PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

B Tartaglino

Publications and source records attributed to B Tartaglino.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Propafenone-induced liver injury: report of a case and review of the literature.

A case of an acute cholestatic syndrome associated with use of the antiarrhythmic drug propafenone is reported here. The close time relationship between the administration of the drug and the acute onset of the liver damage, the histological findings, and the reappearance of biochemical signs of liver dysfunction upon rechallenge with the same medication strongly suggest that propafenone was involved in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Although rare, hepatotoxicity from this widely used antiarrhythmic medication should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of sudden cholestatic syndrome of obscure origin.

Aged↗

[Verapamil inhibits the in vitro synthesis of DNA. I. Study of human lymphocyte cultures].

Verapamil in vitro reduced 3H-TdR incorporation into lymphocytes. High doses of Verapamil were lethal for cells; low doses inhibit DNA synthesis, but cell viability by the Trypan blue exclusion method is preserved. Increasing the concentration of Ca++ in the medium partially improved lymphocyte viability and 3H-TdR incorporation. Modification of the Na+ and K+ content in the medium did not interfere with Verapamil action. The inhibitory action was not completely reversible even when the cells were exposed to the drug for a short time (15'). Our results confirm the dependency of lymphocyte blast transformation on Ca++ during the first 20 h. Nifedipine did not inhibit cell replication, which suggests a different mechanism of action. Our investigation suggests that there is more than one model for calcium-antagonism and that the action of Verapamil can not be explained only by its influence on transmembrane Ca++ flux. We believe that Verapamil has a negative action on cell metabolism directly through an interaction on transmembrane Ca++ flux and on intracellular Ca++.

Calcium↗

[Parameters of cellular immunity in subjects with bronchial squamous cell tumors].

We studied some cell mediated immunologic assay in a normal population and in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the bronchus. In cancer patients lymphocyte mitogen stimulation with PHA and PWM did not show any significant difference from normal population; PPD antigenic stimulation was lower in eight patients of ten. E-total rosette forming cells count was reduced, there was no difference in E-active rosette forming cells. Electrophoretic mobility of lymphocytes showed that a part of lymphocytes have a lower electrophoretic cell migration. Lymphocytes subpopulations isolated by E rosetting technique are different in cancer patients from subpopulations separated by electrophoresis; in controls similar subpopulations were obtained by the two methods. In cancer patients cell mediated immunity shows altered functions which is though not uniformly modified. We think that serum factors and cells with blocking action cause these effects rather than intrinsic changes of lymphocytes.

Bronchial Neoplasms↗

[Lymphocyte immunoreactivity in subjects vaccinated with Calmette-Guerin bacillus (BCG)].

PHA, Pokeweed and PPD lymphocytes transformation in vitro was studied in four groups of people. One group was negative to PPD skin testing; one was positive for a "naturally" acquired infection; the third group were people vaccinated with BCG in the last year; fourth group people vaccinated with BCG within one and five years. Last two groups had generally low or negative reaction to PPD skin test. PPD was used at different concentration, from 0.025 to 35 microgram/ml; maximum stimulation was at 1 microgram/ml. Stimulation index was lower in vaccinated people than in "natural" positive. Lymphocytes of people vaccinated from more than one year showed no difference from PPD negative people. Highly significant difference was observed between these two groups and people "naturally" positive and within one year of vaccination. We discuss our data and interpret the findings as showing that there are less PPD sensitive lymphocytes in patients vaccinated with BCG than in people with a "natural" infection and that this circulating population of lymphocytes disappears or decreases in the years following vaccination.

BCG Vaccine↗

[Behavior of serum alpha 1-antitrypsin in chronic hepatopathies and its diagnostic significance].

The behaviour of alpha 1 antitrypsin in 76 subjects with cirrhosis of the liver, 14 subjects with chronic persistent hepatitis, 14 subjects with chronic active hepatitis, 8 subjects with toxic hepatitis, 5 subjects with obstructive jaundice, 5 subjects with liver carcinoma. 4 of these groups (cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis, obstructive jaundice, hepatoma) showed alpha 1 antitrypsin blood levels significantly higher than the control group (82 healthy subjects). Very high alpha 1 antitrypsin blood levels, significantly greater than in cirrhosis, were found in the patients with hepatoma. All these subjects also showed blood levels of alpha fetoprotein higher than 100 ng/ml. The diagnostic meaning of these finding was considered.

Adult↗

[The action of insulin on human lymphocytes stimulated with mitogens "in vitro". I. Study on normal subjects].

Insulin at 25, 50, 250, 500 and 1000 mcU/ml concentration added to lymphocyte cultures under PHA stimulation increases [3H] Thymidine incorporation. Maximum effect is obtained at 50 mcg/ml of PHA and 250 mcU/ml of insulin after 96 hours of incubation. Insulin stimulates cultures when it is added between the 12th and the 24th hour. Cultures stimulated wih high dose (250 mcg/ml) of PHA do not show any increase in mitosis. Ours and other Authors results seem to show that the mechanism of action of insulin works through specific receptors on lymphocytes. These receptors appear some hours after mitogen stimulation; our results showing maximum effect when insulin is added after 12-24 hours support this hypothesis.

Humans↗

[In vitro lymphocyte immunoreactivity in sarcoidosis patients. Stimulation with Kveim antigens].

12 patients suffering from sarcoidosis have been studied in addition to clinical and bioptic investigations, they were submitted to intradermal reaction with PPD, Candida Albicans and Kveim's antigen. Lymphocytes from the 12 patients were placed in culture and stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), concanavalin A (CON-A), PPD, Candidin and Kveim's antigen. Six patients proved positive to Kveim's antigen in vivo, and four of them (66%) in vitro also. No patient was immunodepressed. Of the 6 patients negative to Kveim's antigen both in vivo and in vitro, 4 were clearly immunodepressed, as shown by the reduced mitogen response, the negative response to antigen stimulation, and to the intradermal reaction. The results are discussed in the light of recent findings regarding the role of the immunocompetent system in sarcoidosis.

Adult↗

[Active E rosette test in the study of PPD hypersensitivity].

In our study we show that pre-incubation of lymphocytes with PPD "in vitro", produces a significant increase in the number of E active rosettes. This increase is only for subjects with cutaneous hypersensitivity to tuberculin. We think this is a specific test and we studied the confidence interval for our results. We discuss the possibility to evaluate the immune-status of a subject, testing his lymphocytes with a panel of antigens. The active E rosette test is simpler, cheaper and easier to perform than other tests to evaluate the cellular immune-status of patients.

Adult↗