PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

A Calabro

Publications and source records attributed to A Calabro.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Monoclonal antibodies directed against epitopes within the core protein structure of the large aggregating proteoglycan (aggrecan) from the swarm rat chondrosarcoma.

The core protein of the large hyaline cartilage proteoglycan, aggrecan, is composed of six distinct domains: globular 1 (G1), interglobular, globular 2 (G2), keratan sulfate attachment, chondroitin sulfate (CS) attachment, and globular 3 (G3). Monoclonal antibodies that recognize epitopes in these domains were raised against Swarm rat chondrosarcoma aggrecan that was either denatured through reduction and alkylation or partially deglycosylated through chondroitinase ABC digestion or alkali elimination, the latter with or without sulfite addition. Monoclonal antibodies were further characterized for reactivity to purified aggrecan substructures including rat chondrosarcoma G1 and CS attachment domains, a recombinant rat chondrosarcoma G3 domain fusion protein, bovine articular cartilage G2 domain, and rat chondrosarcoma link protein (LP). Biochemical characterization of the specificities of these monoclonal antibodies indicated that one (1C6) recognized an epitope shared by both the G1 and the G2 domains; one (5C4) recognized an epitope shared by both LP and the G1 domain; one (7D1) recognized an epitope shared by both the G1 and the CS attachment domains; two (14A1 and 15B2) recognized epitopes in the CS attachment domain; one (14B4) recognized an epitope in the G3 domain; and one (13D1) recognized a ubiquitous epitope shared by the G1, G2, G3, and CS attachment domains of aggrecan and also LP. Collectively the specificities of these antibodies confirm the occurrence of multiple repeated epitopes (both carbohydrate and protein in nature) throughout the different domain structures of aggrecan. These antibodies have been proven to be useful for identifying aggrecan-like molecules in several connective tissues other than cartilage.

Aggrecans

Hypomelanosis of Ito associated with chromosomal translocation involving Xp11.

We report on a 3-year-old girl with hypomelanosis of Ito (HI). She has typical skin lesions and mild CNS involvement characterized by impaired walking and borderline mental retardation. Cytogenetic investigation showed a 18/X translocation with breakpoint on Xp11. This is the sixth case of HI in which this breakpoint has been reported, underlining that this event cannot be considered coincidental. Further studies are needed to understand the etiologic and pathogenetic meaning of this finding.

Child, Preschool

Acrocallosal syndrome: a new case.

We describe a 2-month-old infant girl with typical clinical manifestations of the acrocallosal syndrome: characteristic face, agenesis of corpus callosum, polydactyly associated with other anomalies of the extremities, and mental retardation. The importance of a correct nosology and genetic counseling is underlined on the basis of the description of familiar cases of the syndrome.

Abnormalities, Multiple

Duodenal ulcer and Sjogren's syndrome in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis: a casual association?

Peptic ulcer has been reported in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), but its frequency and pathogenesis are still poorly defined. We have analyzed the occurrence of duodenal ulcer in 37 female patients affected by PBC and in 35 with chronic liver disease of various etiologies. An active ulcer was found in seven patients with PBC and in one with chronic autoimmune hepatitis. The presence of an exocrine gland defect, as indicated by clinical signs of Sjogren's syndrome (SS), was found in six patients with PBC and duodenal ulcer (85%), but in only eight (26.6%) of those without ulcer (p less than 0.02). Therefore, in our patients, duodenal ulcer occurs more often in PBC than in other types of chronic liver disease. The association of SS with PBC, significantly higher in patients with than without ulcer, supports the hypothesis that the underlying exocrine gland defect is involved in the development of duodenal ulcer.

Adult

Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy in regionally advanced malignant melanoma.

The therapeutic effectiveness of intraarterial cisplatin (CDDP) and dacarbazine (DTIC) infusion was examined in 30 evaluable patients with regionally advanced melanoma that was refractory to standard treatments. Objective responses were achieved in 11 patients (37%), including three complete (10%) and eight partial (27%) tumor regressions. Successful debulking surgery was performed in seven of the eleven patients with response. Six remained free of regional disease after a median time of 25 months, and four are also free of distant metastases at 24+, 25+, 41+, and 54+ months. Nineteen of thirty patients with no significant tumor response underwent alternative treatments. Debulking surgery was performed in nine, but with little palliative gain, since seven relapsed at a median time of 5 months. Our results suggest that a combined therapeutic approach--preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery in responding tumors--represents an effective treatment for patients with regionally advanced melanoma.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[High prevalence of obstructive lesions of the extracranial carotid arteries in reno-vascular hypertension].

Ischemic stroke represents a leading cause of death in patients with renovascular hypertension. In the vast majority it is related to obstructive lesions of the extracranial tracts of the carotid arteries. Since no data were previously available on carotid artery lesions in patients (pts) with renovascular hypertension, a prospective case-control study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of carotid artery lesions in renovascular hypertension. Nineteen pts (10 females and 9 males, age: 26-77 yrs) with a diagnosis of renovascular hypertension based on the presence of uni- or bilateral renal artery stenosis and favourable outcome after either percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty or surgery, and/or renal vein studies, were evaluated. The cause of renal artery stenosis was atherosclerosis in 12 pts and fibrodysplasia in 7. Each pt was matched with a control pt with primary hypertension for sex, race, age, blood pressure levels, smoking habits and serum cholesterol levels. Carotid artery lesions were assessed using a high resolution echo-Doppler (Duplex) system (Biosound 2000, probe 4 cm, 8 mHz). After the matching, the two groups were almost identical in terms of demographic features and risk profile. In the control group the prevalence of carotid artery lesions was similar to that reported in the literature. On the contrary, a highly significant higher prevalence of carotid artery lesions was observed in the pts with renovascular hypertension (92.1 vs 42.1%, respectively; p less than 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that this difference was found mainly in pts with atherosclerotic renal artery stenoses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adult

In vitro thermo-chemosensitivity screening of spontaneous human tumors: significant potentiation for cisplatin but not adriamycin.

The in vitro thermal enhancement of Adriamycin (ADR) and Cisplatin (CDDP) was investigated in 18 surgical biopsy specimens of human tumors cultured in the Adhesive Tumor Cell Culture System. Experimental conditions were adopted to simulate "therapeutic" trials: (a) temperature of 37.0 degrees C, 40.5 degrees C or 42.5 degrees C; (b) hyperthermic duration of 30, 60, or 120 min; and (c) 4-dose drug range normalized to human bone marrow toxicity. Drug concentrations that inhibited 90% of tumor growth (IC90) at 37.0 degrees C were compared to the IC90 at 40.5 degrees C and 42.5 degrees C, adjusted for the effect of heat alone. CDDP plus heat was a better combination than ADR plus heat, regardless of the temperature and the exposure duration: significant synergism (p less than 0.001) occurred in 37% of heat-CDDP combinations, as compared with 15% of heat-ADR combinations, and antagonism was significantly lower (p less than 0.001) for heat-CDDP than for heat-ADR (4.4% versus 21% of combinations, respectively). Within the CDDP group, higher temperature and longer heat exposure resulted in an increased incidence of chemosensitivity. No specific pattern of synergism was evident within the ADR group, but a trend toward a higher incidence of antagonistic effects with increasing hyperthermic duration was observed.

Cisplatin

Patterns of relapse in 1001 consecutive patients with melanoma nodal metastases.

The impact of nodal tumor burden on patterns of relapse and survival was retrospectively analyzed in 1001 patients with stage III melanoma. The incidence of tumor recurrence within the node dissection field was lower in patients with 1 nodal metastasis (9%) or with no extranodal invasion (15%) than in patients with multiple involved nodes (15% to 33%) or connective tissue invasion (28%). Patients with 1 "positive" node (a node in which cancer was detected) had a 45% 5-year and 39% 10-year survival rate compared with patients who had 2 to 4 positive nodes (37% and 28%), 5 to 10 nodes (20% and 17%), more than 10 nodes (5% and 3%), or extranodal invasion (14% and 11%). The occurrence of in-transit metastases in 10% of patients after nodal dissection was not influenced by the extent of nodal tumor burden.

Adolescent

Neuroradiology.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans

A linkage map of mouse chromosome 12: localization of Igh and effects of sex and interference on recombination.

Inheritance of restriction fragment length polymorphisms associated with four anonymous DNA markers (D12Nyu1, 2, 3 and 4), the Fos proto-oncogene, the Mtv-9 viral integration site, and the alpha 1-antitrypsin (Aat-1) and immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) gene families in the mouse has been followed in a backcross experiment. A Bayesian multilocus map-building strategy yielded the map: centromere-D12Nyu2-10 cM-D12Nyu1-2 cM-D12Nyu3-15 cM-Fos-1 cM-D12Nyu4-2 cM-Mtv-9-8 cM-Aat-1-17 cM-Igh-C. A map constructed from male meiotic data was substantially shorter than one constructed from female meiotic data. Significant interference was observed for the linkage group. Two groups of markers studied in recombinant inbred strains of mice could be interpolated into the map: Es-25, D12Nyu10, D12Nyu7 and Apob form a cluster proximal to D12Nyu2, and Ly-18, Ah, and D12Nyu5 form a cluster between D12Nyu2 and D12Nyu1. These data establish an unambiguously ordered linkage group including Igh and Aat-1 that spans most of chromosome 12.

Algorithms

Multiple congenital anomalies associated with apparently normal maternal intake of vitamin A: a phenocopy of the isotretinoin syndrome?

The teratogenicity of vitamin A has been repeatedly reported in the literature and confirmed on the basis of several cases of adverse pregnancy outcome associated with maternal isotretinoin exposure. We report a case which shows a striking similarity with this syndrome, but the child was born to a mother who took a normal supplementation of vitamin A during pregnancy. The differential diagnosis is discussed.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced

[Epididymitis in adults. Retrospective study of 110 cases].

A review was conducted of 110 cases of epididymitis, most of these patients (71.9%), especially those under 50 years of age, having negative urine cultures: this appears to confirm the high frequency of Chlamydia T infection in the age group 20 to 50 years when sexual activity is at its maximum. Urinary output was normal in 60 of 79 patients and urography exploration provided normal results in 69 of the 110 patients (63%), particularly in those under 50. It is concluded, therefore, that urography is not necessary in patients under 50 but remains necessary in those in older age groups.

Acute Disease

Blind ureterocele.

Ureterocele without corresponding renal tissue (blind ureterocele) represents a very rare malformation which is of special interest for the understanding of the embryogenesis of this anomaly. Two cases, the first without corresponding kidney seen in an adult and the second in connection with a small multicystic kidney observed in a boy, are considered. In light of the observation of the disappearance of antenatally diagnosed multicystic kidney, these lesions are considered to represent two different stages of the same anomaly. A somewhat functioning renal tissue is supposed to be necessary for the development of a ureterocele. In the case of blind ureterocele, it is supposed that the renal tissue might subsequently disappear. Ureterocele may result from a combined ureteral bud anomaly and obstruction during fetal development.

Adult