[Qualitative changes in pulmonary volume in aging with observations in double decubitus and comparison with volumetric disorders of an obstructive type].
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Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
V Esposito
Publications and source records attributed to V Esposito.
Hyperglycemic effects of hydrochlorothiazide and propranolol. A biochemical and ultrastructural study.
The authors studied the glycemic disturbances provoked by two antihypertensive drugs, propranolol and hydrochlorothiazide, administered alone or in combination to normal and diabetic rats, using biochemical and ultrastructural parameters. It was found that hydrochlorothiazide raised fasting glucose concentration significantly; propranolol alone caused an insignificant rise of glucose, but significantly aggravated the effect of hydrochlorothiazide with an additive interaction. The ultrastructural findings, as well as the urinary C-peptide excretion, confirmed that the glycemic effects should not be thought to be due to a direct action of the drugs used on the endocrine pancreas.
Animals↗
Bcl-2 protein expression correlates with nodal status in non small cell lung cancer.
We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of bcl-2 in 55 non small cell lung cancer patients in order to understand if the altered expression of this gene is involved in the development of this kind of neoplasm. Our results showed bcl-2 immunopositivity to be a frequent event in non small cell lung cancer (54.5%) with a higher expression in squamous carcinomas compared to adenocarcinomas (p = .04). In addition, we found a positive correlation between bcl-2 expression levels and nodal status (p < .003). We suggest that bcl-2 immunostaining could be considered as marker of loco-regional invasivity.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Frequent high expression of bax pro-apoptotic protein in non-small cell lung cancer.
Bax, bcl-2 and their homologues regulate a distal step in an evolutionary very well conserved pathway of apoptotic cell death. It plays a crucial role in the balance between proliferation rate and cell viability. Thus in the last years the attention of the scientific community towards these proteins has remarkably increased, in particular in the oncologic field. We developed an immunohistochemical assay allowing us to evaluate the bax expression in formalin fixed and paraffin embedded lung cancer tissues to investigate bax expression in a cohort of 55 patients affected by non-small cell lung cancer. We detected high expression of bax in 72.7% of our patients. When we statistically analyzed our data we did not find any correlation between bax expression and any clinicopathologic parameters (sex, age, TNM status, tumor grade, histological type). In conclusion, our study shows the frequent overexpression of bax, and this highlights the "apoptotic tendency" of cells during the neoplastic proliferation. But, the role of bax in non-small cell lung cancer pathogenesis still remains unclear and further studies of large numbers of patients, including different stage groups, are needed to better define the involvement of this protein in the complex mechanism of lung carcinogenesis.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Neuroendocrine differentiation in non-small cell lung carcinomas.
The immunohistochemical expression of ten neuroendocrine and neural differentiation-related antigens in 200 specimens from patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung carcinomas were evaluated. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated large cell carcinomas showed the highest percentage of positive samples (30%-60%) for the markers evaluated with diffuse and intense immunostaining. Poorly differentiated squamous carcinomas bronchioalveolar adenocarcinomas, and giant cell carcinomas showed a lower percentage of positive samples (20%) with moderate immunostaining. Well differentiated tumors were very rarely positive for the neuroendocrine markers. It is concluded that neoplasms positive for the neuroendocrine markers can be considered as non-small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine features, even if they do not have the histological appearance of neuroendocrine lung neoplasms.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
Colonic type adenocarcinoma of male urethra.
A case of rare primary adenocarcinoma of the bulbomembranous portion of the male urethra is presented. The histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of this tumor are identical to those of colon adenocarcinomas. The pathogenesis can be explained either by neoplastic degeneration of globet cells found in the urethral epithelium or by malignant degeneration of persistent glandular elements that are embryonal residues. The patient was successfully treated with transurethral prostatectomy and with a high dose of radiation therapy.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Peritoneal leiomyoid mesothelioma mimiking a metastasis of papillary carcinoma.
The authors describe a rare case of peritoneal mesothelioma. Cytological, histological and immunohistochemical characterization of the tumor allowed the differential diagnosis from papillary carcinoma and suggested the diagnosis of leiomyoid mesothelioma.
Aged↗
Expression of p21 in non small cell lung cancer relationship with PCNA.
The first cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor to be discovered was the p21 cdk interacting protein (a.k.a., WAF1, Cip1, CAP20, Sdi1, mda6). p21 expression may or may not be dependent on p53. This pathway also inhibits DNA replication by merit of p21's interaction with PCNA, but it has also been shown that this same inhibitory interaction with p21 does not affect PCNA DNA repair abilities. We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of p21 protein in 60 curative surgical resected non small cell lung cancers relating it to the expression of PCNA to clarify the contribution of the p21/PCNA pathway to the development of NSCLC. We did not find any relationship between PCNA and p21 expression. This last result may indicate that the mechanism by which PCNA controls the DNA repair is the most important activity of this protein during lung cancer progression and development, compared to its contribution to cell proliferation. In fact, this last event is strongly counteracted by p21 expression, which in this last case works as an inhibitor of PCNA expression. In conclusion this study highlighted the important role of the p21/PCNA pathway in lung carcinogenesis, pointing out the contribution of PCNA to the response to lung aggression and not only it's role as a proliferation index. Therefore, these results offer a background to further study to evaluate potential novel therapeutic approaches to lung cancer treatment.
Adenocarcinoma↗
The effect of different isolation techniques on human osteoblast-like cell growth.
Surgical treatment of post-traumatic or neoplastic bone defects often represents a problem in orthopaedic routine. Autologous tissue always stands for the first choice material. The recent therapeutic approaches for tissue repair of bone defects attempt to mimic the natural process of bone repair by delivering a source of cells capable of differentiating into osteoblasts. In this study two different types of human osteoblast cell harvesting were compared in primary cell culture to evaluate the best way to obtain cells for clinical use. Numerous articles describe the characteristics of each one of these systems, but there is no report comparing the influence of these different isolation techniques on cell growth. Cultures from 22 bone specimens obtained from donors were established in two different ways and their proliferation was compared. An enzymatic procedure to extract human osteoblasts (hOBcol) was used in one group; spontaneous cells outgrowth, human osteoblasts (hOBsog) was expected in the other group. Cells of both groups were characterised as osteoblasts by immunohistochemical staining with Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2,4 (BMP-2,4), expression of collagen type I as well as the amount of alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) detected in the cell cultures. We found that the time needed in primary cultures till confluence was dependent on the age of the donors as well as on the method of cell harvesting. Cells from under 65-year old donors were growing significantly faster by the hOBcol method as compared to hOBsog 20.57 +/- 2.99 days vs. 30.00 +/- 4.36. Cells harvested from donors older than 65 years of age needed 23.88 +/- 2.95 in the hOBcol compared to 34.25 +/- 4.27 days in the other group. In the experimental cultures, after one passage with trypsin/EDTA, there was a significant difference between the two groups. There was an improved cell growth in the hOBsog group found on days 8, 9 and 10 of cultivation. Immunohistochemical staining as well as ALP activity were similar in both groups. In conclusion this study evaluated an important step for a tissue engineering approach to the repair of bone defects, which may have clinical applications in post-traumatic orthopaedic surgery.
Adult↗
Intrapulmonary teratoma associated with thymic tissue.
A case of benign, cystic intrapulmonary teratoma occurring in the right lobe of a 22-year old female is described with grossly and microscopically findings. The connection between the tumor and the segmental bronchus, together with the absence of germ cell neoplasms in other locations, clearly established the true intrapulmonary nature of the lesion. The unusual finding of thymic tissue within the wall supports the possible origin from the third pharyngeal pouch.
Actins↗
Detection of circulating malignant cells by RT-PCR in long-term clinically disease-free I stage melanoma patients.
Recently, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of circulating tumor cells has been suggested as a potential technique for staging cancer. In this report, 43 melanoma patients (including 4 in situ melanoma patients) were tested for tyrosinase mRNA in blood by RT-PCR. All patients had melanoma thinner than 1.5 mm (stage I). Circulating melanoma cells were detected in 8 (18.6%) out of 43 MM patients tested: 5 (16.1%) of 31 patients with melanoma thinner than 0.76 mm and 3 (42.8%) out of 7 patients with melanoma thicker than 0.76 mm. Moreover, in the tyrosinase-negative group we found only 4/31 patients (13%) with histologic signs of regression, but in the tyrosinase-positive group, 3 out of 8 patients (37.5%) showed, at histologic examination, signs of regression. At the time of this analysis all the patients enrolled (tyrosinase-negative and tyrosinase-positive ones) were free of disease, probably due to the short median time of follow-up after the inclusion in the study. The presence of regression is an important cause of melanoma understaging and the tyrosinase test could represent an effective tool in order to achieve a realistic staging in this subgroup of melanoma patients. Probably, maximum sensitivity of the diagnostic RT-PCR approach to monitor MM patients with either localized or advanced disease could be achieved by using additional markers expressed with high frequencies in melanoma. We propose that one such marker could be the sign of regression.
Adolescent↗
Immunohistochemical expression of cyclin T1 in a case of AIDS-related cachexia.
The expression of cyclin T1 in an autoptic case of AIDS-related cachexia was investigated by immunohistochemistry. When contrasted with normal human tissues, a very similar pattern of expression was found. However, a peculiar distribution of cyclin T1 was noticed in the brown fat and in lymph nodes affected by AIDS-associated lymphadenopathy.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
A model of BAX gene delivery to human lung cancer.
In this report we have investigated the effects of BAX in enhancing apoptosis in two primary non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. A count of the apoptotic cells by TUNEL staining revealed that almost 70% of BAX over-expressing cells died, while very few apoptotic cells were detectable in the wildtype cells or in the cells transfected with an empty vector. These findings suggest that de-regulated expression of BAX may provide a novel mechanism for initiating cell death in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Further studies are needed to better define the involvement of this protein in the complex mechanism of lung carcinogenesis and to definitely demonstrate the therapeutic utility of targeting this pathway.
Apoptosis↗
Air pollution and respiratory pathology: lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of death from neoplastic pathology in the western world (28% of total mortality from neoplasia); in 90% of cases it is caused by tobacco smoke. In Italy, a stabilisation trend in males is observed, while female mortality is still increasing. During the first two decades of 2000, a more or less evident pathology decline is expected in males and a decline/stabilisation in females, according to the results of anti-smoking and anti-pollution campaigns. Lung cancer can be considered a pathology of multifactorial etiopathogenesis, where out- and indoor environmental risk factors, together with genetic factors and living habits, combine to explain the differences in increase of neoplasy incidence in exposed populations and categories. Several chemical, physical and biological agents have been identified as promoting or initiating factors of a series of genic modifications inducing "genetic instability" and subsequent alteration of the programmed cell death regulation ("apoptosis") and of the cell cycle responsible for somatic cell alterations ("transformed phenotype") in previously normal tissues. This paper outlines the different risk factors responsible for lung neoplasies, and discusses the molecular-biological mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.
Air Pollution↗
[Correlation between hormonal and metabolic profiles in women with polycystic ovary syndrome].
To investigate the sex hormone status of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) and to relate this to serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipids and lipoproteins, 90 women with PCO (30 obese: BMI greater than 30 kg/m2; 30 overweight: BMI greater than 25- less than 30 kg/m2; 30 non obese: BMI less than 25 kg/m2) and 60 normal ovulatory women (20 obese; 20 overweight; 20 non obese) were studied. The women with PCO had significantly increased LH, FSH and androgen levels and significantly decreased SHBG levels compared to the normal women. Obese women with PCO had higher concentrations of fasting glucose, fasting insulin, incremental glucose area, incremental insulin area and lipid than overweight and non obese women with PCO and overweight and non obese control subjects, but were similar in obese normal women. There were decreases in high-density lipoproteins levels in both the obese groups (obese PCO and obese control women). Lipid and lipoprotein concentrations did not differ in the obese, overweight and non obese PCO women compared to the normal groups while HDL cholesterol were decreased in obese PCO and obese control women. The correlations between hormone, glucose, insulin, lipid and lipoprotein levels were different among the six groups. Non obese PCO women had: inverse correlations between free testosterone and incremental glucose area (r = -0.5128, P = 0.03); positive correlations between SHBG and alpha-lipoproteins (r = 0.9159, P = 0.001). Non obese normal women had: positive correlations between fasting insulin and total testosterone (r = 0.5272, P = 0.043) and between SHBG and beta-lipoproteins (r = 0.7445, P = 0.014) and LDL cholesterol (r = 0.7360, P = 0.010).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult↗
[Genotoxic effects of pesticide-treated vegetable extracts using the Allium cepa chromosome aberration and micronucleus tests].
The presence of chemical residues in vegetables and fruit is a source of human exposure to toxic and genotoxic chemicals. The mutagenic and carcinogenic action of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on experimental animals is already known. Several studies have shown that chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides can cause adverse health effects and that many pesticides are mutagenic/carcinogenic. In the present research we monitored concurrently the presence of pesticides and genotoxic compounds extracted from 21 treated vegetables and 8 types of grapes sampled from the markets of a region in Southern Italy. The extracts were analysed for pesticides by gas-chromatography and HPLC, and for genotoxicity with two plant tests in Allium cepa roots: the micronucleus test and the chromosomal aberration test. We found 33 pesticides, some of which are outlawed. Genotoxicity was found in some of the vegetables and grapes tested. Allium cepa tests were sensitive for monitoring genotoxicity in food extracts. The micronucleus test in interphase cells gave much higher mutagenicity than the chromosomal aberration test in anaphase-telophase cells.
Allium↗
[Bilateral ovariectomy in gonadal dysgenesis with a Y chromosome].
The Authors report 4 cases of gonadal dysgenesis with a Y chromosome. Every patient underwent bilateral oophorectomy. Two cases of streak gonads, 1 case of streak gonad and gonadoblastoma and 1 case of non metastasizing bilateral gonadoblastoma with foci of dysgerminoma have been found. The Authors emphasize the importance of early bilateral gonadectomy in all cases of gonadal dysgenesis with a Y chromosome.
Adolescent↗
Hypopituitarism following a direct bullet injury to the pituitary. A case report.
A 29-year old man was referred for hypogonadism. At 14 years of age he was struck by a gun bullet in the head, receiving a frontomedial open fracture with leakage of cerebral tissue. The bullet could not be extracted at the operation. At 16 years of age he noticed a stop of pubertal development, weight gain and a fall in visus on the left eye. The clinical examination and the endocrinological data (low F-T4 and F-T3; low plasma cortisol and testosterone; normal plasma prolactin; sub-normal pituitary response to intravenous administration of insulin, GnRH, TRH and GRF) demonstrated that the patient was hypopituitaric. A radiological skull X-ray showed that the bullet was lodged in the sellar and parasellar region. This seems to be the seventh case of hypopituitarism following a direct injury to the pituitary region described in the literature so far.
Adult↗