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Biomedical subjects

A Bucci

Publications and source records attributed to A Bucci.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Glutamine: a major gluconeogenic precursor and vehicle for interorgan carbon transport in man.

To compare glutamine and alanine as gluconeogenic precursors, we simultaneously measured their systemic turnovers, clearances, and incorporation into plasma glucose, their skeletal muscle uptake and release, and the proportion of their appearance in plasma directly due to their release from protein in postabsorptive normal volunteers. We infused the volunteers with [U-14C] glutamine, [3-13C] alanine, [2H5] phenylalanine, and [6-3H] glucose to isotopic steady state and used the forearm balance technique. We found that glutamine appearance in plasma exceeded that of alanine (5.76 +/- 0.26 vs. 4.40 +/- 0.33 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.001), while alanine clearance exceeded glutamine clearance (14.7 +/- 1.3 vs. 9.3 +/- 0.8 ml.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.001). Glutamine appearance in plasma directly due to its release from protein was more than double that of alanine (2.45 +/- 0.25 vs. 1.16 +/- 0.12 mumol.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.001). Although overall carbon transfer to glucose from glutamine and alanine was comparable (3.53 +/- 0.24 vs 3.47 +/- 0.32 atoms.kg-1.min-1), nearly twice as much glucose carbon came from protein derived glutamine than alanine (1.48 +/- 0.15 vs 0.88 +/- 0.09 atoms.kg-1.min-1, P < 0.01). Finally, forearm muscle released more glutamine than alanine (0.88 +/- 0.05 vs 0.48 +/- 0.05 mumol.100 ml-1.min-1, P < 0.01). We conclude that in postabsorptive humans glutamine is quantitatively more important than alanine for transporting protein-derived carbon through plasma and adding these carbons to the glucose pool.

Alanine↗
PubMed1993

[The behavior of the fibrinogen polymerization curve in hypercholesterolemic subjects].

Several epidemiological and clinical studies performed in subjects with risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular events, have shown changes in plasma levels and/or activities of coagulation factors that could suggest a prothrombotic state. We studied the behaviour of the fibrinogen polymerization curve (FPC), a spectrophotometric technique evaluating the kinetics of fibrinogen transformation into fibrin, in 68 subjects with and without hypercholesterolemia. Significant differences were found between FPCs of subjects with serum cholesterol > 240 mg/dl and < or = 240 mg/dl respectively. In fact, FPCs of the first group showed high reaction velocity rate, short latency time and higher optical density rate, final readings; besides, the behaviour of FPCs was not correlated to plasma fibrinogen concentrations. Therefore, FPC could be a useful test to identify a thrombophilic condition in hypercholesterolemic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Chronic dialysis in patients with systemic amyloidosis: the experience in northern Italy.

The clinical outcome of 61 patients with renal amyloidosis treated with chronic dialysis was reviewed. Eighteen patients, 4 with primary or AL amyloidosis and 14 with reactive or AA amyloidosis, died within one month from starting treatment. The other 43 patients were treated with dialysis for 3 to 199 months and are the object of this study. Sixteen patients had AL amyloidosis and 27 had AA amyloidosis. Thirty-five patients were treated with hemodialysis (HD) for a mean period of 40 +/- 47 months and 8 were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for 20 +/- 15 months. Patient survival rate at 1 and 5 years was 68% and 30% respectively. There was no difference in survival rate between patients treated with HD and those treated with CAPD, while patients younger than 45 had a better 5-year survival rate. Twenty four (60%) patients achieved a satisfactory rehabilitation with dialysis. At the last follow-up, 15 patients (14 on HD, 1 on CAPD) were alive 61 +/- 58 months after starting dialysis. Twenty-eight patients died after 30 +/- 20 months. The main causes of death were: cardiovascular accident (11), stroke (3), sepsis (5) and cachexia (5). The most important extra-renal complications of amyloidosis were related to cardiovascular involvement (heart failures, arrhythmias, hypotension) and gastrointestinal involvement (malabsorption). Intra-dialytic hypotension in patients on HD and peritonitis in patients on CAPD were the main problems related to dialytic procedure. his study confirms that life expectancy and the quality of life of dialysis patients with systemic amyloidosis are poorer than those of general dialysis population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1988

The relationship of infiltrating renal leucocytes to disease activity in lupus and cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis.

In order to evaluate the contribution of cellular immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis, renal biopsies from 18 patients with lupus glomerulonephritis and 26 with cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis were studied. Leucocyte profiles including T cell subsets and 'activated' macrophages within both glomeruli and interstitium were determined, using a panel of monoclonal antibodies as markers, and a sensitive 4-layer peroxidase technique to localize these within tissues. The infiltrating leucocytes were correlated with clinical, histological and immunological parameters of disease activity. Normal glomeruli contained few leucocytes though normal interstitium did (145 +/- 30 mm2), made up predominantly of T lymphocytes and macrophages. There was a significant increase in intraglomerular leucocytes in both systemic lupus erythematosus 4-fold, and essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia 7-fold, as compared to normal. These leucocytes consisted mainly of macrophages, and particularly in cryoglobulinaemia of 'activated' macrophages as demonstrated by their surface expression of the procoagulant tissue factor recognized by the A13 monoclonal antibody. In cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis (GN) there was also a significant increase in T lymphocytes due to a predominance of suppressor-cytotoxic cells (OKT8+). There was a significant increase in interstitial leucocytes in both diseases, lymphocytes (mainly OKT8+ve), and macrophages (mainly 'activated' A13+ve). There were significant positive correlations between disease activity and interstitial leucocyte infiltration including, in lupus nephritis, degree of proteinuria and total leucocytes, hypocomplementaemia and T lymphocytes, increased numbers of monocytes and lymphocytes with a higher histological index of activity, and in cryoglobulinaemic GN of T lymphocytes and proliferative lesions, and T lymphocytes and C1q deposition. This study has demonstrated the importance of the interstitium in the pathogenesis of both diseases, delineated the presence of both T lymphocytes and activated monocytes which make cell-mediated immune mechanisms feasible, and linked the presence of immune mediators to disease activity.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1987

Lack of association between arterial blood pressure and erythrocyte fatty acid composition in an Italian population sample.

The relation between arterial blood pressure and erythrocyte fatty acid composition was investigated in a large urban female population aged 20-69 years. No significant differences in the relative amounts of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (n-6 and n-3 series) fatty acids and in the mean polyunsaturated/saturated and linoleic/oleic ratios were observed in the different quartiles of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Moreover, there was no significant correlation between individual erythrocyte fatty acids and their ratios and either blood pressure or other risk factors for atherosclerosis (age, body mass index, total serum cholesterol and triglycerides). In the multivariate analysis no independent correlations between systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the individual erythrocyte fatty acids were observed; age and body mass index were strongly related to blood pressure. Our results do not confirm for erythrocyte fatty acids the reported associations between plasma fatty acids and blood pressure.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Plasma exchange in the treatment of essential mixed cryoglobulinemia nephropathy. Long-term follow up.

Plasma exchange is increasingly used for management of Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia. However little is known about the long term effects of this treatment. Therefore we have reviewed the clinical and laboratory data of 20 patients with type II EMC who were followed for a mean of 24 months. 16 patients had renal involvement, which was characterized histologically in all of them: 9 had diffuse proliferative GN plus endoluminal "thrombi" in 6 and vasculitis in 5, 4 had lobular membranoproliferative GN and 3 had focal proliferative GN. 14 patients had renal failure and 13 had proteinuria greater than or equal to 2 g/24 hr. PE (combined with immunosuppressive drugs in 18) was performed for a mean of 18 procedures. The combined treatment induced prompt remission of extrarenal and renal involvement. Serum creatinine and proteinuria decreased significantly in all but 2 patients during the treatment (s. creatinine from 2.9 to 1.6 mg/dl; proteinuria from 3.5 to 1.6 g/24 hr). Analysis of long term follow up revealed that these effects were long lasting in all the cases. We conclude that PE should be used for EMC nephropathy whenever prompt remission is not obtained by conventional therapy especially in consideration of its long term beneficial effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Inheritance of post-vaccinal resistance against Plasmodium berghei infection in mice.

The protective effect of specific vaccination against Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) was compared in terms of survival percentage in DBA/2, C3H, outbred albino mice and in two lines of mice produced by selective breeding for either high or low antibody responsiveness to sheep erythrocyte (H and L lines respectively). The efficacy of induced protection varies according to genetic constitution. It is very strong in H line and albino mice, intermediate in DBA/2 and very weak in L line and C3H. The inheritance of post-vaccinal resistance to infection was studied in F1 hybrids and backcrosses between C3H and the other lines. The control was polygenic in all cases. The dominance of the characteristic depends on the strain combination. On the whole the results suggest the non-identity of the genes controlling protection in the various lines. The lack of a quantitative parameter for a more precise genetic analysis of protective immunity in inbred lines is stressed, since both anti-P. berghei antibody production and parasitaemia proved to be unreliable.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Mosquito infectivity is directly related to the proportion of repetitive DNA in Plasmodium berghei.

A strain of Plasmodium berghei (NK 65) was followed during syringe transmission in mice for over 120 passages after the last complete cycle, while the following parameters were monitored: (a) capacity to infect mosquitoes, inducing oocyst formation; (b) presence in the peripheral blood of morphologically identifiable gametocytes; (c) presence of a repetitive component in the DNA extracted from intraerythrocytic population. The suggestion of a possible role of this component in gametogenesis came from an earlier work (Dore, E., Birago, C., Frontali, C. and Battaglia, P.A. (1980) Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 1, 199-208). Present results confirm the correlation between proportion of repetitive DNA and infectivity towards mosquitoes with a correlation coefficient r = 0.92-0.07+0.04. A parallel decrease of the two quantities is observed in the course of syringe transmission. A limited number of cloned lines, derived from strain NK 65 at different times during syringe transmission, shared the infectivity properties of the parent strain at the moment of cloning, thus confirming that in the infective stage single asexual parasites from the schizogonic cycle are able to originate the whole cycle. The above arguments and results suggest that differentiation into active gametocytes involves amplification of a portion of the genome.

Aedes↗
PubMed1982

Further considerations on alcohol intake and coronary risk factors in a Rome working population group: HDL-cholesterol.

A study on the relationships between habitual alcohol consumption and the main coronary risk factors was carried out in 520 consecutive high-risk men examined during an annual rescreening of a working population group within the Rome Project of Coronary Heart Disease Prevention. Alcohol intake was determined by means of a semiquantitative questionnaire. The mean daily wine intake was about 0.5 liter, the consumption of other alcoholic beverages being negligible. No statistically significant correlations were found between average daily wine consumption and the main coronary risk factors, while a strongly positive correlation (p less than 0.001) was observed with plasma HDL-cholesterol levels. Also differences in HDL-cholesterol between occasional drinkers and moderate drinkers were statistically significant. No differences were observed in total cholesterol and triglycerides. The findings suggest that habitual moderate amounts of alcohol may increase HDL-cholesterol between occasional drinkers and moderate drinkers were statistically significant. No differences were observed in total cholesterol and triglycerides. The findings suggest that habitual moderate amounts of alcohol may increase HDL-cholesterol levels.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

[Plasmodium berghei: antibody response and protective immunity induced by vaccination].

The authors have studied the behaviour of Swiss mice and of 5 inbred strains of mice in order to investigate: the protective effect, in the homologous infection test, of six vaccine inoculations of irradiated parasites belonging to two strains of Plasmodium berghei: ISTISAN and K173; the capacity to produce humoral antibodies after vaccine treatments and during infection; the probable correlation between the high antibody titre and the protection against infection. The results of the present study show that the antibody response plays a precise role in the immunity induced by vaccination. There is a certain degree of correlation, which is more evident for K173 vaccine, between the level of antibody response during infection and the protective efficacy of vaccination.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Renal lesions in essential mixed IgG-IgM cryoglobulinemia. Study of 48 cases.

56 renal biopsies in 48 patients affected by essential mixed IgG-IgM cryoglobulinemia have been examined by light microscopy and immunofluorescence. Patients were classified in four groups: 1) minimal lesions (4 patients); 2) pure proliferative mesangial lesions (9 patients); 3) membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (23 patients); 4)proliferative glomerulonephritis with prominent intraluminal thrombi (12 patients). In this last group large intraluminal thrombi intensely fixing anti-IgG and IgM antisera were present; unlike the preceding groups, few deposits on capillary walls were seen. These four groups differed in renal clinical syndrome at presentation: in particular, proteinuria or nephrotic syndrome was the predominant manifestation in group 3, acute nephritic syndrome in group 4. In the latter, reversal of renal failure and regression of lesions could be observed. Various morphological aspects tend to show that in this disease more than one mechanism is operating in producing renal damage, including local trapping of abnormal circulating proteins.

Cryoglobulinemia↗
PubMed1979

Correlation between genetic regulation of antibody responsiveness and protective immunity induced by Plasmodium berghei vaccination.

High (H) and low (L) antibody responder lines of mice were produced by two independent bidirectional selective breedings for quantitative antibody responsiveness to heterologous erythrocytes (selection I and selection II). In both selections the antibody response to P. berghei antigens was 8- to 10-fold higher in H than in L lines. The character "high response" presents an incomplete dominance o- 18% in selection I and 67% in selection II. In selection II the variance analysis indicates that at least three independent loci intervene in the regulation of responsiveness to P. berghei antigens. The innate resistance and the protective efficacy of vaccination against P. berghei infection induced by parasitized erythrocytes was measured in H and L lines and in the interline hybrids F1, BcH, and BcL of selections I and II. No very significant difference was observed in the innate resistance to P. berghei infection between H and L mice of both selections. Vaccination induced a very efficient protection in the two H lines (94 and 95% survival), whereas only a weak protection was induced in the two L lines (16 and 31% survival); the degree of protection is intermediate in interline hybrids F1, BcH, and BcL. In both selections a good linear correlation was demonstrated between the level of vaccination-induced antibody and the degree of resistance measured as percentage of survival. The present results indicate that the vaccination-induced P. berghei immunity is essentially due to the antibody response, whereas the bactericidal activity of macrophages and the cell-mediated immunity do not play a determinant role.

Animals↗