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Biomedical subjects

S Grasso

Publications and source records attributed to S Grasso.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: a quantitative, immunohistochemical study of pancreatic islet cell populations.

The endocrine cell content of the pancreas of two cases of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome with islet cell adenomatosis were studied. Insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide cells were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively with the indirect immunofluorescence method and morphometry was used to establish the volume density of the four endocrine cell populations. This evaluation showed a marked increase of insulin and glucagon cells and a lesser augmentation of pancreatic polypeptide cells and somatostatin cells. However, the percent of somatostatin cells was decreased in comparison with controls. Qualitatively, the two pancreas were characterized by the lack of segregation of glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide cells to distinct parts of the gland, with each cell type being abundant in the pancreatic region in which they are normally very sparse. The marked increase of endocrine cells often took the form of giant islet-like structures formed by smaller subunits; however, despite this increase, the distribution of insulin cells respected the normal pattern, i.e. clusters of B cells surrounded by non-B cells. These findings indicate that besides the proliferation of pancreatic endocrine cells maintaining a normal topographical distribution of B versus non-B cells, the pancreas of patients with the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome may have undergone abnormal development with a consequent lack of segregation of glucagon and pancreatic polypeptide cells to different parts of the gland.

Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Pharmacokinetic study of the new sulfamethopyrazine-trimethoprim combination (kelfiprim) in renal insufficiency.

The combination of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethopyrazine (SMP) has been successfully used to treat chronic urinary tract infections. Since parenchymal involvement associated with renal insufficiency of varying degree is not infrequent in these patients, it was considered important to study the pharmacokinetics of TMP and SMP in a fixed dose combination. Four groups of patients were studied: 1) 4 patients with endogenous creatinine clearance (CLcR) between 80 and 40 ml/min; 2) 3 patients with CLcR between 40 and 10 ml/min; 3) 3 patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis (CAPD); and 4) 3 patients on haemodialysis. A single oral dose of 250 mg TMP and 200 mg SMP was given to each patient. Multiple samples were collected over 9 days and the following pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated: total area under the plasma level curve, slow disposition rate constant beta and the corresponding t1/2 beta, plasma clearance and the apparent volume of distribution. The results show that the two moieties of the TMP-SMP combination behaved differently in uraemic patients as fas as elimination rate was concerned. TMP was eliminated more slowly both in patients with diminished renal function and in those subjected to haemo- or peritoneal dialysis. The reduction in the rate of elimination of TMP was significantly correlated with the degree of renal impairment. The elimination of SMP, however, was not significantly affected by the reduced renal function; indeed a tendency to increase was noted, at least in dialyzed patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Cephalosporins. VII. Synthesis and antibacterial activity of new cephalosporins bearing a 2-imino-3-hydroxythiazoline (2-aminothiazole N-oxide) in the C-7 acylamino side chain.

Introduction of a hydroxyl group into the thiazole ring nitrogen of cephalosporins belonging to the cefotiam and cefotaxime families gave rise to products, better described by the tautomeric N-oxide form, which proved particularly active against Gram-negative bacteria. Cephems bearing a (Z)-alkoxyimino functionality are of special interest for broadness of spectrum; among them, 7 beta-[(Z)-2-(2-amino-4-thiazolyl-N-oxide)-2 -methoxyiminoacetamido]-3-(tetrazolo-[1,5-b] pyridazin-6-yl)thiomethyl-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid (5c-7, FCE 20635), in other ways similar to cefotaxime, showed useful levels of activity against cephalosporinase-producing strains resistant to the reference drug. Preliminary in vivo studies demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of the new compound in the treatment of experimental systemic, subcutaneous and urinary tract infections in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

A quantitative immunofluorescent study of the endocrine cell populations in the developing human pancreas.

The immunofluorescent cell content of the pancreas of 8--40-wk fetuses and of 1.5--5-mo Caucasian infants was quantitatively evaluated using anti-insulin, anti-glicentin, anti-glucagon, anti-somatostatin, and anti-pancreatic polypeptide antisera. The most significant findings are: (1) the pancreas of 8--10 wk fetuses contains a sizable population of endocrine cells reacting exclusively to anti-glicentin antiserum. This cell population decreases and disappears in later stages and is replaced by the adult type glucagon/glicentin immunoreactive cell; (2) the pancreatic polypeptide-rich region shows a lower relative endocrine cell content as compared with the glucagon-rich region and its islets appear smaller; (3) in the total pancreas, the relative (volume density) and absolute (microliter) insulin cell content increases regularly with age, while the relative volume of glucagon cells peaks in fetal life (wk 17--20) to decrease in infants, although remaining at higher levels than in adults; the relative and absolute volumes of somatostatin cells are elevated in fetal and infant stages studied where they represent the second most abundant cell type, while pancreatic polypeptide cells appear to least abundant cells during prenatal and infant life. These data show several differences with the pattern of the respective endocrine cell populations in the adult pancreas.

Female↗
PubMed1983

Inhibition of glucagon secretion in the human newborn by glucose infusion.

Plasma glucagon, serum insulin, and blood glucose responses during a 30-min glucose (1 g/kg body wt) or saline infusion were reported in 37 full-term and 35 preterm infants. They were studied either on the first day of life before feeding was initiated or during the first week of life. Glucose infusion promptly suppressed glucagon secretion in all infants even from the initial hours of extrauterine life. The mean maximal decrement in percentage in the full-term infants on the day of birth and older was 54 +/- 4% and 61 +/- 6%, respectively, while the maximal decrement in the preterm infants on day of birth and older was significantly lower (44 +/- 3% and 38 +/- 4%, respectively). The insulin response to glucose was variable in all infants and most of them showed a delayed rise of serum insulin. No change in plasma glucagon, blood glucose, and serum insulin was observed during and after saline infusion.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

Efficacy of Dilazep in patients with previous myocardial infarction participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme.

The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effects of Dilazep, a new antiplatelet and coronary dilating drug, on the exercise tolerance of patients who had suffered previous myocardial infarction and were participating in a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Seventy-two patients were enrolled in the study. They were randomly allocated to two groups of 36 subjects; patients in group A took Dilazep, 300 mg daily; patients in group B took acetylsalicylic acid, 100 mg daily, or dipyridamole, 300 mg daily. Before and after treatment all patients underwent two maximal or symptom limited cycloergometer stress tests, respectively 30 and 60 days after the episode of acute myocardial infarction. Total exercise time, maximum workload reached, heart rate, blood pressure, double product and oxygen pulse were measured. In both groups a significant increase in both total exercise time and maximum workload reached was recorded at the second stress test; this may reflect a greater degree of physical conditioning due to the rehabilitation programme. In group A patients total exercise time increased from 457.12 +/- 5.36 sec to 588.28 +/- 8.24 sec (p less than 0.005), in group B patients it increased from 459.18 +/- 6.11 sec to 547.43 +/- 7.47 sec (p less than 0.005). The mean values of maximum workload reached increased in group A from 4512.14 +/- 116.47 kgm to 5288.57 +/- 145.38 kgm (p less than 0.005), and in group B from 4522.22 +/- 108.42 kgm to 5098 +/- 137.51 kgm (p less than 0.005). Thus the exercise tolerance improved more in patients taking Dilazep than in those taking acetylsalicylic acid or dipyridamole.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Glicentin precedes glucagon in the developing human pancreas.

A quantitative evaluation of immunofluorescence elicited by anti-insulin, anti-glucagon, anti-glicentin, anti-somatostatin and anti-pancreatic polypeptide antisera has been carried out in the pancreas of 5 human fetuses from 3.0 to 9.6 cm C.R. The data obtained indicate that while insulin and somatostatin-containing cells are approximately in similar proportions with respect to the other endocrine cell types in the five fetuses studied, the glucagon and glicentin immunoreactive cells and the pancreatic polypeptide cells are not : a) pancreatic polypeptide-containing cells increase in proportion as fetuses grow older; b) the youngest fetuses (3.0 to 4.3 cm C.R.) contain a high proportion of cells reacting to anti-glicentin antiserum only (GLI-cells) and a small proportion of cells stained both with the anti-glicentin and anti-glucagon antisera (GLI/GLU-cells). However, the latter cell type which stains similarly as the postnatal and adult pancreatic A-cell (GLI-cells are not detectable in the postnatal and adult pancreas) increases iin proportion in older fetuses, while the proportion of GLI-cells decrease. The data suggest that the definitive adult-type A-cell matures from a GLI-cell type which is not able to convert glucagon precursors GLI(s) into glucagon.

Female↗
PubMed1982

Role of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone in the development of pituitary-thyroid axis in four anencephalic infants.

Anencephaly provides a unique model for studying endocrine functions in absence of hypothalamic influence. We previously reported that in anencephalic newborns both pituitary TSH-secreting cells and the thyroid were normal and were able to function if adequately stimulated. In order to verify if the normal development of the pituitary-thyroid axis in these infants depends on TRH of extrahypothalamic origin, we measured endogenous TRH levels in the clear fluid of a cyst of the cerebro-vasculosa in 4 anencephalic newborns. In these cysts were also injected 200 micrograms of synthetic TRH and evaluated TSH response in peripheral blood samples. Endogenous TRH was detectable in the cysts of the cerebro-vasculosa in 3 of the 4 infants. In all 4 cases serum TSH sharply increased after TRH administration. Our data suggest that the normal development of the pituitary-thyroid axis in anencephalic infants either requires no TRH or depends on extrahypothalamic TRH. In this latter case TRH produced by other areas of the central nervous system might be secreted into the cysts of the cerebro-vasculosa, actively transported to the hypophyseal vessels, and might thus reach the pituitary to stimulate TSH-cells growth and function.

Anencephaly↗