PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

C Mancini

Publications and source records attributed to C Mancini.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Urinary catecholamines and cortisol in parasuicide.

A relationship of urinary catecholamines and of urinary free cortisol with violent suicide attempts has been reported. We have reexamined this issue in patients within 24 hours of hospital admission. Suicide attempters had significantly higher norepinephrine (NE: mean +/- SD = 58.3 +/- 27.0 micrograms/24 hours; n = 27) than did control patients with suicidal ideation (mean +/- SD = 37.1 +/- 21.3; n = 10). Among suicide attempters, those who used physical means had the highest NE levels (mean +/- SD = 69.7 +/- 21.3) and those who took overdoses of antidepressants (mean +/- SD = 51.9 +/- 17.3; n = 6), benzodiazepines (mean +/- SD = 65.1 +/- 29.7; n = 5), or miscellaneous drugs (mean +/- SD = 59.1 +/- 36.5; n = 11) had lower NE values. In contrast to NE, urinary dopamine (mean +/- SD = 402.6 +/- 392 micrograms/24 hours, epinephrine (EPI: mean +/- SD = 14.3 +/- 4.0 micrograms/24 hours), the NE/EPI ratio (mean +/- SD = 8.3 +/- 0.9), urinary free cortisol (mean +/- SD = 157.9 +/- 11.5 micrograms/24 hours) and serum cortisol (mean +/- SD = 35.0 +/- 13.1 nM/l) did not differ between groups. There were no group differences in age (mean +/- SD = 36.3 +/- 16.5 years), Beck Depression Inventory score (mean +/- SD = 26.3 +/- 12.9), Beck Hopelessness Scale score (mean +/- SD = 10.0 +/- 5.6), Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation score (mean +/- SD = 13.6 +/- 9.3), or Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score (mean +/- SD = 19.5 +/- 9.8). In the four parasuicide groups, there was no difference in suicide intent (mean +/- SD = 13.3 +/- 7.9). These findings indicate that there is increased NE output shortly after suicide attempts. Previous reports of a low NE/EPI ratio in suicidal patients may reflect adaptive changes rather than the acute state of the patient at the time of the attempt.

Adult

Relationship of social phobia with other psychiatric illness.

Fifty-seven social phobic patients were studied to identify the comorbidity with other psychiatric illnesses and their temporal relationships. Mood disorders, particularly major depression, was the most common other lifetime diagnosis (70.2%). A large majority (70.2%) suffered from, at least, one other anxiety disorder in their lifetime and, in particular, panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (49.1%). Alcohol (28.1%) and substance (15.8%) abuse or dependence were also common lifetime diagnoses. Social phobia usually predated any episode of mood disorder (81.7%) or any other anxiety disorder (62.7%). Social phobia may predispose individuals to other psychiatric illnesses, in particular major depression.

Adolescent

Effect of cyclosporin A on B cell maturation and differentiation.

The activation and differentiation of resting B cells into Ig secreting cells are regulated by T cells, macrophages and their secreted factors. The present study evaluated the effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) on this process. Peripheral blood lymphomonocytes (PBMC) drawn from healthy donors were stimulated with protein A (PA) or with lipopolysaccharides plus pokeweed (LPS+PWM) in either the presence or the absence of CsA. Phenotypic B cell changes and immunoglobulin production was then analyzed. The data revealed that CsA decreased the expression of B cell surface receptors of the activation phase, and enhanced the resting phase receptors. Different effects of CsA were found on B cell differentiation, depending on its induction by PA or LPS+PWM. In the first system, CsA decreased the expression of differentiation phase receptors and the secretion of free Ig. In cultures stimulated with LPS+PWM, CsA increased the differentiated phase receptors and Ig secretion. Thus, CsA seemed to act as a blocking agent of the activation phase and as a modulator of the differentiation phase and of IgG secretion, depending upon the antigen used for stimulation.

Antigens, Surface

Radiosensitivity of the helper cell function.

The helper function of T cells primed and irradiated in vivo was tested in vitro by the Mishell-Dutton technique. Spleen cells from mice carrier-primed with HRBC and exposed to 50 to 2000 rads of x-radiation were assayed for their ability to help syngeneic normal spleen cells to mount an in vitro anti-hapten antibody response after stimulation with the conjugate TNP-HRBC. The anti-TNP response was evaluated by the Jerne technique. The helper activity was titrated by adding graded numbers of carrier-primed spleen cells to a constant number of normal spleen cells. The slope of the initial linear portion of the response-cell dose titration curve was taken as an estimated of the helper activity and found to decrease with increasing the x-ray dose. The curve describing the remaining helper activity as a function of the radiation dose shows the presence of two components, one radiosensitive, the other, radioresistant. This suggests the existence either of helper cells at different stages of activation or of two cell subpopulations participating in the helper function.

Animals

Secretion rate independent evaluation of IgM antibody avidity at the level of single immunocytes.

The hemolytic plaque inhibition assay has been performed on spleen cells from mice immunized with TNP-HRBC to evaluate avidity of anti-TNP IgM antibodies. At different times after immunization direct plaques were inhibited by soluble TNP-EACA, TNP61-BGG, or anti-mu antiserum. Analysis of the inhibition data provided independent estimates of antibody avidity and secretion rate. Avidity was found to increase with time, to reach a maximum when the antibody response attained the peak value, and then to decline as the response was waning. There was a decrease followed by increase of the secretion rate concomitant with the rise and fall of the antibody response and avidity.

Aminocaproic Acid

Isolation of mycoplasma species from infertile patients: an epidemiological contribution.

In this study the presence of Mycoplasma species in patients suffering from infertility was examined. 41 women and 37 men were examined, including 31 couples, and ten single women and six single men. Samples of vaginal and cervical mucus were taken from each woman, and samples of seminal fluid from each man. Identification and typing of the organisms were performed on the basis of microscopic and cultural characteristics and inhibition of growth by specific antibodies. Out of the 78 patients examined, 35 harboured Mycoplasma, either as Ureaplasma urealyticum or Mycoplasma hominis. Further investigation is needed to determine the clinical significance of these findings.

Bacteriological Techniques

Transfer of multiple antibiotic resistance from Bacteroides fragilis to Escherichia coli.

Multiple antibiotic resistance was transferred from a clinical isolate of Bacteroides fragilis to a strain of Escherichia coli K12. Resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin, cephalothin, tetracycline, minocycline, and chloramphenicol was transferred as a unit, but the resistance markers became segregated during storage of the recipient strains.

Bacteroides fragilis

Effect of propranolol on normal human erythrocytes.

The present study was undertaken to standardize the effect of propranolol on normal human red cells and thus establish certain parameters enabling us to evaluate propranolol's effect on pathological cells. Normal human erythrocytes lost 40 MEq. of potassium, decreased the intracellular pH by 0.06 units, and shifted the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve 6.0 mm. Hg to the right in the presence of propranolol. The series of events and magnitude of the response induced by propranolol was time dependent and sensitive to temperature, pH, drug concentration, and erythrocyte concentration. Calcium was an absolute requirement for maximal propranolol action with simultaneous incorporation of trace amounts of radioactive calcium into the cell. Chelation of calcium with EDTA or EGTA inhibited the response to propranolol.

Calcium