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Biomedical subjects

A Verrotti

Publications and source records attributed to A Verrotti.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Prediabetes: genetic, immunological and metabolical aspects.

There is mounting evidence from experimental animal diabetes and from human epidemiological studies that a long period of "prediabetes" precedes the clinical onset of type 1 (Insulin Dependent) Diabetes Mellitus. In this review, the authors evaluate the main informations concerning the genetic, immunological and metabolic aspects of this phase of prediabetes and the relationship of prediabetes with the onset of the disease. Prediabetes is a long period; in this period the destruction of beta cells can be caused by many factors and by many pathogenetic mechanisms. Nowadays, we begin to understand some of these mechanisms and the central role of the activation of the immune system; this activation results in various humoral and cellular abnormalities detectable in the prediabetic phase. These abnormalities, together with metabolic ones, have been reported in many studies. Consequently, we have at our disposal some genetic, immunological and metabolical markers which can be useful in the detection of the person at risk of developing diabetes mellitus.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

[Immunologic changes in diabetic ketoacidosis].

We studied 13 children and adolescents during diabetic ketoacidosis; the duration of diabetes ranged from 1.4 to 6.0 years. A group of 13 diabetic sex, age and duration of disease-matched children served as control. Patients in ketoacidosis showed important abnormalities of T subset percentages (OKT3: 63.4 +/- 1.87% vs 72.1 +/- 3.4; p less than 0.001. OKT4: 37.18 +/- 1.85% vs 44.6 +/- 3.9; p less than 0.01. OKT8: 28.5 +/- 6.51% vs 28.1 +/- 1.9; p less than 0.04) and impaired neutrophil chemotaxis (53.10 +/- 3.3 vs 88.1 +/- 7.2; p less than 0.001). The patients showed normal levels of all classes of immunoglobulins. No correlation was observed between these abnormalities and the degree of ketoacidosis or glycaemia. When the patients were re-evaluated out of ketoacidosis, the values of the immunological parameters were normal and similar to those of the control group.

Chemotaxis, Leukocyte↗
PubMed1990

Long-term therapy in childhood asthma: clinical and auxological effects.

The authors studied the effect of different therapeutical regimens on the growth of children suffering from asthma. These patients were subdivided into four groups of ten patients according to their therapeutic regimens: Group A = ketotifene (1 mg, two times/day), Group B = diproprionate beclomethasone + salbuthamol (100 + 200 mcg, 3 times/day), Group C = ketotifene + diproprionate beclomethasone, Group D = disodiumcromoglycate (20 mg, 3 times/day). The patients were followed for at least 1 year. Our study has shown that all the children treated with the four different regimens had a normal growth and growth velocity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Effects of ketoacidosis and puberty on basal and TRH-stimulated thyroid hormones and TSH in children with diabetes mellitus.

Basal and TRH-stimulated thyroid hormones and TSH were evaluated in two groups of prepubertal and pubertal diabetics: group B - 45 children without ketoacidosis; group C - 16 children with ketoacidosis. The diabetic patients showed no signs of diabetic microangiopathy. Fifty-three healthy subjects served as controls (group A). T4, T3, FT4 and FT3 serum levels were reduced in diabetics, particularly in ketotic ones; T4 and T3 values were lower in pubertal than in prepubertal non-ketotic diabetics and in pubertal than in prepubertal controls, while no significant difference was observed between pubertal and prepubertal ketotic patients. Moreover, no difference in rT3 serum concentrations was found between group A, B and C, but non-ketotic and ketotic pubertals showed a significant rT3 reduction if compared with non-ketotic and ketotic prepubertals and with healthy pubertals. TBG was lower in group B and group C diabetics than in controls. After TRH stimulus, T3 levels showed a significant increase both in controls and in non-ketotic diabetics, while no variation was observed in ketotic children; furthermore, at 120 minutes T3 values were lower in diabetic than in healthy children, particularly in ketotic ones. Basal TSH serum concentrations were reduced in ketotic diabetics, while no difference was found between nonketotic and control subjects. After TRH stimulus, TSH peak was higher in pubertal non-ketotic diabetics than in pubertal controls, while no difference was found between prepubertal and pubertal diabetics, both in non-ketotic and in ketotic status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

IgG subclass deficiency and recurrent respiratory infections in children.

The aim of this study was to investigate the humoral immunity of children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. Fifty-seven (17 female, 40 male) children, aged from 1.1 to 12.0 years were evaluated, after 1 month from the last infectious disease. The total number of children with IgG subclasses deficiency was 29/57 with the following IgG deficiency distribution: IgG1 = 2 children, IgG2 = 13 children, IgG3 = 4 children, IgG4 = 25 children. Moreover, 13 children with IgG4 deficiency showed low levels of other (one or more) IgG subclasses. It is probable that these low IgG subclasses levels are an important immunological abnormality of these children.

Child↗
PubMed1989

[Home self-control of child and adolescent diabetics].

The authors report their experience on evaluating metabolic control at home in 63 (36 female, 27 male) diabetic children and adolescents (age: 13.6 +/- 4.6 years; duration of disease: 2 months to 14.8 years). The diabetic children who regularly measured capillary blood glucose 2 or more times for day had a better metabolic control if compared with diabetics who measured glycemia less than 2 times for day and did not measure glycosuria (HbA1c: 8.5 +/- 1.9% vs 9.8 +/- 2.0; p less than 0.01). Our results confirm that home blood glucose monitoring is necessary to improve long-term metabolic control in diabetic children. In 28 of the diabetic who did not practice home diabetes monitoring, a significant improvement of metabolic control was observed after 12 months of home blood urine glucose monitoring (9.9 +/- 8.0 +/- 1.2; p less than 0.001). During pubertal development metabolic control is worse. In fifteen diabetic children followed longitudinally from prepubertal to pubertal period a significant increase of HbA1c values was observed (7.9 +/- 2.0% vs 9.0 +/- 1.8; p less than 0.01).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Low serum C4 concentrations in type-1 diabetes mellitus.

Serum levels of complement factors C3 and C4 were investigated in 64 insulin-dependent diabetic children and 52 healthy controls. The mean value of C4 was significantly lower in diabetic than in control subjects (27.99 +/- 8.01 vs 32.03 +/- 8.91 mg/dl; P less than 0.01). Sixteen out of 64 children had serum C4 levels below the normal range; 6 out of these 11 patients had microalbuminuria. This study demonstrates low serum levels of C4 in insulin-dependent diabetes; this reduction is not related to the duration nor to the degree of metabolic control. There is a high prevalence of microalbuminuria in patients with a low C4 concentration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Long-term study on T lymphocyte subsets in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes mellitus.

T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood from 16 newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic children were studied prospectively at four time intervals: as soon as possible after diagnosis and 1, 4 and 12 months later. T lymphocyte subsets were analysed using monoclonal antibodies and counted by cytofluorimetry. The percentage of T lymphocytes (OKT3+ cells) did not change at the four study times. The percentage of helper/inducer T cells (OKT4+ cells) was high at the diagnosis (43.1 +/- 2.1%), but decreased after 1 and 4 months with no difference in the control values. The percentage of suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes (OKT8+ cells) was low at the diagnosis, but increased after 1 and 4 months. The OKT4/OKT8 ratio was 2.31 +/- 0.22 at the diagnosis study, decreasing to 1.83 after 1 month, compared with 16 sex- and age-matched control children. The high percentage of helper/inducer T lymphocytes and low number of suppressor/cytotoxic T cells at onset of diabetes favour immune reactions that lead to beta-cell damage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Natural killer cell function in atopic dermatitis.

The natural killer cell activity was studied in 41 children with mild, moderate and severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and in 37 controls. The natural killer cell function of lymphocytes was reduced in atopic children (mean +/- SD 21.92 +/- 6.18% vs. 43.87 +/- 5.80%; p less than 0.0001). This decrease was not related to the IgE serum level. A negative correlation was found between natural killer cell activity and the clinical severity of AD (r = 0.73; p less than 0.001). Natural killer cell function was re-evaluated after 9 months in 27 children during a quiescent phase of AD; it was still low, but to a lesser degree (27.66 +/- 5.42%, in the quiescent phase, vs. 43.87 +/- 5.80, controls; p less than 0.0001). The reduced natural killer cell activity seems related to the disease activity.

Child↗
PubMed1987

Humoral and cellular immunity in children with active and quiescent atopic dermatitis.

Serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE), C3, and C4, T lymphocyte subsets, neutrophil chemotaxis and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxic activity were measured in 34 children with atopic dermatitis and 31 healthy controls. Twenty-four patients were re-evaluated when their dermatitis was quiescent. Serum levels of IgG, IgM and IgE were significantly higher in the patients with atopic dermatitis than in the controls, while levels of serum IgA did not differ significantly between the two groups. C3 levels were lower in the patients than in the controls and correlated inversely with clinical disease severity. C4 levels were not significantly altered. Numbers of suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocyte chemotaxis were significantly reduced in the atopic patients. There was a significant inverse correlation between the natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxic activity and the severity and extent of the dermatitis. These results support the hypothesis that atopic dermatitis is connected with a defect in cellular immunity.

Antibody Formation↗