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Biomedical subjects

M Carbone

Publications and source records attributed to M Carbone.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Hepatitis C virus infection in Italian patients with oral lichen planus: a prospective case-control study.

To assess the aetiology of liver disease associated with lichen planus, we prospectively studied 70 consecutive newly diagnosed patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) living in northwest Italy (Piemonte) and 70 controls matched for age and sex with other oral keratoses coming from the same district. Twenty-two patients with OLP (31.4%) and 9 controls (12.9%) were found to be affected by chronic liver disease (CLD) (P = 0.014). In sixteen of the 22 OLP patients with CLD the liver disease was hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related, whereas 2 of the 9 controls had a HCV-related CLD (P = 0.016). In another OLP case, liver damage was related to a combination of HCV and alcohol abuse. The prevalence of HCV antibodies in the whole OLP group (27.1%) was significantly higher than in controls (4.3%) (P = 0.014), whereas no difference was found between the OLP and control groups regarding hepatitis B virus markers and other common causes of CLD. HCV infection was more frequently found in patients with erosive OLP (58.8%) than in patients with non-erosive OLP (13.2%) (P = 0.004). Serum HCV-RNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the majority (93.7%) of OLP patients who had HCV antibodies. Excluding OLP and control patients with HCV markers, there was no difference between the two groups regarding frequency of CLD. Our data show that HCV is probably the main pathogenic factor in liver disease of Italian patients with OLP, and suggests that HCV could be involved in the pathogenesis of OLP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Interleukin-10 protects neonatal mice from lethal group B streptococcal infection.

We investigated the role of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in a neonatal mouse model of lethal group B streptococci (GBS) sepsis. Plasma IL-10 levels significantly increased at 24 and 48 h after GBS inoculation. Neutralization of IL-10 with specific antibodies had no effect on lethality. Administration of recombinant IL-10 at 20 or 4 h before challenge, but not at later times, resulted in decreased tumor necrosis factor alpha levels and improved survival. IL-10 could be potentially useful for the treatment of GBS sepsis.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Gastric infection by Helicobacter pylori and antral gastritis in hyperglycemic obese and in diabetic subjects.

The aim of this work was to ascertain if diabetes and obesity can affect gastric colonization by Helicobacter pylori. 59 hospitalized subjects with dyspepsia and endoscopic antral gastritis were selected. They were divided into three groups: I) 13 patients with normal body weight and without disease other than gastritis (control group); II) 15 patients with essential obesity of whom 10 had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT); III) 31 patients with type II diabetes mellitus, of whom 14 were obese. Three gastric biopsies were obtained from each patient for histologic examination and H. pylori detection by means of rapid urea test, culture and histological evidence of Helicobacter-Like Organisms (HLO). Age, sex, blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, basal gastrine, duration of illness, body weight were statistically analysed. Differences between the three groups were not statistically significant. There was a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection both in obese and in diabetic patients with respect to control subjects. Prevalence became still higher in obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance. Among the three tests used for the detection of H. pylori, culture and rapid urea were reliable and specific, while the histologic test was highly sensitive but barely specific. Our data suggest that both obesity and type II diabetes may be associated with an increased incidence of H. pylori-colonization. This could be related to the reduced gastric motility observed in both pathologies and chemical changes in gastric mucosa following non-enzymatic glycosylation processes.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[The topical treatment of atrophic-erosive oral lichen planus with fluocinonide in a bioadhesive gel, chlorhexidine and miconazole gel. A totally open trial].

To evaluate the efficacy and long-term course of topical steroids treatment in oral lichen planus (OLP), an open trial has been carried out in 30 patients with atrophic-erosive or symptomatic varieties of OLP confirmed histologically with relative contraindications for systemic steroid treatment (namely, liver disease, peptic ulcer, diabetes, blood hypertension or osteoporosis). The treatment was the following: Fluocinonide (Topsyn) 0.025% in 4% idrossiethylcellulose gel applied 3 times/daily for two months, 2 times/daily for the next 2 months and 1 times/daily for other 2 months. Moreover, chlorhexidine (Plakout) 0.12%, 3 mouthwashes/daily and miconazole gel (Micotef) applied 1 times/daily were used for the entire period of the steroid therapy as antimycotics. The clinical evaluation of signs and symptoms was assessed on a scale of 0 to 5 and of 0 to 3, respectively. Twenty patients concluded the entire therapeutical scheme, whereas 5 (17%) interrupted the treatment for the appearance of side-effects (namely, gastroesophageal disturbances, mucosal bleeding and pruritus), 1 interrupted voluntarily the treatment and 4 cases did not present at the controls. No cases of oral candidiasis were seen. Eighteen patients (90%) had improvements of oral lesions with significant statically reductions in the scores of signs (p < 0.002) and of symptoms (p < 0.02) (Wilcoxon test). We emphasize also that in 61% of the responders the oral conditions were stable after 6 months of follow-up. In conclusion our results suggest the following: a) fluocinonide is an effective and safe drug for the treatment of OLP, especially in addition with chlorehixidine and miconazole; b) the stability of our results demonstrates that probably an adequate steroid therapeutical scheme is more useful than continuous steroid administration in the treatment of OLP.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1996

[Pemphigoid of the mucous membranes. The clinical, histopathological and immunological aspects and current therapeutic concepts].

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a chronic disease of unknown etiology frequently involving oral cavity and eye and sometimes also pharyngeal, laryngeal, oesophageal and genital mucosae. It is characterized histologically by a sub-epithelial blister and by a typical direct immunofluorescence feature showing linear binding of IgG and C3 to the basement membrane zone (BMZ). The predominance of mucosal involvement or the lack of skin lesions distinguish MMP from bullous pemphigoid. Oral mucosal presentation of MMP is quite variable from chronic erythematous lesions to erosions covered by a fibrinous slough produced by bullae rupture involving mainly gingiva, buccal mucosa and palate. Because eye manifestations of MMP are common and blindness may develop, an ophthalmological examination is mandatory in these patients, although recent data suggest that pure ocular pemphigoid, oral pemphigoid and MMP with cutaneous lesion could be different diseases. Further immunological and biochemical studies are needed to better characterize these pathologies. It is generally considered that blister formation in MMP is the result of immunoglobulin deposition leading to complement activation in the BMZ, but there are not specific pathogenetic data regarding oral pemphigoid. Multiple therapeutic options exist including topical and systemic corticosteroids associated or not to other immunosuppressive drugs, dapsone and tetracycline but there do not exist treatment modalities generally accepted.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

Beneficial effects of pentoxifylline in neonatal rats infected with group B streptococci.

Previous studies have indicated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) may play a pathophysiologic role in experimental sepsis by group B streptococci (GBS). We tested the efficacy of some TNF-alpha and eicosanoid inhibitors in a neonatal rat model of GBS disease. The drugs tested included cloricromene, SKF86002, pentoxifylline, CGS8515, ibuprofen and LY203647. None of these compounds were protective against GBS infection, with the exception of pentoxifylline, that produced a moderate enhancement of survival time. Further studies are needed to ascertain if specific inhibitors of TNF-alpha, alone or in conjunction with antibiotics, may be effective as therapeutic agents in neonatal GBS sepsis.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: current etiopathogenetic and therapeutic concepts].

The authors review the literature on aetiopathogenesis and therapeutic management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. The data regarding the role of genetic, nutritional and microbiological factors in the genesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis has been particularly examined. Despite significant associations with some antigens HLA have been reported in Southern Europe, there is no clear genetic predisposition in recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Several studies have analyzed the importance of iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiencies, gluten intolerance and sensitivity to certain foods in the triggering of recurrent aphthous stomatitis however the results have been controversial. Recently, it has been suggested that recurrent aphthous stomatitis could be caused by reactivation of varicella-zoster virus and/or cytomegalovirus but these viruses may be reactivated by the immunodysregulation known to underlie recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Moreover, antiviral drugs appear to have only an equivocal effect on recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is probably determined by immunological mechanisms although there actually no unifying hypothesis which attempt to integrate the results of the many immunologic studies on recurrent aphotous stomatitis. Moreover, the target antigen and the cause of recurrences of recurrent aphthous stomatitis are still unknown. As far as the management of this disease it is important to recognize recurrent aphthous stomatitis secondary to systemic diseases like Behcet's syndrome, gluten enteropathy and haematinics deficiencies. Subsequently, the symptoms can be reduced with several drugs (mainly topical corticosteroids) but there are no effective therapies preventing recurrences.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1994

Oral lichen planus and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection: is there a relationship? A report of 10 cases.

Ten patients are reported suffering from oral lichen planus (OLP) associated with chronic liver diseases linked to HCV. All patients were affected by varieties of erosive oral lichen planus. In six of these 10 patients the diagnosis of HCV was made as a result of the OLP diagnosis and four of them had unknown, but severe, chronic liver disease. These preliminary data support the possible existence of a relationship between oral erosive lichen planus and HCV infection.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Simian virus 40 small-t antigen stimulates viral DNA replication in permissive monkey cells.

The simian virus 40 (SV40) large-T antigen is essential for SV40 DNA replication and for late viral gene expression, but the role of the SV40 small-t antigen in these processes is still unclear. We have previously demonstrated that small t inhibits SV40 DNA replication in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effect of small t on SV40 replication in cultured cells. CV1 monkey cell infection experiments indicated that mutant viruses that lack small t replicate less efficiently than the wild-type virus. We next microinjected CV1 cells with SV40 DNA with and without purified small-t protein and analyzed viral DNA replication efficiency by Southern blotting. Replication of either wild-type SV40 or small-t deletion mutant DNA was increased three- to fivefold in cells coinjected with purified small t. Thus, in contrast to our in vitro observation, small t stimulated viral DNA replication in vivo. This result suggests that small t has cellular effects that are not detectable in a reconstituted in vitro replication system. We also found that small t stimulated progression of permissive monkey cells--but not of nonpermissive rodent cells--from G0-G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle, possibly leading to an optimal intracellular environment for viral replication.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

[Surgical limb lengthening in patients of short stature. Indications, complications and results].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The authors report their experience in limb lengthening in 55 patients with short stature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surgical treatment must begin at the age of 13-15 years to obtain better collaboration from the patient which is necessary to obtain a good result. The general indication for surgery includes short stature between 110 and 150 cm. The major indication is disproportionate short stature. The authors have operated on some cases of short stature in which there was a disproportion between thighs and legs and other short stature without disproportion. In these patients they have tried to obtain the greatest lengthening compatible with good appearance. RESULTS: Examining the complications, the authors have noted that the rate of bone infections is clearly decreased, whereas non union, a frequent complication of the original Wagner method, has completely disappeared. The use of a circular device has not caused an increase of neurological complications, which on the contrary have diminished. DISCUSSION: Surgical lengthening of the lower limbs in disproportionate dwarfism can lead to cosmetic, functional and psychological benefits. The treatment is long and demanding, for the surgeon and especially for the patient. For this reason it is necessary to carefully evaluate the motivations of the patient, who must be well aware of the achievable results as well as of the possible complications. CONCLUSION: Such a treatment must be undertaken in specialized centers, not only owing to surgical difficulties, but especially because it requires a continuous clinical check and a strong post-operative physiotherapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Clinical nutrition in maxillofacial cancer surgery. A review of the literature].

The authors review the literature on problems of nutrition in patients with operable maxillofacial neoplasms. The causes of malnutrition in head-neck tumours will be particularly examined: metabolic alteration due to the presence of neoplasm; the tumour being situated in the first upper respiratory-digestive tracts; the side effects of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy; the results of surgery and finally those of a late diagnosis. Once clinical nutrition has been indicated by both clinical and biochemical parameters, a plan for the most frequently used pre- postoperative treatments is drawn up. Reviewing the literature disagreement is found as the most effective method--enteral or parenteral--given that both solutions present advantages and disadvantages. The former is more physiological less expensive and simpler to carry out while the latter permits a more individualised form of treatment and the metabolic evaluation is simplified. The authors will go to present their own treatment plans: parenteral in the preoperative phase and in the postoperative patient a gradual weaning from parenteral to enteral treatment. The most important lines in both enteral and parenteral feeding are examined and the authors conclude by confirming that artificial nutritional therapy makes absolutely no difference to the prognosis but allows the patient to undergo the appropriate therapy.

Enteral Nutrition↗
PubMed1994

Simian virus 40-like DNA sequences in human pleural mesothelioma.

Mesotheliomas are pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal neoplasms frequently associated with asbestos exposure, and it is estimated that over the next twenty years up to 80,000 new cases are expected in the USA alone. We found simian virus 40-like DNA sequences in 29 of 48 mesotheliomas studied (60%) and demonstrated simian virus large-T antigen expression in 13 of 16 specimens. The matching lung samples did not contain simian virus 40-like sequences; however, they contained asbestos. These findings are to our knowledge the first demonstration of a physical link between DNA virus-like sequences and human mesothelioma. We suggest that a simian virus 40-like virus may act independently or as a co-carcinogen with asbestos. Moreover, the selective large T antigen expression by mesothelioma and not by the surrounding pulmonary parenchyma may have both diagnostic and therapeutic implications.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Detection of antibodies to HCV in haemodialysis patients using two second generation ELISA tests.

Ortho HCV Elisa Test System 2nd Generation and Abbott HCV EIA 2nd Generation tests were used in 293 sera collected from dialysis patients in order to determine the prevalence of anti-HCV in this risk group and the sensitivity of the two tests. The agreement between the two tests employed was 98.3%. All reactive sera were confirmed using Ortho Riba and Abbott Supplemental tests. 91.9% sera were confirmed positive by Ortho RIBA and 100% by Abbott Supplemental test. The anti-HCV prevalence in haemodialysis patients increased with age, duration of dialysis treatment and number of transfusions. Our study confirms the higher prevalence of anti-HCV in haemodialysis patients using 2nd generation tests and their specificity.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Biopsy technics in oral oncology: excisional or incisional biopsy? A critical review of the literature and the authors' personal contribution].

The authors review the literature regarding bioptic techniques which are used in oral oncology, particularly referring to the dispute about incisional and excisional biopsy in cases of neoplastic or suspected lesions. As a matter of fact, though incisional biopsy at the oral cavity level is an easily executed technique, some clinicians found that an incision of a neoplasia could help its spreading or could help its spreading or could even increase its malignancy. Nevertheless, analyzing the literature, it can't be found, at present, the existence of data based on real clinical survey, which could prove a worse prognosis subsequent to a certain bioptic approach, even if some experimental studies on animal models, pointed out the potential danger caused by a neoplasia's incision. But, according to the authors, the oncological risk of metastasis' formation or of a local insemination is irrelevant if the operator follows the general rules of oncological surgery. To conclude, the authors present their diagnostic operative protocol, based on the principle that the diagnosis must always precede the treatment of the pathology. Therefore, when the size and site of the lesions allow it, incisional biopsy (simple or multiple) must always be chosen and, if necessary, must be preceded by the tolonium chloride stain.

Artifacts↗
PubMed1993

SV40 induces mesotheliomas in hamsters.

In the course of studies to elucidate the relative contribution of simian virus 40 (SV40) large T and small t proteins during oncogenesis, we observed the appearance of pericardial and pleural tumors in 100% of Syrian hamsters injected in the pleural space with wild type SV40. When SV40 was injected via the intracardiac or intraperitoneal routes, more than 50% of hamsters developed mesothelial tumors. Macroscopic, microscopic, ultramicroscopic, and histochemical characteristics identify these neoplasms and derived cell lines as mesotheliomas and mesothelioma-derived cell lines. The SV40 genome was integrated and expressed in the mesotheliomas and derived cell lines. The absence of mesotheliomas in hamsters injected with SV40 small t deletion mutants indicates that the small t protein plays an important role in the development of SV40-induced mesotheliomas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first definitive report of virus-induced mesotheliomas in mammals.

Animals↗