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Biomedical subjects

S Ferrari

Publications and source records attributed to S Ferrari.

At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ablative cesarean section and post-partum hysterectomy: review of 11 years of obstetric practice].

Obstetric hysterectomy is often performed as an emergency life-saving procedure. This retrospective report reviews the 11 years experience (1-1 1980 through 31-12-1990) at Mangiagalli Hospital, Milan. During this time 50 obstetric hysterectomies (incidence rate = 0.12%) were performed; cesarean hysterectomies were 30 (60%), hysterectomies after cesarean section 14 (28%) and after vaginal delivery 6 (12%). Its rate during or after cesarean section was 0.44% and after vaginal delivery was 0.02%. Thirty-six per cent of patients were nulliparous. Main indications were placental disorders, uterine atony with uncontrollable bleeding, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). In 7 cases was performed an elective operation, in 4 cases for neoplasia and in 3 cases for myomata uteri. Maternal mortality rate was 2.04%, five patients (10%) developed hematomas and required further interventions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Coordinate change of c-myc, transferrin receptor and H3 gene expression precedes induction of haemoglobin-producing cells of the leukaemia K562 cell line treated with cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II).

Erythroid cell differentiation can be achieved in vitro by means of several chemical or natural agents. Cell differentiation is accompanied by biochemical and molecular changes which show that the inducer is active at different molecular levels. Among the chemical agents that are able to induce cell differentiation, the anticancer drugs are of great interest for the emerging study of in vitro and in vivo models for differentiation treatment. Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II (CDDP), a crosslinking DNA compound, is usually employed at a high dosage in treating solid tumors. We have demonstrated that CDDP was also able to induce K562 cells towards erythroid differentiation. In our experiment 2.5 micrograms/ml of CDDP caused expression of alpha-globin chain gene and production of haemoglobulin. Continuous presence of the drug was not necessary to induce the cell to produce haemoglobin. Five days after CDDP treatment, the expression of c-myc oncogene had risen, while H3 histone mRNA expression fell to undetectable levels within 24 hours. Transferrin (Tf) receptor mRNA was reduced but later (about 48 hours) than c-myc and H3 messenger RNAs. The inhibition of cell proliferation was correlated both with the reduced expression of Tf receptor mRNA and low expression of the protein. However, expression of the cytoskeleton vimentin gene was only slightly affected during the time-course of the experiment. Data show that at least three phases were present in the irreversible CDDP induction of haemoglobin synthesis in the K562 cell. The erythroid differentiation was first preceded by a rise of c-myc mRNA, which probably precommits the cell towards the erythroid lineage. The mRNA levels of the cell-cycle dependent genes, H3 and Tf receptor, decreased and inhibition of DNA synthesis and loss of cell proliferation were detected. Finally, the alpha-globin chain gene was actively transcribed and the cell produced haemoglobin.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Controlled study on the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome with betamethasone in pregnancy and ACTH and cortisol levels in the premature newborn infant].

The influence of maternal corticosteroid administration was studied on the ACTH and cortisol concentrations in neonatal blood of 24 premature infants whose mothers received betamethasone for prevention of RDS, compared with 11 untreated subjects. Cord blood was taken at birth and from venous sample in 5th day. All samples were analyzed for ACTH and Cortisol by radioimmunoassay. No statistically significant differences between these groups were noted. Additional analysis of ACTH and Cortisol levels in 9 RDS premature infants versus 26 control ones failed to demonstrate any deficiency of corticosteroids in newborn infants with RDS. The findings provide a justification for the prepartum treatment of respiratory distress syndrome with glucocorticoids because this dose of betamethasone does not expose the newborn to potentially harmful effects.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Kinetic behaviour of human erythrocyte casein kinases. Effect of 2, 3-bisphosphoglycerate and heparin.

The predominant cAMP-independent casein kinase CS isolated from human erythrocyte hemolysate and membrane casein kinase MS are inhibited to the same extent by 2,3-bisphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG). However, under some conditions, both enzymes may appear to be unaffected or even stimulated by this prominent red cell metabolite, depending on casein and monovalent salt (NaCl, KCl) concentrations employed in the assay. In addition, both casein kinases CS and MS exhibit identical response to heparin, being unaffected by increasing concentrations of this mucopolysaccharide up to 400 ng/ml. On the contrary, the minor cytosolic casein kinase CTS, is inhibited by both 2,3-DPG and heparin under all conditions tested in the assay.

2,3-Diphosphoglycerate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interaction of bilirubin with small unilamellar vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.

Interaction of bilirubin with phospholipid bilayers was studied at physiological pH above and below the gel-liquid crystalline phase transition of small unilamellar vesicles of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Chromatographic, calorimetric and 1H-NMR evidences strongly suggest that dianion form of bilirubin binds to the polar heads of the phosphatidylcholines protruding from the outer leaflet of the vesicles, whilst acid bilirubin, which is insoluble in water, is hydrophobically inserted into the lipophilic region of the bilayers. The surface-bound bilirubin is promptly removed from vesicles, whilst the acid form hydrophobically inserted into the vesicles is firmly bound to the membrane in the gel state. This pool of bilirubin could perturb the chemico-physical properties of the membrane (i.e., fluidity, phase transition, etc. ...) thus contributing to perturbation of the biological properties of living cells.

Bilirubin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of osteosarcoma of the extremities: excellent response of the primary tumor to preoperative treatment with methotrexate, cisplatin, adriamycin, and ifosfamide. Preliminary results.

A total of 48 patients with non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities were treated with a new neoadjuvant chemotherapy protocol which, prior to surgery, included the use of high dose methotrexate, cisplatin, adriamycin and ifosfamide. Cisplatin was administered intra-arterially, whereas the other drugs were given intravenously. In all of the cases response to this chemotherapy protocol was very good, allowing for conservative treatment in 46 out of 48 patients. Histological evaluation of chemotherapy response showed good (> 90%) and total necrosis in 87 and 54% of the cases, respectively. Drug toxicity was acceptable. Results were significantly better than those previously obtained in our and in other institutes when only three drugs were used (methotrexate, cisplatin, and adriamycin) in the preoperative treatment scheme. Since it has been demonstrated that grade of histological response to preoperative chemotherapy, and prognosis are closely related in osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in addition to allowing for the use of conservative surgery in the majority of cases, this new protocol may also lead to a significant increase in the patient cure rate.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Peripheral nerve vasculitis: a clinico-pathological study.

The clinico-pathological findings of 20 nerve biopsies consecutively performed at the neuropathological laboratory of Verona University Hospital were reviewed in order to establish the most important clinical manifestations of peripheral nerve vasculitis and to determine the role of biopsy in corroborating the diagnosis. Dystal sensori motor polyneuropathy was the most frequent clinical manifestation, confirming previous clinico-pathological studies and suggesting a more widespread pathological process than usually supposed. The biopsy was the basis of the diagnosis since it established or substantially modified the clinical diagnosis. Therefore we suggest that in cases with suspected vasculitis of the peripheral nerve the biopsy makes a useful contribution to diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Meeting report: antisense oligonucleotides.

The use of antisense oligonucleotides as a therapeutic tool in modulating gene expression represents a newly established strategy for treating diseases. Such oligomers may be designed to complement a region of a specific gene or messenger RNA. Using this approach, oligonucleotides can serve as a potential block of transcription or translation through sequence-specific hybridization with targeted genetic segments. In the Fourth Meeting of the Italian Society of Experimental Hematology "Discutiamone Insieme", authors reported the use of in vitro synthesized oligonucleotides to inhibit normal and chimeric gene expression of bcl-2 in normal and neoplastic cell lines, respectively, that carry the t(14;18) translocation. The roles of c-myb and B-myb in the control of the proliferation and differentiation of normal hematopoietic cell lines have been investigated by selective inhibition of the expression of specific transcripts. To get some insight into the correlation between proliferation and differentiation in myeloid cells, some authors studied and reported the differentiation potential of G1-arrested cells obtained by a specific oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to the 5' region of the c-myb mRNA. The use of anti-P53 antisense oligos in the modulation of the growth of normal and neoplastic bone marrow progenitors was presented and confirmed the pivotal role of this gene in cell cycle control. The role of abl gene expression in normal and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells is not yet completely understood. Selective inhibition of this proto-oncogene and of the abl-bcr oncogene have been achieved by using of c-abl sequence specific antisense oligonucleotides; this approach sheds new light on the function of this gene in CML.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Non-metastatic osteosarcoma of the extremities: the pattern of relapse as a function of the type of treatment and of the modulation of the radiological follow-up of the thorax].

The authors analysed the patterns of recurrence of osteosarcoma of the extremities treated between 1959 and 1989 either with surgery alone (1959-71) or with combined surgery and adjuvant (1972-82) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (1983-89). In a total of 452 patients with recurrent osteosarcoma, the initial site of metastasis was the lung in 88% of cases independently of the type of treatment received. The mean period of onset of pulmonary metastasis differed according to the type of treatment performed: 8 months for patients treated with surgery alone; 15.9 months for those treated with adjuvant chemotherapy and 20.3 months for patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The incidence of metastases appearing within 12 months of FU was 87%, 56% and 21% respectively. In a most recent and effective neoadjuvant protocol (66% DFS), the incidence of recurrence owing to pulmonary metastasis during the first year of FU was 2% and as much as 75% of all recurrences were concentrated in the following 18 months. Surgery for pulmonary metastasis in patients undergoing chemotherapy was performed in 54 cases with secondary healing in 14 (26%). On the basis of these results the authors suggest a scheme of radiological follow-up for patients with osteosarcoma of the extremities treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with intensified controls (every 2 months) during the period with the highest risk of recurrence (13-20 months) and four-monthly controls during the first year and after 31 months of FU. In order to increase the efficacy of FU controls during the high-risk period, the a. propose using CT controls instead of chest X-rays at months 14, 20 and 26.

Adult↗