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Biomedical subjects

R Mancuso

Publications and source records attributed to R Mancuso.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Transmission line analysis of noncylindrical birdcage resonators.

Transmission line theory, validated for the standard cylindrical birdcage coil, has been employed for the analysis of a rectangular birdcage resonator which is useful for MR imaging of the hand. Due to lack of cylindrical symmetry in the rectangular coil, RF field uniformity was evaluated and found to be critically dependent upon the choice of column from which the coil was linearly driven. Effective L1 and L2 inductance elements were determined using known formulas for self and mutual inductance contributions, and compensation of the different inductance elements of the hand coil was performed to produce cylindrically symmetric birdcage current patterns. RF field mapping using the Biot-Savart law demonstrated a rectangular coil sensitivity 22% greater than a comparable cylindrical version. MR hand and wrist images were acquired using the rectangular birdcage coil. In addition, transmission line analysis was extended to other noncylindrical birdcage geometries.

Hand↗
PubMed1993

Use of transmission line analysis for multi-tuning of birdcage resonators.

A general analysis for double- and higher order tuning of birdcage resonators is presented based on a lumped element transmission line model. Expressions were developed for the determination of the resonant frequencies of bandstop and bandpass birdcage coils and, with specific restrictions, for capacitor values required to obtain any two desired mode one resonant frequencies. Experimental measurements on three variants each of an eight-column bandstop and an eight-column bandpass were in excellent agreement with theory; the average absolute frequency difference and percent deviation were 1.51 +/- 1.57 MHz and 2.61 +/- 2.36%, respectively. In addition, 31P and 1H phantom images were obtained at 2.0 T using a representative bandstop coil.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging↗
PubMed1988

The action of LPS porins and peptidoglycan fragments on human spermatozoa.

This study examines the action of the cell wall components of enterobacteria on the vitality of human spermatozoa. Lipopolysaccharides extracted from Escherichia coli K12 killed about 80% of the spermatozoa at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml. Porins extracted from E. coli, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhimurium killed between 80% and 100% of the spermatozoa at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml. Muramic acid and N-acetylmuramic acid caused about 60% mortality at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml. The possibility that the products of cellular lysis in the course of gram-negative infections cause temporary sterility is discussed.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗
PubMed1987

Intraventricular interferon in a case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

A patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) was treated by direct administration of Interferon B into the cerebral ventricles. Immediately after the first dose intrathecal synthesis of IgG and the CNS antimeasles antibody titer fell significantly, only to rise again to the pretreatment levels 2 months after discontinuation of treatment. There was no improvement in the patient's clinical status.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Precursor forms of substance P (SP) in nervous tissue: detection with antisera to SP, SP-Gly, and SP-Gly-Lys.

Antisera generated to substance P-Gly (SP-G) and substance P-Gly-Lys (SP-G-K), the likely unamidated COOH-terminally extended forms of substance P, were used to quantify and localize substance P precursor forms in hamster brain stem and spinal cord. The precursor determinant SP-G-K was liberated from larger heterogeneous forms by mild trypsinization of tissue extracts and was converted into the second precursor determinant, SP-G, by subsequent treatment with carboxypeptidase B. The basal levels of SP-G-K in brain stem and spinal cord were approximately equal to 0.5 pg/mg of tissue and rose 43- to 64-fold after trypsinization. Basal levels of SP-G were comparable to those of SP-G-K and rose 10- to 29-fold after combined enzyme treatments. Immunohistochemical labeling of axons and somata with anti-SP-G-K increased dramatically after trypsinization. This labeling was eliminated by preadsorption with authentic SP-G-K but not substance P or SP-G. Gel-permeation chromatography revealed SP-G-K-like immunoreactivity in fractions corresponding to considerably higher molecular weight than mature substance P. Collectively, these results support the hypothesis that substance P is synthesized from larger precursors and demonstrate that extended precursor forms are normally present in the axons and somata of neural systems that synthesize substance P.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Meningoencephalitis caused by human herpesvirus-6 in an immunocompetent adult patient: case report and review of the literature.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) is the etiologic agent of roseola infantum, and has been implicated as a possible cause of encephalitis in pediatric and adult patients. A case of meningoencephalitis in an otherwise healthy, immunocompetent 59-year-old woman is described. The diagnosis of HHV-6 meningoencephalitis was confirmed by detecting viral DNA in cerebrospinal fluid collected in the acute stage of the disease by polymerase chain reaction. The patient was treated with acyclovir and recovered without any sequelae. The current knowledge of the pathophysiology, clinical course and outcome of HHV-6 meningoencephalitis in immunocompetent adult patients is also reviewed.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immunological patterns during regular intensive training in athletes: quantification and evaluation of a preventive pharmacological approach.

The effects of regular intensive exercise training on immune system homeostasis and the potential value of treatment with an immunostimulating agent were assessed in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study. A total of 60 athletes were studied over a 3-month period of regular intensive physical activity. After 1 and 3 months there were significant decreases in the immunoglobulin levels in the whole athlete population compared with baseline values. Specifically there were significant decreases in immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G (G1 and G2 subclasses). There was also a significant decrease in natural killer cells and a slight but significant increase in B and T lymphocytes. In the thymomodulin-treated group, unlike the placebo group, there was no significant decrease in the immunoglobulin G2 subclass and there was a significant increase in the T-helper cell subpopulation. The clinical relevance of these immunological findings should be evaluated in larger clinical and epidemiological studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Representing and analysing molecular and cellular function using the computer.

Determining the biological function of a myriad of genes, and understanding how they interact to yield a living cell, is the major challenge of the post genome-sequencing era. The complexity of biological systems is such that this cannot be envisaged without the help of powerful computer systems capable of representing and analysing the intricate networks of physical and functional interactions between the different cellular components. In this review we try to provide the reader with an appreciation of where we stand in this regard. We discuss some of the inherent problems in describing the different facets of biological function, give an overview of how information on function is currently represented in the major biological databases, and describe different systems for organising and categorising the functions of gene products. In a second part, we present a new general data model, currently under development, which describes information on molecular function and cellular processes in a rigorous manner. The model is capable of representing a large variety of biochemical processes, including metabolic pathways, regulation of gene expression and signal transduction. It also incorporates taxonomies for categorising molecular entities, interactions and processes, and it offers means of viewing the information at different levels of resolution, and dealing with incomplete knowledge. The data model has been implemented in the database on protein function and cellular processes 'aMAZE' (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/research/pfbp/), which presently covers metabolic pathways and their regulation. Several tools for querying, displaying, and performing analyses on such pathways are briefly described in order to illustrate the practical applications enabled by the model.

Cell Physiological Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Henoch-Schönlein syndrome associated with human Parvovirus B19 primary infection.

We report a case of Henoch-Schönlein syndrome associated with human Parvovirus B19 primary infection. The patient, a 27-year-old Filipino woman, presented with an erythemato-papular-purpuric eruption localized to the lower limbs. General symptoms and signs included fever, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, inguinal lymphadenopathy and polyarthralgia. Laboratory examinations showed leukocytosis, increase in total serum IgA, proteinuria and haematuria. Circulating IgA immune complexes were also present. The ELISA test for anti-human Parvovirus B19 IgM was positive. Histopathological examination revealed a leukocytoclastic vasculitis. This case confirms that also in adult patients, Henoch-Schönlein syndrome may be associated with human Parvovirus B19 infection.

Adult↗