Reform of psychiatric care in Italy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Cavaliere.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Indirect immunofluorescence staining with a large battery of monoclonal antibodies of primary and autologous metastatic lesions removed from seven patients with melanoma has detected heterogeneity in the expression of various types of melanoma-associated antigens (MAAs), of distinct determinants of the high molecular weight melanoma-associated antigen (HMW-MAA), of the two subunits of Class I HLA antigens, and of the gene products of the HLA-D region. Among the 10 MAAs tested, the HMW-MAA had the highest frequency and the Mr 87,000 MAA the lowest. Furthermore, the HMW-MAA displayed the lowest heterogeneity. These findings, in conjunction with the restricted tissue distribution of the HMW-MAA, its lack of susceptibility to antibody-mediated modulation, and the high affinity of the available anti-HMW-MAA monoclonal antibodies, indicate that this antigen may be a useful marker for radioimaging and immunotherapy in patients with melanoma. The common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen was detected only in five lesions. Class I HLA antigens were detected in a larger number of lesions than HLA-DR antigens, which had a significantly higher frequency than HLA-DQ antigens. The degree of antigenic heterogeneity did not appear to correlate with the histopathological features of the lesions and/or with the clinical course of the disease. The results of the present study indicate that immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic approaches to melanoma should rely on the use of combinations of monoclonal antibodies to distinct MAAs.
Two human melanoma cell lines, extremely different in their thermal sensitivity, were pulse-labelled with (35S)-methionine after 60 min of exposure at 42 degrees C. For both cell lines, fractionation of the intrinsically labelled proteins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) showed increased labelling of a polypeptide band of Mr 72,000, along with a slight reduction of overall protein synthesis. By two-dimensional electrophoresis, the Mr 72,000 band resolved into multiple pattern components of the same size but differing in isoelectric points. The absence of qualitative and quantitative differences between the two melanoma cell lines indicates that the different thermal sensitivities are unrelated to their ability to express the heat-shock proteins.
Lonidamine was given to several patients affected with different types of neoplasias growing as metastases both in ascites and pleural effusion, and solid cutaneous metastases. The patients with tumor cells in ascites and pleural effusion were treated with Lonidamine per os or in loco injections. In cutaneous metastases, Lonidamine was administered by different routes: (1) per os; (2) local endoarterial; and (3) in association with hyperthermic perfusion with or without antiblastic drugs.
Lonidamine alone or in combination with hyperthermic perfusion, with or without melphalan, was investigated in 12 patients with stage II, III, and IV malignant melanoma. The authors evaluated the most effective methods and sequence of Lonidamine administration. Preliminary results suggest that the highest effectiveness is obtained with the simultaneous administration of Lonidamine and hyperthermia.
The antigenic profiles of a large number of surgically removed human benign and malignant lesions of melanocyte origin have been analyzed with the use of monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) against la antigens, against the HLA-A,B,C-beta 2-microglobulin molecular complex, against a cytoplasmic melanoma-associated antigen (MAA), and against membrane-bound MAA. Membrane-bound MAA include a high-molecular-weight MAA (HMW-MAA), a 115K MAA, and a 100K MAA. Appearance of the HMW-MAA and of the cytoplasmic MAA, as well as cytoplasmic distribution or loss of HLA-A,B,C antigens, occurs in benign lesions. Additional appearance of Ia antigens is associated with malignant transformation of melanocytes. The antigenic profile defined by the battery of MoAb used displays differences among benign lesions of different histogenesis, between benign and malignant lesions, and among malignant lesions with different histopathologic properties. These results suggest that phenotyping of surgically removed lesions with anti-MAA and anti-HLA MoAb may contribute to the understanding of the steps involved in tumor progression of melanocytes and may aid in the diagnosis of lesions with unusual histopathologic features.
A case of supraclavicular metastatic follicular carcinoma which occurred 7 years after the patient had undergone total thyroidectomy is presented. By means of whole body 210-thallium scan, a precise diagnosis was made, while the whole body 131-I scan was negative. The thyroglobulin serum levels were high before surgery but significantly decreased after lymphadenectomy. The clinical use of this tracer to detect functioning and non-functioning metastases of thyroid carcinomas is discussed.
The panning methodology has been applied to isolate viable human melanoma cells from surgically removed lesions. In this procedure a monocellular suspension mechanically prepared from a biopsy is incubated in plastic dishes coated with the monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 225.28S to a membrane bound high molecular weight-melanoma associated antigen (HMW-MAA). The melanoma nature of the cells growing in MoAb 225.28S coated dishes is indicated by the specific reactivity with anti-HMW-MAA MoAb, by its detection in spent culture medium and by morphological criteria. The specificity of the procedure is proven by the lack of growth of cells seeded in fetal calf serum (FCS) coated dishes, as well as of cells lacking the HMW-MAA in MoAb 225.28S coated dishes. The adherence of melanoma cells to plastic dishes is influenced by the concentration of the plastic bound MoAb 225.28S and by the incubation time. Melanoma cells isolated by adherence to MoAb 225.28S coated plates do not display any detectable change in their growth curve and colony forming ability. The ready availability of melanoma cells isolated from surgically removed lesions will greatly facilitate the characterization of the interaction between host's immune system and tumor cells and the screening of anti-tumor agents in preclinical tests.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The authors describe the theoretical principles and the experimental and clinical investigations that form the basis for the technique of selective hyperthermic perfusion of the limbs, with or without the addition of antiblastic agents. Neoplastic cells are much more sensitive to heat than normal cells, undergoing necrosis at a temperature of 42.5 to 43 degrees C. The authors discuss the histological appearances and the clinical results obtained in the treatment of 29 cases of malignant neoplasms of the limbs in which antiblastic hyperthermic perfusion was carried out one month before surgical removal of the neoplasm. The long term results show that antiblastic hyperthermic perfusion significantly reduces the risk of local recurrences in cases of resection and in some cases enables amputations rather than disarticulations to be performed. This type of treatment is particularly indicated in the highly undifferentiated and aggressive forms such as osteosarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, adamantinoma, fibrosarcoma, giant-cell sarcoma, Ewing's tumour, and synovioma.
The antigenic heterogeneity of primary and metastatic lesions surgically removed from nine patients with nodular melanoma was investigated by using monoclonal antibodies to HLA-A, B antigens, to beta 2-microglobulin, to Ia antigens, and to melanoma-associated antigens (MAA). The latter include three types of membrane-bound MAA and a cytoplasmic MAA. In spite of an homogeneous morphologic appearance, multiple lesions removed from the same patient differed significantly in their reactivity with the panel of monoclonal antibodies in indirect immunofluorescence test. The extent of antigenic heterogeneity did not correlate with melanin synthesis, site of origin of the primary tumor, site of metastatic foci, or treatment, but was less marked in patients carrying the primary tumor. The antigenic heterogeneity of multiple lesions removed from one patient and the independent expression of the various types of MAA investigated suggest that combinations of monoclonal antibodies to MAA may be more effective than single antibodies for radioimaging and immunotherapy.
Immobilized diamine oxidase injected into the peritoneal cavity of Swiss male mice 24 h after the viable intraperitoneal transplantation of Ehrlich ascites cells inhibits tumour growth. This fact should be imputable to the oxidation of polyamines, originating from tumour cells, into aldehyde, the oxidation product.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The hybridoma 653.40S, constructed with splenocytes from an inbred BALB/c mouse immunized with cultured human melanoma cells, secreted an antibody that had been shown to recognize an antigenic determinant restricted to human melanoma cell lines. The monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 653.40S showed immunoprecipitation of two glycopolypeptides synthesized by melanoma cells, one with the apparent molecular weight of 280,000 and the other one with a molecular weight larger than 500.000. These two glycopolypeptides were not bridged by disulfide bonds and were peripheral rather than integral to the plasma cell membrane. Comparison of the reactivity of cells of the melanocyte lineage with the MoAb 653.40S and with the MoAb Q5/13 to human Ia-like antigens showed that the former reacted with proliferating melanocytes and melanoma cells, whereas the latter reacted only with melanoma cells. The MoAb 653.40S did not react with a large variety of surgically removed normal and tumor tissues except for some instances of basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. These results suggested that double staining of pigmented skin lesions with the MoAb 653.40S and with an MoAb to Ia-like antigens may help to solve controversial diagnosis of melanoma. Furthermore, the MoAb 653.40S may be useful for radioimaging and immunotherapy of melanoma.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Platelet clumping was examined in untreated insulin-dependent and insulin-independent diabetics, with and without retinopathy. Hyperaggregation was noted, particularly in subjects with retinopathy and longstanding diabetes. Metformin normalised clumping in the course of mild diabetes.