Biomedical subjects

A Marcuzzi

Publications and source records attributed to A Marcuzzi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Ligamentous reconstruction of scapholunate dislocation through a double dorsal and palmar approach.

Six patients were treated for scapholunate dissociation by reconstruction of both the palmar and dorsal parts of the scapholunate interosseous ligament through a combined palmar and dorsal approach. The mean active range of motion of the wrist at final follow-up was 44 degrees of flexion and 58 degrees of extension and the mean hand grip strengths was 88% of that of the contralateral hand. The average time to return to work was 105 days and the mean DASH score at a mean follow-up of 32 months was 18. At follow-up, radiographs showed maintenance of the anatomical reduction of the scapholunate articulation in all cases and the scapholunate angle was normal in five patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Megaesophagus in an asthmatic patient and beta2 stimulant treatment by inhalation.

Megaesophagus is a severe esophageal malformation. We report a case of megaesophagus in an asthmatic patient affected by congenital non-haemolytic anaemia and undergoing beta2 stimulant treatment by inhalation. Our case could be due to chronic beta2 receptor stimulation with imbalance of alpha and beta receptor, without any implication of favism.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Osteoid osteoma of the hand and wrist.

Eighteen cases of osteoid osteoma of the hand and wrist were treated between 1985 and 1999. The diagnosis was confirmed pre-operatively with X-rays, bone scintigraphy, CT, and MRI, and all the diagnoses were later confirmed by histological examination. The authors highlight the difficulties in the diagnosis of the osteoid osteoma of the hand and wrist. An accurate clinical history and a high index of suspicion are required. Three phase bones scans are highly sensitive for osteoid osteoma and should be used in conjunction with CT examination to facilitate diagnosis and pre-operative planning. All the patients were treated surgically, by removal of the tumour, with complete resolution of all symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Toe-to-finger transfer for post-traumatic reconstruction of the fingerless hand.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the utility of toe-to-finger transfers (TFTs) for post-traumatic reconstruction of the fingerless hand. DESIGN: A case series. SETTING: A regional trauma centre. PATIENTS: Eight men, mean age was 36 years (range from 25-59 yr), who had lost all the fingers from a hand due to a crush-degloving injury (6 patients), frostbite (1 patient) or a burn injury (1 patient). INTERVENTION: TFT. Twelve TFTs were cone and the mean time from injury to reconstruction was 17.2 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Objective (range of motion, moving 2-point discrimination, grip strength, key pinch, Jebsen-Taylor hand assessment, return to work) and subjective (activities of daily living and a questionnaire) measures. RESULTS: Eleven of the 12 transfers survived. Six of the 7 in whom the transfer was successful were available for follow-up (mean 45 mo). Range of motion was 10 degrees at the distal interphalangeal joint, 18 degrees at the proximal interphalangeal joint and 59 degrees at the metacarpophalangeal joint. Sensation was protective in all. Grip strength and key pinch were 26.1% and 70.2% of the contralateral hand respectively. Jebsen-Taylor assessment indicated that basic activities were possible but slowed. All 6 patients returned to work and could perform 92.6% of the activities of daily living unassisted. Hand and foot symptoms were mild. Two-thirds were appearance conscious, 5 of the 6 went on to altered vocations and all reported overall satisfaction as high. CONCLUSION: This study supports TFT for reconstruction of the fingerless hand in that, although transferred toe function may be poorer than a normal finger, the hand is restored to a useful, sensate and versatile functional unit, such that global hand and patient function, as well as patient satisfaction, are very good.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

A role of p75 in NGF-mediated down-regulation of the A(2A) adenosine receptors in PC12 cells.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) induces differentiation of the rat pheochromocytoma clone (PC12) by activating the high affinity receptor, p140(trkA), linked to mitogen-activated protein kinase. While the physiological role of the low affinity NGF receptor (p75) has not been clearly defined, this receptor promotes activation of nuclear factor (NF) kappaB in Schwann cells. PC12 cells express the A(2A) adenosine receptor (AR), whose expression is significantly decreased by NGF treatment. In this study, we determined whether TrkA or p75 is involved in NGF-mediated regulation of A(2A)AR expression. NGF treatment decreased A(2A)AR in a time-dependent manner, with maximal effects observed by 1 day, and continued down-regulation of the receptor for up to 3 days in the presence of NGF. The decrease in A(2A)AR was associated with a more delayed decrease in the steady-state levels of the A(2A)AR mRNA. Down-regulation of the A(2A)AR at 1 day was mimicked by activators of NFkappaB, such as H(2)O(2), and ceramide, and was attenuated by the inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate or following transient transfection of PC12 cells with a dominant negative IkappaBalpha mutant. Moreover, NGF stimulated nuclear accumulation of p65 subunits of NFkappaB (but not p50 subunits) in PC12 cells, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and by Western blotting. In contrast, inhibition of TrkA by AG879 or of TrkA-dependent mitogen-activated protein kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase with PD98059 blocked PC12 cell differentiation without affecting A(2A)AR down-regulation, suggesting dissociation between these two phenomena. Taken together, these data provide strong support for the involvement of the p75/NFkappaB pathway in NGF-mediated down-regulation of A(2A)AR in PC12 cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

[MRI in the postoperative assessment of pseudoarthrosis of the scaphoid bone treated by corticocancellous bone graft. Report of 31 cases].

Thirty one scaphoid pseudarthroses treated by corticocancellous bone graft between November 1985 and December 1988 were reviewed with a mean follow-up of 33.9 months. Clinical examination assessed pain, wrist mobility, and strength of grip. Radiological assessment evaluated consolidation of the corticocancellous graft, the presence or absence of graft resorption and the possible presence of radiocarpal osteoarthritis. A discordance between clinical and radiographic results was observed. Six patients had an excellent or good clinical result, but a poor radiological result and one patient with a poor clinical result presented an excellent radiological result. We therefore decided to use MRI to more clearly define the cause of this discordance and to verify the viability of the graft.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Oxidative stress increases A1 adenosine receptor expression by activating nuclear factor kappa B.

The A1 adenosine receptor (A1AR) contributes to the cytoprotective action of adenosine under conditions known to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Pharmacological manipulation of A1AR expression has been shown to modulate this cytoprotective role. In this study, we provide evidence that ROS generated could increase the expression of the A1AR and thereby offset the detrimental effects of ROS. Incubation of DDT1MF-2 smooth muscle cells with ROS-generating chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin (2.5 microM) or H2O2 (10 microM), elicited an increase in A1AR expression within 24 hr. The induction by H2O2 was reduced by the ROS scavenger catalase but not superoxide dismutase. Inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF kappa B) by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (200 microM), dexamethasone (100 nM), or genistein (1 microM) abrogated the cisplatin-mediated increase in A1AR. Cisplatin promoted rapid translocation of NF kappa B (but not AP-1) to the nucleus, as detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and by Western blotting. A putative NF kappa B sequence in the A1AR promoter effectively competed with labeled kappa B probe for binding in nuclear preparations derived from DDT1MF-2 cells. Transient transfection of DDT1MF-2 cells with the A1AR promoter coupled to firefly luciferase reporter gene led to cisplatin-inducible and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate-sensitive luciferase activity, suggesting the presence of functional NF kappa B binding site(s) in the A1AR promoter sequence. Treatment of cells with (R)-phenylisopropyladenosine (1 microM), an agonist of the A1AR, reduced cisplatin-mediated lipid peroxidation, which was reversed after blockade of the A1AR. These data suggest that ROS can increase the expression of the A1AR by activating NF kappa B regulatory site(s) on this gene and thereby enhance the cytoprotective role of adenosine.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Cell behavior and cell-matrix interactions of human palmar aponeurotic cells in vitro.

The present investigation has been performed to better characterize, in vitro, normal aponeurotic cells in comparison with dermal fibroblasts and with cells derived from Dupuytren's affected aponeuroses. Cells were cultured in monolayer and/or into three-dimensional collagen gels. Cell structure, adhesion, and spreading capability on different substrates, as well as integrin expression were investigated by light and electron microscopy and by flow cytometry. Cell-matrix interactions were also analyzed by gel retraction experiments in the presence, or absence, of RGD peptides and anti-integrin antibodies. Normal aponeurotic cells, compared with dermal fibroblasts, exhibited in vitro peculiar structural features, which were substantially maintained in Dupuytren's aponeurotic cells, irrespective of the substrate they were grown on. By contrast, the aponeurotic cell behavior was different in normal and diseased cells, these latter approaching that of dermal fibroblasts. Normal aponeurotic cells, in fact, were characterized by low efficiency in retracting the collagen gel, low alpha 2, alpha 1, and alpha 5 integrin subunit expression and low adhesion properties onto collagen and fibronectin, whereas cells isolated from the aponeuroses of Dupuytren's patients exhibited higher capability of retracting the collagen gel, increased adhesion properties toward collagen and fibronectin, and higher levels of integrin expression. No differences were observed between dermal fibroblasts from Dupuytren's patients or from normal subjects. These in vitro results are consistent with those previously obtained in situ, suggesting that palmar aponeurotic cells have a peculiar phenotype and that changes in cell-matrix interactions occur in Dupuytren's contracture. Moreover, by comparing data obtained from the retracted fibrotic cords and the still clinically unaffected aponeuroses of the same patients, it may be noted that Dupuytren's disease is not only confined to the clinically involved branches, but includes the whole aponeurosis of the affected hand.

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMed1997

[An experimental study of a cyanoacrylate biological adhesive in view of its use in the fixation of various fractures of the fingers].

Following certain interesting results reported in publications by researchers from the nineteen-sixties up to the present time, we decided to experiment a particular adhesive with high adhesive properties: this is composed of monomers of alpha-cyanoacrylate éthyl-2-alpha-cyanoacrylate. For this end, experiments were performed on 15 adult chickens, aged around 4 months, weighing 2 kg, divided into 5 groups of 3 chickens each. In each chicken, a rectangular bone fragment from the proximal-middle third of the tibia was prepared, completely separated, and then subsequently re-positioned and fixed with the adhesive plus collagen. At pre-established intervals (7, 14, 21, 30 and 60 days), each group of chickens was examined by x-rays and then killed, so that the particular anatomical part under examination could be studied both microscopically and macroscopically. The aim of these experiments was to evaluate the ability of cyanoacrylate adhesive to ensure setting of small bone-fragments that would otherwise be unstable. The results obtained showed the following: good stability of the bone fragment; good bone consolidation; absence of foreign body reactions. The positive nature of these results leads us to propose the use of this adhesive in hand surgery. Nevertheless, duty requires that further experiments be performed in order to acquire even greater guarantees for the positive results obtained.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Osteosarcoma of the scaphoid. A case report and review of the literature.

We describe a case of osteosarcoma of the scaphoid bone, which to our knowledge is only the second reported case of osteosarcoma in the carpus. A 38-year-old man complained of intense pain in the right wrist and had curettage and a bone graft for a lesion in the scaphoid. Histological examination showed this to be an osteosarcoma. Below-elbow amputation was performed and adjuvant chemotherapy given. There has been no evidence of recurrence or metastases at 33 months after amputation.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Acute posterior interosseous nerve palsy caused by a synovial haemangioma of the elbow joint.

A case is described of spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve palsy of acute onset. The initial symptoms made it difficult to distinguish the condition from tendon rupture. The diagnosis was established using ultrasound, nerve conduction studies and MRI. The patient underwent surgery to decompress the posterior interosseous nerve and the histological examination identified the tumour as a synovial haemangioma. 12 months after the operation, the patient had made a complete recovery, confirmed by EMG.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1995

[A reverse vascular autograft finger island flap. A review of 15 cases and of the literature].

The authors discuss the indications for homodigital island flap with a reverse vascular pedicle. This flap is based on the anastomoses between the radial and ulnar digital arteries. These anastomotic branches lie between the posterior wall of the tendon sheath and the periosteum to form an arch and are named the "digitopalmar arches". The vascularization of the reverse homodigital island flap is derived by using the middle transverse palmar arch. This flap was performed successfully in 14 patients involving 15 fingers to resurface amputation of the distal phalanx. In 6 cases the flap was used as an "artery" flap, and in 9 cases as a "sensitive" homodigital island flap. The pedicle in these cases was neurovascular also containing the digital nerve. The sensitivity of the flap was obtained by neurorraphy between the transposed digital nerve of the flap and the receiving digital nerve of the recipient finger. This technique achieves cover of the tactile pad in one operative stage and provides well vascularized skin allowing early mobilization. Sensation of the flap can be restored rapidly when neurorraphy of the transposed digital nerve is performed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

An AP1 binding site upstream of the kappa immunoglobulin intron enhancer binds inducible factors and contributes to expression.

Expression of the kappa immunoglobulin light chain gene requires developmental- and tissue-specific regulation by trans-acting factors which interact with two distinct enhancer elements. A new protein-DNA interaction has been identified upstream of the intron enhancer, within the matrix-associated region of the J-C intron. The binding activity is greatly inducible in pre-B cells by bacterial lipopolysaccharide and interleukin-1 but specific complexes are found at all stages of B cell development tested. The footprinted binding site is homologous to the consensus AP1 motif. The protein components of this complex are specifically competed by an AP1 consensus motif and were shown by supershift to include c-Jun and c-Fos, suggesting that this binding site is an AP1 motif and that the Jun and Fos families of transcription factors play a role in the regulation of the kappa light chain gene. Mutation of the AP1 motif in the context of the intron enhancer was shown to decrease enhancer-mediated activation of the promoter in both pre-B cells induced with LPS and constitutive expression in mature B cells.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical study on normal human palmar aponeuroses.

BACKGROUND: Human palmar aponeurosis can be affected by a fibrotic process whose aetiopathology is unknown. As the organization of that normal tissue has not been completely investigated, the aim of the present study was to define the ultrastructure of the aponeurosis in order to better understand its biology and behaviour in pathology. METHODS: Bioptic samples from normal subjects of different ages were analysed by optical and electron microscopy and by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: The aponeurotic branches consisted of thick, almost parallel collagen bundles containing columns of prominent cells, characterized by long cytoplasmic projections. Cells did not change in number and distribution with age and appeared longer and slighter in the old than in the young subjects. They exhibited plasma membrane almost completely decorated by pinocytic vesicles, intracytoplasmic bundles of thin filaments with zonal thickenings close to the cell membrane, and well-developed subcellular structures. Cells expressed smooth muscle cell alpha-actin, as revealed by immunostaining. The external surface of the plasma membrane was underlined by a discontinuous basement membrane-like structure and by a thick coat of interwoven filaments, highly positive to hyaluronan-recognizing antibodies. Immunocytochemical analyses revealed that collagen fibrils were positive for collagen types I, III, and VI and that elastin fiber composition was rather complex. CONCLUSIONS: Independently of the age, normal palmar aponeurotic cells show peculiar morphological features and peculiar cell-matrix interactions, very likely mediated by hyaluronan. These findings indicate that normal aponeurotic cells cannot be regarded as typical tenocytes and suggest the need for a better definition of their phenotype in order to understand their behaviour in pathological processes.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Massive perirenal and intra-abdominal bleeding after shock-wave lithotripsy: case report.

Complications of extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy are rare, with an incidence of symptomatic perinephric hematoma ranging from 0.2% to 0.66%. A 59-year-old man had massive symptomatic retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal bleeding 24 hours after lithotripsy. The hemorrhage was managed successfully by conservative measures, which consisted of packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma. The literature on the bleeding complications of lithotripsy is reviewed and the risk factors are identified.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1993

A clinical, ultrastructural and immunochemical study of Dupuytren's disease.

Aponeurotic tissue from seven normal subjects and from apparently unaffected branches, nodules and cords of 16 Dupuytren's patients were compared. Control tissue was characterized by polymorphous cells, showing cytoplasmic microfilament bundles, numerous pinocytic vesicles, basement membrane-like structures, and a thick coat of interwoven filaments, and by type I- and III-positive heterogeneous collagen fibrils, fibronectin, vitronectin, decorin and proteoglycans. The clinically normal branches consisted of fibroblast-like cells, small type III-highly positive collagen fibrils, fibronectin and proteoglycans. Nodules and fibrotic cords contained fibroblast-like cells, type I and III collagen, fibronectin and proteoglycans. Myofibroblast-like cells in only five out of 16 patients were present. There was no relation between clinical stage and structural alterations; the whole aponeurosis always seemed to be involved; cord retraction would seem to depend on the interactions among fibroblast-like cells and matrix components and among matrix macromolecules themselves.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

[Correlation between Dupuytren's disease and arcus senilis: is dyslipidemia a common etiopathological factor?].

Because of the frequent presence of corneal arcus senilis in patients affected by Dupuytren's disease in order to evaluate this association, the authors conducted a biomicroscopic examination of the cornea in 336 patients treated surgically for Dupuytren's disease, at the Hand Surgery Unit of the University of Modena from November 1985 to December 1989. They observed corneal arcus senilis in 259 patients, i.e. in 77.1% of patients with Dupuytren's disease. Due to the statistically significant correlation between arcus senilis and hyperlipidemia as reported by Tschetter (1980) and Felder (1981), the Authors collected a blood sample from all 336 patients to evaluate serum cholesterol and tryglicerides. This study revealed a dyslipidemia in 54.8% of patients with Dupuytren's disease and in 60.2% of patients suffering from both Dupuytren's disease and arcus senilis. Because of the high frequency of dislipidemia in patients with Dupuytren's disease and arcus senilis, which are apparently two well-distinguished disease, the authors suggest that a lipid disorder may be a common aetiopathogenic factor. In particular, in favour of the possible role of hyperlipidemia in Dupuytren's disease, Electron Microscope Studies revealed lipid inclusions within fibroblasts and in the extracellular connective tissue of all pathologic palmar aponeurosis from 11 patients with Dupuytren's disease: these lipid inclusions were never seen in the normal aponeurosis taken from 5 control patients treated for traumatic palmar injuries.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Transcellular activation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat in cocultured lymphocytes.

One of the unexplained aspects of the progression of AIDS is that immunological abnormalities are detectable before CD4+ T-helper cell depletion occurs (A.R. Gruters, F.G. Terpstra, R. De Jong, C.J.M. Van Noesel, R.A.W. Van Lier, and F. Miedema, Eur. J. Immunol. 20:1039-1044, 1990; F. Miedema, A.J. Chantal-Petit, F.G. Terpstra, J.K.M.E. Schattenkerk, F. de Wolf, B.J.M. Al, M. Roos, J.M.A. Lang, S.A. Danner, J. Goudsmit, and P.T.A. Schellekens, J. Clin. Invest. 82:1908-1914, 1988; G.M. Shearer, D.C. Bernstein, K.S. Tung, C.S. Via, R. Redfield, S.Z. Salahuddin, and R.C. Gallo, J. Immunol. 137:2514-2521, 1986). In this report, we describe a mechanism by which human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected cells can influence neighboring HIV-1-infected T lymphocytes and uninfected T cells as well. We have examined the interaction of T-cell and macrophage cell lines that are transfected with HIV-1 DNA by using cocultured lymphocytes. The HIV-1 constructs we used lack a functional pol gene and therefore do not produce infectious virus. Cocultivation results in the transcellular activation of the HIV long terminal repeat in the cocultured T cells. This transcellular activation is evident in as little as 3 h of cocultivation, at ratios of HIV-expressing cells to target cells as low as 1:1,000, and is dependent on the Tat-responsive element. The demonstration that a small number of HIV-expressing cells can affect a large number of uninfected bystander cells in a short period of time suggests a mechanism by which global immune dysfunction can precede the high prevalence of infected cells.

Cell Line↗