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Biomedical subjects

G Castellucci

Publications and source records attributed to G Castellucci.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Human milk lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T-cell receptor are mostly delta TCS1-positive cells.

Our laboratories previously reported that the proportion of lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T-cell receptor (TcR) is twofold greater in human milk lymphocyte suspensions than in autologous and heterologous blood samples. The present investigation shows that gamma/delta colostral T cells preferentially express non-covalently bound gamma/delta chains, whereas only a few display the disulphide-linked form of the TcR. This contrasts with the picture in the blood, where the distribution of these two nonoverlapping subpopulations is proportionally inverse. These findings are further evidence that the colonization of the mammary gland during lactation by immune system cells is the result of a selective homing process.

Colostrum↗
PubMed1990

Lymphocytes bearing the T cell receptor gamma delta in human breast milk.

Lymphocytes bearing the T cell receptor gamma delta (TCR-gamma delta) were searched for in human early milk lymphocyte suspensions by two colour cytofluorimetric analysis. It was found that the proportion of TCR-gamma delta+ cells was twofold greater in colostrum than in either autologous or heterologous blood samples. Additional studies are needed to determine whether this particular subset of lymphocytes is involved in the lactation transmission of cellular immunity.

Colostrum↗
PubMed1980

Circadian rhythms of respiratory functions in asthmatics.

35 subjects underwent pulmonary function tests, plasma cortisol and urinary catecholamine measurements at 4-hour intervals, during a period of 24 h. In healthy subjects a circadian variation was not demonstrated. In asthmatic subjects circadian variation of a large number of ventilatory variables and a normal circadian pattern for plasma cortisol were demonstrated. Asthmatic patients were divided into two groups: patients with intrinsic asthma and patients with extrinsic asthma. The former showed the most impressive circadian pattern; the most severe bronchospasm occurred between 12.00 and 00.00 h; patients with extrinsic asthma, older than 20 years became worse around 03.00 h. During this period their urinary catecholamines reached the lowest values. The younger patients with extrinsic asthma presented the highest TGV values at 12.50 h. From the clinical viewpoint, it is emphasized that chronobiologic criteria could be utilized for the chronotherapeutic management of asthmatics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

A new screening test for the diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidoses.

A simple method for the electrophoretic separation of glycosaminoglycans from untreated urine is presented. It is shown that this rapid electrophoresis on specially shaped acetate cellulose strips gives more information than other screening tests used in laboratory for discriminating between normal and pathological samples. This technique is useful particularly with low levels of glycosaminoglycans which may give false-negative responses.

Electrophoresis, Cellulose Acetate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epilepsy with bilateral occipital calcifications: Sturge-Weber variant or a different encephalopathy?

A series of cases of epilepsy with associated bilateral occipital calcifications (EBOC) without signs of phakomatosis and without any disorders known to produce cerebral calcifications have been reported. It is unclear whether EBOC is an incomplete variant of Sturge-Weber disease (SWD) or if it is a different, as yet undefined encephalopathy. We describe four new cases of EBOC that are different clinically by age of onset, type, course, severity of epilepsy, and associated cognitive deficits but that are linked by similar neuroradiologic findings. Similar to cases described in the literature, there is convincing evidence in favor of the hypothesis that these cases belong to an encephalopathy different from SWD and frequently associated with celiac disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[IgA-class antigliadin antibodies in the screening and follow-up of celiac disease patients].

IgA antigliadin antibodies (IgA-AGA) have been determined with an enzyme immunoassay in 2.141 pediatric patients. High levels of IgA were found in 98% of 53 celiac patients (1st biopsy), in 81% of 16 celiac patients after gluten challenge, while high levels of these antibodies were not found in 200 patients on gluten-free diet. Moreover high levels of IgA-AGA were found in 29% of 48 patients with normal jejunal biopsy and in 4% of 1.824 patients with gastrointestinal problems other than celiac disease. Our results confirm the data report in literature about the sensibility and the specificity of the IgA-AGA dosage as a screening test for celiac disease, but the possibility of false pathological and false normal values confirms the intestinal biopsy, as the main procedure for the diagnosis of celiac disease.

Antibodies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Comparison of two methods to determine beta-lactoglobulin antibodies in children with cow's milk protein intolerance].

In the last years the evaluation of IgG against beta-lactoglobulin (beta LG-IgG) has been proposed as reliable test to diagnose Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance (CMPI). This test, associated with other diagnostic tools (such as eosinophilia, hemoccult, RAST, challenge, etc.) showed a good sensibility, but less specificity. In fact antibodies against beta-lactoglobulin were found in other gastrointestinal diseases (coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, cystic fibrosis, etc.). To determine the specificity of the test some Authors attributed great importance to the laboratory method (IFL, ELISA). They retained IFL more specific. In order to verify the behaviour of the two methods and their concordance we carried out a double bind determination of IgG against beta-lactoglobulin (beta LG-IgG) on serum samples from children affected by CMPI. For this study we chose 16 children, aged from 3 months and 6 years, suffering from CMPI of which 11 with gastrointestinal complaints and 5 from extraintestinal ones. All children were diagnosed on the basis of the following criteria: clinical picture, blood eosinophilia, positivity of hemoccult, amelioration after the withdrawal of cow's milk proteins from the diet, positivity of challenge test. All children at the time of the assessment assuming a diet containing cow's milk proteins. beta LG-IgG were measured using simultaneously immunofluorescent and micro-ELISA methods. The obtained data showed that 12 children (75%) had IgG versus beta-lactoglobulin in the serum. This result was obtained both with IFL and ELISA methods, showing a 100% of concordance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Recent findings on the phenotype and function of T-lymphocytes in the human colostrum].

Recent studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that the great majority of human colostral T cells display the phenotypic and functional characteristics of memory T lymphocytes, e.g. were able to proliferate in response to anti-CD3 and anti-CD2 monoclonal antibodies, and to a lesser extent, to the lectin mitogen phytohaemagglutinin. In addition, their production of interferon-gamma after anti-CD3 and anti-CD2 stimuli was similar to that calculated in autologous blood lymphocyte cultures. More interestingly, the proportion of T lymphocytes bearing the gamma/delta T-cell receptor was found to be significantly higher in the mammary secretion than in autologous and heterologous blood samples. Furthermore, these cells were mostly delta-TCS-1+, thereby suggesting that they are actively motile cells capable of migrating from lymphoid to extra-lymphoid body tissues. The fact that the phenotypic pattern of colostral gamma/delta T cells is similar, if not identical, to that of the intestinal intraepithelial counterpart suggests that these cells might originate in the gut-associated lymphoid system and home selectively to the mammary gland late in pregnancy and throughout lactation. However, additional studies are needed to confirm whether milk T lymphocytes are actively involved in the adoptive lactation transmission of cellular immunity to the suckling infant.

Colostrum↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Nocturnal changes in osteocalcin in children with constitutional growth retardation].

Growth Hormone (GH) and serum Bone GLA-Protein (BGP or Osteocalcin), a sensitive and specific marker of bone turnover, were measured in 5 children with growth retardation, during 12 h period from 8 p.m. every 30'. A nocturnal periodicity in Osteocalcin was found: BGP rose slightly during sleep in the patients studied, maximum concentration being reached between 3 and 5 a.m. There were no consistent correlations between Osteocalcin concentration and circulating levels of GH in the subjects tested. BGP determination may be of interest in the evaluation of children with short stature but standardized analytical conditions remain to be determined.

Child↗