Biomedical subjects

Giancarlo Corti

Publications and source records attributed to Giancarlo Corti.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Pathogenesis of early atherosclerotic lesions in infants.

High serologic lipid levels, infections, and genetic susceptibility have been proposed as possible etiologic factors of initial atherosclerotic lesions of the coronary arteries in infancy. At a recent WHO annual meeting, it was stated that breast milk substitutes cause irreparable damage in infants. This prompted us to verify whether formula feeding and parental cigarette smoking might play a role in the pathogenesis of early atherosclerotic alterations in infancy. The major epicardial coronary arteries from 36 infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly (sudden infant death syndrome) were embedded in paraffin and serially cut for histologic examination. In 67% of the cases, multifocal coronary early atherosclerotic lesions of varying entities were detected. The alterations ranged from focal plaques with mild myointimal thickening to juvenile soft plaques reducing the arterial lumen. A significant correlation was observed between the early atherosclerotic lesions and the risk factors considered. In particular, we noted different morphologic patterns related to formula feeding and cigarette smoking. Baby formula feeding and parental cigarette smoking might have an atherogenic effect on the coronary walls as from the first months of life. The lesions appear to be larger and more diffuse when both these atherogenic factors are present.

Arteriosclerosis↗

PubMed2002

Measurement of microbial activity in soil by colorimetric observation of in situ dye reduction: an approach to detection of extraterrestrial life.

BACKGROUND: Detecting microbial life in extraterrestrial locations is a goal of space exploration because of ecological and health concerns about possible contamination of other planets with earthly organisms, and vice versa. Previously we suggested a method for life detection based on the fact that living entities require a continual input of energy accessed through coupled oxidations and reductions (an electron transport chain). We demonstrated using earthly soils that the identification of extracted components of electron transport chains is useful for remote detection of a chemical signature of life. The instrument package developed used supercritical carbon dioxide for soil extraction, followed by chromatography or electrophoresis to separate extracted compounds, with final detection by voltammetry and tandem mass-spectrometry. RESULTS: Here we used Earth-derived soils to develop a related life detection system based on direct observation of a biological redox signature. We measured the ability of soil microbial communities to reduce artificial electron acceptors. Living organisms in pure culture and those naturally found in soil were shown to reduce 2,3-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCIP) and the tetrazolium dye 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide inner salt (XTT). Uninoculated or sterilized controls did not reduce the dyes. A soil from Antarctica that was determined by chemical signature and DNA analysis to be sterile also did not reduce the dyes. CONCLUSION: Observation of dye reduction, supplemented with extraction and identification of only a few specific signature redox-active biochemicals such as porphyrins or quinones, provides a simplified means to detect a signature of life in the soils of other planets or their moons.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2002

Supercritical fluid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array-electrochemical detection of signature redox compounds from sand and soil samples.

A supercritical fluid extraction procedure and a chromatographic separation/detection method were developed for the detection of Earth-based microorganisms. After microbes in a sand or a soil sample were hydrolyzed in a diluted NH(4)OH/acetone solution, several redox compounds from bacteria could be effectively extracted with trimethylamine-modified supercritical CO(2) at 35 degrees C and 300 atm. These signature redox-active compounds were separated by a reversed-phase HPLC column in an ion-pair mode and then monitored with a diode array detector and an electrochemical detector. The analytical results demonstrated the feasibility of using the reported techniques to detect the chemical signature of life in barren desert sand samples.

Bacteria↗