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Biomedical subjects

R Scorza

Publications and source records attributed to R Scorza.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Markers of procoagulant imbalance in patients with localized melanomas and autoimmune disorders.

Hypercoagulability can be defined as a condition of procoagulant imbalance due to heightened enzymatic activation of coagulation zymogens, but with no laboratory evidence of fibrin deposition nor clinical signs of thrombosis. The imbalance can be detected by measuring the plasma levels of prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), fibrinopeptide A (FPA) and thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes. The aims of this study were to establish the frequency of existence and biochemical pattern of hypercoagulability in patients with cancer and autoimmune disorders, clinical conditions associated with an increased risk of thrombosis, and to ascertain the most sensitive method for its diagnosis. In approximately one-fourth of the patients hypercoagulability was identified by finding high levels of FPA F1 + 2 or TAT unaccompanied by signs of fibrin deposition (expressed by normal levels of D-dimer). In a smaller proportion of patients (approximately 10%), the concomitant presence of high levels of D-dimer indicated that the activation of the coagulation cascade had gone beyond the stage of heightened enzymatic activity to the point of cross-linked fibrin deposition. Of the markers used to detect hypercoagulability. FPA seems to be the most sensitive, being significantly increased in all clinical conditions studied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Aortoenteric fistulae. Diagnosis, therapy, results].

A series of 26 aortoenteric fistulas, 8 primary (PAEF) communications between abdominal aorta and gastrointestinal tract and 18 secondary (SAEF) communications between aortic graft and intestine, is reported. PAEF is commonly due to aneurysmal rupture into the intestine, while SAEF is an uncommon complication of abdominal aortic reconstructive surgery. Male to female ratio was 3:1 among the PAEF group and 8:1 among the SAEF one. Seven of the PAEF subjects underwent urgent surgical operation: 6 enteral defect closure and prosthetic aortic replacement. One patient underwent ileal resection and hypogastric artery ligation. Survival rate in this group was 42% (3/7). Among the 18 subjects affected with SAEF after intestinal repair, vascular procedures were 8 aortic graft removal and extra-anatomic bypass grafting, 4 aortic graft removal and aortic stump ligation, 5 anastomotic repairs and 1 prosthetic branch substitution. Survival rate among this group was 39% (7/18). No differences in outcome were noted in this series depending on type of operation, according to the literature. The authors conclude that surgical outcome is affected by the presence of severe infection not dominated by antibiotics rather than by surgical technique. In this series survival rate among the patients with negative bacterial culture of the surgical specimen raised up to 80%, while it decreased to 20% among subjects harboring septic retroperitoneal collection and graft infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms into the major abdominal veins.

Over the period January 1965-July 1992 26 spontaneous fistulas between an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and the major abdominal veins were observed and surgically treated. Twenty-two were aorto-caval, one iliaco-iliac and 3 aorto-iliac; since clinical features, pathophysiology, principles of surgical treatment and postoperative care are similar, both the conditions are considered as a single disease (aorto-caval fistula: ACF). The incidence among 373 ruptured AAA operated in emergency conditions in the same period was 6.97%, with an operative mortality rate of 34.61% compared to an overall mortality for ruptured AAA of 34.85%. All subjects were males with a mean age of 67.3 years. Twelve subjects showed shock at admission (46.1%): the mortality rate in this subgroup was 50% compared to 21.4% among the non-shocked patients. Pain was always present, oedema of one or both of the lower limbs in 9 cases (34.6%) and abdominal bruit or murmur and thrill in 16 (61.5%). One patient died at laparotomy for irreversible cardiac arrest; the 25 completed procedures consisted of endoaneurysmal repair of the fistula under venous bleeding control by digital compression and prosthetic replacement of the abdominal aorta (7 straight and 18 bifurcated grafts). Intraoperative mean blood losses exceeded 4,000 ml, but autotransfusion, available only in 12 procedures, allowed significant sparing of heterologous blood units. The mortality rate was not clearly improved by autotransfusion, but among these 12 patients shock was present in 7 instances (58.3%), compared to 5 out of 14 subjects (35.7%) operated on before autotransfusion devices were available.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Pectin microgels and their subunit structure.

High-performance size exclusion chromatography revealed that alkaline-extracted peach fruit pectin dissolved in 0.05 M NaNO3 comprised a hierarchy of at least four aggregated, macromolecular-sized species. Each of the three largest species was found to be comparable in length to the three smallest subunits of an interconnecting gel network visualized by transmission electron microscopy of pectin, rapidly dried from solution. The interconnecting subunits of the gel network were rods or segmented rods and the integrated network formed a circular gel about 1 micron in diameter. Shadowed samples prepared from 5 and 50 mM NaCl or aqueous glycerol solutions produced images of partially dissociated subunits.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗
PubMed1992

Cold Acclimation in Genetically Related (Sibling) Deciduous and Evergreen Peach (Prunus persica [L.] Batsch): I. Seasonal Changes in Cold Hardiness and Polypeptides of Bark and Xylem Tissues.

Seasonal patterns of proteins and of cold hardiness were characterized in bark and xylem tissues of genetically related (sibling) deciduous and evergreen peach (Prunus persica [L.] Batsch). In contrast with deciduous trees, which entered endodormancy and abscised leaves in the fall, evergreen trees retained their leaves and exhibited shoot elongation under favorable environmental conditions. A successive increase in the cold hardiness of bark and xylem was observed during the fall in both genotypes. This was followed by a subsequent decrease from midwinter to spring. Xylem tissue in both genotypes exhibited deep supercooling and a significant correlation (r = 0.99) between the midpoint of the low-temperature exotherm and the subzero temperature at which 50% injury occurred (assessed by electrolyte leakage) was noted. The maximum hardiness level attained in deciduous trees was more than twofold that of evergreens. Seasonal pattern of proteins from bark and xylem of the sibling genotypes was characterized by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Among other qualitative and quantitative changes, accumulation of a 19-kilodalton polypeptide in the bark of both genotypes was observed during fall followed by a decrease in spring. This polypeptide accumulated to higher levels in the deciduous peach compared with the evergreen. Additionally, a 16-kilodalton protein exhibited the same pattern in deciduous trees but not in the evergreen trees. Both the 19- and a 16-kilodalton bark proteins conform to the criteria of a bark storage protein. The relationship of seasonal changes in protein to cold hardiness and dormancy in these genetically related peach genotypes is discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1992

HLA-associated susceptibility to HIV-1 infection.

We studied HLA antigen distribution of 50 heterosexual partners of HIV+ drug abusers with more than 1 year of sexual exposure to HIV, 36 children born to seropositive mothers and 61 haemophiliac patients exposed to presumably infectious clotting factor concentrates. B52 and B44 antigens were associated with HIV resistance while B51 was associated with HIV susceptibility. Forty-nine HIV+ drug abusers, spouses of heterosexual partners studied and 25 HIV+ mothers of the children were also typed. DR11 phenotype was associated with infectiousness of HIV+ subjects. Our data suggest that the HLA region controls susceptibility to infection with HIV and infectiousness of HIV+ subjects in different risk groups.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1990

In vivo enhancement of NK-cell activity by thymopentin.

Natural killer (NK) activities of fresh and IL-2-precultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were investigated in 13 elderly subjects before and after thymopentin (TP-5) treatment and in 12 age-matched controls. The NK activity of fresh PBMC was found to be significantly higher in subjects given TP-5 at 50 mg s.c. three times per week for one month. Conversely, this type of treatment with TP-5 did not significantly modify the cytotoxic capacity of IL-2-precultured PBMC.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Effects of cyclosporin A on in vitro lymphocyte response to autologous or allogeneic stimulation: influence of HLA phenotypes.

In this study we investigated whether the interindividual variability of lymphocyte sensitivity to cyclosporin A (CsA) could be controlled by the HLA region. The models used were the in vitro primary and secondary autologous (AMLR) and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte (MLR) cultures of cells from 32 healthy subjects from our HLA reference panel. Our results show that CsA inhibited primary allogeneic MLR to a much greater extent than primary AMLR (-81 +/- 2% vs -38 +/- 8%, P less than 0.001). The same pattern was observed when cells harvested from CsA-treated primary cultures were rechallenged in secondary cultures with the original sensitizing stimulator cells (-40 +/- 6% vs -17 +/- 9%, P less than 0.05). No differences were observed in primary autologous and allogeneic cultures among responders of different HLA phenotypes. In contrast, the secondary responses did vary according to the HLA types: in secondary AMLR, CsA-priming did not lower, or even enhance, the proliferative responses of DR5+ and/or DR2+ lymphocytes (+7 +/- 13%), whereas it significantly lowered the responses of DR2-5- cells (-46 +/- 8%). In secondary MLR, lymphocytes proliferation was lowered by CsA-priming in all but DRW11(5)+ subjects (-45 +/- 7% vs +2 +/- 23%, P less than 0.05). It is concluded that the individual HLA phenotype influences the pattern of lymphocyte sensitivity to CsA.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effect of cyclosporin A on 2ry MLR in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis.

We have studied the effects of the immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporin A (CsA) on the allogenic stimulation of human lymphocytes from 10 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and 10 healthy controls, when activated in vitro during 1ry and 2ry MLR. CsA markedly suppressed 1ry MLR in both PSS subjects and controls. In contrast to the marked suppression of 2ry MLR observed for most of the PSS subjects and all control subjects, lymphocytes from 3 out of 10 PSS patients had paradoxically amplified allogenic responses when primed in the presence of CsA. The possibility is discussed that in these patients the recruitment of suppressor-effector cells by CsA-resistant suppressor-inducer lymphocytes is impaired.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Digital subtraction angiography for preoperative diagnosis of carotid body tumor. Case report.

A case of carotid body tumor preoperatively diagnosed by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is reported. For the first time to our knowledge, it demonstrates the effectiveness of DSA in the preoperative diagnosis of carotid body tumor. The advantages of this procedure vs. direct angiography are mainly its lower invasiveness and the absence of side- effects secondary to direct intra-arterial administration of contrast dye under general anesthesia.

Adult↗