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Biomedical subjects

G Emanuelli

Publications and source records attributed to G Emanuelli.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Duodenal lactoferrin in patients with chronic pancreatitis and gastrointestinal diseases.

Lactoferrin (LF), chymotrypsin and lipase activity were measured in duodenal juice during pancreatic stimulation. Secretin (0.5 CU/kg/h) plus cerulein (75 ng/kg/h) were infused intravenously in 98 subjects: 33 patients without organic diseases (C), 40 patients affected by chronic pancreatitis (CP), and 25 patients with different gastrointestinal diseases (GID). LF was determined by means of a new noncompetitive immunoenzymatic assay with a sensitivity in the duodenal juice of 5 ng/ml. Duodenal LF concentrations were significantly higher in CP than in C or GID (p less than 0.001). LF was in a normal range in acute relapsing pancreatitis due to biliary stones or pancreas divisum. In the diagnosis of the chronic pancreatitis, LF/lipase ratios showed a specificity of 93% and a sensitivity of 95%. Our results show that LF immunoassay in duodenal juice is a sensitive and accurate assay to apply in pancreatic function tests involving duodenal content analysis.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Urinary enzyme excretion in acute and subacute experimental lithium administration.

Blood lithium (Li) levels, renal functional parameters and urine excretion of enzymatic activities having different intracellular sites were investigated on rats submitted to acute and subacute Li chloride administration. In acute experiments increased levels of all detected enzymes were assayed following Li single doses of 5 and 10 mEq/kg b.w. In subacute poisoning, urine output of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase was significantly over the basal ranges following 15 days in concomitance with marked elevation of plasma Li levels and exhibited progressive increase until 30 days; on the 10th day following Li withdrawal, elevated excretion of enzymatic activities was still assayed. The results are in agreement with data about the localization of the histologic lesions involving different sites of the nephron in acute Li poisoning and the distal tubular tract in subacute toxicity. In subacute administration the output of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial activities can be assumed as an index of damage of the nephron cells which can persist following Li withdrawal. Our findings indicate that the urine enzyme assay is a valuable tool to detect renal damage in experimental Li nephropathy.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1984

Effect of platelet activating factor on guinea-pig papillary muscle.

Platelet activating factor (PAF) induces a biphasic effect on guinea-pig papillary muscle: 1. a transient positive inotropic effect preceded by an increase in action potential duration (APD); 2. a marked negative effect on inotropism and on APD. Since Ca++ slow action potentials were initially enhanced by PAF and then markedly depressed, it is suggested that PAF specifically interferes with the Ca++ slow channel.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1983

Platelet-activating factor-mediated contraction of rabbit lung strips: pharmacologic modulation.

Synthetic platelet-activating factor (PAF) (1-0-octadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine, AGEPC) has been shown to induce a slowly developing contraction of rabbit lung parenchymal strips in an isolated organ bath. The spasmogenic effect of AGEPC appeared to be mediated by specific receptors distinct from H1, H2, cholinergic and C5a anaphylatoxin receptors. Prior exposure to AGEPC induced specific desensitization of lung parenchymal strips. Experiments with several pharmacological agents indicated that AGEPC-induced contraction was independent from cyclooxygenase, but was blocked when phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase were inhibited and when the Ca++ channels were antagonized. Corticosteroids exhibited an inhibitory effect specific for AGEPC. Intracellular levels of cyclic AMP or cyclic GMP seemed to have a modulatory role in AGEPC-induced contraction of rabbit lung parenchymal strips.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1982

Urinary enzyme excretion and renal lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern in acute HgCl2 nephropathy of rat.

The activity of several enzymes with different intracellular sites was determined in urine at various times following nonfatal acute tubular necrosis induced by mercuric chloride administration. The excretion rate of all tested enzymes rose on the 1st and 2nd day; in the next observations (days 7-15) enzymatic values approached the basal values. The lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme pattern of the renal cortical zone showed an early shift towards cathodic fractions and later (7 days) an increase of middle ones; the normal anodic zymogram recovered after a suitable time interval (30 days). The isoenzymatic changes are related both to the renal hypoxia and to the appearance of less differentiated cells. The behaviour of functional parameters (urine flow, osmolality, urea clearance, creatinine clearance) were well in agreement with the observed enzyme and renal isoenzyme changes.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1981

[Immunological aspects of diabetes].

The incidence of immunological disorders seems to play a primary, significative role in the genesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Auto-immunological anti-pancreas alterations, both cell-mediated and humoral, have been detected in course of IDDM; moreover, the presence of antipancreatic antibodies seems to correlate with progressive destruction of islet cells and increased insulin deficiency. Animal models and human studies, revealing the pathologic entity of "insulitis", are consistent with an autoimmune component playing a part in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, genotypic factors may be considered: recent studies prove the association between HLA system and IDDM; specifically, HLA antigens B8 and BW15 are found in significantly higher frequencies in juvenile onset insulin-dependent diabetics. Therefore, it can be hypothesized, in the pathogenesis of the disease, an altered immune response to an additional environmental diabetogenic factor; it has been postulated, on the ground of epidemiologic and experimental studies, the interference of a viral infection, that may act as a triggering event to pancreatic cell damage with a latent period of variable duration.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Markers of type B viral hepatitis].

The discovery of Australian antigen (HBsAg) has led to an increasing deal of knowledges about the virus of type B hepatitis (HBV); several markers of HBV have been detected and are becoming disposable for clinical and epidemiological purposes. The HBsAg is carried by 3 types of particulate structures discovered by electron microscopy as small spherical particles having diameter around 22 nm, long filaments and spherical particles having an overall diameter of the 42 nm (Dane-particle) with an electron-dense core. Dane-particle core contains circular double-stranded DNA molecules and an enzyme, the DNA polymerase. At present, Dane-particle is thought to represent the HBV, having properties consistent with those of a complete virus. Four antigen/antibody systems related to viral type B hepatitis have been discovered; they have been designated with the following nomenclature: HBsAg/anti-HBs, HBcAg/anti-HBc, HBeAg/anti-HBe, epilon antigen/anti epilson. The availability of the HBV markers for clinical purposes will permit a better understanding of the sequence of the biological reactions as well as of the clinical and epidemiological features concerning this viral infection: incubation period, acute disease, resolution, chronic carrier state, actively or passively immunized subject, persistent or subsided infectivity, prognosis.

Antibodies, Viral↗