Biomedical subjects

Alessandro Volpe

Publications and source records attributed to Alessandro Volpe.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2004

Long-term evaluation of lung function in patients affected by scleroderma treated with cyclic iloprost infusions.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate pulmonary function in patients suffering from scleroderma treated for 3 years with cyclic iloprost infusions. METHODS: Thirty patients affected by scleroderma (five men and 25 women, mean age 49.3 years, mean disease duration 8 years, 19 with limited and 11 with diffuse disease patterns) were treated for 5 consecutive days every 4 months for 3 years with iloprost. Pulmonary function was evaluated at baseline and after 3 years. At the end of the trial, color Doppler echocardiography was performed in 26 of the patients. RESULTS: Spirometric parameters did not significantly change after 3 years of therapy when expressed as percentage of the predicted normal value. Diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide decreased at the limit of statistical significance. No patients developed clinical pictures suggestive of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, which was confirmed in 26 subjects by evaluation of estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This long-term study showed that lung function remained substantially stable after 3 years of treatment with cyclic iloprost infusions. No cases of severe pulmonary hypertension were observed.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Homocysteine plasma concentration is related to severity of lung impairment in scleroderma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between plasma concentration of total homocysteine and pulmonary involvement in patients with limited or diffuse scleroderma (systemic sclerosis, SSc). METHODS: Seventy-one patients with scleroderma were divided into 3 groups based on pulmonary involvement: Group A comprised patients without lung involvement (9 cases); Group B patients with lung involvement of mild and moderate stages (44 cases); and Group C patients with lung involvement of severe stage and endstage (18 cases). At the time of evaluation of lung involvement all patients underwent determination of plasma homocysteine concentration. Homocysteine concentration was also measured in 30 healthy controls homogeneous for sex and age. RESULTS: In patients with scleroderma the homocysteine concentration was significantly higher than in controls (11.1 and 6.9 micromol/l, respectively; p < 0.001). We found a significant association between plasma homocysteine concentration and severity of lung involvement that was not modified by correction for age, time from the diagnosis, type of scleroderma pattern, and serum creatinine and folate levels. Homocysteine concentration progressively increases in scleroderma patients with more severe pulmonary involvement. Subjects with high homocysteine concentration (i.e., > or = 75th percentile of homocysteine concentration in patients with scleroderma without lung involvement) were mostly present in the group with the greatest lung involvement. CONCLUSION: High level of homocysteinemia is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary disease in patients with scleroderma. We hypothesize that hyperhomocysteinemia may worsen injury of the endothelium, a key lesion in scleroderma disease, favoring the development of lung involvement. Our data support the hypothesis that homocysteine could be involved in the pathogenetic process of scleroderma pulmonary involvement.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Expression of CD154 on renal cell carcinomas and effect on cell proliferation, motility and platelet-activating factor synthesis.

CD40 activation by CD154 may trigger diverse cellular responses, ranging from proliferation and differentiation to growth suppression and cell death, in normal and malignant cells. However, the pathophysiologic role of CD154 expressed by tumor cells remains unclear. We have investigated the expression of the CD40-CD154 system in 24 primary cultures derived from renal cell carcinomas, its correlation with tumor stage and its potential functional significance. We found coexpression of CD40 and CD154 in most of the renal carcinoma cell lines. CD154, but not CD40 expression, significantly correlated with tumor stage. Moreover, renal carcinoma cell lines also released the soluble form of CD154 into the supernatant. CD40 engagement by CD154 did not affect apoptosis or survival. On the contrary, CD154 stimulated cell proliferation, motility and production of PAF, a phospholipid mediator of inflammation with angiogenic properties. Furthermore, the renal carcinoma cell lines expressed PAF-R. Blockade of PAF-R by WEB-2170, a PAF-R antagonist, abolished the CD154-dependent motility, indicating a role for PAF synthesized after CD154 stimulation in renal carcinoma cell motility. In conclusion, this study identifies new functional properties for CD154, which are potentially relevant for the growth and dissemination of renal carcinoma cells.

Apoptosis↗