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Biomedical subjects

M Matucci-Cerinic

Publications and source records attributed to M Matucci-Cerinic.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Reduced angiotensin converting enzyme plasma activity in scleroderma. A marker of endothelial injury?

Decreased levels of angiotensin converting enzyme plasma activity were found in systemic sclerosis. No relationship with clinical characteristics of the disease and increased von Willebrand factor antigen concentration (a widely accepted marker of endothelial injury) were statistically demonstrated. An inverse relationship between the reduced activity of the enzyme and erythrocyte sedimentation rate was detected (r = 0.410, p less than 0.05). We hypothesize that in systemic sclerosis, angiotensin converting enzyme activity might be affected by a decrease in endothelial production or by interference of circulating factors. Further studies are needed to determine if angiotensin converting enzyme activity could be used as a marker of endothelial injury in scleroderma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Cutaneous fibrinolytic potential, tPA dependent, is reduced in Behçet's disease.

We report our studies on the cutaneous and plasma fibrinolytic activities (FA) in nine patients with Behçet's disease (BD) as compared with nine normal controls. The euglobulin lysis time of the plasma and cutaneous fibrinolytic activity were determined in these patients. The studies showed that the plasma fibrinolytic activity was reduced in the patients with BD and there was impaired cutaneous fibrinolytic potential, tPA dependent, in those patients with venous and arterial thromboses.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Pachydermoperiostosis (primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy): report of a case with evidence of endothelial and connective tissue involvement.

A case of pachydermoperiostosis characterised by the presence of finger clubbing, periostosis, sweating of hands and feet is described. Modifications of capillaroscopic pattern and of arteriovenous anastomoses are reported. The periungual border and finger tip tissue showed diffuse endothelial hyperplasia, hyalinosis, and sclerosis with packing of collagen fibres. Electron microscopy showed hypertrophic and activated endothelia (numerous and hypertrophic Golgi complexes, several Weibel-Palade bodies, vesicles of micropinocytosis, and glycogen particles), the basal membrane thickened and reduplicated, perivasal infiltrate in superficial derma, reticulation and segmentary reduplication of basal membrane in arteriovenous shunt. In the perineural connective tissue numerous Luse bodies (long spacing collagen) were evident. The data indicate that in the early phase of pachydermoperiostosis morphological endothelial and collagen fibre abnormalities are present, though there is a normal peripheral blood flow.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Colchicine treatment in a case of pachydermoperiostosis with acroosteolysis.

We report a case of pachydermoperiostosis with arthralgia, acroosteolysis, and recurrent staphylococcal folliculitis of the face, treated with colchicine (0.5 mg once daily for the 1st week and 0.5 mg twice daily for the next 3 weeks). The evaluation of arthralgia, hyponchial angle, folliculitis, and pachyderma, performed at basal time and once weekly, showed improvement of symptoms and signs after 7-15 days of treatment. Neutrophilic chemotaxis, evaluated before starting the treatment and after 15 and 30 days of therapy, showed a progressive decrease of the initial very high index. Colchicine provided a beneficial therapeutic response in both inhibiting increased chemotactic activity and in reducing tissular oedema in our patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Diabetic hand syndrome.

Diabetic hand syndrome is a condition affecting about 30% of patients with insulin-requiring juvenile diabetes. Characteristic findings in this syndrome are mild- to- moderately severe joint contractures of the fingers, particularly at the proximal interphalangeal joints in the ring and small fingers, and thickening of the skin of the dorsum of the hand. There is no evidence of palmar fascial thickening or Dupuytren's contracture. Occasionally other joints may be involved, such as the wrists, elbows, hips, knees, and toes. In the case presented in this report light and electron microscopic studies showed that the disease presents aspects similar to those of other "fibrotic diseases" as described by Kisher and Speer. Surgical treatment was only partially beneficial in this patient.

Child↗
PubMed1988

Ketoprofen vs etofenamate in a controlled double-blind study: evidence of topical effectiveness in soft tissue rheumatic pain.

The efficacy and safety of topical application of ketoprofen gel and etofenamate gel were studied in a controlled double-blind clinical trial. Thirty-six patients affected by inflammation of tendons, sheaths and bursae entered the study, and were treated for seven days. The parameters studied were: pain scale, Ritchie index, stiffness, pain on active and passive movement and functional capacity. The results showed that ketoprofen gel and etofenamate gel were able to induce remission of the inflammatory symptoms in soft tissue rheumatic pain. No side-effects were detected in either group.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Cutaneous fibrinolytic activity in primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.

Cutaneous fibrinolytic activity was investigated in 13 patients affected with Primary Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy in the advanced phase. Biopsies were taken from periungueal skin of the ippocratic finger and from the dorsum of the first phalanx: cutaneous fibrinolytic activity was investigated with Todd's autohistographic method as modified by Lotti et al., showing increased activity in periungueal skin (10/13) and normal in the apparently uninvolved skin (9/13). We suggest that the increase in plasminogen activator activity, in the advanced phase of the disease, may be related to the increased growth of the connective tissue that is characteristic of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Somatostatin treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

Eighteen patients with psoriatic arthritis were treated for 48 hours with an infusion of somatostatin 250 micrograms/hr diluted in a 5% glucose solution. This therapy led to a reduction of joint pain and satisfactory clearing of cutaneous lesions immediately after treatment in eight patients, less marked results in four, and null in four. Two patients were dropped from the study because of negative side effects during administration of the drug. Fifteen days after treatment, the clearing of lesions and joint pain reduction were even more pronounced. The most encouraging results were obtained on erythrodermic and large plaque psoriasis and on the polyarticular involvement. We suggest that the use of this drug, whose side effects are discussed, should be limited to patients with polyarthritis showing severe cutaneous involvement.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The treatment of skin ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis].

Systemic Sclerosis (Ssc) is a complex disease of the connective tissue, characterized by progressive thickening and fibrosis of the skin and the internal organs and by diffused damage of the microvascular system. The fibrosis ones of the skin associated to the characteristic vascular alterations lead to the genesis of ulcers, more or less extended, often multiple, peripheral localization, chronic course, painful, able to influence patient's quality of life. Indeed, immunity reactivity, the thinning and the loss of elasticity of the skin, the peripheral neurological damage and the eventual drug assumption that can reduce regenerative/reparative abilities, can easily make an ulcer chronic and become infected complicating still more the patient disease, rendering more difficult the cure often, ulcer evolves to gangrene, and in some cases, in amputation too. For all these reasons, we have begun to study ulcers therapy (local and systemic), considering this activity it leave integrating of the charitable distance of the sclerodermic patient, putting to point on strategy both diagnostic and therapeutic, but above all with the primary scope, if possible, is to prevent ulcers, in contrary case, to alleviate the pain and to render the quality of the life of the patient better.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bcl-2, p53 and c-myc expression in juvenile dermatomyositis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate p53, bcl-2 and c-myc expression in muscle biopsies from children affected with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) and to verify a possible dysregulation of programmed cell death in this autoimmune disease. METHODS: Ten muscle biopsies of children affected with JDM were formalin fixed and paraffin embedded. After haematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry was performed employing monoclonal antibodies, anti-p53, anti-bcl-2 and anti-myc. Two normal muscle biopsies were studied as controls. RESULTS: In the biopsies of JDM, two different patterns of myofibers damage were observed: the first, with zones characterised by necrosis; and the second, with zones where an apoptotic process was dominant. Immunoreactivity for bcl-2 was positive in 8 out of 10 biopsies. P53 and c-myc expression were not present in any case. No relationship between the degree of bcl-2 immunostaining and the disease course or outcome was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The over-expression of bcl-2 protein in JDM may suggest a dysregulation of apoptosis in myofibers. Further studies are required in order to better understand the role of our data in the pathogenetic pathways of the disease.

Apoptosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence for hyaluronan production in the air pouch model in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our work was to investigate the presence of hyaluronan (HA) in the rat air pouch and its behaviour in response to inflammatory stimuli. METHODS: HA levels (by a microplate assay) and the leucocyte count were determined in the fluid obtained from air pouches in which acute or subacute inflammation had been induced by the injection of monosodium urate crystals (MSU) or high density polyethylene (HDPE) debris respectively and in relative controls. RESULTS: In control pouches of both groups, remarkable levels of HA were found; these levels were higher in the very first hours (2475 and 1850 micrograms/l at 6 hrs) and then gradually decreased. In pouches injected with MSU, HA moderately increased (p < 0.001) after 6 hrs, reached a peak after 12 hrs (p < 0.001) and began to taper at 24 hrs (p < 0.001). The leucocyte count was also increased at 6 hrs (p < 0.001), became higher at 12 hrs (p < 0.001) and tapered at 24 hrs (p < 0.001). In the HDPE pouches, HA levels were significantly reduced with respect to controls after 6 hours (p < 0.001), increasing later (p < 0.001) to reach a peak at 24 hrs (p < 0.001), and returning to the original levels, or even below, in the following 72 hours. CONCLUSIONS: These data confirm that the pouch lining produces fair amounts of HA and provide evidence that, in this system, HA levels seem to be influenced by the degree of inflammation even if with variable behaviour in relation to the different characteristics and phases of phlogosis. The present data suggest that the air pouch is a useful experimental model for studies on HA metabolism in either acute or chronic inflammation.

Air↗