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Biomedical subjects

M Cecchettin

Publications and source records attributed to M Cecchettin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Mud pack therapy in osteoarthrosis. Changes in serum levels of chondrocyte markers.

We have previously shown that thermal mud therapy is able to influence chondrocyte activity of osteoarthrosic patients by modulating the production of serum cytokines, such as interleukin 1, and this was related to the presence of an anti-inflammatory principle in mature thermal mud. Mud therapy influences many biochemical processes of the body, independently of the thermic stimulation alone and the present paper documents specific increases of insulin growth factor 1 and decreases of tumor necrosis factor alpha in serum of osteoarthrosic patients after 12 days of mud pack application.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Metabolic effects of carbocalcitonin and salmon calcitonin, after endonasal administration in man.

This study evaluates the biological effects caused in healthy males by administration by the endonasal route of 50 IU and 100 IU of salmon calcitonin and 40 IU of carbocalcitonin or (Asu 1.7 eCT), an aminosuberic analogue of eel calcitonin. The comparison among calcitonins administered shows an absorption of carbocalcitonin greater than 50%, still measurable at 240th minute, while the absorptions of salmon calcitonin are shorter. The efficacy of absorption of carbocalcitonin is demonstrated by the magnitude of the biological effects such as decrease of total serum and increase of cAMP.

Administration, Intranasal↗
PubMed1995

Metabolic and bone effects after administration of ipriflavone and salmon calcitonin in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Forty postmenopausal women with bone mineral density (BMD) > 2 standard deviations below the mean value for healthy age matched controls were enrolled into an open controlled study to evaluate the metabolic and bone effects of ipriflavone (IP) versus salmon calcitonin (sCT) over a 12 month period. Both treatments significantly increased BMD after 6 and 12 months. A 4.3% increase of BMD was obtained in the IP treated group and a 1.9% in the sCT treated group after 12 months (p < 0.001 between treatments). Bone metabolism markers (serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, urinary calcium and hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio) were significantly reduced in both groups (p < 0.001). The reduction of urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine ratio was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the IP group after 12 months. Both treatments were well tolerated. Four patients in the IP group reported gastralgia while two patients in the sCT group reported pruritus and one patient epistaxis.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Bombesin/gastrin releasing peptide levels of peripheral mononuclear cells, monocytes and alveolar macrophages in chronic bronchitis.

Bombesin-related peptides (BRP), a family of neuropeptides showing carboxy-terminal homology with the amphibian bombesin, are present in humans in many body systems (CNS, lung, gastro-intestinal tract) with a variety of biological activities. In the lung, BRP are mitogens for normal bronchial epithelial cells and fibroblasts, chemoattractant for monocytes and exert bronchoconstrictive activity. Increased levels of BRP have been described in the lung of cigarette smokers and in smoking-related diseases. Moreover appreciable quantities of BRP have been recently found in lysates of peripheral monocytes and alveolar macrophages of man and guinea pig. It has therefore been inferred that these peptides may play a role in the immunological function of lung tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of BRP present in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC), monocytes and alveolar macrophages (AM) of normal subjects (n = 36) and chronic bronchitis patients (n = 36). Patients with chronic bronchitis showed a significant increase in BRP levels in all cell types (PBMNC, monocytes and AM) (p < 0.005) in comparison with normal subjects. In addition levels of BRP in monocytes and AM were found to be nearly four times higher than in PBMNC in both groups of subjects. We can therefore confirm previous observations concerning the presence of BRP in human cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. Furthermore our results demonstrate that BRP levels are increased in monocytes of chronic bronchitis patients and imply a potential role for these neuropeptides in lung immunological response in smoking-related diseases.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Osteocalcin as a biological marker in the therapeutic management of breast cancer bone metastases.

Circulating osteocalcin (BGP), the major noncollagenous bone protein, is elevated in patients with certain metabolic bone disease while its behavior in cancer patients, particularly those with bone metastases, is unclear. We measured circulating BGP in 37 healthy females, in 13 female patients with benign breast disease, and in a group of 51 cancer patients (breast, lung, prostate, and bladder) with and without bone metastases, before and after 4'-epidoxorubicin (4'-Epidx) therapy (4'-Epidx 120 mg/m2 every 3 weeks). Under basal conditions, mean BGP levels of all of these subjects fell within the normal range of 2.0-5.0 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, 4.8 +/- 1.0 ng/ml). In cancer patients without bone metastases BGP levels measured before and after 4'-Epidx therapy were not significantly different (4.4 versus 4.6 ng/ml). Only in breast cancer patients with multiple bone metastases was circulating BGP higher after the onset of antiblastic treatment and through the entire course of therapy, accompanied by bone pain remission and regression of bone lesions (BGP = 6.7 +/- 1.3 ng/ml). Thus an increase in BGP concentration can be considered as a biological marker of recovered osteoblast activity during therapeutically induced stabilization or regression of skeletal metastatic lesions.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Prominent circadian absorption of intranasal salmon calcitonin (SCT) in healthy subjects.

In young healthy subjects salmon calcitonin (SCT), intranasally administered, increased in serum as a function of the drug administration time. The serum concentration of a 400 IU SCT dose monitored 10 min after dosing was statistically more significant when inhaled at 0000 than at other, more conventional, administration times (morning or evening). Following dosing at certain times during the day, the serum SCT was less or even questionable with the dose and under the study conditions selected. Dosing without consideration of timing may lead to reduced effect or lack of effect or perhaps ambiguity or controversy regarding the possible circumstance of a "non-absorbent subject". The circadian frequency appears to be a critical determinant of intranasal SCT absorption suggesting administration time to be an important factor in the cost/benefit ratio without the unpleasant side effects sometimes experienced through parenteral routes.

Absorption↗
PubMed1987

Apparently nonfunctioning metastases of parathyroid carcinoma.

A 41-year-old woman was operated on for severe hyperparathyroid syndrome. At surgery a parathyroid tumor with the histopathologic pattern of carcinoma was found. After surgery serum calcium settled within normal limits (10.5 mg/dl, N.V. 8.5-10.8), whereas parathormone and calcitonin reached progressively high levels, respectively 400 ng/dl (N.V. up to 250) and 500 pg/ml (N.V. up to 100 ng/ml). Serum ultrafiltration analysis for parathormone and calcitonin showed many peaks of immunoreactivity with high molecular weight of both hormones. One year after surgery, metastases developed in the lymph nodes of the neck and the mediastinal, pleural and pancreatic regions. After death for tumor wasting, immunohistochemical study of the tumoral tissue with the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique showed a relatively high density of calcitonin-containing cells. The findings in this case suggest that: several cells in this parathyroid cancer could secrete both parathormone and calcitonin; the hormonal secretion was impaired as suggested by the high molecular weight of both hormones found at gel-filtration analysis; the macromolecular profile of parathormone could explain the apparent function of the parathyroid cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Serum gastrin and pepsinogen in shift workers.

Gastrointestinal complaints, including peptic ulcer, are believed to be associated and enhanced by shift work (SW). However, there are no clear reports in the literature about this acquired pathology. Serum gastrin (G) and group I pepsinogen (PG1) are thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer and may be considered a useful test of the gastric function. Five adult male foundry shift workers, without any demonstrated gastrointestinal pathology, were studied over a month's span during the following weekly rotating shift schedule: 07.45-16.45, 06.00-14.00, 14.00-22.00, 22.00-06.00. Six adult, day-working males acted as controls. Blood samples drawn at the beginning and at the end of each weekly shift were assayed for G and PG1 utilizing RIA kits. Our data showed that SW causes a prominent change in the gastrin/acidopepsin secretion system.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

The endogenous secretion rate of human calcitonin in normal conditions.

This paper presents a study on secretion rate for calcitonin in normal healthy subjects, evaluated by an indirect method. A specific radioimmunoassay for monomeric calcitonin was used and the obtained results are lower than those reported by Kanis in 1982. In normal healthy subjects the secretion rate for calcitonin is 1.4 MRC U/day, i.e. ten times less than the value calculated by Kanis. These results will be able to clarify the role of calcitonin and its effects in normal conditions and in several osteoarticular and metabolic bone diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Serum immunoreactive calcitonin in lung cancer.

Serum immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) assay was performed in 92 patients suffering from different kinds of cancer of the lung and in 42 healthy control subjects. Gel filtration of serum of patients suffering from microcytoma was carried out on Sephadex G75 to study the forms of circulating iCT. The obtained results (pg/ml M +/- SE) were: 1) normal subjects, 73 +/- 3; 2) epidermoidal cancer, 105 +/- 19; 3) adenocarcinoma, 116 +/- 47; 4) anaplastic carcinoma with large cells, 156 +/- 74; 5) microcytoma , 354 +/- 74; 6) chronic obstructive bronchitis, 38 +/- 6. Gel filtration of serum of patients with microcytoma demonstrated the same behavior as in normal subjects. We can conclude that iCT increases significantly in microcytoma with extensive disease (84% of cases): in this condition, the iCT assay can be useful as a marker in follow-up of disease.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1984

Calcitonin in hepatoma and cirrhosis.

Plasma immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) is elevated in primary liver cancer and its measurement has been proposed as a tumour marker. Since iCT is also frequently raised in alcoholic liver cirrhosis, it would be of practical relevance to distinguish this condition from primary hepatoma by measuring the plasma level of iCT. We measured plasma iCT levels in 23 subjects with primary liver cancer, in 27 with hepatic cirrhosis and in 42 healthy subjects who served as normal controls. A gel-chromatography analysis was carried out on the plasma of two cases of hepatoma, two of cancer and cirrhosis, and two of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The subjects with primary liver cancer had values of plasma iCT (pg/ml; mean +/- SE) of 342 +/- 41; those with liver cirrhosis 159 +/- 22, and normal controls 73 +/- 3. The increase in primary liver cancer was significant in comparison both healthy subjects (P less than 0.001) and with cirrhotic patients (P less than 0.001). Twenty-two out of 23 patients with primary liver cancer and 13 out of 27 with liver cirrhosis had elevated iCT values (upper normal limit 113 pg/ml). There was no significant difference between plasma iCT values of patients with cancer and those with cirrhosis. However, we measured iCT values higher than 400 pg/ml only in patients with primary liver cancer. The gel-filtration analysis showed 3 or 4 peaks of iCT with a molecular weight higher than synthetic human calcitonin. The results suggest that plasma iCT levels can be considered a reliable marker of liver cancer, whereas its discriminating power between liver cancer and cirrhosis was not entirely satisfactory.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Calcitonin in a chronoepidemiologic perspective.

Calcitonin seasonal (circannual) variations in apparently healthy women and in women suffering from breast cancer in different evolutive-TNM-stage, were studied. Annual values are higher in patients with breast cancer, but there is no correlation with metastases. A significant calcitonin circannual rhythm with acrophase in winter was detectable in controls but not in breast cancer patients. The circannual rhythm obliteration could be a predictive signal of disease and not only metastatic disease.

Adult↗