Biomedical subjects

Generoso Bevilacqua

Publications and source records attributed to Generoso Bevilacqua.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1996

Detection of enteroviral infection in myocardial tissues by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

OBJECTIVE: To determine if enteroviral infection is linked to myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Enteroviruses, especially coxsackieviruses, appear to be the most common agents of viral myocarditis. METHODS: We collected 53 endomyocardial biopsies and two autopsy specimens from 41 patients affected by myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy. The patients were diagnosed clinically, hemodynamically, virologically and histologically (Dallas classification). We tested for the presence of enteroviral sequences by PCR, using 5prime prime or minute non-coding (coxsackievirus B3, CB3, map position 450--474, 584--603) derived primers. Specificity was confirmed using the Southern blot. We used a fraction of CB3 acutely infected mouse myocardial tissue as a control. RESULTS: We detected enteroviral sequences in four patients with active myocarditis, borderline myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. The patient with active myocarditis had shown neutralizing antibodies in serologic analysis for coxsackievirus B3 and B5. CONCLUSIONS: The data support a weak link of enteroviral infection to human myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy, at least when using a PCR assay on biopsies.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

P53 gene status in patients with advanced serous epithelial ovarian cancer in relation to response to paclitaxel- plus platinum-based chemotherapy and long-term clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess whether p53 gene status has any predictive or prognostic relevance in patients with advanced, poorly-differentiated serous epithelial ovarian cancer treated with paclitaxel- plus platinum-based chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 46 patients who underwent surgery followed by paclitaxel- plus carboplatin-based chemotherapy. The tumor tissue samples were analyzed for p53 gene mutations. The median follow-up of survivors was 50.3 months. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients (50%) showed p53 mutations at exons 5 to 9. Sixteen (34.8%) patients had a polymorphism at codon 72 in exon 4 (SNP codon 72): 10 were Pro/Pro homozygous and 6 Pro/Arg heterozygous. Four polymorphic patients had a second mutation at exons 5 to 9. An inverse correlation was evidenced between the SNP codon 72 and mutations at exons 5 to 9, with the latter more frequently found in wild-type (Arg/Arg) codon 72 (19/30 versus 4/16, 63.3% versus 25.0%; p=0.03) cases. A clear trend for a higher response rate and longer progression-free and overall survival was observed in wild-type p53 and Pro/Pro polymorphic patients as compared to patients with mutant p53. CONCLUSION: The addition of paclitaxel to carboplatin does not appear to overcome the negative predictive and prognostic significance of p53 gene mutations in serous ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, the comprehensive analysis of p53 genotype, including the SNP codon 72, warrants further investigation in order to envisage individual responsiveness to cancer therapy.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cyclin A and E2F1 overexpression correlate with reduced disease-free survival in node-negative breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Available prognostic factors do not accurately identify node-negative breast cancer patients at high risk of disease recurrence and progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cyclin A and E2F1 expression levels were evaluated in 75 consecutive node-negative breast cancer patients with a median follow-up of 10 years. Both parameters were tested for correlation with all the available clinicopathological parameters and with the clinical evolution of the disease. RESULTS: Cyclin A was overexprNed in 45.3% of patients and significantly related to large tumor size, high Ki67 and high E2F1 expression levels. No relationship was observed between cyclin A and tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status, grading or patient age. Seventeen patients relapsed within 5 years from diagnosis. Twelve (71%) of them showed cyclin A overexpression in comparison with 22 (38%) out of the 58 who did not relapse (p = 0.02). Disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly shorter in patients with cyclin A-overexpressing tumors compared to non-overexpressing ones (p = 0.01). DFS was also significantly longer in low vs. high Ki67 expression (p = 0.003) and in low vs. high E2F1 expression (p = 0.02). On multivariate analysis, the simultaneous high expression of all three parameters (cyclin A, Ki67 and E2Fl) was a strong independent prognostic factor for shorter DFS (HR 13.4). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that assessment of cyclin A and/or E2F1 expression levels, associated with Ki67, might be useful for a better prognostic evaluation of node-negative breast cancer patients and support the need for further studies to evaluate their suitability for use in the routine clinical management of these patients.

Breast Neoplasms↗