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Biomedical subjects

G Liguori

Publications and source records attributed to G Liguori.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Membrane-anchorage of Cripto protein by glycosylphosphatidylinositol and its distribution during early mouse development.

cripto is the original member of the family of EGF-CFC genes, recently recognized as novel extracellular factors essential for vertebrate development. During the early stages of mouse gastrulation, cripto mRNA is detected in mesodermal cells; later, cripto mRNA is detected only in the truncus arteriosus of the developing heart. Here we describe the in vivo distribution of Cripto protein throughout mouse embryo development and show that cripto mRNA and protein colocalize. By means of immunofluorescence analysis and biochemical characterization, we show that Cripto is a membrane-bound protein anchored to the lipid bilayer by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) moiety. We suggest that presentation of Cripto on the cell surface via a GPI-linkage is important in determining the spatial specificity of cell-cell interactions that play a critical role in the early patterning of the embryo.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Laparoscopic bladder auto-augmentation in an incomplete traumatic spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the urodynamic and clinical outcome of a laparoscopic auto-augmentated bladder. METHODS: Laparoscopic bladder autoaugmentation in a 27-year-old woman with an incomplete spinal cord injury at T12 level with urge incontinence caused by a hyperreflexic bladder. RESULTS: Six months later the patient voids by Valsalva's manoeuvre every 3 h and remains dry day and night. The radio-urodynamic study, performed 2 months later, revealed an intact bladder with a diverticulum of anterior wall and a capacity of 510 ml with filling rate of 100 ml/min without evidence of leakage of infusion water. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic retropubic auto-augmentation allows a brief hospital stay and minor postoperative discomfort. Moreover the laparoscopic approach should not complicate or preclude subsequent enterocystoplasty if necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The usefulness of the somatosensory evoked potentials of the pudendal nerve in diagnosis of probable multiple sclerosis.

STUDY DESIGN: The aim of the study was to evaluate the sensitivity of pSEP in patients affected by probable MS. OBJECTIVES: Bladder dysfunction is the presenting symptom in 2% of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) and may be present in up to 78% of them. Abnormalities of somatosensory evoked potentials of the pudendal nerve (pSEP) have been found by many authors in patients affected by clinically defined MS, but little is known of diagnostic reliability of pSEP in early stage of MS. METHODS: Sixteen patients, eleven females and five males, aged between 18 and 45 years old (mean age 28.9), affected by clinically probable MS, were studied. Six of them reported retention or urge incontinence. pSEP with P1 (P40) scalp wave was analyzed. All patients also underwent visual evoked potentials (VEP), SEP of median and tibial nerves (mSEP, tSEP), brainstem acoustic evoked potentials (BAEPs), MRI of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) evaluation. Urodynamic study with simultaneous measurement of intravesical, intraurethral and abdominal pressures with external sphincter electromyography was performed. RESULTS: Abnormalities of the evoked potentials were found in all patients. Abnormalities of the pSEP were observed in all the symptomatic cases and in eight of the remaining ten patients; ten showed no responses from the scalp and four showed P1 increased latency. Urodynamic abnormalities were found in 12 patients and MRI showed demyelinating lesions in 13 patients and oligoclonal bands were found in eight of them. CONCLUSION: pSEP can be worthwhile as part of the initial diagnostic evaluation in patients affected by MS. It provides information of diagnostic relevance and plays a role in screening patients for urodynamic testing, which, however, is more specific for detecting urethrovesical dysfunctions and preventing urological complications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Abrogation of the Cripto gene in mouse leads to failure of postgastrulation morphogenesis and lack of differentiation of cardiomyocytes.

Cripto-1(Cr1) protein encoded by the tdgf1 gene, is a secreted growth factor that is expressed early in embryonic development and is re-expressed in some tumors of the breast and colon. During embryonic development, Cr1 is expressed in inner cell mass cells and the primitive streak, and later is restricted to the developing heart. To investigate the role of Cr1 during mouse development, mice were generated that contain a null mutation of both Cr1 genes, derived from homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. No homozygous Cr1-/- mice were born, indicating that Cr1 is necessary for embryonic development. Embryos initiated gastrulation and some embryos produced mesoderm up to day E7.5. Increasingly aberrant morphogenesis gave rise to disordered neuroepithelium that failed to produce a recognizable neural tube, or head-fold. Although some biochemical markers of differentiating ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm were expressed, all the cardiac-specific markers were absent from day E8.7 embryos: (&agr;)MHC, betaMHC, MLC2A, MLC2V and ANF, whereas they were expressed in wild-type embryos. The yolk sac and placental tissues continued development in the absence of the embryo until day E9.5 but lacked large yolk sac blood vessels. Chimeric mice were constructed by microinjection of double targeted Cr1(-/- )embryonic stem cells into normal C57BL/6 blastocysts. The Cr1 produced by the normal C57BL/6 cells fully rescued the phenotype of Cr1(-/-) cells, indicating that Cr1 protein acted in a paracrine manner. Cells derived from the embryo proliferated and migrated poorly and had different adhesion properties compared to wild type. Therefore, lethality in the absence of Cr1, likely resulted largely from defective precardiac mesoderm that was unable to differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

AMS 800 artificial sphincter: an unusual case of circumscribed peritonitis due to prosthetic reservoir infection.

OBJECTIVES: Male urinary incontinence is nowadays a rare event in patients submitted to radical prostatectomy. In these cases, insertion on a hydraulic prosthesis is often the only therapeutical solution. Complications following this type of surgery are rare and when they occur, generally depend on the bacterial contamination of the device which will be "rejected". The cuff is generally the first cause of infection and its prompt removal should solve the problem in the majority of the cases. METHODS: Herein we report the case of a patient submitted to cuff removal three years earlier who consulted for a symptomless circumscribed peritonitis due to bacterial contamination of the intraperitoneal reservoir. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This report emphasizes the need to re-examine the indications for intraperitoneal implantation of the reservoir. Moreover, in case of a three-component prosthetic device, the external components (pump, cylinders and/or cuff) should be removed in a single step, at the same time, in order to avoid future contamination of the internal components.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Scleroembolization techniques in the treatment of varicocele.

Varicocele is a common finding in adolescents and adult men. Its association with male infertility has been well documented: varicoceles are reported to be present in 20% to 40% of infertile men. It has been demonstrated that varicocele correction leads to an improvement in the quality of semen in most cases. Percutaneous sclerotization is an established method for treatment of varicocele performed on an outpatient basis. In our report we intend to review our experience in venographic study and transcatheter sclerotherapy based on 560 cases of infertile patients with varicocele. Our study confirms that percutaneous therapy of varicocele may lead to improved spermatogenesis in the majority of patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Specific arrest of cardiogenesis in cultured embryonic stem cells lacking Cripto-1.

The molecular events of cardiac lineage specification and differentiation are largely unknown. Here we describe the involvement of a growth factor with an EGF-like domain, Cripto-1 (Cr-1), in cardiac differentiation. During embryonic development, Cr-1 is expressed in the mouse blastocyst, primitive streak, and later is restricted to the developing heart. To investigate the role of Cr-1, we have generated Cr-1-negative embryonic stem (ES) cell lines by homologous recombination. The resulting double "knockout" ES cells have selectively lost the ability to form beating cardiac myocytes, a process that can be rescued by reintroducing Cr-1 gene back into the Cr(-/-) cells. Furthermore, the lack of functional Cr-1 is correlated with absence of expression of cardiac-specific myosin light and heavy chain genes during differentiation. Differentiation into other cell types including skeletal muscle is not disrupted. These results suggest that Cr-1 is essential for contractile cardiomyocyte formation in vitro.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Mapping of the mouse Tdgf1 gene and Tdgf pseudogenes.

Teratocarcinoma-derived growth factor-1 (Tdgf1), a member of the "EGF family" of growth factors, is expressed during mouse gastrulation in the forming mesoderm and later in the truncus arteriosus of the developing heart. In humans, TDGF1 is highly expressed in germ cell tumors and in colon and mammary carcinomas. In mouse, one gene (Tdgf1) and two pseudogenes (Tdgf1-ps1 and Tdgf1-ps2) have been isolated and characterized. Tdgf1 corresponds to the gene expressed in F9 teratocarcinoma cells. Tdgf1-ps1 and Tdgf1-ps2 are two intronless sequences with all the characteristics of retroposons. In the present paper, we assign the chromosomal location for Tdgf1, Tdgf1-ps1, and Tdgf1-ps2 sequences to Chromosomes (Chrs) 9, 16, and 17, respectively. Two previously described mouse mutants, scant hair (sch) and fur deficient (fd), map near the Tdgf1 gene. Analysis of their DNA coding region provided no evidence that Tdgf1 could be the responsible gene for these phenotypes. Finally, analysis of the DNA from several Mus musculus strains and from Mus spretus mice revealed a highly variable restriction pattern and the absence of the Tdgf1-ps1 genomic sequence from the Mus spretus genome.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Laparoscopically assisted penile revascularization for vasculogenic impotence: 2 additional cases.

PURPOSE: Microsurgical revascularization of the penis in vasculogenic impotence is an accepted surgical procedure in young men with a history of blunt pelvic or perineal trauma. Most penile revascularization techniques use the inferior epigastric artery in direct artery-to-artery revascularization or dorsal vein arterialization procedures. To obviate the wide pararectal incision laparoscopic mobilization of the inferior epigastric vessels has been recently proposed. We present 2 cases of successful laparoscopically assisted penile revascularization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With the patient under general anesthesia the first trocar was inserted in the umbilical region and pneumoperitoneum was induced. Two other trocars were positioned laterally. As soon as the inferior epigastric vessels were accessed, dissection was initiated below the level of the arcuate line. The vessels were dissected cephalad en bloc to a point of bifurcation of the inferior epigastric artery above the umbilical level. The inferior epigastric pedicle was ligated with clips and transected at the cephalad edge of the dissection. It was then mobilized and tunneled through an infrapubic incision at the base of the penis for subsequent microvascular anastomosis with the penile vessels. RESULTS: The anastomosis was patent and hemostasis was satisfactory. Operative time in the 2 cases was 4.3 and 5.2 hours, respectively. At 3 months both patients reported complete erections. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience confirms the extremely practical use of laparoscopy which, due to its magnification power, makes it possible to perform fast, accurate excision of the epigastric bundle. Moreover, a wide pararectal incision, which is a frequent cause of postoperative complications, is avoided.

Humans↗