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Biomedical subjects

L Falqui

Publications and source records attributed to L Falqui.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Cervical stump carcinoma therapy.

59 patients with cervical stump cancer were reviewed. A distinction was made between true and coincident cancer. Histological features, therapeutic plan and survival rates are reported. In stage I treatment was mainly surgical, while in more advanced stages radiation therapy was applied. In 22.2% of cases combined surgical-radiation therapy was performed. The absolute 5-year survival for various clinical stages is as follows: stage I, 88.2%; stage II, 53.8%; stage III, 42.8%; stage IV, 0.0%. The overall absolute 5-year survival rate for all stages combined is 60.9%. Individualization of therapy can offer to the patient with cervical stump carcinoma a survival similar to the patient with cervical neoplasm with intact uterus.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1990

Transforming growth factor beta decreases the immunogenicity of rat islet xenografts (rat to mouse) and prevents rejection in association with treatment of the recipient with a monoclonal antibody to interferon gamma.

Culture of rat islets of Langerhans for 1 week at 37 degrees C with recombinant transforming growth factor beta prolonged the survival of islet xenografts transplanted into diabetic mouse recipients. Treatment of diabetic recipients with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody to murine interferon gamma did not affect the survival of islet xenografts cultured 7 days in control medium. However, treatment of donor islets with transforming growth factor beta in combination with treatment of diabetic recipients with interferon gamma antibody produced a 75% survival of the islet xenografts at 100 days. Fifty percent of the recipients who had accepted their graft for more than 100 days were immune unresponsive to a transplant of freshly isolated islets from the same donor strain.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Insulin independence after islet transplantation into type I diabetic patient.

Effective clinical trials of islet transplantation have been limited by the inability to transplant enough viable human islets into patients with type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus to eliminate their exogenous insulin requirement. We report the first type I diabetic patient with an established kidney transplant on basal cyclosporin immunosuppression who was able to eliminate the insulin requirement after human islet transplantation into the portal vein. We successfully isolated approximately 800,000 islets that were 95% pure from 1.4 cadaver pancreases containing 121 U of insulin. Islets were proven viable by in vitro insulin response to glucose challenge. After 7 days of 24 degrees C culture, the islets were transplanted into the portal vein under local anesthesia. Seven days of Minnesota antilymphoblast globulin (20 mg/kg) administration followed the islet transplantation, with maintenance of the cyclosporin. Blood glucose was kept under strict control via intravenous insulin for 10 days posttransplantation, when all insulin therapy was stopped. Off insulin, the average 24-h blood glucose level remained less than 150 mg/dl, with the fasting glucose level at 115 +/- 6 mg/dl and the 2-h postprandial level at 141 +/- 8 mg/dl for 22 days posttransplantation (the time of this study). The C-peptide values post-Sustacal testing, although initially rising slower, exceeded the normal range, with peak values of 1.0-1.8 pmol/ml. This preliminary result represents the first essential step required to determine the feasibility of islet transplantation by future clinical trials.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Impairment of lymphocyte-suppressive system in recent-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Correlation with metabolic control.

Impairment of suppressor-cell activity may be important in the pathogenesis and maintenance of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). In 23 recent-onset IDDM patients, lymphocyte sensitivity in vitro to theophylline was tested both in basal conditions and after improvement of metabolic control. This pharmacologic agent is mainly effective on a lymphocytic subpopulation with phenotypic and functional suppressive features. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from IDDM patients showed a loss of theophylline sensitivity, identified as inhibition of both E-rosette formation and blastogenic response to polyclonal mitogens concanavalin A (ConA) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). An inverse relationship was demonstrated between the theophylline-induced suppression of ConA blastogenic response and blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (P less than .01). Metabolic control seemed to be important even in relation to lymphocyte subpopulation distribution. In IDDM patients we found a significant (P less than .05) reduction of OKT4+ lymphocytes that is correlated with blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (P less than .01). The improvement of metabolic control led to recovery of theophylline sensitivity. We suggest a deficiency in a suppressive system that could be involved in IDDM onset and the possible role of metabolic control in the impairment of some immunologic functions reported with this pathologic condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[ Methodological evaluation and clinical significance of erythrocyte aggregation].

Red cell aggregation, which occurs in vivo when blood flow slows down, has been studied in 22 healthy subjects and 31 type I diabetics by means of Myrenne MA1 automatic aggregometer. First of all, the most reliable and precise technique has been studied: the best results have been obtained employing 25 microliters of K2-EDTA-anticoagulated blood stored between 0 and 20 degrees C for a maximum of 4 h. The present study has shown statistically significant differences (p = 0.01) between the two groups studied (controls: mean = 11.895 MEA +/- 0.863; diabetics: mean = 15.552 MEA +/- 0.985). Moreover, correlations between erythrocyte aggregability and hematochemical and rheological parameters like fibrinogen, ESR, serum proteins, plasma and blood viscosity, have been evaluated.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed1985

[Changes in hemorheological parameters during physical exertion in coronary disease patients].

Blood viscosity and filtrability have been studied in 7 patients with ischemic heart disease and in 9 control subjects before and after maximal stress test on cycloergometer. The diagnosis of ischemic heart disease has been previously established on the basis of the clinical history, abnormal stress test or coronary arteriography. No significant differences were observed, at rest, in the two groups. On the contrary, after stress test blood filtrability resulted significantly reduced in ischemic patients when compared to controls. Blood viscosity resulted substantially unchanged in both groups. Our data may suggest the existence of an alteration in blood filtrability during stress test with a possible pathogenetic role.

Blood Viscosity↗
PubMed1985

[Effect of hemorheology in the post-operative period].

Very important hemorheological changes characterize the early post-operative period. This research, performed on a group of 10 patients who underwent aorto-ilio-femoral revascularization, enables us to observe that these changes are present also in vascular surgery. In fact, plasma fibrinogen, red cells aggregation and deformability, whole blood viscosity, already modified in the pre-operative period in patients with peripheral arteriopathy, resulted significantly impaired on the 2nd and 6th day after the operation. Such changes must be considered in order to avoid ischemic consequences on microcirculation, the possible onset of deep vein thrombosis as well as an impairment of the prognosis of vascular operations (early and late reobliteration), and in order to perform an adequate and prophylactic corrective treatment.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development and characterization of pituitary GH3 cell clones stably transfected with a human proinsulin cDNA.

Successful beta-cell replacement therapy in insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes is hindered by the scarcity of human donor tissue and by the recurrence of autoimmune destruction of transplanted beta cells. Availability of non-beta cells, capable of releasing insulin and escaping autoimmune recognition, would therefore be important for diabetes cell therapy. We developed rat pituitary GH3 cells stably transfected with a furin-cleavable human proinsulin cDNA linked to the rat PRL promoter. Two clones (InsGH3/clone 1 and 7) were characterized in vitro with regard to basal and stimulated insulin release and proinsulin transgene expression. Mature insulin secretion was obtained in both clones, accounting for about 40% of total released (pro)insulin-like products. Immunocytochemistry of InsGH3 cells showed a cytoplasmic granular insulin staining that colocalized with secretogranin II (SGII) immunoreactivity. InsGH3 cells/clone 7 contained and released in vitro significantly more insulin than clone 1. Secretagogue-stimulated insulin secretion was observed in both InsGH3 clones either under static or dynamic conditions, indicating that insulin was targeted also to the regulated secretory pathway. Proinsulin mRNA levels were elevated in InsGH3 cells, being significantly higher than in betaTC3 cells. Moreover, proinsulin gene expression increased in response to various stimuli, thereby showing the regulation of the transfected gene at the transcriptional level. In conclusion, these data point to InsGH3 cells as a potential beta-cell surrogate even though additional engineering is required to instruct them to release insulin in response to physiologic stimulations.

Animals↗