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Biomedical subjects

E Rocca

Publications and source records attributed to E Rocca.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Anhydrous lead(II) heptanoate.

The title compound, catena-poly[[(heptanoato-O,O')lead(II)]-micro-heptanoato-O,O':O:O'], [Pb(C(7)H(13)O(2))(2)], is a metallic soap which can be used as a corrosion inhibitor since it forms a passive film at the Pb surface. Its structure is characterized by two-dimensional layers parallel to the bc plane. The layers are packed through van der Waals interactions along the a direction and form blocks parallel to (001). The 6s(2) lone pair of electrons on Pb(II) is stereochemically active in this compound, which leads to a hemidirected octahedral geometry for the O-environment around the Pb atoms.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Adoptive immunotherapy with high-dose interleukin-2: kinetics of circulating progenitors correlate with interleukin-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor level.

Immunotherapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells results in significant tumor regression in patients with advanced cancer. We have investigated the kinetics of circulating erythroid (BFU-E) and granulocytic-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitors after IL-2 therapy in 11 cancer patients, mainly affected by metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Administration of IL-2 from day 1 through day 5 constantly induced a dramatic decrease of the number of circulating BFU-E and CFU-GM, which then showed a striking rebound (up to values fourfold and sevenfold higher, respectively, than the pretherapy levels) on discontinuation of IL-2, ie, from day 5 through day 10. A similar kinetic pattern was observed during and after the second cycle of IL-2 administration. 3[H]-thymidine killing experiments showed that the cycling activity of the progenitors was virtually unmodified in the rebound phases. To explore the mechanism(s) underlying this kinetic pattern, we have analyzed the plasma concentration of several hematopoietic growth factors, including IL-1 beta, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), G-CSF, and erythropoietin (Ep). No modifications in the levels of IL-3, GM-CSF, or IL-1 beta were observed, whereas a pronounced increase of IL-6 and G-CSF concentration was monitored, starting at day 3 and peaking at day 5 of treatment (a parallel, but modest, increase of Ep level was also observed). The elevation of IL-6 and G-CSF concentration is directly correlated with and may, at least in part, underlie the subsequent rebound of circulating hematopoietic progenitors. Furthermore, the increase in IL-4 level observed at day 10 of therapy may mediate the eosinophilia gradually starting at this stage of treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effect of low-energy laser irradiation on colony formation capability in different human tumor cells in vitro.

Fibroblasts and lymphocytes are the most widely used cells for studying the so-called biostimulative effect of low-power laser in vitro. In contrast, stimulation of cancer cells by laser light has not been investigated extensively. The present study attempted to evaluate whether or not human tumor cells could exhibit an increase in colony-forming capability following low-watt laser irradiation. LoVo and HT29 (colon carcinoma), MCF7 (breast carcinoma), M14 and JR1 (malignant melanoma) cell lines were irradiated at different doses of light delivered from an argon or an argon-dye laser. Radiant exposures between 4.2 and 150 kJ/m2 at irradiances ranging from 35 to 500 W/m2 were delivered. Results were mixed. Of the 41 experiments performed, five showed a significant statistical increase in the number of colonies (P less than 0.05), whereas three showed a decrease (P less than 0.05). Nevertheless, the trend of most data was toward an increase in colony formation, and Wilcoxon's signed-ranks test suggested that light increases tumor cell culture growth (P less than 0.03).

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1989

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor reactivates fetal hemoglobin synthesis in erythroblast clones from normal adults.

Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, alpha 2 gamma 2) synthesis was previously reported in normal human adult erythroblast colonies ("bursts") generated by erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) in fetal calf serum-supplemented (FCS+) semisolid cultures stimulated with erythropoietin (Ep). Our studies focused on the reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adult erythroid bursts generated by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) seeded in FCS+ methylcellulose culture. Reactivation is almost totally suppressed when (a) PBMCs are grown in optimized FCS- culture, or (b) PBMCs are first stringently depleted of monocytes and then plated in FCS+ medium (ie, BFU-E growth in FCS+ Mo- culture). In both experimental conditions, the proliferation of lymphocytes and macrophages interspersed among colonies is drastically reduced, and the cloning efficiency of granulocyte-macrophage (GM) progenitors is sharply diminished. In either case, addition of biosynthetic GM colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) induces a dose-related increase of HbF synthesis up to the level in FCS+ culture, with even more elevated values on delayed addition of Ep. A dose-related increase was also observed in erythroblast clones generated by highly purified BFU-E. These results suggest that reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adults is at least in part mediated by GM-CSF. Furthermore, they imply intriguing hypotheses on the mechanism(s) of perinatal Hb switching. Finally, they raise the possibility of reactivation of HbF synthesis in beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia by GM-CSF therapy.

Biological Factors↗
PubMed1985

Cytotoxic effects of wheat gliadin-derived peptides.

The peptic-tryptic-cotazym (PTC) digest, obtained from bread wheat gliadin by simulating in vivo protein digestion, was more active than the PTC-digest of durum wheat gliadin in reversibly inhibiting HEp-2 cell proliferation and in increasing cellular acid phosphatase. Colony-forming ability of the cells was not affected by treatment with both bread or durum wheat gliadin peptides. The peptic-tryptic (PT) digest of bread wheat gliadin also showed agglutinating activity of HEp-2 cells.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1984

Behaviour of several enzymes of lysosomal origin in human plasma during pregnancy.

The following enzymes of lysosomal origin were fluorimetrically determined in maternal plasma from the second to the ninth month of pregnancy at 1-mth intervals: beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.30), beta-D-glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31), beta-D-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21), beta-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.22), alpha-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23), alpha-L-fucosidase (EC 3.2.1.51) and alpha-D-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.24) (pH 4.0). As reference microsomal alpha-D-mannosidase (pH 5.7) was also studied. Thirty-eight healthy women, aged 18-37 yr, who had a normal pregnancy followed by normal parturition, were studied. All enzymes, with the only exception of beta-D-galactosidase, showed a progressive and statistically significant increase of activity throughout pregnancy. At the end of pregnancy, the increase ranged from a maximum of 5.6-fold for beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminidase to a minimum of 0.55-fold for alpha-D-mannosidase, pH 5.7. In the case of beta-D-N-acetylglucosaminidase, the level at the fifth month of pregnancy was significantly higher than that at the third month, and from the sixth to the ninth month each level significantly differed from that of the month immediately preceding.

Abortion, Induced↗