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Biomedical subjects

D Cirillo

Publications and source records attributed to D Cirillo.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[Postpartum psychoses. A case report].

The puerperal period is a critical one in the life of a woman, due to the numerous changes which occur at biological and psychological levels and also at the level of relationships. Various disturbances of a psychiatric nature may emerge during this period which represents a "risky" phase from a psycho-pathological point of view. Among some of these disturbances, so-called "puerperal psychoses", there is an uncertain nosographic connection. According to some authors, these psychoses could be distinct nosographic events, while others prefer to include them in psychotic disturbances which have already been classified. From this point of view the puerperal period would be a stressful event. Risk factors would be a first birth, previous psychotic puerperal episodes, inherited serious psychiatric disturbances and caesarean section. The therapy used in the case of such disturbances must take into account many aspects and implications which don't exclusively concern the new mother but which also look significantly at the newborn baby, and the patient's family circumstances. All this implies the necessity for a close collaboration between specialists in different medical areas (psychiatry and obstetrics). Particular attention should be given to the type of disturbed relationship which can occur between the mother and the new born child. The analysis of our case has stimulated many reflections from a clinical, therapeutic and prognostic point of view, and as a result we tent to agree with published material on the subject.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Hepatitis C virus-related acute and chronic hepatitis in hemodialysis patients.

The incidence of HCV antibodies has been evaluated in 123 chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients (Group A; 55 M and 68 F) and in 37 consecutive HD patients (group B) admitted to our hospitals for acute hepatitis. In group A, HCV antibodies were present in 27% of the patients. 20 of 36 (55%) had previously received blood transfusions. 21 patients (58%) were also positive for HBV Ab. In 8 patients, ALT were significantly increased. In group B, the diagnosis of HCV-related acute hepatitis was made in 11 patients. 8 of them had previously received blood transfusions. Seroconversion occurred 2-3 months after onset of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Elevated dietary protein intake impairs the renal hemodynamic response to hyperaminoacidemia in patients with primary glomerular diseases.

We have evaluated the renal hemodynamic response to a mixed amino acid infusion in 7 control subjects and in 8 patients with primary glomerulonephritis (GN). In order to evaluate the role of dietary protein intake in this response, GN patients were maintained for 3 weeks on two separate dietary regimens providing 130 +/- 5 g of protein/day (study 1) and 60 +/- 3 g of protein/day (study 2), respectively. Normal subjects were studied while consuming a free diet. In GN patients, following the reduction in dietary protein intake basal RPF and GFR decreased from 589 +/- 109 to 422 +/- 81 ml/1.73 m2/min (p less than 0.01, vs. study 1) and from 75 +/- 7 to 70 +/- 8 ml/1.73 m2/min (p = NS). Filtration fraction rose from 0.14 +/- 0.02 to 0.19 +/- 0.03 (p less than 0.05). In study 1, during amino acid infusion GFR and RPF did not change significantly from baseline (75 +/- 7 vs. 66 +/- 8 ml/1.73 m2/min at 180 min and 589 +/- 109 vs. 567 +/- 102 ml/1.73 m2/min, respectively). These results are at variance with data obtained in normal controls in whom both GFR and RPF rose significantly following hyperaminoacidemia. In contrast, when dietary protein intake was reduced, a normal renal hemodynamic response to amino acid infusion was restored (GFR went from 70 +/- 8 to 90 +/- 18 ml/1.73 m2/min and RPF from 422 +/- 81 to 517 +/- 90 ml/1.73 m2/min, both p less than 0.05 vs. basal), both absolute and percentage increases were similar to what was observed in controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Differential expression of CD54/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in myeloid leukemias and in lymphoproliferative disorders.

Indirect immunofluorescence staining with monoclonal antibody (MoAb) CL203.4 of malignant cells from 269 patients with hematologic malignancies showed a heterogeneous expression of CD54/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). This marker was expressed by malignant cells of 57 out of 118 patients with myeloid malignancies and 69 out of 135 with B-lymphoid malignancies. On the other hand, CD54 was not detected on malignant cells of 16 patients with T-lymphoid malignancies. In myeloid malignancies, CD54 is preferentially expressed by "stem cell-derived" malignancies, being detectable on blast cells from almost all patients affected by chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast phase or myelodysplastic syndromes and by only 34% of patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The expression of CD54 did not correlate with any specific myeloid FAB subtype, although three cases of highly undifferentiated AML (FAB MO) displayed maximal levels of the antigen. The expression of CD54 in AML was significantly associated with that of CD34 and HLA-DR antigens. In B-lymphoid malignancies, CD54 expression appears to correlate with the differentiation stage of malignant cells, since B-origin acute lymphoblastic leukemias and conventional B-chronic lymphocytic leukemias (B-CLL; ie, "dim SIg" CLL) expressed lower levels of CD54 than more mature lymphoproliferative disorders ("bright SIg" CLL, prolymphocytic leukemias, and lymphoplasmacytic tumors). "High-grade" B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL) express in general a higher level of CD54 than "low-grade" ones. This finding in conjunction with the expression of CD54 in all 17 patients with "bright SIg" CLL investigated (characterized by marked organomegaly and poor prognosis) suggest that the differential expression of CD54 in lymphoproliferative disorders may also relate to their degree of malignancy.

Antigens, Surface↗
PubMed1990

Solubilization of the receptor for the neuropeptide gastrin-releasing peptide (bombesin) with functional ligand binding properties.

The receptor for the neuropeptide gastrin-releasing peptide, the mammalian homologue of bombesin, was solubilized from rat brain and Swiss 3T3 cells by using the zwitterionic detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonic acid (CHAPS) and the cholesteryl hemisuccinate ester (CHS). Only the combination of the detergent CHAPS and the cholesteryl ester CHS in a glycerol-containing buffer satisfactorily preserved the binding activity upon solubilization. Specific binding activity was only solubilized from cell lines and tissue preparations known to express the GRP receptor. The dissociation constant (Kd) for the receptor solubilized from rat brain and Swiss 3T3 cells was 0.6 nM, similar to the value of 0.8 nM calculated for the membrane-bound receptor. Binding was saturable and reached equilibrium after approximately 2 h at 4 degrees C. The identity of the solubilized receptor with the membrane-bound one was further confirmed by the concordance of the relative binding affinities of various established bombesin analogues.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Immunodiagnosis of acute leukemia displaying ectopic antigens: proposal for a classification of promiscuous phenotypes.

The nature of the blast cells in 163 cases of acute leukemia was investigated by immunophenotyping, with particular emphasis on the expression of "ectopic" surface membrane structures. Although no antigen included in our panel except CD3 revealed absolute lineage restriction, immunological typing allowed a definite characterization of blast cells in more than 90% of cases. Four groups of patients were identified (A, B, C, D) with different degrees of antigen ectopic expression. We classified as group A leukemias (74%) those expressing conventional antigenic patterns, in absence of cross-lineage markers. Samples classified as group B (18%) showed a single ectopic membrane specificity, apparently discordant with the overall composite phenotype; such a "low-grade deviation" did not prevent a definite immunodiagnosis. Pattern C specimens (5%) revealed a promiscuous coexpression of markers related to different lineages (biphenotypic leukemias), whereas group D included unclassifiable phenotypes, characterized by no antigen or DR-only expression. Our findings suggest the possibility of interpreting complex phenotypic constellations of membrane markers in a consistent and logical manner.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1989

Human glioblastoma cell lines have neuropeptide receptors for bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide.

Bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide receptors were characterized in human glioblastoma cell lines. [125I]Gastrin-releasing peptide or ([125I]Tyr4)bombesin bound with high affinity to these cell lines. Binding to cell line U-118 was time dependent, reversible, and specific. ([125I]Tyr4)Bombesin bound with high affinity (Kd = 1.6 nM) to a single class of sites (Bmax = 30,000/cell). The C-terminal of bombesin- or gastrin-releasing peptide was essential for high-affinity binding. Bombesin- or gastrin-releasing peptide elevated the cytosolic Ca2+ levels in a dose-dependent manner. Because gastrin-releasing peptide, but not gastrin-releasing peptide, increased the cytosolic Ca2+ levels, the C-terminal but not the N-terminal of GRP is essential for biological activity. These data indicate that biologically active bombesin receptors are present in human glioblastoma cell lines.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed1988

Whole body glucose kinetics in type I diabetes studied with [6,6-2H] and [U-13C]-glucose and the artificial B-cell.

Dynamic aspects of whole body glucose metabolism were assessed in ten young adult insulin-dependent (type I) diabetic men. Using a primed, continuous intravenous infusion of [6,6-2H]glucose and [U-13C]glucose, endogenous production, tissue uptake, carbon recycling, and oxidation of glucose were measured in the postabsorptive state. These studies were undertaken after blood glucose had been maintained overnight at 5.9 +/- 0.4 mmol/L (n = 10), and on another night at 10.5 +/- 0.4 mmol/L (n = 4) or 15.2 +/- 0.6 mmol/L (n = 6). In the normoglycemic state, endogenous glucose production averaged 2.15 +/- 0.13 mg x kg-1 x min-1. This value, as well as the rate of glucose carbon recycling (0.16 +/- 0.04 mg x kg-1 x min-1) and glucose oxidation (1.52 +/- 0.16 mg x kg-1 x min-1) are comparable to those found in nondiabetic controls. In the hyperglycemic states at 10 or 15 mmol/L, endogenous glucose production was increased by 11% (P less than .01) and 60% (P less than .01) compared to the normoglycemic states, respectively. Glucose carbon recycling contributed only a small percentage to this variation in glucose production (15% at the 15 mmol/L glucose level). This suggests that if gluconeogenesis participates in the increased glucose output, it is not dependent on a greater systemic supply of three-carbon precursors. The increased rate of glucose production in the hyperglycemic state was quantitatively offset by a rise in urinary glucose excretion. Glucose tissue uptake, as well as glucose oxidation, did not vary between normoglycemic and hyperglycemic states.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Activation of the protein-tyrosine kinase associated with the bombesin receptor complex in small cell lung carcinomas.

It has been hypothesized that bombesin-like peptides produced by small cell lung carcinomas may sustain deregulated proliferation through an autocrine mechanism. We have shown that the neuropeptide bombesin leads to the activation of a protein-tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates a 115-kDa protein (p115) associated with the bombesin receptor complex in mouse Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. We now report that phosphotyrosine antibodies recognize a 115-kDa protein, phosphorylated on tyrosine, in four human small cell lung carcinoma cell lines producing bombesin but not in a nonproducer "variant" line. p115 from detergent-treated small cell lung carcinoma cells binds to bombesin-Sepharose and can be phosphorylated on tyrosine in the presence of radiolabeled ATP and Mn2+. As for the p115 immunoprecipitated from mouse fibroblast, the small cell lung carcinoma p115 can be phosphorylated in an immunocomplex kinase assay. However, the latter does not require the presence of exogenous bombesin for activity. Binding data, obtained by using radiolabeled ligand, suggest receptor occupancy in the cell lines producing bombesin. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that proliferation in some human small cell lung carcinoma lines is under autocrine control, regulated through activation of bombesin receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Proteins phosphorylated on tyrosine as markers of human tumor cell lines.

Previous work has shown that proteins phosphorylated on tyrosine are selectively detectable by antibodies against phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) in cells transformed by retroviral class-1 oncogene-encoded kinases endowed with non-regulated activity (Di Renzo et al., 1986). In this work P-Tyr antibodies were used to investigate the existence of human tumors expressing abnormal levels of tyrosine phosphoproteins and tyrosine kinases. Among 18 cell lines examined, the antibodies identified a number of tumors with a detectable level of proteins phosphorylated on tyrosine. Among these were a major protein with an approximate Mr of 150,000 in a gastric carcinoma; 2 proteins, with Mr of 130,000 and 110,000 in a colon carcinoma; a major protein with Mr of 170,000, tyrosine phosphorylated in both a urinary bladder and an epidermoid carcinoma; a 100,000 Mr protein phosphorylated in lung and breast carcinomas. An 80,000 Mr tyrosine phosphorylated protein was found in a fibrosarcoma and in a rhabdomyosarcoma. Among the hemopoietic malignancies screened, in 2 Philadelphia-positive chronic myelogenous leukemias P-Tyr antibodies recognized the chimeric bcr-abl 210,000 Mr protein and its substrates. Two tyrosine phosphorylated proteins, one of Mr 70,000 and one of Mr 60,000, were detected in a Burkitt lymphoma line. These phosphoproteins were not found in samples harvested from normal gastro-intestinal or urinary bladder epithelium, nor in control fibroblasts and lymphocytes. Two of the above proteins have associated tyrosine kinase activity: the 170,000 Mr protein of bladder carcinoma cells was found to be a constitutively phosphorylated EGF receptor.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1987

Rous sarcoma virus-transformed fibroblasts and cells of monocytic origin display a peculiar dot-like organization of cytoskeletal proteins involved in microfilament-membrane interactions.

By immunofluorescence and interference reflection microscopy (IRM) we found that F-actin and a group of cytoskeletal proteins involved in microfilament-membrane interaction, including vinculin, alpha-actinin, fimbrin and talin, are specifically organized in discrete dot-like structures corresponding to cell-substratum contact sites in both monocytes and monocyte-derived cells such as macrophages and osteoclasts. These proteins have a precise topological distribution; vinculin and talin form a doughnut-like ring, while actin, fimbrin and alpha-actinin are organized in dots matching the rings. An identical dot-like organization of F-actin and associated cytoskeletal proteins was also detected in malignant fibroblasts transformed by Rous Sarcoma virus (RSV) but not in the corresponding untransformed cells in culture. It is concluded that RSV transformation induces fibroblasts to express a cytoskeletal organization and a pattern of adhesion that are normally found in cells of monocytic origin. We propose that the occurrence of this cytoskeletal organization in RSV-transformed fibroblasts and in monocyte-derived cells may reflect a common ability to migrate across anatomical boundaries.

Actin Cytoskeleton↗
PubMed1985

Rous sarcoma virus-transformed fibroblasts adhere primarily at discrete protrusions of the ventral membrane called podosomes.

Rous sarcoma virus-transformed BHK cells (RSV/B4-BHK) adhere to a fibronectin-coated substratum primarily at specific dot-shaped sites. Such sites contain actin and vinculin and represent close contacts with the substratum as revealed by interference reflection microscopy. Only a few adhesion plaques and actin filament bundles can be detected in these cells as compared to untransformed parental fibroblasts. In thin sections examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) these adhesion sites correspond to short protrusions of the ventral cell surface that contact the substratum at their apical portion. These structures, which may represent cellular feet, are therefore called podosomes. By screening a number of different transformed fibroblasts plated on a fibronectin-coated substratum we find that podosomes are common to mammalian and avian cell lines transformed either by Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) or by Fujinami avian sarcoma virus (FSV), whose oncogenes encode specific tyrosine kinases. Using antibodies reacting with phosphotyrosine in immunofluorescence experiments, we show that phosphotyrosine-containing molecules are concentrated in podosomes. Podosomes are not detected in fibroblasts transformed by other retroviruses (Snyder-Theilen sarcoma virus, Abelson leukemia virus and Kirsten sarcoma virus) or by DNA tumor viruses (polyoma, SV40), indicating that podosome-mediated adhesion in transformed fibroblasts is related to the peculiar properties of some oncoproteins and possibly to their tropism for adhesion systems. Podosomes and adhesion plaques, although similar in cytoskeletal protein composition, have different mechanisms and kinetics of formation. Assembly of podosomes, in fact (i) does not require fetal calf serum (FCS) in the adhesion medium, that is necessary for the organization of adhesion plaques; (ii) does not require protein synthesis; and (iii) is insensitive to the ionophore monensin, that prevents adhesion plaque formation. Moreover, during attachment to fibronectin-coated dishes, podosomes appear in the initial phase (60 min) of attachment, while adhesion plaques require a minimum of 180 min. In conclusion podosomes of RSV- and FSV-transformed fibroblasts represent a phenotypic variant of adhesion structures.

Actins↗
PubMed1984

Visualization of phosphotyrosine containing molecules within the detergent insoluble cell matrix of v-src transformed fibroblasts.

The RSV oncogene v-src is known to transform host cells through the action of a single gene protein product (pp60src) endowed with tyrosine specific kinase activity. The nature and cellular localization of substrates of pp60src kinase are largely unknown. Detergent insoluble cell matrix was prepared by treating RSV-transformed mouse fibroblasts with the non-ionic detergent NP-40. These preparations, highly enriched in cytoskeletal proteins, when observed in the E M consisted mainly of a meshwork of filaments; fragments of plasma membrane and nuclear "ghosts" were also present. Antibodies against phosphotyrosine -previously shown to be reactive with protein phosphorylated at tyrosine residues- were prepared and affinity purified using a synthetic hapten (azobenzyl phosphonic acid, ABP). By means of the immunogold techniques applied to electron microscopy, phosphotyrosine containing molecules were found to be present in RSV transformed, but not in control fibroblasts. Gold particles were mostly bound to electron dense granular material associated with the filaments. These results are consistent with the idea that pp60src itself and some tyrosine phosphorylated proteins may be found among detergent-insoluble cell structures.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Cell-substratum interaction of cultured avian osteoclasts is mediated by specific adhesion structures.

The cell-substratum interaction was studied in cultures of osteoclasts isolated from the medullary bone of laying hens kept on low calcium diet. In fully spread osteoclasts, cell-substratum adhesion mostly occurred within a continuous paramarginal area that corresponded also to the location of a thick network of intermediate filaments of the vimentin type. In this area, regular rows of short protrusions contacting the substratum and often forming a cup-shaped adhesion area were observed in the electron microscope. These short protrusions showed a core of F-actin-containing material presumably organized as a network of microfilaments and surrounded by a rosette-like structure in which vinculin and alpha-actinin were found by immunofluorescence microscopy. Rosettes were superposable to dark circles in interference-reflection microscopy and thus represented circular forms of close cell-substratum contact. The core of ventral protrusions also contained, beside F-actin, fimbrin and alpha-actinin. Villin was absent. This form of cell-substratum contact occurring at the tip of a short ventral protrusion differed from other forms of cell-substratum contact and represented an osteoclast-specific adhesion device that might also be present in in vivo osteoclasts as well as in other normal and transformed cell types.

Actinin↗