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P Ferroni

Publications and source records attributed to P Ferroni.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Evaluation of the potential role of class II histocompatibility antigen HLA-DR in platelet/tumor cell interaction.

It has been reported that HLA-DR is a potent inducer of thrombin generation. Human colorectal cells (GEO, WiDr, DLD-1, and MIP) that lack the constitutive expression of HLA-DR cause platelet aggregation through a thrombin-dependent mechanism. Treatment with recombinant human gamma-interferon induced the expression of HLA-DR in the GEO, WiDr, and DLD-1 cells, whereas the MIP cell line remained HLA-DR negative. The concurrent analysis of tumor cell/platelet interaction after gamma-interferon treatment showed a decrease in platelet proaggregating activity of either the responsive GEO (highly expressing HLA-DR) or the unresponsive MIP (HLA-DR negative) cells. Furthermore, the DLD-1 (moderately expressing HLA-DR) cells showed an increase of proaggregating activity after gamma-interferon treatment, whereas WiDr (highly expressing HLA-DR) cells did not modify their activity. These results suggest a lack of a role of HLA-DR in the in vitro platelet proaggregating activity of human colorectal tumor cells.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 and CA 125 serum markers in patients with gynecologic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate the clinical values of tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 serum levels alone or in combination with CA 125 in the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with ovarian cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Serum samples from 293 patients, 142 with primary carcinoma and 151 with benign diseases of the genital tract, were evaluated for the presence of CA 125, tumor-associated glycoprotein-72, and carcinoembryonic antigen. All patients underwent surgery for the primary tumor, and stage was defined according to the classification of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. RESULTS: When the measurement of serum tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 is combined with that of CA 125, the sensitivity for the detection of primary ovarian cancer increased from 60% to 73%, with no significant change in specificity, and resulted in a more accurate clinical assessment for detection of residual disease before the second-look procedure. In fact, when both markers were positive, 100% specificity was achieved; conversely, when both markers were negative, no residual disease was found. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that tumor-associated glycoprotein-72 may be considered as a supplementary serum marker for CA 125, providing further clinical information for the diagnosis of primary and recurrent ovarian cancer.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1994

Hypercoagulability state in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chronic Obstructive Bronchitis and Haemostasis Group.

Since there is some clinical evidence that the clinical course of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be complicated by thrombosis in the pulmonary vessels, we studied whether a hypercoagulability state (HS) does occur in COPD. Plasma levels of prothrombin F1 + 2 fragment, a marker of thrombin generation, D-dimer, a marker of in vivo thrombin and plasmin activation, and fibrinogen were measured in 37 COPD patients and in 30 controls matched for sex and age. COPD patients had significantly higher values of F1 + 2 (p = 0.0001) and fibrinogen (p = 0.0005) than healthy subjects. The difference persisted after excluding smoking patients. F1 + 2 was not correlated with PaO2 (r = 0.02, p > 0.05) and PaCO2 (p = 0.12, p > 0.05). In six patients with stable COPD and F1 + 2 greater than 1.65 nM (mean + 2 SD of controls) subcutaneous calcium-heparin therapy (5000 IU t.i.d. for 15 days) significantly reduced F1 + 2 (p = 0.03) and PaCO2 (p = 0.01). This study shows that COPD patients have an ongoing prothrombotic state which could potentially account for thrombosis occurring in pulmonary vessels. The effect of calcium-heparin treatment on clotting system activation and blood gas may suggest this treatment as potential candidate for prospective study in COPD patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Platelet proaggregating activity of human colorectal tumour cell lines does not correlate with the degree of differentiation.

Six human colorectal tumour cell lines with various degrees of differentiation were studied. Each of the cell lines studied showed an in vitro platelet proaggregating activity, represented by the induction of typical aggregation waves. This activity was dose-dependent and probably related to a thrombin-dependent mechanism. However, the degree of cell differentiation did not correlate with the proaggregating activity. In fact, significant differences were observed between the two well differentiated cell lines, while a comparison between well and poorly differentiated cell lines did not reveal any difference. These results were confirmed by the ultrastructural observations, indicating that similar platelet-tumour cell interaction may be found in all the cell lines studied. The present results suggest that platelet proaggregating activity of the human colorectal tumour cell lines under investigation is unrelated to their degree of differentiation.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1993

Identification of four epitopes in hepatitis C virus core protein.

We identified four epitopes in hepatitis C virus core protein by using the algorithm of Jameson and Wolf. G15V (amino acids [aa] 31 to 45) appears to be the immunodominant epitope, since it was able to detect antibodies to the core protein in all 40 patients and in 44 of 45 recombinant immunoblot assay-confirmed positive blood donors. This epitope is associated with a low frequency of false-positive results, as found with 522 negative blood donors. A strong reactivity was also observed with the Q15V epitope (aa 7 to 21), although this was associated with low specificity. Occasional reactivity to the R15P (aa 49 to 63) and P15R (aa 99 to 113) epitopes was observed. Q15V and G15V detected antibodies to core protein earlier than the other two epitopes.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1993

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A possible correlation between platelet aggregation tests and respiratory indexes. ECOB Group.

It has been suggested that thrombotic events occurring in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could be partially due to abnormalities in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, as well as to changes in platelet function. In the present study in vitro platelet aggregation, in addition to clotting activity, has been studied in 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and different degrees of alteration of blood gas analysis. The results obtained suggest that the presence of a condition of platelet hypoaggregability characterizes patients with marked hypercapnia and/or hypoxemia, whereas the improvement of respiratory indexes is followed by a trend to normalization, or, more often, to an increase of platelet activity.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of the clinical utility of platelet aggregation studies in the long-term follow-up of patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

The present study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of laboratory monitoring of antiplatelet therapy by means of a multiparametric evaluation of in vitro platelet aggregation tests in the attempt to individually optimize a given therapeutic regimen. The presence of a condition of hyperaggregability was shown in approximately 80% of patients with different forms of atherosclerotic vascular disease not undergoing any therapeutic regimen with antiplatelet agents. Conversely, a significant decrease in platelet activity was observed in patients undergoing different therapies based on acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), ticlopidine, or indobufen. The similar antiaggregatory effect of low-dose vs. high-dose ASA therapies was also shown. Dipyridamole alone showed no antiaggregatory effect, which, in turn, was reached only by the addition of ASA. Nevertheless, the association of ASA plus dipyridamole did not show any stronger antiplatelet effect than ASA alone. The evaluation of in vitro platelet activity in a group of patients treated with picotamide failed to show any significant change in comparison with the untreated group, probably due to the short half-life of picotamide in man and/or to its capability of reversibly antagonizing the action of thromboxane at receptor level. The evaluation of a long-term follow-up of 90 patients treated with different antiplatelet agents supports the idea that a multiparametric analysis of in vitro platelet aggregation may provide valuable help in monitoring and optimizing a given therapeutic regimen.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Potential artifact for the increase of tumor associated antigens in serum samples from patients injected with monoclonal antibodies.

The administration of [131I]B72.3 MAb for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes is followed by the development of human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) in approx. 70% of patients receiving i.v. doses of MAb above 1 mg. The presence of HAMA in circulation interferes in the detection of the tumor-associated glycoprotein TAG-72 using the CA 72-4 RIA. We have reported elsewhere (Ferroni et al., 1990) that heat treatment at 90 degrees C, pH 6.5, for 15 min is capable of precipitating and/or inactivating HAMA without causing any significant loss in antigen recovery. Furthermore, the removal of the interfering activity leads to a more correct evaluation of TAG-72 serum levels in HAMA-positive serum samples and to a continued use of TAG-72 in the follow-up of patients undergoing MAb-based clinical protocols.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

In vivo and in vitro clinical applications of monoclonal antibodies against TAG-72.

Monoclonal antibodies against a tumor-associated antigen (TAG-72) with mucin-like properties have been generated. MAb B72.3 was used to identify and help characterize this antigen. B72.3 has been successfully used for the localization of tumor metastases in situ after i.v. administration. MAb B72.3 has also been used in conjunction with CC49, another anti-TAG-72 MAb, to measure TAG-72 levels in sera and effusions. TAG-72 can be found in the fluids of patients with adenocarcinomas from many different sites. This CA 72-4 double determinant radioimmunoassay in conjunction with assays for carcinoembryonic antigen can identify patients with malignancies with greater sensitivity than either assay alone.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1991

Blood leukotrienes in headache: correlation with platelet activity.

Platelet hyperactivity, one of the commonest findings associated with migraine, has been related to increased release of biologically active substances such as catecholamines and arachidonic acid metabolites, which seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of migraine. In this study, in vitro platelet aggregation tests were performed on samples from patients with different types of headache. The presence of platelet hyperactivity was clearly demonstrated in 11 patients with classical migraine between attacks, but not in 4 patients between attacks of common migraine. Nevertheless, the presence of a marked platelet hyporesponsivity was found during the attack phase of both classical and common migraine. No difference in platelet aggregability was found between attack and post-attack phases in 5 patients with cluster headache. Blood leukotrienes were analyzed in 8 patients with classical migraine and in the 5 patients with cluster headache. During the attack phase of classical migraine both LTC4 and LTB4 were present in the peripheral blood, while the post-attack phase was characterized by the disappearance of LTC4 and the presence of LTB4 and its transisomer delta 6-trans-LTB4. Blood leukotrienes were constantly absent during both phases of cluster headache. Incubation of normal platelets with LTC4 or delta 6-trans-LTB4 was followed by inhibition of platelet response to epinephrine. delta 6-trans-LTB4, at higher concentrations, induced the opposite effect. A possible role of blood leukotrienes in the changes occurring in platelet aggregability during the different phases of classical migraine, is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

CA 72-4 radioimmunoassay in the diagnosis of malignant effusions. Comparison of various tumor markers.

We evaluated the utility of the CA 72-4, CEA, CA 125, CA 19-9 and CA 15-3 radioimmunoassays for the detection of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in effusions of malignant vs. benign origin. Fluids were obtained from 51 patients with adenocarcinomas, 27 with non-epithelial malignancies, and 68 with benign disorders. The CA 72-4 radioimmunoassay (cut-off value 8.5 U/ml) detected the TAG-72 antigen in 51% of adenocarcinoma patients' effusions, while only 1 of 68 benign specimens had an elevated TAG-72 level. Similarly, CEA levels above 5 ng/ml were found in 55% of the fluids from patients with adenocarcinoma and 3.2% of effusions from patients with benign disease. CA 19-9 (cut-off value 37 U/ml) exhibited a lower degree of sensitivity, with positive values in 23.5% of the effusions due to adenocarcinomas and in 4.5% of the effusions due to benign disease. At a cut-off value of 29 U/ml, CA 15-3 was positive in 49% of fluids from patients with adenocarcinoma and in 3.0% of the benign fluids. The CA 125 RIA failed to show any specificity using the established cut-off value of 35 U/ml, with approximately 80% of all the effusions giving positive results. The specificity of the assay was increased by using a cut-off value of 3000 U/ml, but with a substantial loss in sensitivity (23.5%). Using a combination of the CA 72-4 and CEA RIAs the sensitivity for malignant effusions was increased to 73.5%. No additional improvement in the overall sensitivity was observed when using the CA 72-4 assay in combination with assays for the other markers, except in the case of 1 effusion. We conclude that the CA 72-4 RIA, possibly in combination with other assays such as CEA, may be useful in distinguishing between adenocarcinomatous and benign effusions.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Assay for the detection of anti-idiotypic antibodies to monoclonal antibody B72.3.

The administration of xenogenic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) leads in many cases to a host immune response represented by the generation of antibodies that can be directed against allotypic, isotypic, and idiotypic determinants present on the xenogeneic MAb. Anti-idiotypic antibodies (Ab2s) can be detected by measuring their specific reactivity in sandwich assays using their ability to cross-link labeled Ab1 to Ab1 attached to a solid phase; however, when the MAb used for these studies reacts with a multideterminant tumor-associated antigen found in the circulation (e.g., TAG-72), the utility of these anti-idiotype assays may be limited. To determine the levels of anti-idiotypic antibodies that could be detected in patients undergoing MAb B72.3-based immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic protocols, we investigated the ability of a solid-phase sandwich radioimmunoassay (RIA) to detect anti-idiotypic antibodies raised against B72.3. Furthermore, to overcome the interference of circulating TAG-72 and/or antibodies to allotypic and isotypic determinants in the evaluation of an anti-idiotypic response, we developed a methodology using CC49-coated resin to absorb the interfering molecules (CC49 is a second anti-TAG-72 MAb). Under the conditions established, all of the TAG-72 antigen was removed by adsorption with MAb CC49. Furthermore, since the treatment used an isotype-identical murine MAb, the binding due to the anti-mouse antibodies, other than the anti-idiotype, was completely abolished after a treatment with MAb CC49, leaving only the anti-idiotype component.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Antibodies to hepatitis C virus in blood donors.

Recently a recombinant polypeptide of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been developed by the Chiron Corporation in California. This antigen has been used to develop an ELISA test (Ortho Diagnostic Systems for serum anti-HCV antibodies. Preliminary data have shown that this virus is the major cause of NANB hepatitis in the world. We examined differences in anti-HCV prevalence among subgroups of blood donors (total sera examined 639) classified for past or present exposure to HBV or not, and for ALT levels. The anti-HCV prevalence found in regular blood donors with normal ALT levels and no antibody to HBcAg was 1.2%. No significant difference in the anti-HCV prevalence was found among other subgroups of blood donors except that a higher prevalence (10%) was found in a group with both elevated ALT and HBV markers. These preliminary findings suggest that the policy of blood supply should take into account the advent of HCV antibody test.

Blood Donors↗
PubMed1990

In vivo fate of monoclonal antibody B72.3 in patients with colorectal cancer.

Radiolabeled B72.3 (anti-TAG-72) has been shown to selectively localize metastatic lesions in 70%-80% of the cases. Serum samples from 27 colorectal carcinoma patients who received iodine-131-(131I) B72.3 by i.v. administration were analyzed. Circulating immunoreactive antibody followed a biphasic clearance pattern. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis demonstrated that 131I-B72.3 retained its integrity in the patients' sera. HPLC analysis also demonstrated the presence of immune complexes in the sera of 12 patients; this correlated with elevated levels of circulating TAG-72. Several different HAMA response patterns were detected in the 25 patients' sera that were analyzed; some patients developed HAMA as early as 5-7 days post-MAb injection. Higher doses of administered MAb B72.3 correlated with the development of HAMA (p = 0.007). The presence of elevated levels of TAG-72 in the patients' pre-inoculum serum was shown to correlate with the detection of lesions by gamma scanning. Serum TAG-72 may serve as a criteria for patient selection for immunodiagnostic or immunotherapeutic procedures using MAb B72.3.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1989

CA 72-4 radioimmunoassay for the detection of the TAG-72 carcinoma-associated antigen in serum of patients.

Monoclonal antibody (MAb)B72.3 has been used to detect the presence of TAG-72 in the serum of carcinoma patients. We have developed new anti-TAG-72 MAbs and have selected one of these, CC49, as the "catcher" MAb with 125I-B72.3 as the detecting antibody in a double-determinant immunoradiometric assay. This combination enabled the development of a sequential assay (designated CA 72-4) that showed optimal quantitative properties as demonstrated by such parameters as linear dose-response, high re-producibility, and lack of serum-matrix and "hook-back" effects. Only 3.5% of 744 normal sera and 6.7% of 134 sera from patients with benign gastrointestinal diseases had TAG-72 levels greater than 6 U/ml. Approximately 40% of 303 patients with gastrointestinal malignancies had serum TAG-72 levels of greater than 6 U/ml (55% of the patients with advanced disease). Thirty-six percent of patients with adenocarcinomas of the lung and 24% of patients with ovarian cancer (53% stage IV patients) also had elevated serum TAG-72 levels. A poor correlation was found between the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and TAG-72 values of sera obtained from gastric cancer patients. Thirty-four percent of CEA negative cases were scored positive in the CA 72-4 assay, suggesting the complementarity of the CA 72-4 assay to CEA assays in the analysis of sera from patients with certain malignancies.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗