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Biomedical subjects

A Giardina

Publications and source records attributed to A Giardina.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Noninvasive testing for coronary artery disease in women.

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for women in North America and Europe. Given the significance of coronary disease as a public health problem among women, accurate diagnosis of this condition is of great importance. Several noninvasive testing modalities are available for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease. An understanding of gender-based differences related to noninvasive cardiac testing is useful in order to optimally utilize these tests and improve detection and clinical outcomes in women.

Carotid Arteries↗
PubMed2005

Identification of SCP2165, a new SCP2-derived plasmid of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

AIMS: Characterization of SCP2165, a plasmid identified in the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). METHODS AND RESULTS: Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of mycelia of a S. coelicolor strain embedded in low melting agarose revealed the presence of a plasmid. Restriction enzyme mapping and sequence analysis of a 2.1 kb fragment revealed that this plasmid could be SCP2. SCP2 and its spontaneous derivative SCP2* are self-transmissible plasmids and have chromosome mobilizing ability (c.m.a.). SCP2* has a c. 1000-fold increased c.m.a. compared with SCP2. Interestingly the plasmid, named SCP2165, shows a c.m.a. from 5x10(-2) to 1x10(-1) which is 50-100-fold higher than that described for crosses involving SCP2*. CONCLUSIONS: SCP2165 is a SCP2 derivative plasmid with the highest c.m.a. so far described for SCP2 derivative plasmids. PFGE, under conditions we used, seems to be a fast way to identify large circular plasmids in Streptomyces strains. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Further knowledge of the SCP2 family may allow the construction of improved SCP2-derived cloning vectors. SCP2165 could be a potential tool for conjugational transfer of gene clusters between different Streptomyces species.

Conjugation, Genetic↗
PubMed2000

Acyclic stereoselection in the reaction of nucleophilic reagents with chiral N-acyliminium ions generated from N-

Optically active N-[1-(phenylsulfonyl)alkyl]imidazolidin-2-ones react at low temperature in the presence of tin tetrachloride to give acyclic N-acyliminium ions. These electrophilic substrates give addition products upon reaction with pi-nucleophiles. Allyltrimethylsilane affords the corresponding allylated products in good yields and high diastereoselectivity. The stereochemical outcome of this process can be rationalized by taking into account the preference of the intermediate N-acyliminium ion for an E configuration that favors the attack of the nucleophile from the si-si face. Disappointing results are obtained using silyl ketene acetals; conversely trimethylsilyl enol ether of acetophenone gives the corresponding adducts in high diastereoselectivity. The utilization of trimethylsilyl enol ether of 2-acetylfuran is particularly interesting since the corresponding adducts are obtained with good diastereoselectivity and the furan ring could be amenable of further synthetic transformations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1999

General anesthesia mode does not influence endocrine or immunologic profile after open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

To verify the impact on stress response and the influence of anesthesia on endocrine/immunologic changes, we have investigated the plasma level of norepinephrine, cortisol, TNFalpha, and IL-6 in 46 patients scheduled for laparotomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h after the operation. Among subjects who underwent open approach, 9 received fentanyl anesthesia and 13 received isoflurane anesthesia. In the laparoscopy group, 14 patients were given fentanyl anesthesia and 10 were given isoflurane anesthesia. The results obtained confirmed that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is associated with a lesser immunoendocrine response, and the two anesthesia models do not interfere with plasma changes of the assessed hormones and cytokines.

Anesthesia, General↗
PubMed1997

[L-arginine and immunity. Study of pediatric subjects].

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) play a pivotal role in many biological processes, as in the vessel tone control, the atherogenesis, the platelets aggregation and the immune system modulation. The physiologic precursor of NO is the L-arginine. Evidence exists that the L-arginine administration can stimulate immune system in children with recurrent infections. This clinical trial was designed to evaluate the effects of oral administration of L-arginine on the number of infective events and on the lymphocytes subsets in children suffering from airways recurrent infections. METHODS: Forty outpatients, 21 male and 19 female, aging from 2 to 13 yrs. Two balanced groups, treated for 60 days with L-arginine or a placebo. Evaluation criteria: number of septic episodes; number of circulating white blood cells, % of the lymphocytes; lymphocytes subsets. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive analysis; inference tests: chi 2; "t" test; variance analysis. Statistical significance: p = 0.05. RESULTS: Fifteen patients treated with L-arginine and five treated with placebo (p < 0.01) were free from infections. The percentage of CD3 and CD4 subsets significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the L-arginine group than in the placebo group, while the CD8 subset significantly decreased. The CD4/CD8 ratio raised from 1.05 +/- 0.29 to 1.51 +/- 0.46 (p < 0.01) in the L-arginine group, from 1.12 +/- 0.16 to 1.27 +/- 0.24 in the placebo group. There were no side effects in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: L-arginine seems able to increase the immune system defences and to protect against the airway infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Hepatitis B e antigen polypeptides isolated from sera of individuals infected with hepatitis B virus: comparison with HBeAg polypeptide derived from Dane particles.

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) occurs in the serum of individuals infected with hepatitis B virus both free and in association with IgG. Utilizing a succession of steps involving salt precipitation, affinity chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and isoelectrofocusing, we isolated free and IgG-bound forms of HBeAg from the sera of infected individuals with an overall gain in specific activity of 3000-fold and 540-fold, respectively. Polypeptide profiles of purified HBeAg preparations were studied by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol. Both free and IgG-bound preparations revealed polypeptides with mol. wt. of 15500 (P15.5) and 16 500 (P16.5), and HBeAg activity was detected corresponding to their positions. The HBeAg polypeptides (P15.5/16.5) derived from sera were physicochemically different from the two polypeptides with HBeAg activity (P19 and P45) liberated from Dane particle cores by the conventional method involving incubation with Nonidet P40 and 2-mercaptoethanol. However, when core particles were prepared in the presence of a proteolytic enzyme, in addition to Nonidet P40 and 2-mercaptoethanol, they gave rise to HBeAg polypeptides with mol. wt. of 31000 (P31) and 15 500. Furthermore, P31 split into P15.5 when heated at 100 degrees C for 2 min. On the basis of these results, P15.5 may be assumed to be the essential polypeptide bearing HBeAg activity in the serum and also in Dane particles.

Hepatitis B↗