PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M Pitzurra

Publications and source records attributed to M Pitzurra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

[Antitetanus prophylaxis: actual practice and cost benefit analysis of a hypothetical mass vaccination].

The actual practice of immunoprophylaxis in a Sanitary District of Campania (Italy) is described. As everywhere in Italy, in subjects at risk (wounded) the passive immunoprophylaxis by human specific immunoglobins is currently applied: at very high cost and with unreliable protection. The Authors suggest to implement antitetanus mass vaccination, with benefits incoming from lower expenses and higher protection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Cadmium uptake by growing cells of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

The present study evaluates the effect of the cadmium (Cd2+) on the growth and protein synthesis of some Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus faecium) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria and the cadmium uptake by the same micro-organisms. The Gram-negative bacteria tested were less sensitive to metal ions than the Gram-positive, and P. aeruginosa was the most resistant. The Gram-negative bacteria were also able to accumulate higher amounts of cadmium during growth than the Gram-positive bacteria. The maximum values of specific metal uptake (microgram of Cd2+ incorporated per mg of protein) were: 0.52 for S. aureus, 0.65 for S. faecium, 0.79 for B. subtilis, 2.79 for E. coli and 24.15 for P. aeruginosa, respectively. The differences in the ability to accumulate metal found between Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria seems to account for different mechanisms of metal resistance.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Turkey red blood cell passive haemagglutination assay as guideline for specific prevention of tetanus in injured persons.

Turkey red blood cell passive haemagglutination assays (TRBC-HA) were carried out on serum samples from 873 injured patients in order to compare individual prophylactic treatment against tetanus based on the anti-tetanus antibody levels with interventions based on anamnestic criteria. The results showed a great difference: according to the anamnesis 124 persons (14.2%) were protected, 253 (29%) were partially protected, and 496 (56.8%) were unprotected; according to the TRBC-HA assay, 479 (54.9%) were protected, 279 (32%) partially protected, and 115 (13.2%) unprotected.The efficiency of the prophylactic treatments given on the basis of the two criteria was also compared in a study of 129 injured patients who were divided in two groups: group 1 (50 patients) received 250 IU of human tetanus immunoglobulin (HTI) regardless of their tetanus immunity, and group II (79 patients) received appropriate or no treatment depending on the level of anti-tetanus antibodies determined by TRBC-HA assay. The results showed that prophylactic interventions based on the anti-tetanus antibody levels can give protection in 100% of injured patients at minimum cost and risk.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

[Technic for studying antitetanus immunity].

The Authors carried out a research work on problems relating to technical aspects to the tetanus immunity tests. Some interesting conclusions have been reached: - Purified and diluted tetanus toxin is best preserved at - 20 degrees C, in pH 7.4 physiological salt solution added with 1% peptone. - Vaccination in small laboratory animals must be done injecting adsorbed anatoxin by a microsyringe, in order to avoid dilution of the original compound. - Protection test using low, i.v. toxin doses is more reliable than serological tests in assessing the acquired resistance level in immuno-prophylaxed animals. - Passive haemagglutination test is much more sensitive when done with turkey instead of sheep red blood cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

The state of antitetanus protection in the commune of Perugia.

A serological survey was carried out on the population in the Perugia district to assess the protection level against tetanus. The antitoxin titre was evaluated by indirect haemagglutination test in 983 sera from healthy subjects of both sexes and all age-groups. Only 285 males and 144 females, 33.47% of the subjects, had been immunized prior to the investigation. The research made it clear that the serological antibody level does not always correspond to the anamnestic data on previous immunization. Therefore, it appears that prophylactic treatment against tetanus should be based on objective data, that is, serum antibody titre, in all subjects at risk. This information, thanks to the indirect haemagglutination test, is not difficult to obtain.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Haemagglutination antibody titre levels which give certain protection against tetanus toxin.

The lowest haemagglutination titre which gives safe protection against tetanus toxin, in sera of vaccinated subjects of both sexes and of all age groups has been assessed, by comparative haemagglutination and neutralization tests. It was established that sera with 1/32 haemagglutination antibody titre have a toxin neutralizing capability of greater than or equal to 0.1 I.U./ml. Lower haemagglutination titers do not assure protective capacity against tetanus toxin.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Serum and skin lysozyme activity in non-diabetic and diabetic subjects.

Lysozyme activity was significantly reduced in the skin of patients with clinical diabetes, but not in the skin of other diabetics or in serum of all these patients. Sex and age had no influence on serum or skin lysozyme activity in either nondiabetic or diabetic subjects. The reduction of cutaneous lysozyme activity is suggested as a factor for the seriousness and the relapses of cutaneous infections in subjects with clinical diabetes.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Serum antibody level in rabbits submitted to antitetanus active-passive immunization with heterologous horse serum.

Serum antibody titres have been assessed in rabbits submitted to active and active-passive immunization against tetanus with AlPO4 adsorbed vaccine and horse heterologous immune serum. Heterologous antibodies survive in the blood stream no more than six days. Endogenous antibodies, with the adopted vaccination schedule, emerge fifteen days after the first vaccine inoculation. In rabbits undergoing active-passive immunization, the appearance time of endogenous antibodies is delayed, all the more so as the antiserum injected dose increases. Such data stress the opportunity to give up with the use of heterologous immune sera in tetanus prophylaxis, in association with vaccine as well.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Enhanced early response to tetanus toxoid, in rabbits.

AIPO4 adsorbed tetanus toxoid injected in rabbits according different vaccination schedules, gives rise to antibody responses with varying lag periods. Shortening the intervals among antigen injections, or increasing the quantity of toxoid per dose, makes it possible to reach protective serum antibody levels in 10 days. That is to say, in a period of time shorter than the mean tetanus incubation in man. Although difficult to transfer to man, the exposed data suggest a possible differentiated antitetanus vaccination in subjects at risk, non protected.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Anti-candida antibodies in human serum. Detection and definition of Ig classes by a new elution technique.

The Partigen Elution Test (P.E.T.), a partially quantitative method for the determination of Ig classes to which the antibodies against superficial Candida antigens belong, has been assessed. The sensitivity of the test is comparable to that of the Ouchterlony test. The P.E.T. has the advantage of simplicity, great reproducibility and absolute specificity. With P.E.T. the level of single class antibodies can be quantitated on the basis of the diameter of immunoprecipitation ring. It seems possible to establish a correlation between the number of precipitation lines in the Ouchterlony test and the diameter of the precipitation ring in LC-Partigen plates. In addition as association among the width of the ring diameter, the Ig classes implicated and the severity of Candida affection is apparent.

Antibodies, Fungal↗