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Biomedical subjects

M Matucci-Cerinic

Publications and source records attributed to M Matucci-Cerinic.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

High resolution computed tomography in systemic sclerosis. Real diagnostic utilities in the assessment of pulmonary involvement and comparison with other modalities of lung investigation.

The real utility of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) for early detection of lung involvement was investigated in eighteen patients affected with systemic sclerosis (SSc). The results obtained from HRCT have been compared with traditional (chest radiographs, pulmonary function tests (PFT)) and nontraditional (ventilation and perfusion scintiscan) modalities of lung investigation. A significant statistical correlation (p < 0.001) between HRCT scans and chest radiographs was observed. Moreover, HRCT was more sensitive in the detection of early pulmonary interstitial involvement and more accurate in the assessment of interstitial fibrosis in cases with severe lung involvement. A statistical correlation (P < 0.001) between HRCT and the modalities of investigation of alveolo-capillary membrane--as PFT and ventilation scintiscan--was also observed. These results indicate that in SSc HRCT may be a useful technique for assessing early pulmonary involvement and for complementing other methodologies of investigation of lung function.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Suppression of autoantibodies to factor VIII and correction of factor VIII deficiency with a combined steroid-cyclophosphamide-porcine factor VIII treatment in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

The presence of autoantibodies against factor VIII is an unusual but serious complication in rheumatoid arthritis. We describe the case of a patient who developed this kind of complication, with spontaneous bleeding and marked changes in the haematological parameters, that was unsuccessfully treated with a high dose of intravenous gammaglobulin. Subsequently, combined therapy with porcine factor VIII concentrate, cyclophosphamide and steroids led to the disappearance of the anti-factor VIII autoantibodies.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Clinical utility of non invasive methods in the evaluation of scleroderma lung in pediatric age.

Lung involvement in children affected with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) has been studied. We used ventilation and perfusion scans and compared the results to those obtained with traditional pulmonary function tests. The vascular pulmonary area was examined with a gama-camera after infusion of 99mTc microspheres, while the alveolo-capillary membrane and the airways were investigated after administration of a radioaerosol, (99mTc DTPA). Pulmonary function tests revealed either alteration of the airways or a considerable involvement of the alveolo-capillary membrane in two patients. On the other hand ventilation scan showed airways alterations and a severe decrease of the alveolocapillary permeability in all patients. Our study indicates that ventilation scans may be useful in the diagnosis of early modifications of the lung function also in paediatric age and may complement the data obtained from traditional function tests.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Angiotensin converting enzyme: an in vivo and in vitro marker of endothelial injury.

An elevated level of von Willebrand factor (vWf) is a well-established marker for both in vivo and in vitro endothelial cell injury. Recent studies indicate that the plasma level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in systemic sclerosis is reduced in association with elevated vWf levels. Because the endothelial cell is capable of producing both mediators, and because endothelial cell injury is a fundamental process in systemic sclerosis, we investigated in this study the effect of in vitro endothelial cell injury on the synthesis of both factors. Endothelial cells derived from human umbilical veins, in the second passage, were activated by exposure to interleukin-1 or lymphotoxin or were injured by radiation, actinomycin, or trypsin (each can be shown to induce dose-dependent endothelial cell cytotoxicity). ACE (spectrophotometric method) and vWf levels (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method) were determined in the supernatant and in the cell lysate 48 hours after cellular injury and activation. An increase in vWf levels was found in the lysate and in the supernatant from the cells that underwent injury or activation, whereas ACE levels were increased after activation but decreased after injury. Next, and as an in vivo clinical corollary to the in vitro endothelial cell injury, we evaluated ACE and vWf levels in the plasma of seven children in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease, a disorder characterized by widespread vascular injury. Plasma ACE levels were significantly lower than control levels, whereas vWf levels were increased, reflecting the known prominent endothelial cell injury in this disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cells, Cultured↗
PubMed1992

Gold salts and somatostatin: a new combined analgesic treatment for psoriatic arthritis.

In a group of patients affected with psoriatic arthritis the effects of the association between gold salts (GS) and somatostatin (SOM), in comparison with two groups treated with SOM and GS respectively, were investigated. Sixty patients with psoriatic arthritis were selected and randomly allocated in three groups of twenty patients each. Group 1 received SOM infusion (250 micrograms/h for 96 h) and was assessed at baseline and 1, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after; Group 2 received intramuscular GS and was assessed at baseline, four months later, and then every month for four months; Group 3 received GS for 8 months; at the fourth month SOM was infused (as in Group 1) and the patients assessed at baseline four months later and then as Group 1. Assessment was made with the Ritchie index, pain scale and morning stiffness evaluation. Growth hormone was assayed in Group 1 every 4 h for 24 h the day before and the day after SOM infusion. The association between GS and SOM demonstrated a particular analgesic activity, effective on joint pain and tenderness, that lasted for all four months of follow-up. SOM showed a good response only after 15 and 30 days, and GS proved to be effective at about the sixth month of treatment. Side effects were reported in Group 1 (abdominal cramps, mild erythrodermia and supraventricular arrhythmia). A growth hormone circadian rhythm was found in psoriatic patients both before and after SOM treatment. The beneficial effect of the SOM/GS combination is demonstrated in psoriatic arthritis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1992

von Willebrand factor antigen in hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.

Recent evidence suggests that a key feature in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is an enhanced local platelet vessel wall interaction in the affected extremities. In our investigation we measured plasma levels of von Willebrand Factor Antigen (vWF:Ag; ELISA assay), a marker of platelet and/or endothelial activation, in 5 patients with the primary form of HOA and in 6 patients with the secondary form (due to cyanotic heart disease). Seven subjects matched for sex and age were used as controls. Patients showed statistically significantly higher levels of vWF:Ag in the primary (163.8 +/- 13.9%) and secondary form (152.6 +/- 9.6%, p less than 0.001 for both) when compared to controls (100.4 +/- 6.3%). Our results support the notion that platelet endothelial cell interaction may play a key role in the development of HOA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Collagenase synthesis of rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes: dose-dependent stimulation by substance P and capsaicin.

The synthesis and release of collagenase in the presence of the neuropeptide substance P (SP) and capsaicin, were investigated in vitro using identical synoviocyte cultures from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). On average 10(-12) M SP augmented statistically significantly the collagenase production by approximately a factor of five. An increase in the concentrations up to 10(-6) M SP resulted in a decreased collagenase synthesis, which, however, was still above the level of that of the untreated synoviocytes. Capsaicin, a homovanillic acid derivative that acts as a releaser of SP from primary afferent neurons, caused a strong stimulation of collagenase production and release at 10(-8) and 10(-6) M (about 7 times the amount of the control). With increasing concentrations up to 10(-3) M capsaicin this effect diminished continuously. The experiments clearly show that in RA synoviocytes in vitro SP and capsaicin in low concentrations act as potent inducers of the synthesis and release of collagenase.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1991

Primary antiphospholipid syndrome: a report of two pediatric cases.

Two cases of primary antiphospholipid syndrome are described. A girl presented with myocardial infarction at the age of 6. afterward developed chorea, livedo reticularis, thrombocytopenia and circulating lupus anticoagulant (LAC). A boy, age 7, had an episode of intracranial hypertension and a deep venous thrombosis of a lower left limb, both recurrent in the following years. A high titer of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies (aCI) was detected. These observations suggest that both LAC and aCI tests should be performed in children with thromboembolic phenomena when the criteria for a definite autoimmune disease are lacking.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1990

Clinical correlations of plasma angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity in systemic sclerosis: a longitudinal study of plasma ACE level, endothelial injury and lung involvement.

Lung involvement was studied by perfusion scan, ventilation scan, pulmonary clearance rate of 99mTc DTPA and pulmonary function tests in 20 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Decreased plasma angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity and increased levels of von Willebrand Factor Antigen (vWF:Ag) were found in all patients with SSc. The relationship between ACE levels and lung involvement was not statistically significant, however levels of vWF:Ag correlated with parameters of lung vascular alterations. An inverse relationship between the reduced ACE levels and ESR was found. It is likely that ACE levels reflect the inflammatory aspect of the disease. Further studies of ACE synthesis, release and inhibition are needed to determine the mechanism of the observed decreased activity in SSc.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Fibrinolytic activity in the synovial membrane of osteoarthritis.

The fibrinolytic activity (FA) has been studied on the synovial membrane obtained from 16 patients with osteoarthritis (OA), 20 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 11 control subjects. Todd's autohistographic method, modified by Lotti, was used to investigate the FA and the monoclonal antibodies against u-PA and t-PA were used to identify the main plasminogen activator. Our results show that the FA is increased in the synovial membrane of patients with OA in comparison with the synovial FA of control subjects. In the synovial membranes from patients with RA, the FA shows different results: in some specimens FA is increased, and in others it is diminished or similar, compared with FA of samples from healthy controls. Thus, our data on synovial FA in OA confirm the previous reports, performed in vitro, on the activation of the plasmin system in this degenerative disease. The activity of the fibrinolytic system seems to participate in the cartilage degeneration and, via the activation of collagenase, to perpetuate the cartilage damage.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cutaneous and plasma fibrinolytic activity in systemic sclerosis. Evidence of normal plasminogen activation.

Eleven patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) were studied for plasma and cutaneous fibrinolytic activity, residual (potential fibrinolysis) fibrinolytic activity (FA) fo the dermal vessels that is related to the endothelial storage of plasminogen activators that become available due to particular stimuli such as intradermic injection of histamine, and the serum levels of circulating von Willebrand antigen, antithrombin III, plasminogen, beta-thromboglobulin, and platelet aggregate ratio (PAR). Cutaneous FA (autohistographic fibrin film method) appeared normal or increased in non-affected skin, normal in lesional skin, and increased after intradermal (i.d.) injection of 0.1 ml of 0.01% histamine. Monoclonal antibodies directed against the catalytic site of tissue type plasminogen activator completely blocked the fibrinolytic activity, while anti-urokinase antibodies did not abolish the lysis areas. Plasmatic FA, euglobulin lysis time test, (ELT) and the levels of beta-thromboglobulin resulted similar to the controls. A significant increase in von Willebrand Factor VIII antigen (but not of Factor VIII coagulant) was observed in the patients (p less than 0.01). Platelet aggregate ratio, levels of plasma plasminogen and Antithrombin III showed a significant difference (p less than 0.01) when compared with the control subjects. Data suggest that primary injured microvessels in SSc are likely to be arteriolae while venulae could be affected by secondary hypoxia due to the arteriolar damage with consequent release of tissue type plasminogen activator. Therefore, the authors suggest that the fibrinolytic potential is maintained in SSc and that the fibrinolytic therapy should not be used in all patients with SSc but only in those cases with documented exhaustion of plasmatic and/or cutaneous FA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Effects of capsaicin on the metabolism of rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes in vitro.

The effects of capsaicin, the ingredient of hot pepper, on rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes have been studied. Capsaicin was shown to have a direct action on the metabolism of synovial cells. Thus at 10(-6) mol/l and at higher doses DNA synthesis was restored to the control level. Capsaicin at both doses induced an increase in the synthesis of collagenase and at the lower concentration (10(-8) mol/l) only of prostaglandins. These results indicate that the different effects of capsaicin on cellular proliferation and on metabolic activities are dependent on dose. The responses seen in rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes in vitro might not be mediated by tachykinins if the synovial tissue is still able to produce neuropeptides in the absence of neuronal afferents. These results suggest that capsaicin, in addition to its direct action on the afferent nervous fibres and the consequent release of tachykinins, may also have a direct action on the cells. The mechanisms by which capsaicin stimulates DNA synthesis and production of collagenase and prostaglandin E2, in a manner dependent on dose, remain to be determined.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1990

Immunological abnormalities in a group of patients with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis and prominent vascular disease.

Antinuclear antibodies, circulating immune complexes, rheumatoid factors and anticardiolipin antibodies were detected in the sera of 17 patients affected by the limited cutaneous subset of systemic sclerosis and marked clinical evidence of ischaemic cutaneous lesions (fingertip ulcerations). This study was designed to evaluate the possible role of anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies and other immunological disorders in the endothelial damage characteristic of the disease. ACL antibodies were found in 41% of the patients. With the exception of a significant connection with positive rheumatoid factor tests (RIA), no notable associations between anticardiolipin antibodies and antinuclear antibodies, circulating immune complexes (CIC), and other serological abnormalities were found. ACL antibodies did not significantly correlate with the presence of vascular lesions in our patients. However, a role of these antibodies in endothelial damage cannot be excluded, possibly in association with other serum factors such as immune complexes and antinuclear antibodies. A positive connection between the incidence of CIC and the severity of lung perfusion impairment was observed, and the previously reported relationship between anticentromere antibodies and calcinosis was indirectly confirmed.

Adolescent↗