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Biomedical subjects

C Di Giulio

Publications and source records attributed to C Di Giulio.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Carotid chemoreceptor response to natural stimuli in the newborn kitten.

The activities of carotid chemoreceptors at three levels of inspired PO2 (55, 145 and 690 Torr) and at two levels of inspired PCO2 (35 and 70 Torr in O2) were studied in 28 anesthetized, mechanically ventilated kittens aged 0-17 days. A biphasic response to hypoxia was found in 46% of them: the chemosensory activity increased to a peak within 30 sec after the initial response to hypoxia and thereafter declined slowly to a stable value. The steady-state single-fiber chemosensory activity at an inspired PO2 of 55 Torr was significantly lower in kittens less than 10 days old (mean +/- SE: 5.8 +/- 0.6 impulses.sec-1) than in the older ones (8.8 +/- 1.3 impulses.sec-1, P less than 0.03). The response curves to arterial PO2 were hyperbolic in both groups but the curve for the younger kittens was displaced to the left of the curve for the older ones. The response to hypercapnia was a progressive increase in chemosensory activity with little evidence of rapid or slow adaptation. The response to hypercapnia was significantly stronger in the older kittens than in the young ones. It is concluded that, in the kitten, the carotid chemoreceptor response to hypoxia may be biphasic. The responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia are already developed but are weak at birth and continue to develop further during the first weeks of postnatal life.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Chronic cobalt causes hypertrophy of glomus cells in the rat carotid body.

We tested the hypothesis that chronic cobalt administration would induce carotid body cellular response along with polycythemia as found in chronic hypoxia if common oxygen-sensitive mechanisms were involved in the two instances. Morphometric studies were performed on carotid bodies in male rats that were chronically treated with cobalt chloride (0.17 mumol/kg, ip, daily for 6 wk) and in control rats that received blank saline injections. The rats were anesthetized, blood samples were collected for hematocrit, and the carotid bodies were surgically exposed and were perfused and superfused with the buffered fixative (3% glutaraldehyde plus 1% paraformaldehyde, pH 7.40, 330-340 mosM). The carotid bodies were processed, and ultrathin sections were cut for electron microscopy and morphometry of type I (glomus) and type II cells. Hematocrit increased from 44% in the control to 74% in the cobalt-treated rats, and the mean volume of type I cells increased from 424 to 1,061 microns 3. Type II cells did not show any significant change in size. The results suggest that cobalt stimulated oxygen-sensitive mechanism in the glomus cells of the carotid body and that the glomus cell is a site of oxygen chemosensing.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Cobalt stimulates carotid body chemoreceptors.

Because cobalt administration is known to elicit erythropoietin response, it is a reasonable hypothesis that cobalt would also stimulate the O2-sensing process in the peripheral chemoreceptors. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the effects of cobalt chloride on carotid chemosensory fibers in pentobarbital-anesthetized cats that were paralyzed and artificially ventilated. Responses of carotid chemoreceptor afferents to graded doses of cobalt given by intra-arterial injections (0.08-2.10 mumols) were measured at constant blood gases. Responses of the same chemoreceptor afferents to hypoxia, before and after a saturation dose of cobalt, were measured. In two experiments carotid body tissue PO2 was also simultaneously measured. The chemosensory fibers showed prolonged excitation after a brief period of inhibition subsequent to cobalt administration. The stimulatory effect showed a dose-dependent saturation response. Cobalt augmented rather than blocked carotid chemoreceptor response to hypoxia. The effect of cobalt was not mediated by tissue PO2. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that cobalt stimulates the O2-sensing mechanism, although a direct effect of cobalt on the excitability of the chemosensory terminal remains a possibility.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Soluble interleukin-2 receptor in vitro production by mononuclear cells from Hodgkin patients.

Lymphocytes of patients with Hodgkin's disease have a deficient production of Interleukin-2. Recently, a soluble form of the receptor for IL-2 has been demonstrated in human sera and in vitro-stimulated culture supernatants from human T lymphocytes. In the present paper we report the production of soluble IL-2R from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in H.D. The unstimulated MNC of patients released more sIL-2R than controls. No difference was observed between PHA-stimulated MNC of patients and controls. These preliminary findings suggest that soluble IL-2R may be provide a new tool for the study of immunological dysregulation in H.D.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Sympathetic peripheral chemoreflex is independent of expiratory output neurons in the cat.

Previously we reported that activities of certain chemoreflex sensitive cervical preganglionic sympathetic nerves (PSN) were augmented by carotid chemoreceptor stimulation independently of phrenic nerve (PN) activity in the cat. To test the hypothesis that the PSN carotid chemoreflex could have been mediated by the expiratory neuron activity, we studied the relationship between PSN, internal intercostal expiratory nerve (IICEN) and PN activities in vagotomized, anesthetized, paralysed and artificially ventilated cats. We made the following observations. (1) Hypoxia often inhibited IICEN activity while the PN and PSN activities were stimulated. (2) during normoxia, cyanide strongly stimulated PN and PSN discharges but only moderately IICEN discharges. (3) Hyperventilation hypocapnia suppressed or eliminated PSN and PN rhythms and activities, but made some IICEN fibers fire continuously. (4) During hypocapnic apnea, cyanide stimulated PSN activity before PN and IICEN activities, although some PSN fibers were stimulated simultaneously with PN fibers. Accordingly we conclude that IICEN activity does not significantly influence chemoreflex stimulation of PSN activity and that a direct chemoreflex stimulation of IICEN is minimal in the cat. Thus, the chemoreflex PSN response is in part independent of respiratory chemoreflex pathways.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1989

Stimulus interaction between CO2 and almitrine in the cat carotid chemoreceptors.

The hypothesis that augmentation of the carotid chemoreceptor response to hypoxia by almitrine is due in part to an increased response to CO2 was tested by using single or few fiber preparation of carotid body chemosensory fibers in 12 cats anesthetized with alpha-chloralose. To differentiate between the plausible mechanisms of effects, we also tested the responsiveness of the afferents to cyanide and nicotine before and after almitrine. After a saturation dose of almitrine (1 mg.kg-1 followed by 0.5 mg.kg-1.h-1) the chemosensory responses to CO2 strikingly increased even during hyperoxia: the afferents showing an increased transient peak activity at the onset of hypercapnia, an augmented steady-state response to CO2 stimulus, and a decreased arterial PCO2 stimulus threshold. Thus, the effect of almitrine on carotid chemoreceptor response to hypoxia could be explained, at least in part, by its multiplicative stimulus interaction with CO2. After almitrine, the chemoreceptor response to cyanide, which is dependent on arterial PO2, was not particularly augmented relative to those of nicotine. Accordingly, the O2-sensing mechanism does not appear to be the primary site of almitrine effect. The results also indicate that the site of CO2 chemoreception resides downstream from those of hypoxia.

Almitrine↗
PubMed1984

[Computerized system for the acquisition and analysis of bioelectric waves].

With collaboration of medicals, electronics and informatics; we have evaluated a method destined to be a potent instrument for the analysis and store of bioelectrical signal. The signal can be taken directly from the subjects or from a tape recorder; we can call again stored for evaluating the gradient grade, the integral and other mathematical evaluations of traits of a curves; in example EEG, EOG, PEV, etc.

Computers↗