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Biomedical subjects

M Sansone

Publications and source records attributed to M Sansone.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Genetic control of melanization: isolation and analysis of amelanotic variants from cultured melanotic melanoma cells.

MELANOMA CELLS EXPRESS A PHENOTYPE THAT IS EASY TO RECOGNIZE: the synthesis of melanin. We used this marker to isolate clones of amelanotic variants from large populations of wild-type melanotic clones. Cloudman mouse melanoma (S91, clone M-3, CCL 53.1) was chosen as the parental line because the cells are highly pigmented, grow well as clones in soft agar, and fuse readily with Sendai virus. Subclones (10(7)) of this line were screened without prior mutagenesis, and nine amelanotic variants were isolated. The mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate increased the frequency of variants by three to four orders of magnitude. Wild-type cells had both basal and melanocyte stimulating hormone-inducible tyrosinase activities. The four amelanotic variants that we have examined to date all behaved similarly: they lost basal tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1; monophenol monooxygenase) activity but retained melanocyte stimulating hormone-inducible activity; they contained Stage-II melanosomes but no melanized melanosomes; they exhibited growth characteristics similar to those of wild-type cells in culture but produced fewer tumors in mice.

Animals↗

Lipid profile during pregnancy in HIV-infected women.

PURPOSE: We investigated the evolution of serum lipid levels in HIV-infected pregnant women and the potential effect of antiretroviral treatment during pregnancy using data from a national surveillance study. METHOD: Fasting lipid measurements collected during routine care in pregnancy were used, analyzing longitudinal changes and differences in lipid values at each trimester by protease inhibitors (PIs) and stavudine use. Multivariate analyses were used to control for simultaneous factors potentially leading to hyperlipidemia. Study population included 248 women. RESULTS: Lipid values increased progressively and significantly during pregnancy: mean increases between the first and third trimesters were 141.6 mg/dL for triglycerides (p < .001), 60.8 mg/dL for total cholesterol (p < .001), 13.7 mg/dL for HDL cholesterol (p < .001), and 17.8 mg/dL for LDL cholesterol (p = .001). At all trimesters, women on PIs had significantly higher triglyceride values compared to women not on PIs. The effect of PIs on cholesterol levels was less consistent. Stavudine showed a dyslipidemic effect at first trimester only. Multivariate analyses confirmed these observations and suggested a potential role of other cofactors in the development of hyperlipidemia during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The changes observed point to the need to further explore the causes and the clinical correlates of hyperlipidemia during pregnancy in women with HIV.

Adult↗

Shuttle-box avoidance facilitation by minaprine in mice.

The effects on shuttle-box avoidance acquisition of the new antidepressant minaprine (1, 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg) and of the classical antidepressant desipramine (0.5, 1, 2.5 or 5 mg/kg) were tested, without pretreatment or after a 5 day pretreatment, in mice of the CD-1 strain, subjected to five daily 100-trial training sessions. Minaprine, recently proposed as a new nootropic agent, facilitated avoidance performance when given to pretreated animals at a dose of 10 mg/kg, which had no effect on spontaneous locomotor activity. Desipramine did not exert any significant effect on avoidance responses. The results are in agreement with previous findings showing learning improvements by minaprine, but do not clarify the mechanism involved in the avoidance facilitation.

Animals↗