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Biomedical subjects

A Anastasi

Publications and source records attributed to A Anastasi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Laparoscopic gastric resections.

The impressive breakthrough in laparoscopic surgery has pushed surgeons to perform gastric resection through such an approach. Laparoscopy reduces the surgical stress and the postoperative pain and has a positive impact on the rehabilitation time, the hospital stay, and return to work and social activities. Laparoscopic partial gastrectomy for benign diseases and for palliation has been accepted as an effective surgical option: they are reproducible operations performed worldwide at a more and more rapid pace. Laparoscopic gastric resections and laparoscopically assisted gastric resections for malignancy deserve a word of caution. Nevertheless, the investigators report their series of laparoscopic subtotal and distal gastrectomies for cancer with medium and long-term results comparable with those of open surgery. Furthermore, new and less invasive surgical options have been recently introduced. Full and partial thickness local resections may be accomplished through intragastric procedures, for treatment of small benign tumors and early stage gastric cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Aerobiological analysis in a salami factory: a possible case of extrinsic allergic alveolitis by Penicillium camembertii.

A 39-year-old man was hospitalized with a history of fatigue, dyspnoea and low grade fever which seemed to be related to his working environment. The patient was employed in a salami factory, working near the area where the salami are seasoned with fungal inocula. Chest X-ray showed diffuse initial changes of reticulonodular pattern that disappeared after a brief course of steroids therapy. Precipitating antibodies to Penicillium notatum and Aspergillus fumigatus were found both in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. This, together with the finding of a lymphocytic alveolitis with CD4+ depletion and CD8+ increase, suggested the possibility of extrinsic allergic alveolitis of fungal aetiology. Qualitative and quantitative monitoring with an impinger of both the working and outside environment for aerial fungal concentration demonstrated a very high level of contamination (up to 1.14x10(9) fungal propagules m-3 of air) and an inside/outside ratio from 21 to about 2000. Penicillium camembertii was the most common species found in all the indoor sites (60-100% of the fungal load). The patient's BALF and serum both displayed precipitating antibodies to P. camembertii from the powder used for the inoculum and the air samples. These results together with the patient's working history gave some evidence of relationship between the indoor P. camembertii concentration and the patient's symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Aberrant crypt foci in human colon carcinogenesis.

We developed a procedure for the endoscopic visualization in humans of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), preneoplastic lesions of the colon mucosa, and we determined the frequency of ACF in resected sections of human colon. For the endoscopy we studied 12 consenting adults (6 controls and 6 colon cancer cases) by dyeing colon mucosa with 0.5% methylene blue and searching ACF with a magnifying endoscope. ACF of varying dimensions were visualized in all subjects. We also studied colon surgical specimens from patients with colon cancer or diverticulitis. After staining the mucosa with 2% methylene blue, we found approximately the same density of ACF in the colon mucosa of the patients with colon cancer as in that of patients with diverticulitis (ACF/cm2 were 0.124 +/- 0.143 [N = 14] and 0.108 +/- 0.210 [N = 4], respectively [mean +/- SD]). In conclusion, the visualization of ACF with methylene blue in humans does not identify groups at low and high risk of colon cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Experimental liver transplantation in pigs. Surgical technique and complications].

Only recently, in our laboratory of experimental surgery, we started with a protocol for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in a pig model. This was felt as mandatory for experimental purposes as well as for future clinical applications at our center. We report herein our own experience with 41 OLTx. Intraoperative "lethal" complications occurred in up to 32% (14/41) whereas postoperative complications occurred in the remainders at different intervals of time with a maximum survival of 30 days. No attention was paid to prevent rejection-infection episodes. The main cause of death was the primary non-function (PNF) or dis-function (PDF) manifested either intra or postoperatively in 16 out the 41 OLTx (39%). Intraoperative technical errors accounted for up to 9% (4/41 OLTx). Acute hemorrhage gastritis and gastric perforations occurred postoperatively in 6 animals (14%) and represent one of the peculiar aspects of OLT in pig model.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Pitrilysin.

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Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Rectal proliferation and polyp occurrence in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis after sulindac treatment.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Sulindac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), decreases the occurrence of polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). The effects of colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis (IRA) and sulindac treatment on rectal mucosa proliferation and polyp occurrence were examined in patients with FAP. METHODS: The number and size of rectal polyps were measured with colonoscopy. The labeling index, the percentage of labeled cells per crypt compartment, was assessed in rectal biopsy specimens with [3H]thymidine incorporation and autoradiography in 6 non-IRA and 14 IRA patients before and after treatment with 200 mg of sulindac/day for 60 days. RESULTS: The IRA patients had a lower labeling index and a decrease in the percentage of labeled cells in the upper compartment of the crypt (P < 0.01) relative to non-IRA subjects. Sulindac did not influence the labeling index and the distribution of labeled cells along the crypt. On the contrary, a dramatic decrease in the size and number of polyps was observed after sulindac treatment (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The persistence of a abnormal mucosal proliferation after sulindac therapy, in spite of the reduction of polyp number, suggests caution in assuming a lower risk of rectal cancer in patients with FAP.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗
PubMed1994

Penetration of cefotetan into suction skin blister fluid and tissue homogenates in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

The penetration of cefotetan (2-g intravenous bolus) into the suction blister fluid and tissue homogenates of 11 patients was investigated. Mean concentrations in tissue were significantly lower than contemporary suction blister fluid levels. These data show that the determination of beta-lactam concentrations by the tissue homogenate method may seriously underestimate the actual antibiotic levels in extracellular fluid.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1993

Characterization of the bacterial metalloendopeptidase pitrilysin by use of a continuous fluorescence assay.

Pitrilysin (EC 3.4.99.44) has been purified from an over-expressing strain of Escherichia coli. A 13-residue quenched-fluorescent-peptide substrate for the enzyme has been synthesized, and found also to be cleaved by the homologous enzyme, insulinase (EC 3.4.99.45). The action of pitrilysin on peptides and proteins was studied: insulin B chain was the most rapidly degraded, small peptides down to 10 residues in length were cleaved more slowly, intact insulin was cleaved very slowly but with a very low Km, and there was no action on the larger proteins tested. Since the activity of pitrilysin is confined to substrates smaller than proteins, it can be described as an endopeptidase of the 'oligopeptidase' type, and like other such enzymes, it did not interact with alpha 2-macroglobulin. The metal-dependence of pitrilysin was confirmed, and it was found to be inhibited by bacitracin, especially in the presence of zinc.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Tissue distribution of cefotetan in patients with Crohn's disease.

Concentrations of cefotetan in the intestinal wall of patients with Crohn's disease were investigated with the method of tissue homogenates with the aim to evaluate the effects of inflammation on tissue distribution. Twenty-four patients who underwent surgery were treated with a 2-gram single dose of cefotetan intravenously before the operation. The mean tissue levels in inflamed intestinal wall were constantly higher than in normal wall, but the difference was statistically significant only in samples taken more than 2 h after cefotetan administration (31.0 +/- 17.8 vs 14.7 +/- 11.4 mg/kg; p less than 0.05). The mean residence time was 284.3 min for inflamed tissue and 123.9 min for normal. The areas under the curve were significantly higher in inflamed wall than in normal, with mean values of 4,789 and 3,020.2 mg/l.h, respectively (p less than 0.05). Inflammation seems to facilitate the penetration of cefotetan into the intestinal wall of patients with Crohn's disease but above all, it increases the mean residence time in inflamed tissue.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

MAPs and motors in insect ovaries.

MAPs and microtubule motor proteins from the massive microtubule translocation complexes within the ovaries of hemipteran insects have been identified and characterized. Both classes of proteins have been compared with those of other systems, and the function of both in the insect ovaries is speculated upon.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Binding of mammalian brain microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) to insect ovarian microtubules.

In this study we have applied microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) from mammalian brain to both native and reassembled insect ovarian microtubules. Such microtubules, which are normally smooth walled, become decorated with projections similar to those observed when mammalian brain MAPs are added back to assembling or assembled mammalian brain microtubules. The mammalian MAPs were also detected as components of insect microtubules when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Our observations suggest that mammalian brain MAPs have common binding sites on microtubules from two widely different sources and indicate the degree of evolutionary conservation of such sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Cystatin. Amino acid sequence and possible secondary structure.

The amino acid sequence of cystatin, the protein from chicken egg-white that is a tight-binding inhibitor of many cysteine proteinases, is reported. Cystatin is composed of 116 amino acid residues, and the Mr is calculated to be 13 143. No striking similarity to any other known sequence has been detected. The results of computer analysis of the sequence and c.d. spectrometry indicate that the secondary structure includes relatively little alpha-helix (about 20%) and that the remainder is mainly beta-structure.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Cystatin, a protein inhibitor of cysteine proteinases. Improved purification from egg white, characterization, and detection in chicken serum.

The protein from chicken egg white that inhibits cysteine proteinases, and has been named 'cystatin', was purified by ovomucin precipitation, affinity chromatography on carboxymethylpapain-Sepharose and chromatofocusing. The final purification step separated two major forms of the protein (pI 6.5 and 5.6), with a total recovery of about 20% from egg white. By use of affinity chromatography and immunodiffusion it was shown that the inhibitor is also present at low concentrations in the serum of male and female chickens. Tryptic peptide maps of the separated forms 1 and 2 of egg-white cystatin were closely similar, and each form had the N-terminal sequence Ser-Glx-Asx. The two forms showed complete immunological identity, and neither contained carbohydrate. Ki values for the inhibition of cysteine proteinases were as follows: papain (less than 1 X 10(-11)M), cathepsin B (8 X 10(-10)M), cathepsin H (about 2 X 10(-8)M) and cathepsin L (about 3 X 10(-12)M). Some other cysteine proteinases, and several non-cysteine proteinases, were found not to be significantly inhibited by cystatin. The inhibition of the exopeptidase dipeptidyl peptidase I by cystatin was confirmed and the Ki found to be 2 X 10(-10)M. Inhibitor complexes with active cysteine proteinases and the inactive derivatives formed by treatment with iodoacetate, E-64 [L-trans-epoxysuccinylleucylamido(4-guanidino)butane] and benzyloxycarbonylphenylalanylalanyldiazomethane were demonstrated by isoelectric focusing and cation-exchange chromatography. The complexes dissociated in sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (with or without reduction) with no sign of fragmentation of the inhibitor. Cystatin was found not to contain a free thiol group, and there was no indication that disulphide exchange plays any part in the mechanism of inhibition.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Isolation and amino acid composition of sauvagine. An active polypeptide from methanol extracts of the skin of the South American frog Phyllomedusa sauvagei.

The skin of the South American frog Phyllomedusa sauvagei contains a new active polypeptide, sauvagine, which does not belong to any of the peptide families hitherto described in the amphibian skin. The purification procedure involved several successive steps: dialysis, precipitation with ethanol and acetone, gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Two forms of sauvagine were separated. The major component (sauvagine I) was submitted to acid hydrolysis. The sauvagine molecule appeared to possess clear hydrophobic characteristics and to consist of a straight chain of 40 amino acid residues, among which the glutamyl-, aspartyl- leucyl- and isoleucyl-residues were particularly well represented. The elucidation of the amino acid sequence in the sauvagine molecule is in progress.

Amino Acids↗