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Biomedical subjects

E Conti

Publications and source records attributed to E Conti.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Risk factors for adenocarcinoma of the small intestine.

We have investigated the relation between alcohol, tobacco and dietary habits and risk of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine using data from 2 hospital-based case-control studies on intestinal cancers conducted in 6 Italian centres between 1985 and 1996. Cases were 23 patients below age 75 years with adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. Controls were 230 patients admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive tract diseases, matched to cases on sex, age, study and centre. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Alcohol and tobacco consumption did not increase the risk of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine. The risk appeared to be directly related to intake of bread, pasta or rice (OR = 3.8), sugar (OR = 2.9) and red meat (OR = 4.6), and inversely to coffee (OR = 0.4), fish (OR = 0.3), vegetables (OR = 0.3) and fruit (OR = 0.6). Our results suggest that dietary correlates of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine are similar to those of colon cancer and at least of the same magnitude. While the present data are inconsistent with a major effect of tobacco or alcohol, a moderate association between these factors and small bowel cancer may have been obscured by the play of chance.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1999

Isolation and characterization of a novel transcript embedded within HIRA, a gene deleted in DiGeorge syndrome.

We have isolated a few cDNAs from different human tissues, transcribed from the first intron of HIRA, a gene deleted in the DiGeorge syndrome. These cDNAs are produced by an intronic gene (22k48) which is transcribed by the HIRA opposite strand and is itself arranged in exons and subjected to alternative splicing. The longest continuum cDNA sequence we obtained is 3.6 kb long and contains 3 different exons and 2 introns. 22k48 cDNA is composed of several tandemly arranged repeated elements (Alu, LINEs, CAn) surrounding a unique sequence. In situ hybridization showed the presence of 22k48 RNA in the cytoplasm of CNS and PNS neurons. 22k48 RNA is able to bind cytoplasmic proteins in the range of 45 to 60 kDa. 22k48 is a new member of the small group of genes that are transcribed but not translated, and its haploinsufficiency could contribute to the pathogenesis of the DiGeorge syndrome.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Phylogenetic relationships of the silver saxifrages (Saxifraga, sect. Ligulatae haworth): implications for the evolution of substrate specificity, life histories, and biogeography.

The silver saxifrages (Saxifraga sect. Ligulatae Haworth; Saxifragaceae) exhibit remarkable variation of substrate specialization, with strictly calcicole to calcifuge species, as well as life histories which range from semelparity to iteroparity. They occur almost exclusively in the European mountain ranges and display high levels of endemism. Sequences from chloroplast and nuclear ribosomal DNA were obtained to resolve phylogenetic relationships among the silver saxifrages and related taxa and to gain insight into the evolution of substrate specificity, life history, and biogeography. The resulting phylogenies suggested that (1) Saxifraga sect. Ligulatae, as traditionally defined, does not constitute a monophyletic group; (2) lime-secreting hydathodes in calcifuge species apparently represent a secondary nonaptation; (3) semelparity evolved independently two or three times in the silver saxifrages and allied sections, possibly in response to climatic changes that occured during the Pleistocene; and (4) narrow endemics, for example S. cochlearis, likely evolved from the fragmentation of the widespread S. paniculata into refugial populations that became isolated during the glacial maxima of the Pleistocene.

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1999

Succinoglycan production by solid-state fermentation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

Succinoglycan was produced by cultivating Agrobacterium tumefaciens on various solid substrates, including agar medium, spent malt grains, ivory nut shavings, and grated carrots, impregnated with a nutrient+ solution. Fermentations were performed on a laboratory scale, both under static conditions and with agitation, using bottles and a prototype horizontal bioreactor. Several fermentation parameters were examined and optimized, including carbon and nitrogen composition, water content and layer thickness of the substrate. The yields and rheological properties of the polymers obtained under different fermentation conditions were compared. The highest succinoglycan yield was achieved in static cultivation, reaching 42 g/l of impregnating solution, corresponding to 30 g/kg of wet substrate. The polymer production in the horizontal bioreactor was faster, but the final yield was lower (29 g/l of impregnating solution).

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗
PubMed1999

Pictures in cell biology. Structures of nuclear-transport components.

The past three years have seen the solution of several nuclear transport component structures and recently of the structure of a regulator bound to part of a nuclear pore complex (NPC) protein. These structures have provided a wealth of valuable information about the proteins involved and suggested strategies for further investigation of their properties. We do not have space here to go into detail about this information, so instead we are illustrating the structures and providing primary references enabling interested readers to find further information. On this page, we are concentrating on the GTPase Ran and proteins that modulate its activity, and on the facing page are the other transport factors, some of which also interact directly with Ran. Notably absent at the moment are the nuclear pore complex component s, apart from one domain of RanBP2. Only when theses are characterized fully will we really be able to understand how transport substrates move across the nuclear envelope.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Energy intake and dietary pattern in cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of energy and macronutrients in cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. METHODS: Case-control study: 754 individuals with first incident cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx and 1775 controls in hospital for acute, non-neoplastic diseases were interviewed in two Italian areas and in the Swiss Canton of Vaud between 1992 and 1997. RESULTS: Cases reported higher total energy intake, due to higher intake of alcohol energy. Non-alcohol energy intake was lower in cases than controls. The composition of diet also differed: proteins (OR for an addition of 100 kcal/day = 0.8) and monounsaturated fatty acids (OR = 0.8) were inversely associated, while saturated fatty acids (OR = 1.4) were directly associated with oral cancer risk. Vegetable intake, which was positively correlated with oil intake, was lower in cases than controls, but accounted only partly for the observed difference in fat intake pattern. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol energy may not be used efficiently after some threshold. Protein deficiency may enhance cancer risk in heavy drinkers. An opposite influence of different types of fat is emerging for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx as well as other sites of the upper aero-digestive tract.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Physical activity and risk of cancers of the colon and rectum: an Italian case-control study.

We investigated the relationships between risk of colon and rectal cancers and physical activity in both sexes at different ages by a case-control study conducted between 1991 and 1996 in six Italian centres. Cases were 1225 patients (688 men, 537 women) below the age of 75 with colon cancer and the controls included 4154 patients (2073 men, 2081 women) admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic conditions. We also analysed 722 cases of rectal cancer. Compared with the lowest level of occupational physical activity at 30-39 years old the odds ratios (OR) for the highest level were 0.64 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.44-0.93) in men and 0.49 (95% CI 0.33-0.72) in women. The inverse association in both sexes was similar at 15-19 and 50-59 years old. No association was found in either sex for leisure-time physical activity. For both sexes the inverse relationship between occupational physical activity at 30-39 years old and colon cancer risk was not significantly heterogeneous across strata of selected covariates, and for ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid colon. Rectal cancer risk was not associated with any measure of physical activity (OR = 1.32 for men and 0.88 for women for the highest level of occupational physical activity at 30-39 years old compared with the lowest). This study confirms that occupational physical activity is protective against colon, but not against rectal cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Food groups, oils and butter, and cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx.

To elucidate the role of dietary habits, a study was carried out in 1992-1997 in the province of Pordenone in Northeastern Italy, and those of Rome and Latina in central Italy. Cases were 512 men and 86 women with cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (lip, salivary glands and nasopharynx excluded) and controls were 1008 men and 483 women who had been admitted to local hospitals for a broad range of acute non-neoplastic conditions. The validated dietary section of the questionnaire included 78 foods or recipes and ten questions on fat intake patterns. After allowance for education, smoking, alcohol and total energy intake, significant trends of increasing risk with increasing intake emerged for soups, eggs, processed meats, cakes and desserts, and butter. Risk was approximately halved in the highest compared to the lowest intake quintile for coffee and tea, white bread, poultry, fish, raw and cooked vegetables, citrus fruit, and olive oil. The inverse association with oils, especially olive oil, was only slightly attenuated by allowance for vegetable intake. Thus, frequent consumption of vegetables, citrus fruit, fish and vegetable oils were the major features of a low-risk diet for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Atypical deletions suggest five 22q11.2 critical regions related to the DiGeorge/velo-cardio-facial syndrome.

Deletions of chromosome 22q11.2 have been associated with distinct phenotypes including DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velo-cardio-facial (VCFS) syndrome. These diseases result from a failure to form derivatives of the third and fourth branchial arches during development. DGS/VCFS deletions usually encompass about 3 Mb of genomic DNA in more than 90% of patients. However, deletion mapping studies have failed to demonstrate the existence of a single small region of overlap (SRO) and ruled out any obvious correlation between site or size of deletion and severity of clinical phenotype. We describe three patients carrying 'atypical' deletions presenting the DGS/VCFS phenotype. A comparative analysis of deletions in our patients and those previously published has suggested the existence of five distinct critical regions within the 22q11.2 locus. This observation argues that DGS/VCFS results from haploinsufficiency secondary to a complex and as yet unexplained molecular mechanism, probably involving chromatin effects in mediating gene expression throughout the entire region.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1999

Education, socioeconomic status and risk of cancer of the colon and rectum.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic correlates of cancer of the large bowel differ in various countries and calendar periods and may differ for the colon and rectum. Thus, the relationship between education and social class and risk of cancers of the colon and rectum was considered. METHODS: Combination of two hospital-based case-control studies conducted in six Italian centres between 1985 and 1996. Cases were 3533 patients aged < 79, with histologically confirmed cancer of the colon (n = 2180) or rectum (n = 1353), and controls were 7062 patients admitted to hospital for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive tract diseases. RESULTS: Compared to individuals with < 7 years of education the multivariate odds ratios (OR) of colon cancer for those with > or = 16 years were 2.45 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.87-3.23) in men and 1.29 (95% CI: 0.88-1.90) in women, with significant trends in risk. No significant association emerged between education and risk of rectal cancer, with OR of 1.18 (95% CI: 0.83-1.70) and 1.01 (95% CI: 0.61-1.67) respectively for men and women in the highest educational category compared to the lowest. Social class was also related to colon cancer risk: the OR were 2.30 (95% CI: 1.82-2.90) in men and 1.33 (95% CI: 1.03-1.73) in women in the highest versus the lowest social class. No association was found between social class and rectal cancer risk, with OR of 1.18 for either men or women in the highest as compared to the lowest social class. No significant heterogeneity was found for the association between education and colon cancer risk in either sex across strata of age at diagnosis, coffee, alcohol and vegetable intake, family history of the disease, and in anatomical subsites within the colon. CONCLUSION: This study, based on a uniquely large dataset, indicates that there are different social class correlates for colon and rectal cancer. Consequently the two sites should not be combined in studies considering lifestyle factors in the aetiology of these neoplasms.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Chemotherapy: its repercussions on fertility and potency].

In the past twenty years, combined therapeutic regimens have improved the survival rare in many human tumors. Chemotherapy plays a significant role on this outcome. Unfortunately, many chemotherapeutic agents have adverse effects on gonadal function. The Authors examine the pathophysiology of gonadal damage in male diagnosed with cancer and treated with chemotherapeutic agents. Infertility and/or impotence can occur on these patients: the relationships between chemotherapy and tumors, towards seminal and sexual dysfunctions, are focused. Moreover, current possibilities to preserve recovery both fertility and sexual functions and discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Acute coronary syndromes in women: pathophysiology and therapeutic options.

Patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes disclose a number of gender-related differences. Women are more likely than men to have unstable angina and less likely to present with myocardial infarction. Women have a better prognosis than men among patients with unstable angina. Among patients with myocardial infarction without ST-segment elevation, men and women show similar outcomes. In contrast, among patients with myocardial infarction and ST-segment elevation, women consistently show a worse prognosis than men. This difference is not fully explained by age, comorbidities, extent of epicardial artery disease, or baseline left ventricular function, and may reflect gender differences in pathophysiological, functional and anatomical variables. Moreover, revascularization procedures and several anti-ischemic drugs appear underutilized in women.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Body size and colorectal-cancer risk.

Individuals whose energy intake exceeds expenditure are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. To determine whether body-size measurements at different ages were risk factors for cancer of the colon-rectum, we carried out a hospital-based case-control study in 6 Italian areas, 2 of which were in the South. Interviews were conducted with 1,217 subjects of both genders with incident histologically confirmed cancer of the colon, 726 with cancer of the rectum, and 4,136 controls hospitalized for acute, non-neoplastic, non-digestive conditions. The questionnaire included information on sociodemographic factors, and physical activity, a validated dietary history, height, weight at diagnosis and at 12, 30 and 50 years of age and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). After allowance for education, physical activity, energy intake, family history of colorectal cancer and recent change in weight, the body-mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with colorectal-cancer-risk in men (odds ratio, OR, in highest vs. lowest quintile = 1.7; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.3-2.3), but not in women (corresponding OR = 0.9; 95% CI, 0.7-1.2). Cases of both gender tended to have higher BMI than controls in adolescence, young adulthood and middle age. Height appeared unrelated to risk. In women, but not in men, WHR was positively associated with risk, independently of BMI (OR for > or = 0.90 vs. < or = 0.81 = 1.6; 95% CI; 1.2-2.1). Thus, excessive weight predicts colorectal-cancer risk in men, whereas abdominal obesity (i.e., a high WHR) represents a more reliable risk indicator in women.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Crystallographic analysis of the recognition of a nuclear localization signal by the nuclear import factor karyopherin alpha.

Selective nuclear import is mediated by nuclear localization signals (NLSs) and cognate transport factors known as karyopherins or importins. Karyopherin alpha recognizes "classical" monopartite and bipartite NLSs. We report the crystal structure of a 50 kDa fragment of the 60 kDa yeast karyopherin alpha, in the absence and presence of a monopartite NLS peptide at 2.2 A and 2.8 A resolution, respectively. The structure shows a tandem array of ten armadillo repeats, organized in a right-handed superhelix of helices. Binding of the NLS peptide occurs at two sites within a helical surface groove that is lined by conserved residues. The structure reveals the determinants of NLS specificity and suggests a model for the recognition of bipartite NLSs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗