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Biomedical subjects

F Grassi

Publications and source records attributed to F Grassi.

121 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Cell-to-cell communication in cultured Sertoli cells.

Junctional transfer of ions in monolayer primary cultures of Sertoli cells has been studied by using conventional techniques. Cells were extensively electrically coupled. Membrane voltage displacements caused by the injected current pulses were measured at variable interelectrode distance. Data analyses were based on a thin-sheet model for current flow (Jongsma and van Rijn, 1972) and yielded a generalized space constant of 248 microns and an internal resistivity of 1.7 kOhm.cm in standard medium. Electrical coupling was inhibited by A23187 Ca2+ ionophore (5 microM).

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Combined evaluation of serum ribonuclease and ferritin: any advantages in pancreatic cancer diagnosis?

In 116 subjects, serum ribonuclease (RNase) and ferritin were determined in order to evaluate whether their combined evaluation might improve the diagnostic accuracy of each test. Significantly higher levels were found in pancreatic cancer patients both for RNase and ferritin than in control subjects and chronic pancreatitis. Sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing pancreatic cancer were 86% and 46%, respectively for RNase; 76% and 65% for ferritin. One of the two tests was pathological in 100% of pancreatic cancer, with a specificity of 29.9%; both were pathological in 62.1%, with a specificity of 82.1%. The results emphasize the limits of the combined assessment of pancreatic cancer markers.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Carcinoembryonic antigen in gastric juice collected during endoscopy. Value in detecting high-risk patients and gastric cancer.

In order to ascertain the role of gastric carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) determination in detecting patients with a risk for gastric cancer, 69 subjects were studied; 23 were referred for endoscopy because of dyspepsia but without obvious macroscopic lesions, 27 with duodenal ulcer, 11 with benign gastric ulcer, 8 with gastric cancer. The following results were obtained by subdividing the material according to the histologic interpretation of the results of gastric mucosal biopsies: (1) in the presence of minor histologic abnormalities of the gastric mucosa, CEA in gastric juice was under 100 ng/ml in all but five cases; and (2) in moderate or severe chronic atrophic gastritis (associated or otherwise with intestinal metaplasia or dysplasia), and in gastric cancer, gastric CEA ranged between 224 and 3120 ng/ml in all but two cases. Although not diagnostic for gastric cancer, gastric CEA is a promising test in detecting patients at risk, including those with dysplasia of the gastric mucosa.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Effect of beta-lactam antibiotics on migration and bactericidal activity of human phagocytes.

The effect of beta-lactam antibiotics upon some functions of human phagocytes was examined. Penicillins (carbenicillin and piperacillin), thienamycin, and cephalosporins (cefotetan, ceftazidime, and moxalactam) had no effect on either the random or directional migration or on the bactericidal activity of neutrophils and monocytes against Staphylococcus aureus. On the contrary, cefoperazone at therapeutic levels was shown to inhibit neutrophil chemotaxis.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1982

Serum ferritin in pancreatic disease. An accurate test of malignancy?

Serum ferritin, described as increased in patients with pancreatic cancer, was studied in 109 subjects by an immunoradiometric technique in order to assess its reliability in detecting pancreatic malignancy. A significant increase of serum ferritin was found in pancreatic cancer as compared to controls (p less than 0.01), to calcifying (p less than 0.05), non-calcifying (p less than 0.05), and recurrent (p less than 0.01) chronic pancreatitis. Nevertheless, high levels of serum ferritin were found in 10 out of the 36 chronic pancreatitis patients and in 10 out of the 26 patients with non-pancreatic diseases, whilst values within the normal range were detected in 6 out of the 22 pancreatic cancer patients. These data suggest that serum ferritin, although frequently increased in pancreatic cancer, cannot be considered a marker of pancreatic malignancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Serum bacterial reaction by the alternative pathway of complement: potentiation by target multiplicity and modulation by serum factors.

The bactericidal reactions of normal human serum and of ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid (trisodium salt)-Mg2+-treated human serum differ in a number of aspects. The latter reaction was shown (i) to require the integrity of the alternative pathway of complement, (ii) to display two levels of efficiency depending on the concentration of target bacteria, and (iii) to be modulated by the addition of thermostable serum fractions with inhibitory and stimulatory activities. The inhibitory activities were characterized to a certain extent; they comprised several glycoprotein species of molecular weights between 60,000 and 20,000. The stimulatory activities could be measured only after depletion of the inhibitors by concanavalin A-Sepharose or heat-killed bacteria and could be fractionated into several peaks by gel filtration.

Blood Bactericidal Activity↗
PubMed1981

Defective bactericidal reaction by the alternative pathway of complement in atopic patients.

Atopic sera were shown to be defective in serum bactericidal activity by a reaction dependent upon the integrity of the alternative pathway of complement activation. In normal human sera, the efficiency of such a reaction could be modulated by the addition of thermostable serum fractions with inhibitory and stimulatory activity, as demonstrated on two different assay systems. Atopic sera contained the inhibitory activities, but no stimulatory activity. The bactericidal defect of atopic sera was shown to be familial, but its hereditary mechanism could not be unambiguously interpreted.

Blood Bactericidal Activity↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dementia of the frontal lobe type: report of the neuroimaging and neuropsychological results of a case study.

We report the behavioural abnormalities, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological results of a 62-year-old patient, i.p., who shows a clinical profile that fulfils all characteristics of dementia of frontal lobe type. The patient has been followed up over 5 years with psychometric testing. Comparing her cognitive profiles across examinations, her performance was substantially unchanged apart from behavioural disturbances and performance on frontal tasks which showed a progressive worsening. MRI finding evidenced marked ventricular enlargement, prevalent frontal atrophy and hypertrophy of the genus of corpus callosum. SPECT investigation showed a considerable reduction of cerebral blood flow in the mesial parts of the frontal lobes, in the lateral surface of the right fronto-parietal lobe, and hypo-perfusion in the right thalamic area. The results are discussed with reference to the features (clinical and neuropsychological) which distinguish different profiles of dementia.

Behavior↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Correlations between cognitive impairment, middle cerebral artery flow velocity and cortical glucose metabolism in the early phase of Alzheimer's disease.

In a previous transcranial Doppler (TCD) study, we demonstrated a decrease in blood flow velocity in the proximal tract of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In these patients there was also an asymmetry in blood flow velocity which positively correlated with the cognitive asymmetry often seen in the early phase of AD. In this study we found a correlation between the absolute values and asymmetry indexes of MCA blood flow velocity with adjusted metabolic values and asymmetry indexes of the relative cortical frontotemporoparietal (FTP) areas, evaluated by FDG-PET, and with neuropsychological asymmetry indexes. Patients with prevalent visuospatial deficits (right hemisphere dysfunction) showed significant decreases in right MCA blood flow velocity and right FTP cortical glucose hypometabolism, whereas in patients with prevalent language deficits (left hemisphere dysfunction), these signs were observed on the other side. In AD patients, the decrease of blood flow velocity in MCA might be due to reduced metabolic demands in the temporoparietal cortical areas primarily affected by AD.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hyaluronan-based biomaterial (Hyaff-11) as scaffold to support mineralization of bone marrow stromal cells.

Various techniques are widely used to repair bone defects, association of hyaluronan-based biodegradable polymers (Hyaff-11) with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) promises to provide successful cell scaffolds for tissue-engineered repair of bone tissue. We evaluate in vitro and in vivo the potential of Hyaff-11 to facilitate mineralization of BMSC. Rat BMSC were seeded on Hyaff-11 and their differentiation were assessed at different time points. Osteogenic differentiation was investigated in vitro analysing the expression of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Mineralization of bone defects was evaluated also in vivo implanting Hyaff-11 scaffold combined with BMSC in large segmental radius defects. In vitro, we found a decrease expression of alkaline phosphatase and an increase of osteocalcin. In vivo, our data showed that mineralization was induced and basic fibroblast growth factor contributed to this process. These results provide a demonstration to therapeutic potential of Hyaff-11 as appropriate carrier vehicle for differentiation and mineralization of BMSC and for the repair of bone defects.

Animals↗