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Biomedical subjects

P Ferrante

Publications and source records attributed to P Ferrante.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: detection of measles antibody in serum and cerebrospinal fluid by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, complement fixation and hemagglutination inhibition.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), a slowly progressive central nervous system disease, is related to the measles virus. Because laboratory immunoassays are important in the diagnosis of the disease, we compared enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), complement fixation (CF), and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) for the detection of measles antibody in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with SSPE and in controls. Differences in the sensitivity of the three methods were not observed in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid from patients because all specimens were positive, but ELISA and CF were more sensitive that HI for both serum and cerebrospinal fluid from controls. ELISA also distinguished between subacute sclerosing panencephalitis cases and controls with high measles antibody levels (acute measles). Thus, it appears that ELISA for measles antibody is superior to CF and HI in the laboratory diagnosis of SSPE and is the preferred method.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1986

A survey on factors affecting acceptance of measles vaccine.

The reasons for the low level of acceptance of measles vaccine were investigated through interviews with the mothers at the time of their children enrollment in the first year of attendance at several nursery schools in Milan city and its suburbs. Data were also collected on the natural disease. Only 192 (13.8%) of the 1386 children included in the study had already suffered natural measles and 45 of them before the age of 12 months. Of the total, 10% of the children had been vaccinated, more in the city of Milan than in the suburbs. Approximately one-half of the vaccinations had been administered by family doctors and the other half in Public Health facilities. Less than half of the vaccinations administered in the city of Milan proved to have been registered in Public Health Office records. The frequency of vaccinated children was significantly higher among mother with higher levels of education than among those with lower levels of education. The reasons for the lack of vaccination most frequently given by the mothers of the 1247 unvaccinated children were "ignorance about the vaccine" (38% of the mothers) and the "belief that measles is an innocuous disease" (36%). These were followed by "fear of post-vaccinal reactions" and "advice against measles vaccine" given, in most cases, by family doctors. The frequency of responses for each one of these reasons was significantly different in Milan with respect to the suburbs. This difference was also evident in the comparisons between mothers with higher levels of education with respect to mothers with low levels of education.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Herpes zoster myelitis: nervous system complications.

Transverse myelitis after a zoster viral infection is an exceptional occurrence. In this case we documented an antibody activity against varicella zoster (V-Z) in the cerebrospinal fluid in association with Coxsackie A enterovirus. The clinical course was atypical because of a second episode of myelitis 2 years after the first episode of neurologic viral complications. The positive outcome of therapy with Acyclovir is noteworthy. This case was retrieved in a review of neurologic complications observed in the last few years in patient affected by zoster in our hospital.

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1986

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in Italy. An epidemiological study.

An epidemiological inquiry in Italy led to the collection of 207 cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) with onset during the decade 1972-1981, with a mean incidence rate of 0.37 cases per year per million total population (CYMTP) and 1.24 cases per year per million young population aged 0-19 years (CYMYP). A striking difference was found among the 20 Italian regions, with a minimum of no cases in three regions, and a maximum incidence of 2.46 CYMTP (6.67 CYMYP) in Sardinia. The male/female ratio was 1.8/1. The mean age at SSPE onset was 10.6 (+/- 4.0) years in Italy, and was significantly lower in Sardinia (8.8 +/- 2.8). The mean age of measles was 2.8 +/- 1.7 years (in 106 cases), significantly lower than the mean age of measles in the general population. Moreover, the age of measles was significantly lower in males than in females, and this could represent a factor contributing to the higher SSPE incidence in males. The interval between measles and SSPE onset was significantly lower in Sardinia (mean 5.6 +/- 2.5 years). In Italy, as in other Mediterranean countries, SSPE incidence is higher than expected and unevenly distributed, suggesting that environmental factors play a role.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Prevalence of HTLV III/LAV and other viral antibodies in normal and at risk populations.

The prevalence of HTLV III/LAV antibody has been studied in six groups of population: healthy subjects, a virological laboratory staff, prisoners, drug addicts, patients with lymphoadenopathy-associated syndrome (LAS) and patients with AIDS. Prevalences and levels in the same groups of HBsAg and CMV, HSV 1 and HSV 2 antibodies have been studied, too. As expected, the prevalence of HTLV III/LAV antibody increases in the six groups with the increasing of the risk while the prevalences of the other markers of viral infection do not show such a pattern. The levels of positivity of CMV antibody are significantly higher in the prisoners and LAS groups versus healthy subjects suggesting a possible role of this virus in the developing of full-blown AIDS.

AIDS-Related Complex↗
PubMed1986

Hyperproteic diet and pregnancy of rat.

We have studied the effects of a purified diet enriched with animal protein (casein 40%, lactalbumin 20%) on different stages of rat pregnancy. We observed that hyperproteic diet, especially when administered from the first day of pregnancy, induces morphological alterations of liver, adrenal cortex, heart and kidney. Moreover, haematic dosages, carried out on 15th day of pregnancy, have shown moderate but significant increase of glucose and triglycerides and significant decrease of circulating aldosterone and corticosterone as well. Finally an early administration of hyperproteic diet causes less numerous litters and high mortality rate at birth.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1985

[Congenital cytomegalovirus infections in a neonatal pathology unit].

In order to evaluate the incidence of congenital CMV infections we checked 200 babies in the special care baby unit of an obstetric clinic in Milan. In the same period 3779 babies were born in that clinic. Congenital CMV infection was diagnosed by virus isolation from urine specimens collected in the first week of life in two babies. One of them was asymptomatic, the other had the classical CID. Virological confirmation of a further CID observed in an infant hospitalized at that time in the unit was obtained. Different serological methods of congenital infections diagnosis, specific IgM, total IgM and IgA, rheumatoid factor determinations, were employed. Only the CMV-IgM ELA method didn't give false positive reactions and picked up 2 congenitally infected babies out of 3. From our data, we infer that the incidence of congenital CMV infection in the general milanese population might lie between 0.5-1% of live births. The level of seropositivity for CMV antibodies in the same population, as judged from the complement fixing antibodies determinations in the group of the mothers, was 87%.

Cytomegalovirus Infections↗
PubMed1984

Adverse reactions to measles vaccine.

Adverse reactions to measles vaccine observed in children vaccinated between September, 1981 and May, 1983 in a Socio Sanitary Local Unit of Lombardy were studied. The adverse reactions more frequently reported by the parents were cough (18%), rash (12%), fever (9%), coryza (6%) and conjunctivitis (6%). Beginning September, 1982 a case-control study was started matching each vaccine with an unvaccinated child of the same age and sex. Statistically significant differences between vaccinated and controls have been observed only for rash and fever but not for the other symptoms. During the study febrile convulsions with spontaneous recovery and without sequelae have been observed in two vaccinated children.

Child↗
PubMed1984

Subgrouping of human rotavirus strains by complement fixation, indirect double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and solid-phase immune electron microscopy.

Complement fixation (CF), indirect double-antibody sandwich (DAS) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and solid-phase immune electron microscopy (SPIEM) were compared for their ability to subgroup 73 human rotavirus (HRV) strains from infants and young children with gastroenteritis admitted to one or the other of two different hospitals of Northern Italy. By both indirect DAS ELISA and SPIEM all 73 HRV strains were classified into one or the other of two subgroups. By CF only 67 strains could be subgrouped, as six HRV-positive stools showed anticomplementary activity which could not be eliminated. Indirect DAS ELISA required subgroup-specific, unabsorbed antisera from two different animal species. For SPIEM two antisera from a single animal species were needed, but they had to be absorbed with single-shelled bovine rotavirus for HRV subgrouping to be reliable. Indirect DAS ELISA appeared to be the technique most suitable for extensive application in epidemiological studies of HRV infections by different subgroups. However, SPIEM allowed rapid subgrouping of HRV in stool specimens showing anticomplementary activity in the CF test or non-specific reactions in the ELISA test. In one area of Northern Italy the prevalence of subgroup I HRV infections was 7.8 per cent, while in another it reached 68.1 per cent in the same period.

Antigens, Viral↗
PubMed1983

IgG rheumatoid factors behaviour in young normal subjects following vaccination.

In order to contribute to explain the finding of Rheumatoid Factors of the IgG class in all normal subjects, even at low levels, a study on their behaviour in a group of young subjects serving in the army, at the time of anti-typhoid and antitetanic vaccination, and in the following two months, was conducted. Parallely some aspecific serological parameters of autoimmunity were determined. The results demonstrate, first of all, a good antibody response to the vaccine in all subjects observed. Immunoglobulins of the IgG, IgA, and IgM class were normal in all samples. Complement factors C3 and C4 were slightly decreased after the second dose of vaccine, suggesting a modest consumption probably due to immune complexes formation. Factor C3A showed a slight increase, may be to be considered as its property of an acute phase reactant. Autoantibodies determined by immunofluorescence were constantly negative. IgM rheumatoid factors became transitory positive in a significant proportion. IgG rheumatoid factors demonstrated a two-phase increase, more evident after the second dose of vaccine. We can conclude, mainly for the latest parameter, that these results reveal an autoimmune serological response, even quantitatively modest, concomitant to the specific sensitization resulting from vaccination.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

[Rotavirus infections in a neonatal pathology unit].

From February to June 1981, 38 newborn babies admitted to a special care unit were examined to determine the incidence of rotavirus infections. Fecal specimens were collected from all babies on the fifth day after birth and thereafter weekly. The stool samples were examined with an immunoenzymatic test. Serum was collected from the newborn babies and from their mothers three days after delivery. Thereafter more serum was collected from the babies at intervals. Serum was also collected from the hospital staff. Rotavirus was detected in one or more of the stool samples taken from 20 (53%) of the 38 newborn babies. Of these 20, 11 (55%) were already positive in the first specimen. Three babies still had rotavirus in their faeces after four weeks. No relation was noted between the admission to one or the other of the two wards in the unit and the presence of rotavirus in their stools. Complement fixing antibody (CFA) titers in the babies were not different from those in the mothers. A decline of antibody levels was observed in all the babies whether they were rotavirus positive or negative. Only three of the babies without CFA in the first serum sample had a significant increase of the titer while rotavirus was not found in their stools. The CFA titer geometric mean was significantly higher for babies who were found to have rotavirus from the first stool sample than for those whose subsequent samples were found to be positive. Moreover, the CFA titer geometric mean for the hospital staff was significantly higher than that of the mothers. Mild gastrointestinal symptoms were observed in 70% of the newborn babies having rotavirus in their stool and in 39% of those without rotavirus. However, this difference did not prove to be significant.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed1983

Influenza B-associated Reye syndrome: report of a case with isolation of a coxsackie A5 virus from CSF.

A 16 month old girl developed Reye syndrome a few days after an episode of influenza. The diagnosis of RS was made on clinical and laboratory data. Virological examinations were done on specimens of stools, throat swab, spinal fluid and two samples of serum. A coxsackievirus A5 was isolated from the spinal fluid. A seroconversion was found against the variant of influenza type B virus circulating in our region at that time and the isolated coxsackie A5 strain. The involvement in the CNS of coxsackie A5 and the demonstration of a simultaneous infection with influenza B virus supports the hypothesis that a mixed viral infection could trigger the Reye syndrome.

Cerebrospinal Fluid↗
PubMed1981

[Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE); clinical and epidemiological observations of 56 cases studied from 1956 to 1978].

Epidemiological observations on 56 cases of SSPE studied at the Institute of Virology of the University of Milan between 1956 and 1978 and the clinical features of 47 of them, all hospitalized at the Neurologic Institute "C. Besta" of Milan, are reported. The criteria adopted for the diagnosis of the cases, the symptoms at onset and the signs of involvement of CNS eventually present before SSPE and illustrated. Age at onset of SSPE was between 2 and 25 years, average 9,4 years; survival varied from 2 months to 2 years in 20 cases, from 25 months to 7 years in 9 patients while 3 children are still living after 9--11 years. In 1 case a substantial long remission of clinical symptomatology has been observed. As to the distribution of cases, both in the Lombardy region and in the Milan province a low incidence has been noted in the first 10 years, followed by a first increase in the successive decade (1965-1974) and by an abrupt increase from 1975 on. In the Milan province, to be pointed out a lack of cases in the period 1958-1962 and in some of the subsequent years, while since 1971 one or more cases have been observed each year with a maximum of 4-5 subjects from 1975 on. This last figure for an average resident population of 4 millions, averages an SSPE yearly rate of 1-1,15 cases/10(6) inhabitants. Similar to that of other reports are the higher prevalence among males than among females (ratio M/F = 1,4 : 1), and an average distance of 5,6 years from measles. It is also evident an association of SSPE with measles at early age although recent patients seem to have had their infection later in life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

[Demonstration of rotaviruses in feces by means of the complement fixation test].

Complement fixation test for the detection of Rotavirus in stools has been evaluated. Removal of anticomplementary activity from the stools by absorption with complement or fetal calf serum was obtained. Then human reference serum pools were checked for the optimal dilution to be employed in the test. Sensibility and specificity of the c.f. method was determined on faecal specimens controlled by EM. The results indicate that c.f. test is adequate for, and easily adaptable to the detection of Rotaviruses in the stools.

Complement Fixation Tests↗