Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Lombardo

Publications and source records attributed to M Lombardo.

90 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

[The role of renin after betablocking diuretic and vasodilator treatment in essential hypertension (author's transl)].

Ten patients affected by essential moderate or severe hypertension were given five sequential treatments, each for three weeks: 1) placebo, 2) chlorthalidone (Cl) 100 mg daily, 3) Cl 50 mg + oxprenolol slow release (Ox) 160 mg daily, 4) Ox 160 mg and 5) Ox 320 mg daily. Four subjects poor responders (DPB greater than or equal to 110 mmHg) received a later administration of Ox 160 + Cl 50 + hydrallazine (Hydr) 25-100 mg daily. Both groups of patients showed the greatest antihypertensive action with Ox 160 + Cl 50 mg daily. Oxprenolol induced a similar hypotensive effectiveness at 160, as well as 320 mg/day. Relationship between plasma renin activity (PRA) values and antihypertensive response to each treatment takes the following conclusions: 1) Basal PRA levels cannot be a guide for preferential choice of diuretic or betablocking therapy. 2) It is likely that renin activated by Cl and Hydr partially blunts their hypotensive activity. On the contrary, essential hypertension with normal or low PRA does not seem depending on angiogensinogenic factors. 3) Oxprenolol remarkably inhibits the overreninism induced by chlorthalidone and hydrallazine, in such way increasing their antihypertensive action. 4) In the management of essential moderate or severe hypertension is preferable to employ a mild dosage of betablockers and diuretics, rather than use higher doses of a single agent.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Activin A, corticotropin-releasing factor and prostaglandin F2 alpha increase immunoreactive oxytocin release from cultured human placental cells.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of the immunoreactive oxytocin in human placental extracts and putative factors regulating the release of immunoreactive oxytocin from cultured human placental cells. Fresh placental tissue was collected from pregnant women at term and dissected of membranes (n = 5). Presence of immunoreactive oxytocin in trophoblast tissue was evaluated by a specific radio-immunoassay after acidic extraction and high-pressure liquid chromatography. In a second set of experiments, primary cultures of placental cells were performed and, 48-72 h after dissociation, the effect of arginine vasopressin, corticotropin-releasing factor, neuropeptide Y, activin A, inhibin A, noradrenaline or prostaglandins on immunoreactive oxytocin level in culture medium was investigated. The presence of immunoreactive oxytocin was shown in the acidic extract of trophoblast at term, and in the culture medium of human placental cells, and it was identical to the native peptide. The addition of corticotropin-releasing factor or arginine vasopressin, but not of neuropeptide Y, increased the release of immunoreactive oxytocin three- to fourfold from placental cells, with a dose-dependent effect (P < 0.01). A significantly increased release of immunoreactive oxytocin was shown in presence of noradrenaline (P < 0.01), which was reversed by prazosin, an antagonist of alpha-adrenergic receptors. Recombinant human activin A (P < 0.01), but not inhibin A, stimulated the release of immunoreactive oxytocin three- to fourfold from placental cells. Prostaglandin F2 alpha was a potent secretagogue of immunoreactive oxytocin, whereas a partial or no effect was observed when prostaglandin E2 or prostaglandin I2 was added. Thus, the present findings showed that human placenta contains immunoreactive oxytocin, and that its release from cultured placental cells is regulated by neurohormones, growth factors or prostaglandins.

Activins↗

[Italian Cystic Fibrosis Registry: 10 years of activity].

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a recessive autosomic genetic disease with an incidence in mediterranean countries of about 1:3500 born alive. In Italy the considerable genetic variability makes it difficult to identify all the homozygous subjects and, consequently, to estimate the incidence of the disease in healthy carriers. The disease is evolutive and affects various systems, most of all the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Not many years ago, when the clinical definition of CF was first introduced, average survival did not exceed the pediatric age. Nowadays with ever advancing diagnostic and therapeutical techniques many CF patients survive until an adult age. It is therefore necessary to plan adequate health service interventions so as to satisfy as much as possible the needs of both the patients and their families. To this end data collected since 1.1.1988 by the Italian registry for CF (year of birth, sex, region of birth and residence, diagnosis procedures, results of sweat test, pancreatic insufficiency, DNA analysis, status: alive, dead, lost to follow up) of all the patients, diagnosed in the 18 Reference Centres and the 3 local Centres for CF, have proved to be extremely useful. Since the birth of the Registry on 31.12.1997, data relating to 2458 patients alive on 1.1.1988 and 1159 born during the last ten years, for a total of 3617 subjects (1756 females and 1861 males), have been recorded. As already mentioned a considerable increase in life expectancy of CF patients (from 1988 to 1990 the average age of death was 14 years, from 1994 to 1997 it was 19) and a consequent increase in the percentage of adult patients have been observed.

Adolescent↗