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Biomedical subjects

M Gagliardi

Publications and source records attributed to M Gagliardi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The constitutive activation of the CEF-4/9E3 chemokine gene depends on C/EBPbeta in v-src transformed chicken embryo fibroblasts.

The CEF-4/9E3 chemokine gene is expressed constitutively in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) transformed by the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). This aberrant induction is controlled at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Transcriptional activation depends on multiple elements of the CEF-4 promoter composing a Src-responsive-Unit or SRU. The SRU includes a TPA responsive element, a PRDII/kappaB domain and a CAAT box. In this report, we identify C/EBPbeta as a component of the trans-acting factor interacting with the CAAT box of the CEF-4 promoter. In addition, we show that C/EBPbeta binds to a second element located in proximity of the TRE. A mutation of this distal CAAT box impaired the activation of the CEF-4 promoter by pp60(v-src) indicating that this element is also part of the SRU. Using the RCASBP retroviral vector, we expressed a dominant negative mutant of C/EBPbeta (designated Delta184-C/EBPbeta) in RSV-transformed CEF. Delta184-C/EBPbeta decreased the accumulation of the CEF-4 mRNA and activation of the CEF-4 promoter by pp60(v-src). The induction of the Cox-2 gene (CEF-147) was also reduced by Delta184-C/EBPbeta. The effect of the dominant negative mutant was observed within 1 h of the activation of a thermolabile pp60(v-src) suggesting that C/EBPbeta is an early target of v-src transformation. The dominant negative mutant did not inhibit the transformation of CEF by RSV and in fact accentuated the transformed cell phenotype. Therefore, the activation of C/EBPbeta is important for the expression of v-src regulated genes but is not required for the in vitro transformation of CEF by pp60(v-src).

Animals↗
PubMed2001

A liberatory maneuver for the treatment of horizontal canal paroxysmal positional vertigo.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a new liberatory maneuver in the management of the geotropic variant of horizontal canal paroxysmal positional vertigo (HC-PPV). STUDY DESIGN: Case review. SETTING: Outpatient clinic. PATIENTS: The diagnosis of HC-PPV was based on the history of recurrent sudden crisis of vertigo associated with bursts of horizontal geotropic paroxysmal nystagmus provoked by turning the head from the supine to either lateral position. The patients were 11 men and 21 women ranging in age from 30 to 85 years (average 55.43 years), and the average duration of symptoms was 7.68 days. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were treated with a liberatory maneuver based on the hypothesis that the syndrome is caused by the presence of free-floating dense particles inside the endolymph of the posterior arm of the semicircular horizontal canal. The maneuver favors their outmigration into the utricle. Patients were reexamined immediately after the treatment and again 2 days later. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The treatment outcome was considered as responsive when, after one or more liberatory maneuvers, the clinical signs of PPV disappeared at the end of physical therapy. RESULTS: The liberatory maneuver resulted in a complete remission of the positioning vertigo and nystagmus in all patients after the first session. CONCLUSIONS: This approach represents a simple and effective approach to the management of the geotropic form of HC-PPV.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

External cholesteaoma and fibrous dysplasia of temporal bone.

Cholesteatoma is a disease that involves almost exclusively the middle ear structures and the mastoid bone. In rare cases it involves the external auditory canal. The author would like to present case report of a patient affected by external ear canal cholesteatoma associated to fibrous dysplasia of the temporal bone. The problems related to the pathogenesis and the diagnosis of the disease are presented and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

C/EBPbeta (NF-M) is essential for activation of the p20K lipocalin gene in growth-arrested chicken embryo fibroblasts.

The p20K gene is induced in conditions of reversible growth arrest in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF). This expression is dependent on transcriptional activation and on a region of the promoter designated the quiescence-responsive unit (QRU). In this report, we describe the regulatory elements of the QRU responsible for activation in resting cells and characterize the trans-acting proteins interacting with these elements. We show that the QRU consists of functionally distinct domains including quiescence-specific and weak proliferation-responsive elements. The quiescence responsiveness of the QRU was mapped to two C/EBP binding sites, and the activity of the p20K promoter and its QRU was inhibited by the expression of a dominant negative mutant of C/EBPbeta in nondividing cells. The activation of QRU in response to serum starvation and contact inhibition correlated with the presence of a growth arrest-specific complex in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. This complex was supershifted by antibody for C/EBPbeta. C/EBPbeta accumulated in conditions of contact inhibition as a result of transcriptional activation. Therefore, C/EBPbeta was itself regulated as a growth arrest-specific gene in CEF. Finally, we show that the expression of p20K is regulated by linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid binding to p20K. The addition of linoleic acid to contact-inhibited CEF markedly repressed the synthesis of p20K without inducing mitogenesis. The activity of the QRU was inhibited by linoleic acid or the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPARgamma2 in transient expression assays. Therefore, we have identified C/EBPbeta as a key activator of a growth arrest-specific gene in CEF and implicated an essential fatty acid, linoleic acid, in regulation of the QRU and the p20K lipocalin gene.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Radiation-induced sarcoma of the skull: report of two cases.

The authors describe two cases of sarcomas of the skull following cranial irradiation in patients treated for other neoplasms, acute lymphatic leukemia, and astrocytoma, respectively. The patients (one man and one woman: mean age 24.5 years) developed sarcomas within the irradiated field after a mean latency period of 11.5 years. Histologically, the tumor proved to be a fibrosarcoma. Despite aggressive surgery and other therapy, the survival of the patients was short (10 and 8 months, respectively). The pathological and clinical aspects of this unusual complication are analyzed with reference to 41 cases taken from the world literature.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Physical treatment of horizontal canal benign positional vertigo.

In recent years many methods of physical therapy have been proposed for the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo due to otolithic debris in the horizontal semicircular canal. All these methods have attempted to promote displacement of debris from the canal to the utricle. This paper reports our experiences with maneuvers advocated by Lempert and Vannucchi et al. Eighteen patients suffering from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the horizontal canal were evaluated in the present study. All seven patients treated with the Vannucchi maneuvers resolved their vertigos. Ten of the remaining patients were managed with Lempert's maneuver and responded successfully. The physical therapy used failed in only one patient. Current experience has shown that both maneuvers are particularly valid and efficacious.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

On-line analysis of AEP and EEG for monitoring depth of anaesthesia.

Achieving and monitoring adequate depth of anaesthesia is a challenge to the anaesthetist. With the introduction of muscle relaxing agents, the traditional signs of awareness are often obscured or difficult to interpret. These signs include blood pressure, heart rate, pupil size, etc. However, these factors do not describe the depth of anaesthesia, (DA), in a cerebral activity sense, hence there is a desire to achieve a better measure of the DA. Auditory Evoked Potentials (AEP) provide two aspects relevant to anaesthesia: (1) they have identifiable anatomical significance and, (2) their characteristics reflect the way in which the brain reacts to a stimulus. However, AEP is embedded in noise from the ongoing EEG background activity. Hence, processing is needed to improve the signal to noise ratio. The methods applied were moving time averaging (MTA) and ARX-modeling. The EEG was collected from the left hemisphere and analysed by FFT to 1 sec epochs and the spectral edge frequency was calculated. Both the changes in ARX extracted AEP and the spectral edge frequency of the EEG correlated well with the time interval between propofol induction and onset of anaesthesia measured by clinical signs (i.e., cessation of eye-lash reflex). The MTA extracted AEP was significantly slower in tracing the transition from consciousness to unconsciousness.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1996

The Epley maneuver for the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

In recent years, different forms of physical therapy have been proposed for the treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). These mainly consist of maneuvers aiming to reposition and disperse free-floating endolymph particles in the posterior semicircular canal. We report our experience with one of these procedures, the Epley maneuver (EM), in treating 30 cases of BPPV. Twenty-six patients (87%) were cured, while four (13%) did not respond to treatment. These results are similar to those reported in the literature for the EM and the Semont maneuver.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Acute gastroduodenal ulcer in adults: ultrasonography patterns].

Acute gastroduodenal ulcer in the adult is usually diagnosed with endoscopy and conventional radiology, but some literature papers indicate the better yield of ultrasonography (US) relative to other conventional exams. Our series consisted of 12 patients with gastroduodenal ulcer diagnosed with US on the first visit; 5 ulcers were in the gastric antrum and 7 in the duodenal bulb. We diagnosed a characteristic "target" US pattern caused by hypoechoic thickening of the walls surrounding the irregular hyperechoic lumen in 10 patients. Another US pattern was also detected in one patient with erosion of the first layers of the gastric antrum wall, with preserved deep layers, and in another patient with duodenal bulb ulceration and associated intestinal perforation with liquid pooling under the liver. All diagnoses were confirmed with endoscopy and conventional radiology. We aimed at investigating US adequacy as the diagnostic method of choice in patients with acute abdominal symptoms and suspected abdominal ulcer where US can show the characteristic signs of disease and help refer the patient to other more specific diagnostic exams as soon as possible.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1995

Localization of vinculin and talin at perineurial cells of human sural nerve.

Immunolocalization of spectrin, vinculin, talin, desmin and titin was investigated in human sural nerve. No binding for spectrin and titin was seen in any structure of the nerve. Antibody against desmin immunostained sporadic epineurial vessels only. Endoneurial and epineurial vessels were intensely positive for vinculin and talin. We found expression of vinculin and talin at the perineurial cells, using immunocytochemistry and gold immunoelectron microscopy. Since vinculin and talin are known to be involved in cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix transmembrane connections, we propose that they, possibly together with other cytoskeletal proteins, may be implicated in the permeability barrier property of the perineurium. In pathological conditions, perineurium plays an as yet unknown role. Future studies are needed to investigate expression of vinculin and talin in neuropathies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Masking level difference before and after surgery in unilateral otosclerosis.

The object of this paper was to evaluate the binaural hearing in 20 patients suffering from unilateral otosclerosis. Binaural performance was assessed at a test frequency of 500 Hz using masking level difference (MLD) before and after surgery. The postsurgical results showed abnormal MLDs in patients in whom stapedotomy had successfully corrected the threshold asymmetry. Three possible hypotheses regarding this phenomenon were investigated: (1) cochlear damage, (2) auditory deprivation and (3) a mechanical middle ear anomaly due to the surgical prosthesis or healing processes. The analyses suggest that the conductive hearing loss may effect central auditory processing resulting in poor binaural hearing (auditory deprivation theory).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Activity of in vivo canine cardiac plexus neurons.

The activity of 394 spontaneously active neurons located in the ganglionated plexus of the ventral epicardial fat pad overlying the right atrium and pulmonary veins was recorded. Ganglia that contained various numbers of neurons, many with two or more nucleoli, were identified adjacent to the recording sites. Spontaneous activity was correlated with the cardiac cycle in 39% and with the respiratory cycle in 8% of the identified neurons. Neuronal activity occurred in specific phases of the cardiac cycle when arterial pressure was between approximately 70 and 175 mmHg. During increases in systolic pressure induced by positive inotropic agents or aortic occlusion, responses of neurons that displayed cardiovascular-related activity were enhanced. These responses persisted after acute decentralization. The activity of 14% of all identified neurons was altered when discrete regions of the heart, great thoracic vessels, or lungs were mechanically distorted by gentle touch. Trains of stimuli, but not single stimuli, delivered to the vagosympathetic complexes, stellate ganglia, or cardiopulmonary nerves activated ganglionic neurons in intact or acutely decentralized preparations. It is concluded that the activity of some cardiac ganglion neurons is related to cardiovascular or respiratory dynamics and that some of these neurons receive inputs from sympathetic and parasympathetic efferent axons as well as from cardiac mechanoreceptors.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1987

BSER audiometry in haemodialysis patients.

The object of this paper was to study the brain stem evoked response in 20 patients suffering from chronic renal failure and having haemodialysis, and to evaluate the effects of this treatment. A further 5 successful renal transplant patients were investigated to analyse the evolution of the brain stem conduction when the metabolic abnormality is removed. In the first group, the responses were minimally abnormal in 30% of cases before the dialysis. The dialysis session showed an improvement of the brain stem conduction. This variation was temporary and, 24 hours following the dialysis treatment, the patients showed the pathological values observed before the dialysis. The results of the successful transplanted patients were consistent with the data obtained in the dialysis group. Before transplantation the nerve impulse conduction was found to be abnormal in 3 subjects. These abnormalities disappeared completely after successful transplantation. These results support the view of those who favour the use of evoked potentials to follow the status of the central nervous system in uraemic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Two cases of cholesteatoma behind intact tympanic membrane with embryogenetic anomalies.

Two new interesting cases of cholesteatoma of the middle ear behind an intact tympanic membrane are presented in this report. In both cases, which would fulfill Derlacki's criteria for a congenital cholesteatoma, the presence of an embryogenetic anomaly in the affected ear was noted. This association is suggestive of the congenital hypothesis of the observed cases.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed1987

Seasonal recurrence of acute episodes of Menière's disease.

Yearly occurrence of acute episodes of Menière's disease has been studied in a group of 114 patients observed from January 1972 to December 1984. Monthly frequency variations were found to be casual and void of statistical significance. Primary episodes apparently occurred more often during the June-August period; statistical analysis confirmed the significance of the phenomenon at a level of 0,025 (chi 2 test). In relation to the subjective data, 16 of 45 patients reported a tendency towards a seasonal rythm of attacks. Spring seemed to be the worst period (10 crises), followed by summer (5), autumn (3) and winter (2).

Acute Disease↗