PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Castrucci

Publications and source records attributed to G Castrucci.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

A comparison in calves of the antigenicity of three strains of bovid herpesvirus 2.

Three strains of bovid herpesvirus 2, viz. Allerton, bovine mammillitis and 69/1LO were used to infect calves intradermally. Twenty-eight days later the immunity of the calves was challenged by intravenous injection of a homologous or heterologous strain. Challenge control calves developed a fever (greater than 40 degrees C) lasting several days and widespread skin lesions which varied with the strain. Homologous challenge of the primary infection produced neither skin lesions nor febrile response, except in one calf in which fever was noted on one day. Heterologous challenge did not cause skin lesions but fever occurred in 8/12 calves. In particular Allerton virus failed to protect completely against heterologous challenge. Despite minor differences evident in these experiments, it is recommended that these isolates should be considered as strains of the same virus--bovid herpesvirus 2.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A study on neonatal calf diarrhea induced by rotavirus.

This review summarizes the results of a study on rotaviruses isolated from calves affected by neonatal diarrhea. The results indicated that rotavirus infection is widespread and supported the evidence for an etiologic role of these viruses in neonatal diarrhea. Differences in virulence among bovine rotaviruses appeared also to be confirmed. Conventionally reared calves were fully susceptible to the experimental infection induced by rotaviruses originating from heterologous hosts, i.e. monkeys, pigs and rabbits. When rotavirus strains of bovine, simian and rabbit origin were compared by cross neutralization tests, it was found the simian and porcine strains were indistinguishable and both appeared to relate antigenically to the bovine strain. Finally, it was proven that feeding newborn calves with colostrum and first milk of their dams, previously vaccinated with an inactivated adjuvanted rotavirus vaccine, could prevent the neonatal diarrhea from occurring.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Twenty-four-hour intragastric pH-metry: evidence of nightly gastric alkalinization in subjects with and without active duodenal ulcer.

Continuous 24-hour gastric pH monitoring was performed in 68 subjects to evaluate the spontaneous nightly alkalinization phenomenon (SNA). Two groups of patients were compared: the first (group A) was composed of 27 subjects with active duodenal ulcer disease; group B included 12 healthy volunteers and 29 patients with gastroesophageal reflux. Patients with duodenal disease had an alkalinization of 196.2 +/- 97.9 seconds in duration, while healthy subjects and even gastroesophageal refluxers exhibit a SNA lasting 5269 +/- 748.3 seconds (t = 6.72; p < 0.001). The absence of SNA was used as a predictive test of duodenal ulcer disease and its discriminating ability was evaluated. The evidence of this phenomenon was able to exclude the disease in 90% of group B subjects (negative predictive value) while its absence suggested correctly the presence of duodenal disease in 82% of patients (positive predictive value). The lack of SNA in duodenal ulcer patients is so frequent that its absence might be a diagnostic sign of the peptic disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of the pathogenicity of three strains of bovid herpesvirus 2 in calves.

The isolates of Bovid herpesvirus 2 share common morphological, physical and antigenic features, but differences in their pathogenicity for cattle have been found among the strains. In order to investigate this aspect in more detail a comparative study was made of the skin lesions produced in calves by three strains of the virus: Allerton BA, bovine mammilitis and 69/1L0. The results show that Allerton BA was less pathogenic for calves than the other two strains used in the experiment. This conclusion is supported by the observations that very few inclusion bodies were found in the lesions produced by Alerton BA, and the maximum titre of virus in the lesions was lower than the titres obtained with bovine mammillitis and 69/1L0. Moreover the thickness and diameter of the lesions with Allerton BA were less than those with the other strains. It is speculated that Allerton BA strain, which originated from a buffalo, might behave similarly to bovine mammillitis and 69/1LO following serial passages in cattle.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preliminary studies on the diffusion of bovid herpesvirus 2 in experimentally infected calves.

This preliminary study on the diffusion of the Bovid herpesvirus 2 (BHV2) in calves inoculated intravenously, allowed to identify the target organs of the virus. In particular, in the first phase of the infection, i.e. post infection day (PID) 2, the virus resulted extensively widespread in the body of the calf, whereas in a subsequent phase, PID6, the virus was recovered only from the skin, the lymph nodes and the nervous system. Finally virus was not recovered in any of the tissues obtained from the calf killed at PID 12. Based on the results it might be speculated that, under the experimental conditions of these tests, the infection of cattle by BHV2 develops through two stages. The first stage would be characterized by a systemic condition in that the virus is present in the whole organism; the second stage which follows, consists in a localized infection, the virus being present only in some districts of the organism (skin, lymph nodes, nervous system) which could be considered as the definitive target sites for virus replication.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes in esophageal motility in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: an esophago-manometric study].

Impairment of esophageal motor function is well recognized in connective tissue disease. We have investigated esophageal function, by manometric studies, presence of symptoms of esophageal involvement and antibodies pattern, in 18 female patients affected by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Esophageal manometry showed motor abnormalities in 72.3% of the patients, especially hypokinetic abnormalities (hypotony of lower esophageal sphincter pressure, low amplitude or alterations of peristaltic waves) or, rarely, an increase of amplitude of peristaltic contractions. No significant correlation were found between antinuclear antibodies, esophageal symptoms and manometric findings. Hypoperistalsis or aperistalsis, may be due to an inflammatory reaction in the esophageal muscles or to an ischemic vasculitic damage of Auerbach plexus. High amplitude of peristaltic esophageal waves may be due to an early stage of reflux esophagitis: we have found gastro-esophageal reflux symptoms in more than half of our patients.

Adult↗