Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Cotticelli.
Eye involvement in chronic myeloid leukemia is well known. The signs are infiltration of the choroid, the sclera, the episclera, the conjunctiva and the optic nerve. Eye involvement is more common in acute than in chronic forms of leukemia. This paper reports a case of chronic myeloid leukemia in which optic nerve involvement was the only initial sign of the disease.
The activity of galactokinase in red blood cells of 30 patients affected by idiophatic presenile and senile cataract, and of 20 age-matched controls with perfectly transparent lenses, was investigated. The results obtained show a partial deficiency of the galactokinase activity in the patients affected by presenile idiopathic cataract. There is, moreover, a significant relationship between the cortical form of cataract and enzymatic reduction.
Free epsilon-amino groups in soluble and insoluble proteins were measured in clear human lenses and in diabetic and nondiabetic senile cataractous lenses. The free epsilon-amino group content of soluble and insoluble proteins was significantly lower in diabetic cataracts than in clear lenses and nondiabetic senile cataracts. Our results seem to demonstrate that nonenzymatic glycosylation of lens proteins could play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract.
Hydrogen peroxide in the aqueous humor was measured in cataractous eyes from normal subjects and in cataractous eyes from diabetic subjects. The level of H2O2 in the aqueous humor was significantly higher in diabetes than in the idiopathic forms. It is likely that in the eye, impaired enzymic defenses lead to the accumulation of reactive species of O2, such as H2O2, which induces lipid peroxidation. This mechanism may be involved, as a direct consequence of retinal damage, in the pathogenesis of cataract in diabetes.
The activity of galactokinase in red blood cells, has been assayed in 17 patients with idiopathic senile and presenile cataract and in 12 age-matched subjects with perfectly transparent lenses. 3 of the idiopathic cataract patients (17.6%) showed low erythrocytes GK activity, while nobody in the control group showed reduced GK activity. Although preliminary, our results seem to support the possibility that a chronic disorder of galactose metabolism may be involved in the pathogenesis of the idiopathic senile and presenile cataract.
Cigarette smoke contains detectable amounts of cyanide, regardless of the type of cigarette. The very high levels of this compound in plasma of amblyopic smokers suggests that cyanide causes optic neuropathy. The detoxification of cyanide in man occurs through various metabolic pathway; the most important are those that use sulfur to transform cyanide into thiocyanate. One of the richest sources of reduced sulfhydryl groups is reduced glutathione (GSH). For this reason we investigated red cell GSH levels in non-smokers, in healthy smokers and in smokers affected by optic neuropathy to ascertain whether this compound is a marker of the disease. Red cell GSH levels in the non-smokers group were similar to those of affected smokers. On the contrary, GSH levels in healthy smokers were significantly more elevated. During therapy with vitamin E we noted that the concentration of GSH decreased with the progression of the disease and increased with recovery. Moreover, there was a good correlation between GSH levels and clinical findings. Our findings demonstrate that GSH plays a key role in the detoxification of cyanide and so it could be a marker of tobacco smoke-induced optic neuropathy.
Plasma samples obtained from Retinitis Pigmentosa (R.P.) patients and controls were assayed for docosahexaenoic acid (DXA), the major fatty acid in photoreceptor cells, in order to evaluate the possibility that abnormalities in PUFA metabolism could be involved in R.P. pathogenesis. Our preliminary results show levels of plasma DXA in dominantly inherited R.P. lower than in the recessive forms and controls.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
To investigate the role of lipid peroxidation in diabetic cataractogenesis, malondialdehyde, a breakdown product of lipid peroxidation, was measured in lenses with incipient opacities and in retinas from diabetic rats and in clear lenses and in retinas from normal rats. The malondialdehyde mean values obtained in the transparent and cataractous lenses showed non-significant differences, while non-diabetic rat retinas had a significantly lower mean level of malondialdehyde compared with diabetic rat retinas (p less than 0.01). This indicates that, in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, lipid peroxidation is apparently not involved in the development of cataract, but it is quite probably involved in retinal damage. The retina, richer in polyunsaturated fatty acids than other ocular structures, is the elective site of lipid peroxidation and from this membrane peroxidation products might probably diffuse and damage other ocular tissues.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The activity of red blood cell galactose-1-P-uridyl transferase in 22 patients with congenital and infantile cataract and in 18 age-matched controls was investigated. All control subjects examined showed normal enzymatic levels, while 31.8% of patients with congenital and infantile cataract presented a statistically significant reduced enzymatic activity (mean--2 SD in controls). Twenty-four parents of children with congenital and infantile cataract were also examined. Four parents were affected by congenital cataract and the other 20 showed transparent lenses. The parents were compared with a group of 20 age-matched control subjects examined previously. There was no difference in the average enzymatic activities between the groups. The results suggest that a chronic disorder of galactose metabolism may be involved in the development of congenital and infantile cataract.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The first case in Italy and the youngest case in the world of gyrate atrophy of the choroid associated with hyperornithinaemia is reported. A therapeutical attempt has been made and the possibility of following the evolution of the ocular lesion is very interesting.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.