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Biomedical subjects

A Bianchini

Publications and source records attributed to A Bianchini.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

[Interstitial photocoagulation with laser in the treatment of liver metastasis].

Interstitial laser photocoagulation (ILP) causes tumor necrosis with local hyperthermia produced by laser light energy. We treated with US-guided ILP 14 patients (7 men and 7 women; mean age: 67 years) and 20 metastases: 9 of them were < 3 cm in max. diameter and 11 were > 3 cm (mean diameter: 2.9 cm); 14 metastases were from colon carcinoma, 5 from breast cancer and 1 from lung cancer. ILP was performed with 300 and 600 microns quartz fiberoptic guides advanced in 21-18G Chiba needles and a continuous-wave Nd: YAG laser with 1064 nm wavelength. We used single expositions of 5-6 minutes with an irradiation power of 5 watts and scheduled 3 treatment sessions, performing CT scans and biopsies at the end of each session. The extent of induced necrosis was classified as follows on the basis of CT findings: grade 1 = 100% necrosis; grade 2 = necrosis > 50%; grade 3 = necrosis < 50%. The average follow-up was 6 months. After the 3 scheduled treatment sessions, CT showed grade 1 necrosis in all the lesions < 3 cm in diameter and in 4/9 (44%) lesions > 3 cm and grade 2 and 3 necrosis in the remaining cases (necrosis > 50% in 95% of the lesions and 92% of the patients). The cytologic findings were in agreement with CT results in all grade 2 and 3 cases, but in one grade 1 necrosis cytology showed residual viable tumor. To conclude, ILP is a safe and well-tolerated procedure. Maximum efficacy was observed in the lesions < 3 cm, while lesion volume was markedly reduced in the lesions > 3 cm. US is a useful tool in the real-time monitoring of this procedure and CT is the most accurate imaging technique to assess treatment efficacy.

Aged↗

Effects of crustacean hyperglycemic hormones from Carcinus maenas and Orconectes limosus on blood and muscle glucose and glycogen concentration of Chasmagnathus granulata.

The effects of purified crustacean hyperglycemic hormones (CHH) from Carcinus maenas or Orconectes limosus, and of eyestalk extract of Chasmagnathus granulata on the blood and muscle glucose and glycogen concentration of Chasmagnathus granulata were investigated. Different groups of animals (at least 7 animals per group) were injected with CHH from either C. maenas or O. limosus CHH dissolved in saline (16 pmol/animal) or crude eyestalk extract of C. granulata (1 eyestalk equivalent/animal). All injections had a volume of 10 microliters. Blood and muscle glucose and glycogen concentrations were determined immediately before the injections and after 30, 60 and 120 min. CHH administration from both species, as well as eyestalk extract, resulted in marked hyperglycemia. However, their effects were different. CHH from C. maenas also caused a decrease in the glycogen concentration of blood (from 89.8 +/- 4.3 to 76.6 +/- 3.1 mg/100 ml) and muscle (from 7.9 +/- 0.8 to 4.0 +/- 0.7 mg/g) and glucose concentration of muscle (from 2.4 +/- 0.3 to 1.2 +/- 0.2 mg/g). CHH from O. limosus caused an increase of glycogen concentration of muscle (from 4.9 +/- 1.1 to 9.0 +/- 1.1 mg/g). The injection of eyestalk extract resulted also in a decrease of hemolymph glycogen (from 157.7 +/- 20.6 to 30.2 +/- 7.7 mg/100 ml). Therefore, C. granulata may have different receptors for CHH in its different tissues, and/or in the same tissue, which act through different metabolic pathways to achieve the same final result, i.e., hyperglycemia.

Animals↗

Reticulocyte maturation and exosome release: transferrin receptor containing exosomes shows multiple plasma membrane functions.

Vesicles (exosomes) released during sheep reticulocyte maturation contain a number of plasma membrane functions. Using an antibody coated, magnetic core bead, it has been shown unequivocally that vesicles that contain the transferrin receptor also contain other plasma membrane activities, such as the nucleoside transporter and acetylcholinesterase. Lysosomal activities, normally found in the same pellet, are excluded from the transferrin receptor-containing exosomes, suggesting that there is a common mechanism to segregate and externalize specific plasma membrane proteins. In addition to the sheep, electron micrographic studies show that exosomes can be retrieved from the circulation of anemic pigs, rats, and rabbits.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

[Intramural diverticulosis of the gallbladder].

The authors report on 9 cases of acalculous adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder, selected to Arianoff's classification. The clinical, anatomopathological and radiological data are considered: there isn't difference concerning the clinical symptoms between adenomyomatosis and cholelithiasis; only radiological study may clarify the nature and character of these lesions. The authors conclude stressing the importance of surgical therapy because the medical therapy is only symptomatic and does not modify the natural evolution of the disease and its complications.

Adult↗

Androgens reduce HDL2-cholesterol and increase hepatic triglyceride lipase activity.

We quantified serum lipids and postheparin plasma lipolytic activities in 5 weightlifters presently self-administering androgenic steroids (users) and an equal number not currently using these drugs (non-users). Mean (+/- SD) age (23 +/- 2 vs 25 +/- 4 yr), body weight (102.7 +/- 11.4 vs 86.8 +/- 13.6 kg), and percent body fat (8.6 +/- 2.5 vs 7.8 +/- 6.0%) were not different in users and non-users, respectively. Similarly, there were no differences in total cholesterol (183 +/- 27 vs 176 +/- 32 mg.dl-1) low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (138 +/- 25 vs 108 +/- 32 mg.dl-1), or triglyceride (93 +/- 26 vs 93 +/- 41 mg.dl-1) levels in the two groups. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentrations, however, were significantly lower in the users (26 +/- 10 vs 50 +/- 13 mg.dl-1; P less than 0.05), and most of the difference was due to lower HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (6 +/- 4 vs 22 +/- 9 mg.dl-1; P less than 0.05). Postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity was only slightly lower in the users (3.49 +/- 2.23 vs 5.36 +/- 1.73 mumol FFA.ml-hr-1; P= NS). but hepatic triglyceride lipase activity was significantly higher in this group (27.99 +/- 6.89 vs 11.15 +/- 2.76, mumol FFA.ml-hr-1: P less than 0.001) and correlated inversely with HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (r = -0.81; P less than 0.01). We conclude that androgenic hormones reduce HDL-cholesterol concentrations and the HDL2-cholesterol subfraction, possibly by enhancing hepatic triglyceride lipase activity.

Adult↗

[The hydrocortisone test (400 mg hydrocortisone test) for the study of the "recirculating" lymphocyte population. Tests of patients with lymphoproliferative diseases and solid neoplasms].

The hydrocortisone test has been performed on 20 patients with lymphoproliferative disease (MH, LNH, CLL, MM, BMG) and 12 patients with solid neoplasm to study the "recirculating" lymphocytic population (mainly T lymphocytes with "helper" function). Therefore, as proposed by Fauci and Dale, we counted the basal venous blood lymphocytes in the morning after fasting and then 4 h after the administration of hydrocortisone 400 mg. While the test did not appear to be statistically modified in patients with solid neoplasms as compared to normal controls, it appears particularly compromised in lymphoproliferative diseases, but with different values in each disease. The results are discussed on the basis of lymphocytic kinetic data.

Adult↗