PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C Costagliola

Publications and source records attributed to C Costagliola.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Anemia and chronic renal failure: a therapeutical approach by reduced glutathione parenteral administration.

Authors report on the effect of reduced glutathione parenterally administered on the anemic status in patients suffering from chronic renal failure and undergoing hemodialysis. Twenty patients were studied for 180 days and were divided into two age- and sex-matched groups. The first group (10 patients) received placebo, the second group (10 patients) received the treatment (1,200 mg of reduced glutathione). Reduced glutathione and placebo were given for 120 days in a randomized double-blind fashion and the following measurements were performed: red blood cells reduced and oxidized glutathione, plasma reduced and oxidized glutathione, hematocrit, hemoglobin, reticulocytes, serum iron, transferrin, indirect bilirubin, urea, creatinine, calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase. In the treated group, during the supplementation period, there was an increase in the levels of red blood cells and plasma reduced glutathione, hematocrit and hemoglobin and a concomitant decrease in plasma oxidized glutathione and reticulocytes with a maximum effect on the 120th day of therapy. In the placebo-treated group there were no significant variations of the parameters considered during the study period. When the therapy, on patients undergoing treatment, was terminated there was a drop in the analyzed parameters, which fell to pretreatment values at the subsequent controls. These findings seem to indicate that reduced glutathione could represent a useful drug in the treatment and management of anemia in patients affected by chronic renal failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Hyperprolactinemia and lens opacities.

We report the presence of lens opacities in patients with prolactin-secreting microadenomas of the pituitary gland. The occurrence of lens opacities was related to prolactin serum levels and appeared only in women. The mechanism by which prolactin induces cataract is not known, although this hormone could affect the lens's permeability to ions, water, sugars, and amino acids. Moreover, the lens opacities found in women but not in men seem to indicate synergism with estrogens.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Effect of oral ketanserin administration on intraocular pressure in glaucomatous patients.

We evaluated the effect of the antihypertensive drug ketanserin, a 5-HT antagonist, on intraocular pressure (IOP) in 20 patients with ocular hypertension. IOP, pupil diameter, systolic arterial pressure (SBP), diastolic arterial pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at baseline and at 1-hr intervals for 3 hr after oral administration of 20 mg ketanserin or placebo, given in a randomized, double masked, cross-over fashion. The alternative treatment was given a week later. In all patients, ketanserin significantly lowered IOP and SBP, while no variations in pupil diameter, DBP and HR were found. Moreover, after drug administration, total outflow facility, measured by conventional tonography, increased significantly. These findings indicate that oral ketanserin could represent a new antiglaucomatous drug.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1991

Ocular findings in X-linked ichthyosis: a survey on 38 cases.

The authors report on the occurrence of ocular abnormalities in X-linked ichthyosis (XLI) patients, in their carrier mothers and in healthy volunteers who served as controls. The diagnosis of XLI was based on: (1) demonstration of steroid sulfatase deficiency in cultured skin fibroblasts; (2) lack of hybridization of patient's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with specific steroid sulfatase complementary DNA probe; (3) electrophoretic mobility of plasma lipoproteins. Cholesterol sulfate plasma levels were also determined. The incidence of corneal opacities was the same in XLI patients and in their carrier mothers (23.7 and 24.3%, respectively). Neither other corneal nor ophthalmological alterations were found. Moreover, in XLI patients the plasma levels of cholesterol sulfate were about twenty times higher than in controls. Our findings demonstrate that ocular changes do not seem to be an absolute criterion for a definite diagnosis of XLI and the fact that the pathogenesis of corneal opacities is not due to an accumulation of cholesterol sulfate, but rather that this compound probably induces physicochemical changes of the corneal tissue properties.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Cataract risk factors: blood level of antioxidative vitamins, reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde in cataractous patients.

Since many years experimental evidences have suggested an association between nutrition and lens opacities. A dietary deficiency of antioxidants and reactive oxygen scavengers may be involved in the pathogenesis of the "idiopathic" human senile cataract, as it has been demonstrated in some experimental cataracts. We tested the levels of ascorbic acid (vit. C), alpha-tocopherol (vit. E), reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the plasma or in the red blood cells (RBC) of 42 patients who were affected by surgically significant cataract and of 40 age-matched controls. Plasma vit. C mean level was 4.46 gamma/ml in cataracts and 4.62 gamma/ml in controls, while vit. E level was 7.70 and 7.09 gamma/ml respectively. RBC GSH was found to be 342 gamma/ml in cataracts and 346 in controls, while the MDA content was 4.06 picoMol/ml and 4.08 picoMol/ml respectively. The level of each tested nutrient or metabolite was not found to be statistically different between cataractous patients and controls, nor any significant trend was found to be present when the nutrients and metabolites were correlated to each other. Our results do not support the hypothesis of a nutritional deficiency in human senile cataracts. However, a defect in the antioxidative metabolism pathways could be present either systemically or at lens level.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1991

The Takagi Automatic Tangent Screen ATS-85 analyzer for the detection of glaucomatous patients.

The effectiveness of a new visual field analyzer, the Takagi Automatic Tangent Screen ATS-85, in detecting glaucomatous patients was studied. The study population consisted of three groups of subjects: normal healthy volunteers, glaucomatous patients with defective visual fields, and glaucomatous patients with early visual-field defects. Our results indicated that the screening program of the ATS-85 could be a useful instrument particularly for epidemiologic investigations.

Glaucoma↗
PubMed1991

The influence of hemodialysis on intraocular pressure: III. Aqueous humor dynamics and tissue hydration.

Intraocular pressure, aqueous flow, outflow facility, outflow resistance, and both corneal and lens thickness were measured in patients receiving regular hemodialysis three times a week to test for induced variations of these parameters. No statistically significant differences occurred in any of the measurements taken. This study confirms that patients undergoing hemodialysis are not susceptible to glaucomatous disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effects of ketanserin on intraocular pressure.

There is evidence that some antihypertensive drugs, such as beta blockers, are effective in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) and are commonly used in the medical treatment of glaucoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the anti-serotonergic agent ketanserin, which has associated alpha 1-blocking properties, on IOP in normotensive and hypertensive eyes. The first part of the study was performed in six arterial hypertensive patients (mean +/- SD blood pressure 156/102 +/- 10/6 mmHg) with a pretreatment IOP in the normal range (15.7 +/- 1 mmHg). Both blood pressure and IOP were measured at baseline and at 1 hour intervals up to 3 hours following the oral administration of ketanserin 20 mg or placebo, given in a randomized manner. Three hours after ketanserin treatment, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures dropped by 10/5 mmHg and mean IOP was reduced by 2.7 mmHg; after placebo, no change was observed in these variables. Thereafter, four normotensive patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma (IOP = 22.8 mmHg) were given 20 mg ketanserin orally. Three hours after administration, a 22% reduction in mean IOP occurred (-5.8 mmHg), with a concomitant reduction in mean systolic blood pressure of 13.0 mmHg. These results indicate that ketanserin treatment reduces IOP and systemic blood pressure. Further, long-term studies are needed in order to confirm the efficacy of ketanserin in the medical treatment of ocular hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Systemic human diseases as oxidative risk factors in cataractogenesis. II. Chronic renal failure.

In this study we have investigated the oxidative metabolism of red cells (RBC), plasma, serum and aqueous humour of healthy subjects and of age-matched cataractous patients with and without chronic renal failure (CRF). Reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in RBC were lower in CRF patients than in the other groups. Oxidized glutathione (GSSG) plasma levels in CRF patients were higher than those of controls and cataractous subjects. The activity of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in RBC was significantly reduced in CRF patients with respect to the other two groups. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in RBC and in lens were about twice in CRF patients compared with the other two groups. The plasma levels of vitamin E were diminished in CRF patients; on the contrary, the biological liquid oxidant activity (BLOA) of serum in CRF patients was significantly higher than in controls and in cataractous patients without CRF. Cataractous patients with and without CRF showed similar levels of GSH in aqueous humour; on the contrary, the content of GSSG was significantly higher in CRF patients. Our findings seem to demonstrate that CRF patients are exposed to oxidative stresses that could probably act synergistically with uraemia and carbamylation of lens proteins. This synergism could explain why CRF represents a relatively high risk factor for cataract.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Intraocular pressure in a healthy population: a survey of 751 subjects.

Intraocular pressure (IOP) in a healthy population residing in the urban area of Naples, Italy was measured. The IOP was recorded in the early morning. A total of 751 subjects (367 men and 384 women) (1502 eyes) was examined twice on two different days using a Goldmann tonometer mounted on a Haag-Streit slitlamp. Age ranged from 6 to 89 years. We found a slight and not significant IOP increase with age and that the age-related IOP increase was more evident in women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Quantification and measurement of human lens opacities using the lens opacity meter.

Lens opacity was quantified in 85 cataractous patients, using a new instrument: the lens opacity meter 701 (LOM; Interzeag, Schlieren, Switzerland). Cataracts were classified as nuclear, cortical, subcapsular and mixed forms. Sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the results were evaluated by statistical analysis. Visual acuity was correlated with LOM values in patients with nuclear and mixed cataracts. Moreover, the instrument gave a good degree of reproducibility only in patients who presented these forms of lens opacities. Our findings demonstrate that the LOM 701 is able to detect and to measure only lens opacities which affect the central area of the lens.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Influence of lens opacities on visual field indices.

This report presents the results of a study designed to verify the influence of lens opacities on the visual field indices. Four age-matched groups of subjects were considered: healthy volunteers, glaucomatous patients without lens opacities, cataractous patients without glaucoma and glaucomatous patients with lens opacities. The quantification of lens opacities was performed with the Lens Opacity Meter 701 instrument. The visual field indices were obtained automatically from the G1 program of the Octopus system. The statistical analysis of the results (coefficient of correlation) has shown that only the visual field indices that correspond to uniform and diffuse loss of light sensitivity were influenced by the presence of cataract. On the contrary, the visual field indices that indicate local irregularities of the threshold were not significantly influenced by the presence of lens opacities.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Oxidative state of glutathione in red blood cells and plasma of diabetic patients: in vivo and in vitro study.

The oxidative state of glutathione in red blood cells (RBC) and plasma of diabetic patients and of age-matched volunteers has been studied. Oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels in plasma from diabetic subjects were higher than those from controls (17.2 +/- 2.5 and 3.3 +/- 0.4 micrograms/ml, respectively). This phenomenon was evident also in in vitro experiments: incubated RBC from diabetic patients released very high amounts of GSSG in medium. Thus, erythrocytes are responsible for the enhanced amounts of GSSG found in plasma from diabetic patients. The fall in the conversion of GSSG to reduced glutathione in RBC could be due to a reduced activity of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) enzyme which has been observed in diabetic patients. In this way, G6PDH supplies reduced amounts of NADPH to the glutathione reductase enzyme affecting the integrity of the glutathione system; on the other hand, the activation by glucose of the polyol pathway also reduces the levels of NADPH for the glutathione reductase enzyme.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Red cell reduced glutathione and tobacco smoke-induced optic neuropathy.

Cigarette smoke contains detectable amounts of cyanide, regardless of the type of cigarette. The very high levels of this compound in plasma of amblyopic smokers suggests that cyanide causes optic neuropathy. The detoxification of cyanide in man occurs through various metabolic pathway; the most important are those that use sulfur to transform cyanide into thiocyanate. One of the richest sources of reduced sulfhydryl groups is reduced glutathione (GSH). For this reason we investigated red cell GSH levels in non-smokers, in healthy smokers and in smokers affected by optic neuropathy to ascertain whether this compound is a marker of the disease. Red cell GSH levels in the non-smokers group were similar to those of affected smokers. On the contrary, GSH levels in healthy smokers were significantly more elevated. During therapy with vitamin E we noted that the concentration of GSH decreased with the progression of the disease and increased with recovery. Moreover, there was a good correlation between GSH levels and clinical findings. Our findings demonstrate that GSH plays a key role in the detoxification of cyanide and so it could be a marker of tobacco smoke-induced optic neuropathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of vitamin E on the oxidative state of glutathione in plasma.

Reduced and oxidized glutathione levels in red blood cells and plasma from humans were determined after oral vitamin E treatment. The experiments confirmed that vitamin E enhances reduced glutathione levels in red blood cells. Moreover, vitamin E supplement resulted in a significant reduction of the plasma oxidized glutathione content. Thus, it seems that the effect of vitamin E on the reduced glutathione content is not exerted via direct modulation of the glutathione-synthesizing enzymes, but rather by a more general mechanism of preserving reduced glutathione consumption by reducing the burden of the glutathione system.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Anemia and chronic renal failure: the possible role of the oxidative state of glutathione.

The authors have investigated the oxidative state of glutathione in red blood cells (RBC) and plasma from patients affected by chronic renal failure (CRF) and from age-matched healthy subjects. RBC-reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were significantly lower in CRF patients than in healthy subjects. Oxidized glutathione (GSSG) levels in plasma from CRF patients were higher than in plasma from controls. GSSG levels in RBC were similar in both groups. No differences were noted in GSH plasma levels between patients and controls. The GSSG/GSH ratios in RBC were similar in the two groups; on the contrary, the GSSG/GSH ratio in plasma was significantly higher in CRF patients. High levels of GSSG in plasma could exert two important effects on RBC: (1) inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, with a consequent alteration of the glutathione system; (2) GSSG easily reacts with hemoglobin to produce hemoglobin-glutathione mixed disulfides, with a consequent protein aggregation and precipitation. In vitro experiments have shown that RBC from CRF patients easily lyse when incubated with their same plasma, but not when incubated in saline buffer. Our results seem to demonstrate that plasma from CRF patients contains various oxidants which could affect the integrity of the glutathione system in RBC. This alteration could play a role in the pathogenesis of anemia in uremic patients.

Adult↗