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Biomedical subjects

P Rossi

Publications and source records attributed to P Rossi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Altered phenotype and function of dendritic cells in children with type 1 diabetes.

The importance of dendritic cells (DC) in the activation of T cells and in the maintenance of self-tolerance is well known. We investigated whether alterations in phenotype and function of DC may contribute to the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes (T1DM). Mature DC (mDC) from 18 children with T1DM and 10 age-matched healthy children were tested. mDC, derived from peripheral blood monocytes cultured for 6 days in presence of interleukin (IL)-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the last 24 h, were phenotyped for the expression of the co-stimulatory molecules B7.1 and B7.2. In six patients and six controls allogenic mixed leucocyte reaction (AMLR) was performed using mDC and cord blood-derived naive T cells at a DC/T naive ratio of 1 : 200. Proliferation was assessed on day 7 by [(3)H]-thymidine incorporation assay. Mature DC derived from patients showed, compared with controls, a reduced expression of B7.1 [mean of fluorescence intensity (MFI): 36.2 +/- 14.3 versus 72.9 +/- 34.5; P = 0.004] and B7.2 (MFI: 122.7 +/- 67.5 versus 259.6 +/- 154.1; P = 0.02). We did not find differences in the HLA-DR expression (P = 0.07). Moreover, proliferative response of allogenic naive T cells cultured with mDC was impaired in the patients (13471 +/- 9917.2 versus 40976 +/- 24527.2 cpm, P = 0.04). We also measured IL-10 and IL-12 concentration in the supernatant of DC cultures. Interestingly, we observed in the patients a sevenfold higher level of IL-10 (P = 0.07) and a ninefold lower level of IL-12 (P = 0.01). Our data show a defect in the expression of the co-stimulatory molecules and an impairment of DC priming function, events that might contribute to T1DM pathogenesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence, pattern and predictors of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in migraine patients attending a headache clinic in Italy.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in migraine is a growing phenomenon about which little is known. This study was undertaken to evaluate the rates, pattern and presence of predictors of CAM use in a clinical population of patients with different migraine subtypes. Four hundred and eighty-one migraineurs attending a headache clinic were asked to undergo a physician-administered structured interview designed to gather information on CAM use. Past use of CAM therapies was reported by 31.4% of the patients surveyed, with 17.1% having used CAM in the previous year. CAM therapies were perceived as beneficial by 39.5% of the patients who had used them. A significantly higher proportion of transformed migraine patients reported CAM treatments as ineffective compared with patients suffering from episodic migraine (73.1% vs. 50.7%, P < 0.001). The most common source of a recommendation of CAM was a friend or relative (52.7%). In most cases, migraineurs' recourse to CAM treatments was specifically for their headache (89.3%). Approximately 61% of CAM users had not informed their medical doctors of their CAM use. The most common reason for deciding to try a CAM therapy was that it offered a 'potential improvement of headache' (47.7%). The greatest users of CAM treatments were: patients with a diagnosis of transformed migraine; those who had consulted a high number of specialists and reported a higher lifetime number of conventional medical visits; those with a comorbid psychiatric disorder; those with a high income; and those whose headache had been either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Our findings suggest that headache clinic migraine patients, in their need of and quest for care, seek and explore both conventional and CAM approaches. Physicians should be made aware of this patient-driven change in the medical climate in order to prevent misuse of healthcare resources and to be better equipped to meet patients' needs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Ileum inflammatory fibroid polyp revealed by intussusception. About one familial case].

INTRODUCTION: Acute ileum intussusception is a frequent and mostly benign condition in childhood. Conversely, it is a rare condition during adulthood and generally associated with an underlying malignancy. We report a familial form of benign inflammatory fibroid polyps, revealed by an acute ileum intussusception. EXEGESIS: A 41-year-old man, whose mother had undergone three surgical procedures for acute ileum intussusception associated with inflammatory fibroid polyp, was admitted for a abdominal pain that started three month ago. The patient displayed alteration of the intestinal transit, weight loss and sub-occlusive syndrome. Upper and lower endoscopies, performed before admission, were normal. In the emergency room, the abdominal computed tomography-scan revealed an acute intussusception of the last loop of the small intestine, probably caused by a tumor and leading to an occlusive syndrome. Surgical resection and histological analysis concluded to an inflammatory fibroid polyp. Clinical outcome was excellent. CONCLUSION: Inflammatory fibroid polyp is always a benign tumor. It is usually isolated, expressing itself mainly in the form of an acute intussusception when located in the small bowel. The familial form presented here is exceptional and illustrates the possibility of an inherited transmission of this disease. However the pathogenesis of this type of polyp is still unclear.

Abdominal Pain↗
PubMed2004

gp91phox-dependent expression of platelet CD40 ligand.

BACKGROUND: CD40 ligand (CD40L) expression on platelets is mediated by agonists, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: CD40L expression was measured in platelets from healthy subjects both with and without the addition of antioxidants or a phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitor and in platelets from 2 patients with an inherited deficiency of gp91phox. Immunoprecipitation analysis was also performed to determine whether normal platelets showed gp91phox expression. Unlike catalase and mannitol, superoxide dismutase inhibited agonist-induced platelet CD40L expression in healthy subjects. Immunoprecipitation analysis also showed that platelets from healthy subjects expressed gp91phox. In 2 male patients with inherited gp91phox deficiency, collagen-, thrombin-, and arachidonic acid-stimulated platelets showed an almost complete absence of superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) and CD40L expression. Incubation of platelets from healthy subjects with a PLA2 inhibitor almost completely prevented agonist-induced O(2)(-) and CD40L expression. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide the first evidence that platelet CD40L expression occurs via arachidonic acid-mediated gp91phox activation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Excitability of the Adelta nociceptive pathways as assessed by the recovery cycle of laser evoked potentials in humans.

To investigate the excitability of Adelta nociceptive pathways and the nature of the vertex laser evoked potentials (LEPs), we studied the recovery cycle of the P2-LEP component and compared it with that of the P200 of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP). Using two identical CO(2)-laser stimulators, we delivered paired stimuli to two adjacent skin spots on the hand at interstimulus intervals ranging from 250 ms to 2 s. The test P2-LEP was strongly inhibited at the 250-ms interstimulus interval ( P<0.01) and progressively recovered by the 2-s interval. The P200-SEP, after paired stimuli to the median nerve, showed a time course even slower than the P2-LEP ( P<0.01). Besides providing the LEP recovery curve in normal subjects, our findings indicate that the P2-LEP relays through a number of synapses similar to (or even lower than) that for the P200-SEP, thus lending further support to the view that the nociceptive P2-LEP is not an endogenous potential equivalent to the P300.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Increased levels of interleukin-10 in saliva of Sjögren's syndrome patients. Correlation with disease activity.

The aim of the study was to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-2, IL-4, and interferon-gamma in the saliva of patients with Sjögren's syndrome and to correlate them with laboratory and clinical parameters of disease activity. The levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and interferon-gamma were measured in salivary samples, obtained directly from the Stenone duct of 14 Sjögren's syndrome patients and 26 healthy controls by ELISA. A significant elevation of IL-10 was found in salivary fluids of Sjögren's syndrome patients compared with healthy controls (P=0.007). Elevated interferon-gamma levels were found in some patients. IL-2 and IL-4 were undetectable in all saliva samples. In patients, IL-10 levels significantly correlated with the degree of xerophthalmia and xerostomia (P=0.02 and P=0.01, respectively) and with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P=0.006). Our data suggest that elevated IL-10 levels are detectable in the saliva of Sjögren's syndrome patients and correlate with the severity of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Endovascular treatment of iliocaval occlusion due to idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.

Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare cause of venous occlusion that is mainly treated conservatively or surgically. However, endovascular techniques can be proposed for its treatment. We report here a case of a 64-year-old man who was admitted for bilateral lower limb swelling due to iliocaval occlusion caused by idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis. Due to high anesthetic risk, related mainly to congestive heart failure, the patient was treated percutaneously by balloon angioplasty and stenting instead of receiving surgical treatment. Clinical and radiological results were excellent, both early and in midterm, confirming that endovascular techniques constitute an interesting alternative to surgery, especially in fragile patients.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Revascularization decreases 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha excretion in chronic lower limb ischemia.

8-Isoprostaglandin F2alpha is one of a series of isoprostanes formed by free radical catalysed peroxidation of arachidonic acid. Urinary 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha is a new marker which reflects oxidative stress in vivo and can be utilized as a diagnostic tool to assess the extent of oxidative stress in various disease states associated with lipid peroxidation. Increased levels of 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion provide evidence for oxidative stress during coronary perfusion. In animal studies, the restoration of blood flow after lower limb ischemia is followed by reperfusion syndrome. In this study we investigated whether lower limb ischemia/reperfusion is associated with oxidative stress, as reflected by urinary levels of 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha. Ten patients (mean age 72 years, range 61-82 years) suffering from chronic lower limb ischemia and 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 69 years, range 60-79 years) participated in the study. In all patients, diagnostic angiography had revealed stenosis or occlusion either in the aortoiliac or femoropopliteal region. Surgical revascularization consisted of femoropopliteal reconstruction, femorofemoral reconstruction, aortobifemorial reconstruction, or femoral endartectomy. Urine samples from patients were collected a day before surgery and in the second postoperative day. Urinary 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha was extracted on a C2 silica cartridge and determinated by radioimmunoassay. After revascularization, 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha excretion (pg/micromol creatinine, mean +/- SD) was decreased by 2.5-fold (preoperative 48.9 +/- 8.9, postoperative 19.1 +/- 9.5, P < 0.001). The postoperative values were similar to the concentrations measured in healthy volunteers (18.0 +/- 11.0). All revascularizations were successful, and the increase in ankle-brachial index (preoperative 0-0.6, postoperative 0.4-0.8) revealed improved blood flow in the ischemic lower limb. We suggest that, as assessed by the quantitation of urinary 8-isoprostaglandin F2alpha, chronic lower limb ischemia is associated with increased oxidative stress, which is decreased by revascularization.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

[Conventional ultrasonography Doppler in the assessment of arterial peripheral circulation].

UNLABELLED: Ultrasonography Doppler in the assessment of arterial peripheral circulation. PURPOSE: The ultrasonography-Doppler study of peripheral arterial circulation requires measurements of arterial area and arterial blood flow. The aim of this study was to assess their variabilities, intra- and interobserver. METHODS: We studied brachial arterial circulation of 13 volunteers. Two experimented investigators carried out the examinations. Arterial blood pressure measurements were obtained at the level of the brachial artery of the left arm by means of a semi automated oscillometric device. The brachial artery was approached by ultrasound scan in semi-decubitus position, the arm in exterior rotation and abduction. Brachial artery cross-sectional areas were obtained by a transversal view with a depth of 4-15-cm upstream the antecubital fossa of the forearm. Cross sectional areas were measured at end diastole (SD) and end systole (SS). We measured maximal systolic and diastolic velocities (Vmax and Vmin), mean velocity (Vmoy) and velocity integral (ITV) of the blood flow. We deduced brachial output (D), resistance and pulsatility index (IR, IP), cross-sectional compliance coefficient (C). RESULTS: Intra- and interoperator variability as assessed by the Bland-Altman approach was acceptable SS, SD, ITV, D, Vmax, Vmoy, Vmin C, IR, and IP, in regard with values of variation coefficient, biais, and concordance limits. CONCLUSION: Conventional B-mode ultrasonography may offer a reliable method for arterial peripheral circulation evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Insight into B cell development and differentiation.

The main topic of this article is B cell development and differentiation, with a special focus on the mechanisms and molecules that regulate the expression of humoral immunity. Molecular epidemiological analysis was performed on the genes responsible for the X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) phenotype of the majority of Italian patients and their distinct mutations were characterized. Mutations in Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a member of Tec Family of protein tyrosine kinases, have been found to be mainly responsible for XLA disease. The exact function of BTK in signal transduction is not yet known; thus, the specific role of BTK in receptor-dependent calcium signaling and the pro-antiapoptotic regulatory activity was addressed by transfecting RAMOS-1, a BTK-deficient human Burkitt's/B cell leukemia line with wild-type and mutant constructs. This work may provide clues about critical sites in the molecule and give support for gene therapy as a potential successful approach to XLA. Another aspect of this research is the identification and dissection of the molecular events that are likely to be directly related to the ability to express various isotypes of immunoglobulin with differing function and certain B cell immunodeficiency, mainly common variable disease and non-X-linked hyperIgM. B cell development and maturation steps in different compartments of the immune system are tracked by the analysis of cell-surface molecules and components of the signal transduction pathways, i.e. CD40, CD30, CD27, CD38, CD22 and CD24. A few components involved in B cell development, maturation and differentiation and their specific functional role are at least partially known, but these are far from fitting into an understandable pathway at present.

Agammaglobulinaemia Tyrosine Kinase↗