PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Gambassi

Publications and source records attributed to G Gambassi.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

[Soluble factors with immunosuppressive activity in human neoplasms].

A number of the mechanisms implicated in the phenomenon of immunosuppression present in tumour-carrying patients are described. In particular, stress is laid on factors soluble to immunosuppressive activity identified in the serum or in other biological fluids of these patients. From among these are analysed the circulating immunocomplexes, the proteins of the acute phase (alpha-globulins) and other inhibiting substances derived from tumour cells. The nature and origin of these substances are discussed as well as their effects on the cancer patient's immune system and the therapeutic type implications that arise in some cases.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed1988

Negative correlation between ICA persistence and beta cell restoration after IDDM diagnosis.

We have studied 27 insulin-dependent diabetic patients since diagnosis for a period of six months; at diabetes onset and later on, ICA were found in 17 of them, whereas they were undetectable in 10 patients: age was remarkably homogeneous in the two groups. At diabetes onset, no significant differences were found in insulin requirement between ICA positive and ICA negative patients; however, six months after diagnosis, we observed that insulin requirement to keep metabolic control was significantly higher in ICA positive than in ICA negative subjects (0.515 +/- 0.2 U/Kg versus 0.22 +/- 0.15 U/Kg, p less than 0.001). Only one remission has been detected in ICA positive group (insulin requirement less than 0.25 U/Kg), while four ICA negative patients had complete remission and three had partial remission. ICA positive patients showed fasting C-peptide values higher than ICA negative (0.5 +/- 0.28 ng/ml versus 1.4 +/- 0.5 ng/m.; p less than 0.001, at rest; 1.1 +/- 0.6 ng/ml; versus 2.6 +/- 1.0 ng/ml, 6 minutes after stimulus; p less than 0.05). Our study suggests that presence and persistence of ICA may be considered an early and predictive marker for a worse beta cell function restoration resulting in a higher insulin requirement.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Immune complexes in solid tumours precipitable by 3.5% polyethylene glycol: analysis of some nonspecific components.

Some nonspecific components (IgG, C3c, C4,) of circulating immune complexes (IC) precipitable by 3.5% PEG were assayed by laser nephelometry in the sera of 71 patients with solid tumours, and of 39 patients with autoimmune diseases. PEG-IgG, PEG-C3c, and PEG-C4 were higher in cancer and in autoimmune diseases than in controls. In cancer patients, PEG-C4 levels and PEG-C4 positivity rate correlated well with tumour burden. PEG-C3c and PEG-IgG were present at higher levels and PEG-C4 was present at lower concentration in cancer than in autoimmune diseases. The results of the present study, performed on a large population of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, indicate a different composition of circulating IC in these diseases. Particularly, these data suggest a preferential involvement of the alternative pathway of complement activation in cancer, as already described by other authors. The aggregation of C3c to IC, mediated by the alternative pathway, seems to be the "key" event in the process of IC solubilization. In cancer patients' sera, the presence of "solubilized" IC could partly explain their peculiar biological behaviour as well as the disagreement observed among the different assay methods based upon the binding with complement factors.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1987

[Rheumatoid factors, C-reactive protein and circulating immunocomplexes: laser-nephelometric determination using the latex aggregation method. Preliminary evaluation in rheumatoid arthritis].

C-reactive protein and rheumatoid factor assays are relevant laboratory parameters, among the most used in the clinical practice, being very useful in diagnosing and "monitoring" rheumatic diseases. A quantitative test to detect these two serum proteins is an important, more specific, new tool for clinical medicine. In our study we evaluated two new laser nephelometric assays, both quantitative, based on the agglutination of polystyrene latex particles, able to show serum concentration of CRP and RF. With a similar technique we tested the presence of circulating immune complexes. We performed our tests in a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, other autoimmune diseases, and healthy blood bank donors assaying simultaneously, whenever possible, the "classic" Rose-Waaler and RA tests. We found both methods easy to perform, well correlating with the semi-quantitative techniques and highly reproducible.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1985

Immune complexes and acute phase proteins in human cancer: preliminary evaluation by laser nephelometric techniques.

The serum levels of circulating immune complexes (IC) were evaluated by a new 'direct' laser nephelometric assay, concomitantly with four acute phase proteins (APP), in 167 patients with various neoplasms at different stages. The present study confirms the presence of IC in the sera of cancer patients and, in the breast cancer group, there is a significant correlation with the progression of the disease. Among the APP, in several cancer groups, C-reactive protein, haptoglobin and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein are more elevated than in controls, and a trend to display higher values is observed in the subjects with metastatic disease; particularly, the frequency of patients with 3 or more proteins above the normal levels is significantly higher in metastatic than in localized cancers (p less than 0.09).

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1981

Circulating immune complexes in myasthenia gravis: a study in relation to thymectomy, clinical severity and thymus histology.

Circulating immune complexes were assayed employing the method recently described by Barnett and Chia in a group of patients with myasthenia gravis. The subjects were classified according to clinical severity and immune complexes were sought before and after thymectomy. The operated subjects were further divided into those with thymoma or thymic hyperplasia. Antigen-antibody complexes were higher before thymectomy than after, in hyperplasias than in thymomas, and in severe myasthenia gravis than in mild disease. Circulating immune complexes and anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies did not correlate.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗
PubMed1981

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia and myasthenia gravis.

Until now, three patients with IgG and only one with IgM class monoclonal gammopathy (without the classical features of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia) have been reported in subjects with myasthenia gravis. A case of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia which occurred before thymectomy in a myasthenic patient is described in this paper. Both neuromuscular disease and the lymphocyte dyscrasia worsened after operation and before starting steroid treatment. No evidence of circulating immune complexes nor of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies belonging to the IgM class was found. The patient's HLA type shared A2 and B15 antigens with an IgG-lambda monoclonal gammopathy previously reported in a myasthenic woman, and his genotype included the Bw15 specificity which has been described to be frequent in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. It appears that a persistent thymic abnormality, responsible for myasthenia gravis, may be associated with a lymphoreticular neoplasm.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Immunochemical and ultrastructural study of multiple myeloma with a heavy chain protein in the serum.

A patient with multiple myeloma had antigenically related monoclonal Fc-gamma fragments and complete IgG-kappa molecules in the serum. The urine contained only Fc-gamma fragments in the absence of Bence-Jones protein. The two distinct M-components in the serum showed electrophoretic identity but could be separated by chromatography. The simultaneous presence of complete monoclonal IgG molecules and Fc-gamma fragments, though difficult to detect, could be a frequent occurrence in multiple myeloma, and it could be defined as 'double paraproteinaemia'. A detailed ultrastructural study was performed in this case and showed fibril bundles being released from the malignant plasma cells; such fibrils could be the supramolecular organisation of the neosynthesised heavy chain fragments.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with double monoclonal immunoglobulin.

We describe an unusual case displaying the features of double monoclonal gammapathy (IgM-kappa plus IgG-lambda) associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In the last years monoclonal gammapathies have been sometimes found to be associated with NHLs; it is a very peculiar occurrence the association between a different class double monoclonal gammapathy and NHL, as the case reported in this paper.

Aged↗
PubMed1980

IgD (kappa) "nonsecretory" multiple myeloma: report of a case.

A case of IgD "nonsecretory" multiple myeloma in a 46-yr-old woman is reported. Despite the presence of disseminated osteolytic lesions, both serum protein electrophoresis and serum and urine immunoelectrophoresis were normal. In addition, bone scintigraphic study was normal. Bone marrow biopsy and aspirate obtained from the left femur lytic lesion showed only myelomatous proplasmocytes; when examined by immunofluorescence with monospecifc antisera, the cytoplasm showed only the presence of delta and kappa chains, suggesting that the neoplastic plasma cells might belong to a single clone. Lymphocyte studies indicated the presence of a normal amount of both B and T cells.

Alpha-Globulins↗
PubMed1979

Effects of phenobarbital and 3-methylcolanthrene treatment on microsomes of Morris hepatoma 3924-A, tumour-bearing and normal rat liver.

Microsomal cytochromes and some oxidative activities were determined in normal rat liver, tumour-bearing rat liver and Morris hepatoma 3924-A. Except for a moderate lowering of cytochromes and enzymes in host livers, the relation between TPNH-cytochrome c reductase activity and cytochrome P-450 TPNH reduction, both increased by phenobarbital (PB) and decreased by 3-methylcolanthrene (3-MC) treatment, is noteworthy. In tumour cytochromes b5 and P-450 are absent and TPNH-cytochrome c reductase is unmeasurable and not induced by PB or 3-MC treatment. Aminopyrine demethylase activity, instead, is comparable with normal or host liver and it is modified by PB or 3-MC treatment in the same way, despite the microsomal enzymes pathway disorganization. Microsomal enzymatic defect selectivity in tumours may be due to a deranged microsome-linked growth control.

Aminopyrine N-Demethylase↗
PubMed1978

Hoffman's syndrome: a peculiar case.

The Authors describe the case of a 50-yr-old woman with painful muscular cramps and high muscular enzymes level secondary to adult-onset myxedema, and where no histological and ultrastructural muscle alterations could be detected, probably owing to the early observation of the patient.

Creatine Kinase↗