Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Marino.
The presence of adrenalin (E) and noradrenalin (NE) was found by HPLC both in the photophores and at other tissue levels of numerous species of mesopelagic fish in The Strait of Messina, with the aim of determining the incidence of these catecholamines in photophores, in light transmission and the eventual presence at other tissue levels.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical with an unpaired electron in the highest orbital. This is why it behaves as a potential antioxidant agent by virtue of its ability to reduce other molecules. In vitro experiments support this concept inasmuch as NO is able to inhibit lipid peroxidation. However, NO is rapidly inactivated by the superoxide anion (O(*2) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO-), which is a potent oxidant. Therefore, in the presence of O(*2), NO behaves as a potent pro-oxidant. This is the mechanism that accounts for the low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation that occurs when NO and O(*2) are simultaneously present in the medium. As NO and O(*2) are simultaneously released by cells such as endothelial cells, the balance between these two radicals is crucial in understanding the net effect of NO on lipid peroxidation. Thus an excess of NO will favour lipid peroxidation inhibition, while an excess of O(*2) or equimolar concentration of NO and O(*2) will induce lipid peroxidation. Modulation of this balance may have important clinical implications, particularly in the atherosclerotic process in which oxidant stress seems to play a pivotal role in the onset and progression of vascular lesions.
BACKGROUND: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are usually treated with oral antidiabetic agents but it is still not known whether these drugs have antioxidant effects in humans. METHODS: We studied 60 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, divided into three groups on the basis of hypoglycaemic treatment (Group A: metformin, Group B: glibenclamide, Group C: diet). All patients were followed for at least 1 year. The three subgroups had similar clinical characteristics. Twenty healthy subjects, of comparable sex and age, were enrolled as controls. In each subject, platelet production of superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) elicited by collagen, was determined by lucigenin assay. RESULTS: Patients with diabetes had higher platelet O(2)(-) production than controls; no correlation was observed between blood glucose and platelet O(2)(-) production. Group A patients had platelet O(2)(-) production similar to that of healthy subjects but lower than Group B and Group C patients. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest an in vivo antioxidant activity of metformin and warrant prospective studies to further explore this hypothesis.
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The authors present 2 unusual cases of hemorrhagic pineal cysts. CT/MR imaging characteristics are shown.
This study examined the relationship between knowledge and practice of healthy lifestyle behaviors in the prevention of vascular dementia. Data presented here are derived from a convenience sample of 296 participants recruited through senior citizen agencies in Australia. Lifestyle was measured using the Health-promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Seven knowledge subscales were developed, consistent with the HPLP. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Correlations among the lifestyle and knowledge indicated statistically significant results. However, the strength of these associations was generally weak. Multivariate analysis found that six variables explained 20% of the variance in the lifestyle score. These included: knowledge of interpersonal relations, knowledge of physical activity, medical knowledge, medical history, self-assessment of general health, and use of alcohol. The results indicate that knowledge, by itself, does not necessarily ensure that people engage in self-practising healthy lifestyle behaviors, and those who experience illness and, perhaps exposure to risk factors, had higher HPLP scores. Recommendations for how older people can be supported to reduce some of the attitudinal barriers that reduce healthy lifestyle behaviors are discussed.
Children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus have a lower salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity, but a higher glucose content and peroxidase, IgA, magnesium and calcium concentration, in comparison with healthy children. Nevertheless the incidence of caries is lower than normal in diabetic children with good metabolic control. Periodontal disease usually starts at puberty as mild gingivitis with bleeding and gingival recession, and it may develop into severe periodontitis, especially in children with poor control of diabetes. Microangiopathy, impaired immune response, different bacterial microflora and collagen metabolism are involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic periodontal disease. The gingival flora is mostly composed of Gram-negative, anaerobic bacteria, while collagen has a lower solubility and is atrophic and inadequate to support the occlusion forces. For these reasons, prevention of periodontitis is important in diabetic children; they should receive oral hygiene instruction and visit a dentist at least twice a year.
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M. bovis, the agent of bovine tuberculosis, was in other times, the main ethiological agent of tuberculosis (TBC) in industrialized countries. At the moment, the human cases have become not very frequent, except in those countries where the illness is even endemic. In patients with immunodeficiency syndrome, it usually presents as a systemic illness. We present the case of a woman with AIDS and disseminated TBC caused by M. bovis. The isolated micobacteria turned out to be resistant to rifampin and pyrazinamide. She was treated with isoniazid, ethambutol and ofloxacin with good clinical evolution. This case turned out to be the first isolation of M. bovis in a patient with AIDS, in Muñiz hospital.
Two non familial cases of the juvenile lethal form of osteopetrosis and one case of the mild adult type are reported. In one case at risk of lethal osteopetrosis an early prenatal diagnosis was attempted, after informing the parents about the extreme difficulty to obtain conclusive results by such investigation. Although several ultrasonographic and one radiological examinations showed an apparently normal foetus, the newborn was affected by the lethal form of osteopetrosis.