PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Coppola

Publications and source records attributed to C Coppola.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

[Determination of anti-core antibodies with the immunoenzymatic method. Comparison with the radioimmunological method].

The authors tested 366 samples for the detection of HBcAb using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmuno assay (RIA). Twenty samples were titered to compare the sensitivity of the two tests. The results showed that the two methods gave very similar results, with only a few doubtful cases for RIA. ELISA seems to be more sensitive than RIA for the titration of the positive samples. The authors conclude that the ELISA method is easier than RIA and does not require any apparatus in particular.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

RNA expression bcl-w, a new related protein Bcl-2 family, and caspase-3 in isolated sertoli cells from pre-pubertal rat testes.

Apoptosis has a major role in molding the embryo, in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, and in the defense against pathogens, while its disgregulation is strongly implicated in cancer as well as in autoimmune and degenerative diseases. The opposite action of anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2 family) and pro-apoptotic proteins (p53, Bax, Bak) regulates the activation of caspases that are the effectors proteases of the cell suicide. Bcl-W is a pro-survival protein, recently discovered, related to the Bcl-2 family. The presence of Bcl-W is fundamental for spermatogenesis in rats. Caspases are cysteine-dependent aspartate-specific proteases, and their over-expression can result in apoptotic cell death. Normally, caspases exist in cells as inactive pro-enzymes and can be activated by 2 distinct mechanisms: the FADD/caspase 8 cascade, and the Apaf-1/caspase 9 cascade. These 2 mechanisms are used extensively by cells for the activation of the effectors caspases: caspase 3, caspase 6, and/or caspase 7. Bcl-W and caspases might have a pivotal role in maintenance of Sertoli cells integrity. In this study, we demonstrate that both Bcl-W mRNA and caspase 3 mRNA are expressed in isolated Sertoli cells of pre-puberal rat testes. This finding might be crucial in clarifying whether Sertoli cells die by an apoptotic mechanism. Further studies are required to understand whether the expression of Bcl-W and caspases is different before and after puberty in rat testis and/or in pathological conditions, that lead to an increased cell apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gene therapy for restenosis after balloon angioplasty and stenting.

Percutaneous coronary revascularization is an increasingly attractive alternative to medical therapy and surgical revascularization for coronary artery disease. The leading drawback of this procedure continues to be restenosis-the process of late arterial renarrowing at the site of initially successful intervention. Restenosis after balloon angioplasty seems to be determined primarily by the direction and magnitude of vessel wall remodeling. In contrast, the major limitation of stent implantation is the initiation of neointimal tissue proliferation within and adjacent to the stent. The goal of this review is to summarize recent laboratory and clinical investigations of the transmission of mitogenic signals from the membrane to the nucleus in smooth muscle cells. The mechanisms responsible for restenosis after balloon angioplasty and stenting and the possibility of transferring specific genes into somatic vascular cells with molecular tools to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation also will be reviewed.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Secretion of cytokines upon allogeneic stimulation: effect of aging.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro mitotic response and cytokine production after allogeneic stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy elderly subjects. Interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma-Interferon (gamma-IFN), and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected in the supernatants of mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). The in vitro proliferative response was significantly reduced in the elderly subjects. The amount of IL-2 detected in the supernatant from cultures of cells from elderly donors was higher than for young controls, as were the production of cytokines predominantly secreted by the macrophage population (IL-1 and TNF-alpha). There was no difference in the production of gamma-IFN by cells of elderly and young subjects.

Adult↗