Biomedical subjects

Giulio Bonavolontà

Publications and source records attributed to Giulio Bonavolontà.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Nuclear bcl10 expression characterizes a group of ocular adnexa MALT lymphomas with shorter failure-free survival.

Ocular adnexa B-cell lymphomas are a relatively rare group of extranodal lymphomas, marginal-zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphomas) being the most frequent type at this location. As with other nongastrointestinal MALT lymphomas, ocular adnexa MALT lymphomas have distinct characteristics from those of the gastric MALT model, implying specific pathogenic events, which could be of interest in the prediction of clinical behavior and the choice between therapeutic options. In a series of 39 cases of ocular adnexa MALT lymphomas, studied using a tissue microarray, we observed that the most frequent alteration was related to apoptosis regulation. Thus, caspase 3 activity was completely abolished, and phosphorylated IkappaBalpha, a marker of NF-kappaB activation, showed increased expression, while cases with an increased number of large cells displayed increased expression of survivin and other cell-cycle-related proteins, such as cyclin A, cyclin E and Ki67, and p16 expression was reduced. There were no occurrences of t(11;18)(q21,q21), while 5/37 cases exhibited t(14;18)(q32;q21). Aberrant nuclear expression of bcl10 was observed in 11 cases, independently of the presence of translocations, and was significantly associated with phosphorylated IkappaBalpha expression and a reduced TdT-mediated biotin-dUTP nicked-end labeling apoptotic index. Moreover, patients with tumoral bcl10 nuclear expression showed shorter failure-free survival.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

PubMed2005

Postoperative blindness following orbital surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of blindness following orbital surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study on 1593 cases who had undergone an orbital surgical procedure. Preoperative clinical examinations and radiological features were collected and reviewed, as well as the data regarding the postoperative outcome. RESULTS: There were 7 cases of postoperative blindness (0.44%). DISCUSSION: This percentage of cases with an unexpected development of blindness after surgery may represent a reasonable estimate of the general risk of encountering this complication after an orbitotomy. Many books and papers on orbital surgery make the reader aware that vision can be threatened after surgery due to the high risk of damaging the optic nerve, either directly or as a result of iatrogenic vascular damage caused by the surgical maneuvers. However, the percentage of postoperative blindness has not yet been widely reported.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

All-trans retinoic acid- and N-(4-hydroxyphenil)-retinamide-induced growth arrest and apoptosis in orbital fibroblasts in Graves' disease.

In this study, we evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) the expression pattern of retinoic acid receptors (RAR) alpha, beta, and gamma and cellular retinoic acid binding protein-I (CRBP-I) genes in 12 primary cultures of fibroblasts (F) from orbital tissue of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) patients. We also studied the in vitro effects of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) and N-(4-hydroxyphenil)-retinamide (4HPR), a less toxic and better tolerated synthetic derivative of RA, on cell morphology, growth, apoptosis, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation. All primary cultures expressed RAR alpha, beta, gamma, and CRBP-I. FGO treated with RA and 4HPR (10(-7) mol/L) presented morphologic changes and significantly inhibited cell growth after 72 hours. At 96 hours of drug exposure, apoptosis was detected in 15% and 50% of RA- and 4HPR (10(-7) mol/L)-treated cells, and p53 protein increased in cell lysates. 4HPR induced a 70% decrease of Bcl-2 protein. After 30 minutes of RA and 4HPR (10(-7) mol/L) exposure, a 20% decrease of basal cAMP accumulation was seen, and forskolin cAMP-induced increase was abolished. The expression of RAR alpha, beta, gamma, and CRBP-I in primary cultures of FGO indicates that they are targets for retinoids. Moreover, we show that RA and 4HPR are able to induce morphologic changes, inhibition of cell growth, and apoptosis in FGO exerting their effects through RAR-modulated pathways. The rapid inhibition of cAMP accumulation indicates that a novel nonclassic retinoid pathway may also be involved. Finally, the potent in vitro effects of 4HPR, a retinoid derivative with fewer adverse reactions in vivo, could justify further investigations on a clinical application of retinoids in GO.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Papilledema as a 'false' localizing sign.

A 47-year-old woman with a 3 month's history of progressive visual loss in her right eye presented with right fundus normal but with marked papilledema on the left. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a large right 'en plaque' meningioma which was successfully removed via a pterional craniotomy. The case outlines that unilateral papilledema offers little information concerning tumor localization, and may represent a 'false' localizing sign.

Craniotomy↗

PubMed2001

Primary orbital lymphoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS. Localized orbital non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a rare form of extranodal lymphoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of 48 patients presenting with stage I-E non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS. Out of 118 charts of patients with lymphoproliferative lesions, those of 48 patients with stage I-E orbital lymphoma seen over a 22-year period from 1977 through 1999 were reviewed. RESULTS. Twenty-five patients were male and 23 were female. Their mean age was 58.7 (12-85) years. The mass was localized inside the orbit in 37 cases and in the lacrimal gland region in 11 cases; bilateral involvement was observed in two cases. The duration of the symptoms at the time of presentation ranged from 10 days to 10 years with a mean duration of 18 months. The 24 cases with low-grade lymphoma are all alive without disease, whatever therapeutic approach was performed (biopsy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy). In intermediate and high-grade NHL the rate of recurrence after chemotherapy has been 50% and 33%, respectively, compared to 75% and 50% after biopsy alone and 75% after radiotherapy (not administered in high-grade forms). CONCLUSION. The therapeutic approach to localized orbital non-Hodgkin's lymphoma must take the histologic grading into consideration. The 24 cases with low-grade lymphoma had a good prognosis. The 17 cases with the intermediate-grade form and the 7 cases with the high-grade form had a better prognosis when treated with chemotherapy.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma: relationship between DNA ploidy, p53, bcl-2, MDR-1 and Ki67 (MIB1) expression and clinical behavior.

BACKGROUND: As for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) of other anatomic regions, the evaluation of traditional clinicopathological parameters does not allow the unequivocal outcome prediction of the single cases of orbital RMS. We investigated the role of DNA ploidy and immunohistochemical expression of p53, bcl-2, MDR-1 and Ki67 (MIB1) in the prognostic evaluation of orbital rhabdomyosarcomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population consisted of 11 selected cases. Serial sections of each tumor, stained with Feulgen's technique, were analyzed for the DNA content, using the QUANTIMET 500c Leica analyzer, QWINVO200A software. The results were compared with the immunohistochemical expression of p53 (wild plus mutated, W&M and mutated), bcl2, MDR-1 and Ki67 (MIB1), and with follow-up data. RESULTS: The statistical analysis of results showed that the cases of tetraploid and/or multiploid RMS, overexpressing p53 (W&M and mutated) and MDR-1, were characterized by an overall worse prognosis. On the contrary, the tumors with a favourable clinical course showed hyperexpression of MIB1 and absence of mutated p53 expression. Significantly higher MIB1 expression was found in the relapse-free group of tumors, with respect to the RMS with relapse (both in primary tumors and relative relapses, p<0.05). This finding could justify the higher sensibility to pharmacological therapy of RMS of the first group. The group of RMS with a worse prognosis (primary tumors and relapses) showed instead p53 overexpression (W&M and mutated), MDR-1 expression and multiploidy, with high 5cEE values and tetraploid peaks. No significant difference was found concerning the expression of bcl-2 among the two groups of RMS (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The evaluation of DNA ploidy, p53, MIB1 and MDR-1 expression could be used for subtyping of orbital RMS into two prognostically different subcategories, respectively RMS responder to the therapy, with favourable clinical outcome, and RMS with a worse prognosis, requiring more aggressive therapeutic protocols.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗