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Biomedical subjects

M Angelillo

Publications and source records attributed to M Angelillo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Anisotropic constitutive equations and experimental tensile behavior of brain tissue.

The present study deals with the experimental analysis and mechanical modeling of tensile behavior of brain soft tissue. A transversely isotropic hyperelastic model recently proposed by Meaney (2003) is adopted and mathematically studied under uniaxial loading conditions. Material parameter estimates are obtained through tensile tests on porcine brain materials accounting for regional and directional differences. Attention is focused on the short-term response. An extrapolation of tensile test data to the compression range is performed theoretically, to study the effect of the heterogeneity in the tensile/compressive response on the material parameters. Experimental and numerical results highlight the sensitivity of the adopted model to the test direction.

Animals↗

Shape of the canine diaphragm.

In an earlier study (Angelillo M, Boriek AM, Rodarte JR, and Wilson TA. J Appl Physiol 83: 1486-1491, 1997), we proposed a mathematical theory for the structure and shape of the diaphragm. Muscle bundles were assumed to lie on lines that are simultaneously geodesics and lines of principal curvature of the diaphragm surface, and the class of surfaces that are formed by line elements that are both geodesics and lines of principal curvature was described. Here we present data on the shape of the canine diaphragm that were obtained by the radiopaque marker technique, and we describe a surface that fits the data and satisfies the requirements of the theory. The costal and crural diaphragms are fit by cyclides with radii of 3.7 and 2.3 cm, respectively. In addition, the theory is extended to include the description of a joint between cyclides, and the observed properties of the joint between the costal and crural diaphragms at the dorsal end of the costal diaphragm match those required by the theory.

Animals↗

Muscle kinematics for minimal work of breathing.

A mathematical model was analyzed to obtain a quantitative and testable representation of the long-standing hypothesis that the respiratory muscles drive the chest wall along the trajectory for which the work of breathing is minimal. The respiratory system was modeled as a linear elastic system that can be expanded either by pressure applied at the airway opening (passive inflation) or by active forces in respiratory muscles (active inflation). The work of active expansion was calculated, and the distribution of muscle forces that produces a given lung expansion with minimal work was computed. The calculated expression for muscle force is complicated, but the corresponding kinematics of muscle shortening is simple: active inspiratory muscles shorten more during active inflation than during passive inflation, and the ratio of active to passive shortening is the same for all active muscles. In addition, the ratio of the minimal work done by respiratory muscles during active inflation to work required for passive inflation is the same as the ratio of active to passive muscle shortening. The minimal-work hypothesis was tested by measurement of the passive and active shortening of the internal intercostal muscles in the parasternal region of two interspaces in five supine anesthetized dogs. Fractional changes in muscle length were measured by sonomicrometry during passive inflation, during quiet breathing, and during forceful inspiratory efforts against a closed airway. Active muscle shortening during quiet breathing was, on average, 70% greater than passive shortening, but it was only weakly correlated with passive shortening. Active shortening inferred from the data for more forceful inspiratory efforts was approximately 40% greater than passive shortening and was highly correlated with passive shortening. These data support the hypothesis that, during forceful inspiratory efforts, muscle activation is coordinated so as to expand the chest wall with minimal work.

Airway Obstruction↗

Theory of diaphragm structure and shape.

The muscle bundles of the diaphragm form a curved sheet that extends from the chest wall to the central tendon. Each muscle bundle exerts a force in the direction of its curvature; the magnitude of this force is proportional to the curvature of the bundle. The contribution of this force to transdiaphragmatic pressure is maximal if the direction of bundle curvature is orthogonal to the surface and the curvature is maximal. That is, the contribution of muscle tension to transdiaphragmatic pressure is maximal if the muscle bundles lie along lines that are both geodesics and lines of maximal principal curvature of the surface. A theory of diaphragm shape is developed from the assumption that all muscle bundles have these optimal properties. The class of surfaces that are formed of line elements that are both geodescis and lines of principal curvature is described. This class is restricted. The lines that form the surface must lie in planes, and all lines must have the same shape. In addition, the orientation of the lines is restricted. An example of this class that is similar to the shape of the canine diaphragm is described, and the stress distribution in this example is analyzed.

Animals↗

Experimental autoallergic sialadenitis in the LEW rat. I. Parameters of disease induction.

Experimental autoallergic sialadenitis (EAS) is an autoimmune mononuclear cell infiltration of the submandibular salivary gland that results in tissue destruction and glandular dysfunction. A previous report has described an animal model of induced EAS in LEW rats following sensitization with allogeneic WF submandibular gland (SMG). The present study extends this observation to an EAS disease model induced following sensitization of LEW rats with syngeneic LEW SMG. Furthermore, we describe the characterization of the mononuclear cells in the glandular infiltrates, evaluate the production of autoantibodies, and establish the parameters important for reproducible induction of EAS. Our results demonstrate that EAS can be induced in a completely syngeneic system and the histopathology of disease induction in the syngeneic and allogeneic model systems is similar. Helper/inducer (CD4+) and suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8+) T-cell subsets are the dominant cell types in the salivary mononuclear cell infiltrate. An anti-duct autoantibody was found in the serum of virtually all LEW rats with EAS. Although closely associated with disease development, the presence of this antibody was not a prerequisite for development of histopathologic disease. Induction of disease in both the syngeneic and allogeneic models of EAS is dependent upon administration of Bordetella pertussis at the time of sensitization. Finally, the histopathology of the cellular infiltrates in both the allogeneic and syngeneic models of EAS resemble those observed in the salivary tissues of Sjögren's patients. While there are several differences between EAS in the LEW rat and the full expression of Sjögren's syndrome, EAS may serve as a model to study the salivary gland component of this complex human disease.

Animals↗

Experimental autoallergic sialadenitis in the LEW rat. III. Role of CD4+ T cells in EAS induction.

Experimental autoallergic sialadenitis (EAS) in the LEW rat is an induced autoimmune disease of the salivary tissues. EAS is characterized by a lymphocytic infiltration that consists of both CD4+ (helper/inducer T-cell subset) and CD8+ (cytotoxic/suppressor T-cell subset) T cells and results in the immune-mediated destruction of the exocrine salivary glands. To investigate the role that each of the T-cell subsets may have in the pathogenesis of EAS, LEW rats sensitized with WF SMG homogenate were injected with monoclonal antibodies to deplete or inactivate, in vivo, the CD4, CD5 (OX19; pan T lymphocyte), CD8, or RT6 (70% of peripheral T cells) T-cell populations. Treatment with the OX8 (CD8), OX19 (CD5), or W3/25 (CD4) only partially reduced in vivo the respective splenic or lymph node T-cell subsets when analyzed on Day 14, while treatment with DS4.23 (anti-RT6) resulted in greater than 95% depletion of RT6+ spleen and lymph node T cells. EAS incidence and severity was significantly reduced in the W3/25 (CD4) treatment group (11% incidence rate; histologic score 1.0) as compared to medium-injected controls (88% incidence rate; histologic score 2.9). Although the incidence and severity of EAS in the OX19 (71%; histologic score 1.7), OX8 (55%; histologic score 1.7), and RT6 (67%; histologic score 1.6) treatment groups appeared decreased, the reduction was not statistically significant. These results provide evidence that CD4+ T cells have an important role in EAS induction and demonstrate that in vivo treatment with anti-CD4 can ameliorate and/or prevent EAS in the LEW rat.

Animals↗

Volume and emptying of the gallbladder in patients with cystic fibrosis.

As in cystic fibrosis (CF), gallbladder (GB) hypokinesia might play a role in the high incidence of either cholelithiasis or atrophic and hypoplastic GBs. We studied the contractility of the GB by ultrasonography (US) in 57 CF patients and in 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We evaluated the status of the GB, the GB volume after an overnight fasting and 30 min after the ingestion of a standardized milk meal, the GB contractility (the percentage of reduction, (%R) of the GB volume after a meal), the presence of gallstones, and finally, the span of the liver. In addition, liver function test results were evaluated in the CF group. We concluded that the mean values of GB contractility in CF patients do not differ from those of healthy controls, the most hypokinetic GBs (%R less than 40%) being observed, however, only in the CF group. Gallstones occur in CF patients with a greater frequency than seen in the normal population, even in early childhood. The CF patients' GB mean volumes in fasting conditions are significantly greater than in healthy controls (13.5 +/- 2 versus 8.5 +/- 1.5 cc, p less than 0.0001).

Adolescent↗

Absence of RT6+ T cells in diabetes-prone biobreeding/Worcester rats is due to genetic and cell developmental defects.

Diabetes-prone BB/Wor (DP) rats lack the RT6+ peripheral T cell subset whereas diabetes-resistant BB/Wor rats have normal numbers of RT6+ T cells. Lymphocyte transfusion experiments and in vivo depletion studies have demonstrated that RT6+ T cells have an important regulatory role in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in BB/Wor rats. In the present study, the results of genetic complementation studies indicate that the DP rat contains an intact RT6 gene, but fails to express the RT6.1 alloantigen in the functional absence of an accessory factor (provided by RT6+ cells). At the cellular level, irradiation chimeras demonstrate that the absence of RT6+ T cells in DP rats is due to an intrinsic defect that results in abnormal development and/or differentiation of prothymocytes into RT6+ T cells. The inability of DP prothymocytes to generate RT6+ T cells is not due to serum autoantibodies, lack of accessory cells, or to the presence of inhibitory cells. Inasmuch as DP bone marrow can transfer the susceptibility for diabetes to irradiated recipients, our present results suggest that an important predisposing factor for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in DP rats is the inability of DP prothymocytes to generate RT6+ T cells.

Animals↗

Depletion of RT6.1+ T lymphocytes induces diabetes in resistant biobreeding/Worcester (BB/W) rats.

To investigate the role of RT6+ T cells in the pathogenesis of diabetes in BB/W rats, we treated animals from the diabetes-resistant (DR) subline with anti-RT6.1 lymphocytotoxic mAb. This depleted greater than 95% of peripheral RT6+ T cells but did not substantially reduce levels of circulating T cells or the in vitro response of spleen cells to mitogen. Treatment of 30-d-old DR BB/W rats in this way: induced insulitis and diabetes, rendered nondiabetic RT6-depleted DR rats susceptible to the adoptive transfer of diabetes by spleen cells from acutely diabetic BB/W rats, and yielded DR spleen cell populations capable of the adoptive transfer of diabetes to diabetes-prone (DP) or DR recipients. Treatment of DR rats beginning at 60 d of age failed to produce these effects. These results suggest that both susceptibility and resistance to diabetes in the BB/W rat are in part regulated by the RT6+ T cell subset and provide evidence for the importance of regulatory T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and diabetes in BB/W rats.

Age Factors↗

Ultrasound diagnosis of Achilles tendon pathology in runners.

The great upsurge in popularity of running activities has increased the number of athletes presenting with pathology of the Achilles tendon. A clinical and ultrasonic study was performed on 47 middle and long distance runners referred to the Authors with such problems. The results of this study can be grouped as follows: 1. paratendonitis: enlargement of the antero-posterior diameter of the tendon, and hyperechogenicity of Kager's triangle; 2. tendonitis (with or without paratendonitis): thickening of the tendon, with the presence of degenerative nodules; 3. enthesopathy: thickening of the distal part of the tendon, enlargement of the hypoechogenic area behind the tendon itself and microcalcification.

Achilles Tendon↗

[Comparative experimental physiopathological evaluation of Roux-en-Y biliary shunt and choledocho-duodenal anastomosis with an interposed jejunal loop in dogs].

The authors compare in an experimental study two biliary tract reconstructive procedures in dogs: Roux-en-Y hepatico-jejuno-stomy and hepatico-jejunoduodenoplasty. The former causes in increase of plasma gastrin and insulin and moreover a decrease of duodenal pH after alimentary stimules, whereas the latter, preserving biliary flux through the duodenum doesn't alter such parameters, and therefore should be preferred.

Animals↗

Primary neoplasm in vesical diverticulum: comparison of four imaging methods.

In presenting the case of a 61-year-old man with a primary squamous carcinoma in a bladder diverticulum, the authors stress the usefulness of applying all the available modalities of imaging, since it has been found that a bladder diverticulum may harbor a neoplasm more often than a normal bladder.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗