Biomedical subjects

P Moscato

Publications and source records attributed to P Moscato.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Benchmarking a memetic algorithm for ordering microarray data.

This work introduces a new algorithm for "gene ordering". Given a matrix of gene expression data values, the task is to find a permutation of the gene names list such that genes with similar expression patterns should be relatively close in the permutation. The algorithm is based on a combined approach that integrates a constructive heuristic with evolutionary and Tabu Search techniques in a single methodology. To evaluate the benefits of this method, we compared our results with the current outputs provided by several widely used algorithms in functional genomics. We also compared the results with our own hierarchical clustering method when used in isolation. We show that the use of images, corrupted with known levels of noise, helps to illustrate some aspects of the performance of the algorithms and provide a complementary benchmark for the analysis. The use of these images, with known high-quality solutions, facilitates in some cases the assessment of the methods and helps the software development, validation and reproducibility of results. We also propose two quantitative measures of performance for gene ordering. Using these measures, we make a comparison with probably the most used algorithm (due to Eisen and collaborators, PNAS 1998) using a microarray dataset available on the public domain (the complete yeast cell cycle dataset).

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Supplementation with canthaxanthin affects plasma and tissue distribution of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols in mice.

The effects of oral doses of canthaxanthin on tissue distribution of alpha- and gamma-tocopherols were investigated in three experiments in male and female Balb/c mice. Mice were assigned to receive canthaxanthin [7 or 14 microg/(g body weight.d)] or placebo (olive oil) by gavage for different periods of time (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 wk). A 2 wk-treatment with canthaxanthin resulted in incorporation of the carotenoid in all tissues analyzed, including liver, spleen, kidney, lung and heart. In liver, the maximum accumulation of the carotenoid was reached after 2 wk of dosing in female mice and after 6 wk in male mice. Canthaxanthin incorporation was accompanied by changes in alpha- and gamma-tocopherol concentrations in plasma and tissues. These included the following: 1) a significant increase (P < 0.001) in alpha-tocopherol concentration in spleen (21 and 27% in male and female mice, respectively) after 2 wk and in liver ( approximately 50% in both male and female mice) after 6 wk; 2) a significant decrease in gamma-tocopherol concentration in plasma (P < 0.05) and tissues (P < 0.001) after 2 wk of treatment. In female mice, this decrease was 55% in plasma, 43% in liver, 44% in kidney, 71% in lung and 70% in heart. In male mice, the decrease was observed only in plasma (30%), kidney (54%) and heart (46%). In liver, the decrease in gamma-tocopherol concentration was both dose- and time-dependent and significantly (P < 0.001) greater in female than in male mice. We conclude that dietary administration of canthaxanthin modifies tocopherol status in murine tissues.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Antitumor effect of an oral administration of canthaxanthin on BALB/c mice bearing thymoma cells.

The antitumor effect of canthaxanthin in BALB/c mice bearing a transplantable thymoma was investigated. Male or female mice received two different doses of canthaxanthin (7 or 14 micrograms/g body wt/day) starting 15 days before tumor inoculation (7 x 10(7) cells i.p.). Canthaxanthin treatment delayed the appearance of macroscopic ascites and prolonged animal survival. This effect was dose dependent and more evident in females than in males. It appeared only when the carotenoid was administered before tumor transplantation. The antitumor efficacy of the carotenoid was related to its tissue incorporation. Canthaxanthin was incorporated in a dose-dependent manner in liver and thymoma cells and to a larger extent in females than in males. Our study shows the antitumor efficacy of canthaxanthin in vivo against a transplantable murine thymoma and points out the importance of dose, administration timing, and sex in the antitumor efficacy of this compound.

Administration, Oral↗

PubMed1993

[Evaluation of the efficacy of intra-articular administration of somatostatin in rheumatoid arthritis].

The above study was undertaken in order to evaluate the efficacy of intra-articular somatostatin in rheumatoid arthritis. Twelve patients were enrolled and all of them concluded the experiment of three consecutive intra-articular somatostatin injections of 750 mcg at two-weekly intervals. All patients reported a statistically significant reduction in painful symptomatology, particularly of pain during active movement, pain at climbing stairs, and morning stiffness. In one patient, telethermography revealed complete subsidence of articular inflammation. There were neither local nor systemic side effects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1993

[The utility of a classification scale of lumbar pain for the diagnosis of the fibromyalgia syndrome].

To help fibromyalgia syndrome's diagnosis, the authors propose the use of Back Pain Classification Scale (BPCS), verbal test for pain analysis, able to distinguish between organic and functional disease. Two-hundred patients suspected for fibromyalgia and forty controls completed the questionnaire and so it was possible correctly to distinguish patients with organic disease from those affected by fibromyalgia. The authors conclude that BPCS can represent a useful tool for fibromyalgia diagnosis.

Adult↗