients with chronic liver disease HCV positive. There is no clear evidence that these results indicate the existence of a different pathogenetic mechanism between erosive-atrophic and hyperkeratosic types of OLP. On the other hand, these results and the previously reported immunohistochemical findings suggest that quantitative alterations of peripheral blood lymphocytes in hyperkeratosic varieties of OLP could represent a shift of CD4+ cells from the vascular to the oral mucosa compartment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High CD44 expression on human mesotheliomas mediates association with hyaluronan.

PURPOSE: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare malignancy with major environmental implications regarding passive asbestos exposure. We have conducted an immunohistochemical and functional study to address three questions: (1) What is the representation of CD44 on tumor cells as detected by immunohistochemistry? (2) Do cultured cell lines derived from malignant pleural mesothelioma tissue express the same CD44 phenotypes as the original tumors, and can they serve as a model for the study of CD44 in mesotheliomas? (3) What is the functional status of the CD44 expressed on mesotheliomas, with regard to hyaluronan anchorage? MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven samples of pleural mesothelioma were obtained from patients entered on phase I/II protocols conducted in the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute since 1991. The diagnosis was confirmed in all 37 patients by means of a battery of immunohistochemical tests for markers differentiating malignant pleural mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma. Tumor-positive lymph nodes and distant metastases were also examined in six of the patients. Cell lines, established from tumor tissue of six of the patients described above, were used in these experiments. Four (H2596, H2461, H2373, H2452) were derived from primary solid tumors and two (HP-1 and HP-3) were derived from effusions. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody (H4C4) that recognizes a constant region of human CD44 demonstrated that 34 (92%) of the malignant pleural mesotheliomas examined expressed CD44 on 50% to 100% of their cells. The extent of CD44 expression was apparently related to histologic subtype with the highest expression seen in epithelioid mesotheliomas and the least in sarcomatoid tumors. Tumor cell lines established from the primary tumors or effusions of six of the malignant pleural mesothelioma patients showed high expression of the hematopoietic form of CD44. Four of these cell lines exhibited strong attachment to hyaluronan in an in vitro attachment assay, indicating that their CD44 was functional with respect to hyaluronan anchorage. Hyaluronan attachment was specific in that it could be abolished by preincubation with epitope-specific anti-CD44 antibodies or soluble substrate or by hyaluronidase treatment of attachment surfaces. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that CD44 is highly expressed on human mesotheliomas, that cell lines adequately represent tumor expression, and that CD44 mediates association with hyaluronan, a major component of pleural fluid.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Topical treatment of atrophic-erosive oral lichen planus with clobetasol in bioadhesive gel as well as chlorhexidine and miconazole in oral gel].

The study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of a topical corticosteroid with topical antimicrobic drugs in the therapy of the atrophic-erosive forms of oral lichen planus. Clobetasol propionate, a very potent corticosteroid in the Miller and Munro classification, was used in a 4% hydroxy ethylcellulose bioadhesive gel and applied twice daily for the first four months and once daily for the last two months. Because of the high frequency of candidal infections during corticosteroid therapy, chlorhexidine 0.12%, 3 mouthwashes daily, and miconazole gel, once daily, were added for the whole period of the treatment. Twenty-five patients (17 female, 8 male) participated in the study; 20 concluded the six months of therapy and the six months of follow-up. All 20 patients (100%) had an improvement, while 75% had a complete remission of oral signs. No cases of oral candidiasis were seen. After six months from therapy suspension, 65% of patients were stable in their oral conditions. Our study confirms the efficacy of the combination of a topical corticosteroid with topical antimicrobic drugs in the therapy of the atrophic-erosive forms of oral lichen planus. The stability of our results suggests that, extending the therapy, control of the disease is better.

Administration, Topical↗