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C Pozzi

Publications and source records attributed to C Pozzi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Serum levels of bone Gla protein (osteocalcin, BGP) and carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in acromegaly: effects of long-term octreotide treatment.

We measured serum concentrations of bone Gla-protein (osteocalcin, BGP) and carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in 14 patients with active acromegaly. Blood was collected at 0800 for measurement of bone Gla-protein (BGP), carboxyterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP), and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I); growth hormone (GH) was then determined at 15-minute intervals for 3 hours and the integrated mean was calculated. The same protocol was repeated at regular intervals during treatment with the long-acting somatostatin analog, octreotide, 150-450 micrograms/day for 6-33 months (median 15). In a case-control analysis, serum BGP concentrations recorded in the acromegalic patients were significantly elevated (14.2 +/- 4.2 micrograms/liter versus 8.0 +/- 3.3 micrograms/liter, P < 0.001). Octreotide treatment induced a roughly parallel reduction in serum GH, IGF-I, and BGP. We found a significant positive correlation between BGP levels recorded before and during therapy and the logarithm of corresponding mean GH levels (r = 0.67, P < 0.001). Also IGF-I concentrations were positively correlated with BGP (r = 0.66, P < 0.001). On the other hand, PICP levels recorded in the acromegalics did not differ from control subjects (146 +/- 46 micrograms/liter versus 127 +/- 44 micrograms/liter, NS) and no correlation was found between either GH and PICP or IGF-I and PICP. To conclude, the present data are compatible with the view that GH and IGF-I play an important role in the control of BGP but not PICP production. It could be that BGP and PICP are submitted to different hormonal modulation.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed1993

Clinical significance of antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies with specificity for lactoferrin in renal diseases.

The prevalence and clinical significance of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies with specificity for lactoferrin was determined in patients with renal diseases. Antilactoferrin antibodies were found in only 12 of 920 patients (1.3%). These patients had either "pauci-immune" necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis (three cases) or lupus nephritis (nine cases). To verify whether antilactoferrin antibodies were specific for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and renal involvement, we studied 61 additional lupus patients, 40 with active lupus nephritis and 21 with active SLE and no renal involvement. Antilactoferrin antibodies were found in approximately 15% to 20% of patients with SLE, irrespective of the presence of renal involvement. We conclude that antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies with specificity for lactoferrin are only sporadically found in patients with renal diseases; these patients have either necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis or lupus nephritis. However, antilactoferrin antibodies are not a marker for renal involvement in SLE.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Methylprednisolone normalizes superoxide anion production by polymorphs from patients with ANCA-positive vasculitides.

It has been convincingly documented that reactive oxygen species released from activated neutrophils mediate glomerular damage in experimental glomerulonephritis. Recent findings that antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) induce neutrophils to degranulate and produce oxygen radicals in vitro led us to explore whether neutrophils from patients with ANCA-positive vasculitides and necrotizing glomerulonephritis generated an increased amount of superoxide anion (O2-). Since glucocorticoids inhibit oxygen radicals generation in vitro we also evaluated the effect of intravenous pulses of methylprednisolone. Polymorphs were isolated from peripheral blood collected before (basal), 6 and 24 hours after the first infusion of methylprednisolone and 24 hours after the third one. O2- release by cells was assessed after 30 minute incubation without specific stimuli. Basal O2- release was significantly higher in patients than in controls (P < 0.01). Intravenous infusion of high doses of methylprednisolone markedly reduced O2- production with respect to the basal value, and the difference was statistically significant at various time interval considered after the steroid infusion. Besides reducing the excessive O2- formation, methylprednisolone induced an increase in polymorph expression of the gene encoding for manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) enzyme. We conclude that polymorphs taken from patients with ANCA-positive vasculitides and necrotizing glomerulonephritis generate higher amounts of O2- than those from normal subjects. Methylprednisolone normalizes the abnormal generation of O2-, likely through its ability to up-regulate the gene for Mn-SOD, a potent antioxidant enzyme.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Quantitative expression of HLA class I molecules in acute non-lymphoblastic leukaemia cells.

The present study concerns a panel of 33 acute non lymphoblastic leukaemia (ANLL) patients, previously typed for HLA-A,B serological specificities and including samples with a normal HLA-A,B phenotype (3,4 detected specificities) as well as samples with missing and extra specificities. Samples were analysed at the protein and/or RNA level in order to verify whether the observed typing anomalies were due to a modified quantitative expression of class I molecules. The number of HLA-A,B assigned specificities correlated significantly with the cell surface class I expression detected by indirect immunofluorescence using the monomorphic anti-class I MoAb W6/32 (Spearman rank correlation test, P < 0.01) and with the amount of class I Heavy Chain (HC, P < 0.05) and beta-2-microglobulin (beta 2m, P < 0.05) evaluated by Western blot in whole cell extracts. The RNA analysis suggested a HC-beta 2m coordinated down regulation at the mRNA level in a patient with no assigned HLA-A,B specificities. Another patient with no detectable HLA-A,B specificities showed a low expression selectively of the beta 2m protein. The results reported here demonstrate a heterogenous quantitative HLA class I expression in ANLL blasts, analogous to results reported for solid tumours.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1993

IgA nephropathy: remission during pregnancy and relapse in the puerperium.

A 39-year-old woman, with proteinuria and microhematuria, at about the 8th week of pregnancy showed a reduction in proteinuria. After the 16th week, proteinuria disappeared. In the 40th week, the patient spontaneously delivered a 1.990-kg still-born female. Six days later, blood pressure increased (to 150/100 mm Hg), and laboratory examinations showed that proteinuria was 2.7 g/24 h. Given that urinalysis confirmed the presence of proteinuria, 6 weeks later, a renal biopsy was performed. The final diagnosis was IgA nephropathy. It is possible that the presence of the fetus may have led to changes in the maternal immunological system which may have attenuated the immunopathogenic mechanisms responsible for IgA nephropathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy in the elderly.

In this retrospective non-randomized study we reviewed the outcome for 41 patients with membranous nephropathy older than 65 years at onset and followed for at least 1 year. Twelve of the patients never received any specific treatment (group A), 15 were treated with a 6-month course of methylprednisolone alternated to chlorambucil every other month (group B), and 14 received corticosteroids alone for 3-12 months (group C). At the end of a mean follow-up of 92 +/- 61 months in group A, 53 +/- 35 in group B, and 38 +/- 25 in group C there were significantly more remissions of nephrotic syndrome in group B than in group A (P = 0.035) or in group C (P = 0.010). Moreover patients in group B spent a significantly longer period without nephrotic syndrome than patients in group A (P = 0.000) and C (P = 0.000). Three patients in group A and one in group B died. During the follow-up six patients of group A, two of group B, and five of group C developed renal function deterioration. In patients followed for at least 5 years the mean plasma creatinine increased from a basal of 112 +/- 29 to 239 +/- 287 mumol/l at the 5th year in group A and from 113 +/- 14 to 124 +/- 30 mumol/l in group B. The mean urine protein excretion remained unchanged in group A (basal 4.6 +/- 2.3 versus 4.8 +/- 5.7 g/day at 5 years) while it decreased in group B (from a basal of 6.8 +/- 3.5 to 1.1 +/- 0.4 g/day at 5 years).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Chronic dialysis in patients with systemic amyloidosis: the experience in northern Italy.

The clinical outcome of 61 patients with renal amyloidosis treated with chronic dialysis was reviewed. Eighteen patients, 4 with primary or AL amyloidosis and 14 with reactive or AA amyloidosis, died within one month from starting treatment. The other 43 patients were treated with dialysis for 3 to 199 months and are the object of this study. Sixteen patients had AL amyloidosis and 27 had AA amyloidosis. Thirty-five patients were treated with hemodialysis (HD) for a mean period of 40 +/- 47 months and 8 were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for 20 +/- 15 months. Patient survival rate at 1 and 5 years was 68% and 30% respectively. There was no difference in survival rate between patients treated with HD and those treated with CAPD, while patients younger than 45 had a better 5-year survival rate. Twenty four (60%) patients achieved a satisfactory rehabilitation with dialysis. At the last follow-up, 15 patients (14 on HD, 1 on CAPD) were alive 61 +/- 58 months after starting dialysis. Twenty-eight patients died after 30 +/- 20 months. The main causes of death were: cardiovascular accident (11), stroke (3), sepsis (5) and cachexia (5). The most important extra-renal complications of amyloidosis were related to cardiovascular involvement (heart failures, arrhythmias, hypotension) and gastrointestinal involvement (malabsorption). Intra-dialytic hypotension in patients on HD and peritonitis in patients on CAPD were the main problems related to dialytic procedure. his study confirms that life expectancy and the quality of life of dialysis patients with systemic amyloidosis are poorer than those of general dialysis population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1991

[Treatment of residual and recurrent biliary calculi: the surgical option].

Retained and recurrent bile duct stones can be treated with a variety of non-surgical methods. The list includes endoscopic papillotomy, chemical dissolution, by T-tube extraction, percutaneous or extracorporeal lithotripsy. The various attempts at non-surgical therapy are described in two patients with retained bile duct stones before biliary clearance was achieved by re-operation. The failure of oral dissolution using biliary acids, endoscopic papillotomy and by T-tube extraction, led to a delay of 6 and 8 months respectively in the elimination of the retained stones in each patient. Surgical re-exploration proved relatively simple due to the long interval after the first operation, and the stones were removed without particular difficulties. The paper underlines the importance of the choice of treatment for use in cases of secondary common bile duct calculi, evaluated on the basis of a correct assessment of the cost/benefit, risk/benefit ratios.

Cholangiography↗
PubMed1991

Utility of immunofluorescence of urine sediment for identifying patients with renal disease due to monoclonal gammopathies.

Immunofluorescence (IF) of urine sediment with antisera to light-chain immunoglobulins (LC) was used for patients with renal disease due to various monoclonal gammopathies. Urinary casts and/or masses from 20 of 27 patients (74%) of this group stained predominantly for one or another of the two LC, but from none of the 25 controls, who all had renal diseases other than monoclonal gammopathies. In all but one patient with monoclonal gammopathy the more intensely staining LC in the urine sediment was the same as that found in the paraprotein. For 68.7% of patients, the prevailing LC in urinary casts was the same as that prevailing in the casts of the renal biopsies. The sensitivity of IF of urine sediment for identifying patients with plasma cell dyscrasias was 74%, the specificity 100%, and the accuracy 86.5%. The positive predictive value was 100% and the negative predictive value was 78%. Globally, urine sediment IF was more sensitive than serum or urine electrophoresis (74% v 63% and 66.6%), but less than serum or urine immunoelectrophoresis (74% v 85%). In light-chain deposition disease, a disorder in which there are often no definite symptoms, urine sediment IF was more sensitive than both traditional methods. We conclude that IF of urine sediment is a useful test to identify patients with renal disease associated with monoclonal gammopathies.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Selective and early increase of IL-1 inhibitors, IL-6 and cortisol after elective surgery.

After trauma, inflammatory, immunological and hormonal changes are well documented. Surgical intervention is a form of programmed trauma. Through the study of surgical patients, changes in early endogenous mediators of inflammation, immune response and tissue repair can be investigated. Here we analysed changes in serum levels of IL-1 inhibitors, IL-1 beta, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and cortisol in patients undergoing elective surgery. C-reactive protein (CRP) was measured as a marker of the acute-phase response. Rises in serum levels of IL-1 inhibitors, IL-6 and cortisol were detected as early as 1 h after the intervention. Peak levels were reached between 2 and 5 h. Serum levels of IL-6 and cortisol remained elevated for several days implying a persistent production. Serum levels of IL-1 and TNF did not change after the intervention. CRP levels peaked on day 2. The communication system sustained by endogenous mediators is activated after surgery as shown by selective changes in IL-1 inhibitors, IL-6 and cortisol. These mediators have different kinetics in serum and IL-6 is not the only early mediator detected. Some IL-1 inhibitors might be involved in the immunological depression observed after major surgery, in the regulation of the inflammatory response or in tissue repair. IL-6 and cortisol seem to act synergistically to activate the acute-phase response. A systemic role for IL-1 and TNF is not evident, even if the possibility that these lymphokines may act locally is not ruled out.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Cytogenetic studies in renal carcinoma].

We have analyzed from cytogenetic point of view 24 cases of sporadic renal carcinoma. Clonal chromosome changes were found in 15 of 24 cases (62.5%) (-Y, +7, +10, del (3) (p21----pter), der (1). For what in concerning correlations between Karyotype and anatomo-pathological and clinical aspects we can observe that: 1) Cases with normal Karyotype showed low grade of anaplasia and stage I 2) No correlation exists between karyotype and diameter of the neoplasia. In 8 cases cytogenetic analysis was performed in normal renal tissue; five case showed the same clonal abnormality present in the correspondent neoplasia (-Y, +18, +10); one case showed trisomy 7. The result are discussed in respect to the previous literature and to the clinical significance.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗