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Biomedical subjects

B Porcelli

Publications and source records attributed to B Porcelli.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Pattern of vitamin B12 and folic acid during pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate folate and vitamin B12 serum concentrations and their reciprocal relationships during pregnancy in relation to gestational age and levels of hemoglobin. Serum levels of vitamin B12 (B12) and folic acid (FA) were assessed by RIA in 213 women between the 6th and 43rd week of pregnancy. For 195 of these subjects, hemoglobin and hematocrit values were available. The logarithm (log) of B12 levels was found to be inversely correlated with weeks of pregnancy (R = -0.261; p < 0.001). A decrease in B12 levels occurred before the 27th week and was significant only in the subgroup of patients having hemoglobin levels above 11 g/dl. The log FA concentrations did not show any significant correlation with weeks of pregnancy irrespective of Hb levels. There was also a highly significant correlation between log B12 and log FA after 27 weeks and in the subgroups divided according to Hb levels (< or = and > 11 g/dl). It is therefore concluded that: (1) the demand for vitamin B12 is high in the first 27 weeks of pregnancy due to increasing maternal and embryo-fetal erythropoiesis and in order to sustain normal maternal Hb levels in the last weeks of pregnancy; (2) vitamin B12 might favor the absorption and utilization of FA after 27 weeks of pregnancy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Patient education: renal osteodystrophy and adequacy of dialysis.

At The Kidney Center of Delaware County in Southeastern Pennsylvania, tools were developed that address adequacy of dialysis and renal osteodystrophy. Team members use the tools to provide quality care and education of patients. In this article, the tools, their use, and their benefits, are discussed.

Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder↗
PubMed1993

Nitrogen metabolism during liver regeneration.

Nitrogen metabolism was investigated in regenerating liver-bearing rats through the following parameters: (1) liver aminoacid content, (2) plasma and urinary urea and creatinine, (3) plasma and urinary oxypurines, uric acid and allantoin. Two groups of aminoacids were considered: (1) the essential aminoacids (phenylalanine, tyrosine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, valine, arginine, histidine and methionine); (2) the non-essential aminoacids (aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, glutamine, alanine, glycine, serine, threonine and proline). Some of the first group tended to decrease, and those of the second group to increase, immediately after partial hepatectomy. Few ketogenic aminoacids are probably oxidized to provide energy. The flux of aminoacids for gluconeogenesis is minutely controlled, therefore, those of the second group being spared at first and set aside for protein synthesis, which increases on the second and third days after partial hepatectomy. Plasma and urinary urea, oxypurines, uric acid and allantoin did not show any significant variations after partial hepatectomy. The conclusion emerging from the present research is that, although variations in aminoacid composition and metabolism and in purine nucleotide metabolism have been demonstrated to occur in the regenerating liver, the overall nitrogen catabolism, as reflected by the principal end products, does not undergo substantial variations. The remaining liver is able to fulfil this function.

Allantoin↗
PubMed1993

Effects of testosterone on cholesterol levels and fatty acid composition in the rat.

The effects of testosterone treatment on cholesterol levels and its fatty acid components were studied in adult rats. Cholesterol levels increased both in the liver and in the serum of castrated rats. Androgen administration restored the normal values only in the serum. A general decrease in unsaturated and essential fatty acids in cholesterol esters was evident after testosterone administration. In the liver, only the C16:O/C16:1 ratio clearly increased after testosterone administration, which inhibited the delta 9 unsaturation of palmitic acid, but not of stearic acid. In the serum the C16:O/C16:1, C18:O/C18:1, and C18:2/C2O:4 ratios decreased after castration and were restored by testosterone. The results indicate a clear inhibition of delta 9 unsaturation of palmitic and stearic acids, of delta 5 unsaturation and elongation in organs other than the liver. No effect was evident on delta 6 unsaturation. This suggests that fatty acid unsaturations are regulated differently by testosterone in different tissues. For delta 9 unsaturation in the liver, the effect also seems to be substrate-dependent.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1993

Erythropoietin and transferrin concentrations during pregnancy in relation to hemoglobin levels.

Serum levels of erythropoietin (EPO) were assayed by ELISA at the same time as red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), serum iron and transferrin in 136 pregnant women, divided on the basis of hemoglobin values (> or < or = 10.5 g/dl) and weeks of pregnancy (< or > or = 27th week). In the overall population, a parallel increase with weeks of pregnancy was shown by serum concentrations of EPO expressed as a logarithm (multiple R = 0.367, P < 0.0001), and transferrin levels (multiple R = 0.529, P < 0.0001). It was found that EPO levels did not differ significantly between anemic and non-anemic patients before the 27th week, but the difference became highly significant (P < 0.01) after the 27th week in favour of anemic patients. Before the 27th week, the correlations between log EPO and RBC, Hct, Hb and iron were not significant, whereas the correlation between log EPO and transferrin was significant (P < 0.01); after the 27th week, the correlations and significance of the regression found were: log EPO vs Hb (Pearson coefficient = -0.384; P < 0.001), vs Hct (Pearson coefficient = -0.370; P < 0.01), vs transferrin (Pearson coefficient = 0.392; P < 0.0001), vs iron (Pearson coefficient = -0.274, P < 0.05). In the population divided according to Hb levels, the correlation was positive and significant in both groups between log EPO and transferrin (Hb > 10.5 g/dl: Pearson coefficient = 0.524, P < 0.0001; Hb < or = 10.5: Pearson coefficient = 0.614, P < 0.0001), but was inverse and significant only in the group with Hb < or = 10.5 g/dl between log EPO and serum iron (Pearson coefficient = -0.481, P < 0.01). The variations in EPO were related to Hb levels after the 27th week of pregnancy and were closely correlated with transferrin over the whole period. The physiological mechanism of these changes is discussed.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed1993

The significance of the relationship between serum levels of cobalamin and MCHC during pregnancy.

Cobalamin concentration and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were found to have highly significant inverse correlation with the weeks of pregnancy (respectively -.278 P < .0001 and .342 P < .00001) in 205 pregnant women. Among all haematometric parameters cobalamin concentrations during pregnancy only correlates with MCHC (P < .01). This datum seems to indicate an influence of B12 on erythropoiesis which adequate the concentration of haemoglobin to circulatory modifications of pregnant women.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effects of testosterone on triglyceride levels and fatty acid composition in the liver and serum of the rat.

Triacyglycerol content and fatty acid composition has been determined in the liver and in the serum of normal, castrated and testosterone-treated rats. Most variations were found in UNS/SAT ratio, which were referred to an action of the hormone on the delta 5-delta 6-delta 9 desaturases. Results concerning the behaviour of delta 9 desaturase suggest that either different isoenzymes are involved or that a single enzyme undergoes a different regulation according to the substrate involved.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Levels and variability of purine nucleotides in normal human lymphocytes.

Anion-exchange, high performance liquid chromatography was used to determine purine nucleotides in lymphocytes of healthy males and females of various ages. We observed a considerable dispersion of values which were unrelated to age or sex, possibly linked to various states of activation of circulating lymphocytes and to other unknown factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Some aspects of purine nucleotide metabolism in lymphocytes of B-CLL.

The authors studied the behavior of some enzymes involved in purine nucleotide metabolism in human peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia subjects. Determinations were made with radiochemical methods associated with high performance liquid chromatography. Results indicated a marked increase in de novo purine synthesis enzymes, particularly those of the "inosinic branch point". The latter were absent in normal lymphocytes, whereas they were well evident in leukemic lymphocytes, with the exception of AMP-S synthetase. Whereas the enzymes of the "salvage pathway" were spared in comparison to other proteins, those of the "catabolic pathway" significantly decreased. The authors discuss the possibility that such enzymes may be used as tumor markers.

AMP Deaminase↗