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Biomedical subjects

R Testa

Publications and source records attributed to R Testa.

258 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
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Blood catecholamine levels and lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptors following acute noise stress.

Blood hormonal levels and lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptor characteristics have been studied in subjects exposed to acute noise stress. Cortisol and DHEAS show a peak at 15 min after the beginning of the stimulus. Catecholamine levels show an increase in 4 out of 8 subjects. However, no statistically significant changes have been observed in beta-adrenoceptor characteristics.

Catecholamines↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of different glucose endovenous administrations on amylin and insulin blood concentration in healthy subjects.

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) or amylin is a 37 amino-acid peptide involved in carbohydrate metabolism. It is a hormone secreted from the pancreatic cells which is reported to be co-secreted with insulin. Its function and secretion is not well known. A paracrine inhibition of insulin secretion could be the main function of this hormone. Different hypotheses are considered regarding IAPP co-localization with insulin in the secretory granules and its subsequent secretion. In the attempt to clarify these controversial findings we evaluated the plasma concentrations of IAPP and insulin during different intravenous glucose administrations in healthy patients. Twenty normoglycemic patients (10 females, 10 males, age +/- SD 37 +/- 9 years) underwent two different endovenous glucose administrations: a) "long duration" infusion, in which 500 ml of 33% glucose solution was administered in 60 minutes, b) a standard intra-venous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) characterized by an infusion of 0.33 g/Kg of glucose in 4 minutes. Blood samples were collected at fixed times (from 0 to 180 minutes) to assay IAPP, insulin and glucose concentration. The IAPP secretion seemed to be related more to the glycemic variation than to the insulin secretion. A proportional behavior of IAPP and insulin was observed only in the first 90 minutes of the long duration infusion. The highest increases of IAPP concentrations were found when there was a rapid glucose decrease in the blood. These findings suggest a significant role of IAPP in regulating the rapid decreases of glycemia.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lidocaine elimination and monoethylglycinexylidide formation in patients with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between plasma elimination of lidocaine and monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) formation, which is considered to be a quantitative liver function test. METHODOLOGY: The study included ten healthy subjects and 54 patients: 27 with chronic hepatitis and 27 with cirrhosis. Lidocaine and MEGX were measured at 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30 min and then every 30 min for 180 min using the TDX system. RESULTS: In cirrhotic patients, the lidocaine half-life of the slow decline phase of the plasma disappearance curve (beta-HL) and the lidocaine half-life of hepatic elimination from the second compartment (K20-HL) proved to be significantly abnormal, as did all parameters of MEGX formation. In chronic hepatitis, both the lidocaine kinetics and the MEGX formation parameters were within the normal range. In chronic hepatitis patients, MEGX formation (AUC 0-180) was significantly correlated to K20-HL (rs = -0.633, p < 0.001) and to the rapid decline phase of the plasma disappearance curve (alpha-HL, rs = -0.483, p < 0.05). In cirrhotic patients, MEGX was significantly correlated to K20-HL (rs = -0.423, p < 0.05) and to beta-HL (rs = -0.500, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results show that in chronic active hepatitis, MEGX formation from lidocaine is maintained as a metabolic process, whereas it is altered in cirrhotic patients. The interrelationship between lidocaine elimination and MEGX formation were somewhat different in the two liver diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The recurrence of hepatitic C in orthotopic liver transplantation].

BACKGROUND: This study is a review of hepatitis C recurrence in patients undergoing an orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT); to verify how many patients HCV-positive before OLT confirm a persistent viremia after OLT and how many with viremia show hepatitis histological evidence. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients, 24 males, median age 52.5 underwent OLT for posthepatitic C cirrhosis since January 1993 in the "Transplantation Center" of Genoa. Serology included anti-HCV search, HCV-RNA and HBV-DNA determinations, biopses were performed in the transplanted liver within the month after operation, subsequently at every hepatic enzymes increase. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients are currently alive, median follow-up of 14.5 months. Before OLT anti-HCV antibodies search was positive in all the patients while the HCV-RNA by PCR resulted positive in 17 and negative in 4. Before OLT the HBV-DNA in patients with associated hepatitis B was negative. After OLT 5 patients, of the 17 HCV-RNA positive before OLT, have turned negative then all became again positive from 6 to 12 months later; 2 of the 4 patients HCV-RNA negative before OLT have turned positive, and remained still negative two with hepatitis C associated with hepatitis B. Although viral replication was present in 95% of the patients, clinical and histological evidence of recurrence was ascertained only in 29%. CONCLUSIONS: It should be noted that the hepatitis histological picture doesn't correspond to a severe worsening of clinical conditions, an evolution justifying transplantation. The long-term results of this therapeutic choice are still uncertain due to the high incidence of recurrences.

Adult↗