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Biomedical subjects

C Valente

Publications and source records attributed to C Valente.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Vaccination of pregnant cows with K99 antigen of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and protection by colostrum in newborn calves.

The immune response to the K99 was tested in 45 pregnant cows, subcutaneously vaccinated, for protecting the newborn calves. Serological tests were performed in the blood sera of all animals and in the milk and colostrum sera; hemogram, inhibition of the adhesion to the brush border and histological tests were performed. The calves from vaccinated cows survived the experimental infection after the suction of colostrum in spite of the fact that the calves from control dams died with diarrhea.

Agglutination Tests

Physician knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to reporting adverse drug events.

Voluntary physician reporting of adverse drug events (ADEs) in their patients remains the single most important source of information on serious and rare ADEs. Yet, substantial underreporting exists and the factors producing it are unclear. We surveyed 3000 randomly chosen physicians by mailed questionnaire to determine their knowledge about the reporting system, attitudes toward reporting, and their past behavior in reporting the ADEs they had detected. Responses numbered 1121. Only 57% were aware of the Food and Drug Administration's reporting system. While 418 physicians had detected an ADE in their practices during the previous year, only 21 physicians reported these events directly to the Food and Drug Administration. The physicians appear to appreciate the safety issues involved in prescription drug use and view reporting as a professional obligation; however, the current reporting system is considered inconvenient.

Attitude

Preliminary report of a kindred affected from MEN IIa.

Preliminary data of a kindred with multiple endocrine neoplasia type IIa (MEN IIa) are presented. The study concerns 20 subjects belonging to 4 generations. The first is a man, previously adrenalectomized for pheochromocytoma, suffering from thyroid node with high serum calcitonin (CT) and normal tests for parathyroid function, who underwent total thyroidectomy, removal of a grossly enlarged parathyroid and subsequent autotransplantation, because the other glands seemed to be macroscopically uninvolved. In 4 further patients total thyroidectomy and removal of the parathyroid glands with autotransplantation were performed. In all patients, despite biochemical tests had disclosed parathyroid hyperfunction in only one, one or more enlarged parathyroid glands were found, subsequently diagnosed as adenomatous or with focal areas of "chief-cell" hyperplasia. In 3 out of 4 patients, a single test among those performed to detect the presence of a pheochromocytoma was positive. However, because of the lack of a clear correlation among data from biochemistry, stimulation tests and morphological investigations, adrenalectomy has not been performed. Nevertheless these patients will be closely followed up, in order to promptly state when andrenalectomy has to be performed.

Adolescent

Dose-related effect of bombesin on serum cationic trypsinogen levels.

The present study has been addressed to study the serum cationic trypsinogen (CT) response after the ingestion of a mixed meal and following the infusion of caerulein and bombesin. On the first day of study a mixed meal was administered to 12 normal volunteers. On the following day 6 of these subjects received bombesin infusion in stepwise increasing doses (18.7, 37.5, 75 and 150 pM/kg/h) every 30 min, while the remaining 6 subjects received caerulein infusion (18, 37, 75 and 150 ng/kg/h). The time course of the serum CT response to bombesin (150 pM/kg/h) was also studied in 6 patients with distal gastrectomy. Serum CT levels did not vary after the ingestion of the meal or the infusion of caerulein. Bombesin infusion was followed by a dose-related increase on serum CT levels, but it had no effect on serum amylase and isoamylases. The CT concentrations peaked 30 min after starting the infusion and remained unchanged as long as bombesin was administered. It is suggested that the bombesin action on the pancreatic acinar cells may be direct and not mediated through cholecystokinin or gastrin release.

Bombesin

Escherichia coli isolated from calves with diarrhea: mannose-resistant haemagglutination and colonisation factor.

A study was carried out for detection of the adhesive antigen K99 on 84 Escherichia coli strains isolated from calves with diarrhea. The methods utilized were the Brush-Border and the slide agglutination tests; the strains were also tested in their ability to evoke mannose-resistant haemagglutination. The positive results obtained with the slide agglutination test were higher with comparison to the positive results obtained with other tests. The bacteria had the other piliated structures, besides the K99 antigen, that require further studies.

Animals

A study of immunologic relationships among serologically heterologous strains of bovine viral diarrhea virus by cross immunity tests.

Three serologically heterologous strains of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus were compared in reciprocal cross immunity tests in calves. Each strain was inoculated into five calves. Thirty-eight days later one calf in each group was reinoculated with homologous virus while the immunity of the remaining four was challenged with the serologically heterologous strains of virus, using two calves for each strain. Of the 12 calves in the cross immunity tests, nine were refractory to immunity challenge with the heterologous viral strains while one in each group responded with mild, atypical signs of BVD. On the basis of immunity testing it appears that significant serologic differences among strains of BVD virus are unrelated to the immunologic properties of the strains. It was demonstrated, moreover, that each of the three strains used in the present study evoked the production of antibody to the heterologous as well as to the homologous strain of virus.

Animals