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Biomedical subjects

A Capelli

Publications and source records attributed to A Capelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Growth-inhibitory effect of quercetin and presence of type-II estrogen-binding sites in human colon-cancer cell lines and primary colorectal tumors.

We studied the effect of quercetin (Q) on the proliferation of HT-29, WiDr, COLO 201, and LS-174T human colon cancer cell lines. Q, between 10 nM and 10 microM, exerted a dose-dependent, reversible inhibition of cell proliferation. Cell-cycle analysis revealed that the growth-inhibitory effect of Q was due to a blocking action in the G0/G1 phase. Using a whole-cell assay with 17 beta-[3H]-estradiol as tracer, we demonstrated that all these cell lines contain type-II estrogen-binding sites (type-II EBS). By using Q and other chemically related flavonols (3,7-4'-trimethoxyquercetin, 3,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyquercetin, kaempferol, morin, and rutin), we observed that the affinities of these compounds for type-II EBS are correlated with their growth-inhibitory potential. Furthermore, the Q sensitivity of the colon cancer cell lines was correlated with the number of type-II EBS/cell. Then Q could regulate colon cancer cell growth through a binding interaction with type-II EBS. This mechanism could also be active in vivo as we have observed that cytosolic type-II EBS are present in primary colorectal cancers and that Q is effective in inhibiting the in vitro bromodeoxyuridine incorporated by neoplastic cells in these cancers.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Oral condyloma lesions in patients with extensive genital human papillomavirus infection.

OBJECTIVES: The incidence, location, and morphologic appearances of human papillomavirus oral lesions in patients with genital condylomatosis were investigated with clinical, colposcopic, and histologic examination as diagnostic procedures. The human papillomavirus types were also evaluated with filter in situ hybridization. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred one patients, 66 female and 35 male, with genital condyloma underwent an oral cavity examination. Ninety-nine (99%) practiced orogenital sex, and all were asymptomatic for oral lesions. RESULTS: Ninety-one underwent biopsy; histologic studies gave a diagnosis of condyloma in 48% of 101 specimens collected. In 8 of 91 (9%) oral lesions were suspected by naked-eye examination; they were confirmed histologically in all eight. Of 83 patients suspected of having oral condyloma on colposcopic examination, 38 (46%) were confirmed histologically. Thus 38 of 46 patients (83%) had oral condyloma not visible to the naked eye. Colposcopically, oral lesions appeared filiform (50%), moruloid (26%), and mixed (24%). Twenty cytologic oral samples were also collected for deoxyribonucleic filter in situ hybridization analysis. Human papillomavirus deoxyribonucleic genital types were observed in 45% (9/20) of all oral scrapings collected, and all were histologically confirmed. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that genital human papillomavirus types are capable of establishing a local infection in the oral cavity and demonstrate a high incidence of human papillomavirus oral lesions in patients with genital condyloma.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Role of surfactant in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: therapeutic implications.

A potential role of surfactant in COPD pathogenesis is not yet clearly demonstrated. Cigarette smoke is an important risk factor for COPD and it is known to adversely affect surfactant. In a series of 20 smoker, non-asthmatic COPD patients compared with 5 nonsmoker healthy controls we found a marked decrease (about 6-7 times) of total phospholipids in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids. We were not able to find differences in % composition, with the exception of phosphatidylglycerol-cardiolipin, which appeared significantly increased in smoker COPD patients (p less than 0.02). An alteration of mucociliary clearance and an impairment of antimicrobial defence might be important surfactant related factors in COPD, but no definitive data are available. We do not know at present if a therapy increasing surfactant would be of any value in COPD treatment. Surfactant replacement therapy is at present advisable only for those conditions in which a surfactant impairment plays (IRDS) or seems to play (ARDS) a crucial role. Pharmacologic stimulation of type 2 pneumocytes could have several advantages over replacement therapy. Ambroxol is probably one of the most promising surfactant stimulating agents, but preliminary data show that in smoker COPD patients drug dosages higher than those usually employed to affect bronchial mucus are necessary to obtain a significant increase of surfactant phospholipids.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Semi-quantitative X-ray microanalysis of bronchoalveolar lavage samples from silica-exposed and nonexposed subjects.

To evaluate the possibility of quantifying alveolar dust burden in conditions of exposure to silica, four groups of subjects were submitted to bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL): 10 healthy control subjects and 39 patients affected by diffuse interstitial lung disease (DILD) never exposed to dust, 23 silicotic patients and 12 chronic bronchitis patients with a history of occupational exposure to silica dust. Five to ten million BAL recovered cells were analysed with an energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDXA) system to determine the silicon content, expressed in a semi-quantitative way as silicon to sulphur (Si/S) ratio. The results were independent of smoking habit. The Si/S median values (interquartile range in brackets) for the four groups were 0.53 (0.5-0.65), 0.60 (0.41-0.8), 1.23 (1.06-1.39), 1.31 (1.11-1.97), respectively. Silicotics and simply exposed individuals did not show a significant discrepancy, but they were both significantly different in comparison with normal and DILD patients without history of exposure (p less than 0.001). 14.3% false negative cases were found, and 4.1% false positive cases (none among normal subjects). We did not see any significant relationships between the amount of silicon and the duration of exposure or the degree of chest X-ray involvement. A study of cytocentrifuge slides from the same subjects by polarizing light microscopy revealed a lower sensitivity (34% false negative cases).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bronchitis↗
PubMed1992

Anatomical study of para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes in gynecologic malignancies.

Between January 1986 and June 1990, systematic para-aortic and pelvic lymphadenectomy was performed in 208 women with untreated ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the median number of nodes collected from each pelvic and para-aortic group and to verify a new detailed nomenclature for the various lymph node groups. The para-aortic nodes were distinguished as paracaval, precaval, and retrocaval, depending on their relationship with the vena cava. Para-aortic, pre-aortic, and retro-aortic nodes were located close to the aorta. The nodes situated between the vena cava and aorta were designated intercavo-aortic. A median of 26 (range 15-48) para-aortic nodes were collected during ovarian or endometrial cancer operations. The lymphatic system of the pelvis was divided into six groups, depending on the relationship with the pelvic blood vessels. The pelvic nodes were distinguished as common, internal and external iliac, presacral, obturator, and parametrial. In cases of cervical cancer, the median number of pelvic nodes collected was 38 (range 20-88). Such anatomical study of the lymphatic system shows that a higher number of nodes than expected can be found in the retroperitoneum.

Aorta, Abdominal↗
PubMed1991

Quercetin inhibits the growth of a multidrug-resistant estrogen-receptor-negative MCF-7 human breast-cancer cell line expressing type II estrogen-binding sites.

It has been demonstrated that the flavonoid quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone; Q) inhibits the growth of several cancer cell lines. There is evidence suggesting that the antiproliferative activity of this substance is mediated by the so-called type II estrogen-binding site (type II EBS). We looked for the presence of type II EBS and the effect of Q on the proliferation of an Adriamycin-resistant estrogen-receptor-negative human breast-cancer cell line (MCF-7 ADRr). By whole-cell assay using estradiol labelled with 6,7-tritium [( 3H]-E2) as a tracer, we demonstrated that MCF-7 ADRr cells contain type II EBSs. Competition analysis revealed that diethylstilbestrol (DES) and Q competed with similar potency for [3H]-Es binding to type II EBSs. The antiestrogen tamoxifen (TAM) competed for type II EBSs, albeit to a lesser extent than either DES or Q. Growth experiments demonstrated that Q and DES exerted a dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in the range of concentrations between 10 nM and 10 microM, whereas TAM was less effective. Q could also inhibit colony formation in a clonogenic assay. Our results indicate that multidrug-resistant estrogen-receptor-negative MCF-7 cells express type II EBSs and are sensitive to the inhibitory effect of Q. This substance could be the parent compound of a novel class of anticancer agents.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1991

Detection of mRNA and hnRNA using a digoxigenin labelled cDNA probe by in situ hybridization on frozen tissue sections.

A full-length cDNA clone encoding the constant region of T cell receptor beta chain was labelled by random priming DNA with digoxigenin-dUTP. The probe was used to estimate the relative amount of the receptor beta chain mRNA by in situ hybridization on frozen sections from human thymus and lymph nodes. The hybridization was visualized in blue using an anti-digoxigenin antibody conjugated with alkaline phosphatase and a subsequent enzyme-catalysed colour reaction. The distributions of the signal in tissue sections were as expected. Moreover, labelled cells showed hybrids both in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus, and strongly and weakly stained cells were clearly distinguishable. The results indicate that this method of in situ hybridization should be useful in the detection of specific mRNA in frozen sections.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Estrogen and progesterone receptors in the gallbladders from patients with gallstones.

Cytosolic receptors for estrogen and progesterone were assayed in 50 gallbladders from 29 women and 21 men who had cholecystectomies because of cholelithiasis. High-affinity (equilibrium dissociation constant, KD = 0.46 +/- 0.23 nmol/L of 24 cases) estrogen receptors were detected in 20 of 29 gallbladders from women (range = 1.6 to 32 fmol/mg protein; mean +/- S.D. = 10.9 +/- 8.1), whereas in men only 4 of 21 specimens contained detectable estrogen receptors. High-affinity (KD = 0.45 +/- 0.17 nmol/L; mean +/- S.D. of 41 cases) progesterone receptors were found in 25 of 29 gallbladders of women (range = 2 to 62 fmol/mg protein; mean +/- S.D. = 19.2 +/- 14.4) and in 16 of 21 gallbladders of men (range = 4 to 36 fmol/mg protein; mean +/- S.D. = 12.5 +/- 8.5). There is a statistically significant difference between men and women in the proportion of estrogen receptor-positive gallbladders, 19% and 69% for men and women, respectively. Progesterone receptors are present in similar proportion in the gallbladders of men (72.2%) and women (86.2%). In women a positive correlation between estrogen and progesterone receptors was found. Even in the absence of estrogen receptors, the gallbladders of men express progesterone receptors at levels similar to those observed in women. At least in cholelithiasic gallbladders, this suggests that a sex difference exists in the coexpression of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Such a difference could be related with the higher gallstone incidence in women than in men.

Cholelithiasis↗
PubMed1991

Ovarian fibrothecoma: sonographic and histologic findings.

The sonographic and histologic findings observed in 11 cases of ovarian fibrothecoma were compared, and an attempt was made to find a correlation between each histologic type of the tumor (pure thecoma, predominantly fibrous fibrothecoma, mixed fibrothecoma) and its sonographic appearance. The presence of a homogeneous echogenic pattern, with marked posterior acoustic shadowing, in the absence of any calcification, was highly suggestive of a predominantly fibrous ovarian fibrothecoma; the presence of a diffusely hypoechoic ovarian mass, with no posterior echo enhancement, was strikingly correlated with pure thecomas; mixed fibrothecomas were characterized by the presence of an echogenic pattern with no posterior acoustic shadowing. Sonographic findings, even though nonspecific, can provide the clinician with useful information which permits to detect these rare neoplasms preoperatively.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) activity in alveolar macrophages from patients with active sarcoidosis.

Five main acid phosphatase (AcP) zones have been recognized and studied by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Band 5 represents the only tartrate-resistant form and is present in bone osteoclasts and in human alveolar macrophages (AMs). This study was carried out to quantify the presence of total and tartrate-resistant AcP (TrAcP) in AMs from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of 11 patients with first stage sarcoidosis and in 13 nonsmokers and 16 smokers serving as control healthy subjects. The AMs from smokers showed an increase in total AcP activity (115.9 +/- 77.8 mU/10(6)); on the contrary, macrophages of patients with sarcoidosis revealed a consistent decrease in total AcP (27.8 +/- 7.0 mU/10(6)) and particularly the TrAcP subtype (14.8 +/- 3.7 mU/10(6)) in comparison with control nonsmokers (AcP = 42.2 +/- 18.9 mU/10(6) [p = NS]; TrAcP = 35.1 +/- 15.1 mU/10(6) [p less than 0.005]). The decrease in TrAcP activity was inversely correlated with the lymphocyte number (r = -0.75; p less than 0.01), lymphocyte percentage (r = -0.62; p less than 0.05), and CD4/CD8 ratio (r = -0.61; p less than 0.05). After six months of follow-up, the cytologic BAL picture returned completely to normal in five patients with full spontaneous regression of sarcoidosis; and also at the same time, normal values of TrAcP activity were restored. Since TrAcP activity can be easily detected, its possible use, along with the lymphocyte count and CD4/CD8 ratio, as a prognostic indicator of the clinical course of sarcoidosis deserves further investigation.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1991

The external ear and the tympanic membrane. A three-dimensional study.

The study of the anatomical variations of the external ear is important for the ear surgeon who assesses the middle ear in this way. Furthermore, the design of insert earmoulds for use with either hearing aids or portable radios requires a better knowledge of the shape of the external ear. We studied the external ear structures and the drumhead in 140 cadavers with no previous history of ear pathology. A silicone resin was used, employing a dental impression technique. These permanent impressions were analysed by means of an operating microscope. Different parameters were studied, to determine the average dimensions of the structures. The clinical significance of these results is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Results of the multicentric Italian experience on the Gamma nail: a report on 648 cases.

In a multicentric study, the data of 628 trochanteric fractures, two non-unions, and 18 pathologic or impending fractures treated by Gamma nail in 13 Italian traumatology services were collected and analyzed. In 70% of the patients weight bearing was allowed in the first postoperative week and 78% of the controlled patients returned to their pretrauma walking ability. Complications included intraoperative (1.4%) and postoperative (1.2%) shaft fractures, "cut out" of the lag screw (2.6%), and nail failure (0.5%). There were no cases of infection. An analysis of complications showed that most of them were due to technical mistakes. The safest procedure is 2 mm diaphyseal overreaming, introduction of the nail without hammering, and distal locking; the lag screw should be placed in the lower part of the head of the femur.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

[Indications and results of exercise rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive lung diseases].

The aim of physical exercise retraining in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease undergoing rehabilitation is to increase the anaerobic work capacity with a rise in VO2 max. Exercise programmes must take into account the duration, frequency and intensity of exercise. In these patients, numerous factors limit physical exercise, including (a) decreased ventilatory capacity and respiratory muscles fatigue; (b) decreased efficacy of the pulmonary gas exchanges; (c) altered pulmonary vascular bed with altered cardiovascular response. The most widely used training methods are walking (or running), practising on a conveyor belt and using an ergometric bicycle. The last named seems to be the best method to evaluate the physiological effects of exercise or for experimental studies. Patients who are fit to participate in a retraining programme must be in a stable period and have a stable pharmacological regimen; they must be subjected to a preliminary exercise test in order to evaluate the main physiological parameters and to obtain information on their tolerance to exercise, on the presence of lactic acidosis and on the degree of hypoxaemia and hypercapnia. In the absence of contra-indications, a training programme can be set up with 30 to 45 minutes of exercise per day at least 3 to 5 times a week during 5 to 8 weeks, with a load amounting to 50-60% of VO2 max. Two questions remain to be answered: (a) is oxygen therapy useful during retraining; (b) what effect has training on survival?

Acidosis, Lactic↗
PubMed1991

The herniated lumbar intervertebral disc in children and adolescents. Long-term follow-up of 101 cases treated by surgery.

The authors review 101 cases of herniated lumbar intervertebral disc in children and adolescents treated by surgery. The most significant etiologic and pathogenetic factors in this series were early onset of disc degeneration, congenital lumbosacral malformations, and repeated trauma. The main clinical symptom was pain, usually sciatica, while neurological symptoms were less common than they are in adults. In all patients diagnosed correctly with the aid of appropriate imaging studies (myelography, CT scan, MRI), discectomy by means of conservative hemilaminectomy achieved satisfactory results, except in two cases of concomitant spinal instability due to spondylolysis and in one case of recurrence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Type-II estrogen binding sites in a lymphoblastoid cell line and growth-inhibitory effect of estrogen, anti-estrogen and bioflavonoids.

Type-II estrogen-binding sites (type-II EBS) have been demonstrated in the human lymphoblastoid cell line IM-9 using a whole-cell assay with (6,7-3H) estradiol (3H-E2) as tracer. Competition analysis showed that the anti-estrogen tamoxifen and the flavonoids quercetin and rutin competed for (3H)-E2 binding to type-II EBS. Growth experiments demonstrated that diethylstilbestrol (DES) tamoxifen (TAM), quercetin and rutin exerted a reversible dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in the range of concentrations between 10 nM and 10 microM. The relative binding affinity of quercetin, rutin, DES and TAM for type-II EBS correlated well with their potency as cell growth inhibitors. Moreover, hesperidin, a flavonoid which does not bind to type-II EBS, was ineffective in inhibiting cell growth. Cell-cycle analysis showed that the growth-inhibitory effect of DES, TAM or quercetin was due to a blocking effect in the G0-G1 phases. Our results suggest that high estrogen and anti-estrogen concentrations and flavonoids may regulate IM-9 cell growth through a common mechanism involving a binding interaction with type-II EBS.

Binding, Competitive↗