Biomedical subjects

M Sarti

Publications and source records attributed to M Sarti.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effects on apoptosis and reactive oxygen species formation by Jurkat cells exposed to 50 Hz electromagnetic fields.

The effect of exposure to 50 Hz electromagnetic field on a human T-leukaemia cell line (Jurkat) was investigated by evaluating the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis, both spontaneous and induced by a specific anti Fas/CD95 monoclonal antibody (anti-Fas). Our results suggest that 1 h intermittent (5 min field on/10 min field off) exposure does not affect ROS formation, while a slight but statistically significant decrease of both spontaneous and anti-Fas-induced apoptosis was observed.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2005

Short- and long-term effects of a dietary yeast beta-glucan (Macrogard) and alginic acid (Ergosan) preparation on immune response in sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).

The present study investigated the immunomodulatory activity of Ergosan, an algal extract containing alginic acid, and Macrogard, a yeast extract containing beta-glucans, on innate and specific immunity in sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Four cycles of experimental feeding using normal fish feed formulation (control group) supplemented with Ergosan (0.5%) or Macrogard (0.1%) were performed at 60-day intervals (15 days of treatment+45 days of suspension). Serum complement, lysozyme, total proteins and heat shock protein (HSP) concentrations were measured at 15, 30 and 45 days from the end of the first 15-day feeding cycle (short term) and 45 days after the end of each feeding cycle over a 35-week period (long term). The percentage of B- and T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood leucocytes and gut were measured over long-term trial. Significant elevation (P < 0.05) in serum complement activity occurred in sea bass fed with alginic acid and glucans, at 15 days from the end of first cycle of treatment. Significant elevation (P < 0.05) in serum lysozyme, gill and liver HSP concentration were observed in the same experimental groups at 30 days from the end of treatment, whereas a significant increase (P < 0.05) of complement activity was only observed in fish that received an Ergosan diet. At 45 days from the end of treatment, complement, lysozyme and HSP concentration did not differ among groups. Over the long-term period, no significant differences were observed in innate and specific immune parameters, survival, growth performances and conversion index in treated and control fish. A dramatic decrease of both innate and acquired immune parameters was observed during the winter season in all groups, followed by a partial recovery when water temperature increased. Reduction in complement and lysozyme activities was significatively correlated (p < 0.01) to water temperature variation. The results suggested the potential of alginic acid and beta-glucans to activate some innate immune responses in sea bass, and particularly under conditions of immunodepression related to environmental stress.

Alginates↗

PubMed2003

Hepatitis C virus infection: prevalence, predictor variables and prevention opportunities among drug users in Italy.

The study assessed rates and predictor variables of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among drug users receiving pharmacological treatment for opiates addiction. There was a large cohort study in 16 public centres for drug users in north-eastern Italy, with data collected by standardized face-to-face interviews between February 2001 and August 2001. Of 1095 participants, 74.2% were HCV seropositive. Anti-HCV status was independently associated with duration of drug use of over 10 years, injecting as a route of drug administration, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity. Further statistical analysis was conducted by dividing the subjects on the basis of the duration of heroin use: more or <10 years. In the multivariate analyses, route of drug administration and HBV status were associated with HCV seropositivity among both groups. Less education was associated with HCV among the shorter term drug users. HIV status and having a sexual partner with a history of drug use were associated with HCV seropositivity among the longer term drug users. Half of the short-term heroin users were still HCV seronegative when starting treatment, suggesting opportunities for reducing new HCV infections. Remarkable was the relationship between vaccination for hepatitis B and HCV serostatus. Being HBV seropositive was strongly associated with being HCV seropositive. But heroin users who had been vaccinated for HBV were not significantly more likely to be HCV seropositive than heroin users who were HBV seronegative. HBV vaccination does not provide biological protection against HCV; however, vaccinating heroin users against HBV may help to create a stronger pro-health attitude among heroin users, leading to a reduction in HCV risk behaviour.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed2001

Biomarker prediction of clinical outcome in operable breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

The predictivity of tumour size, oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptors, 3H-thymidine labelling index (TLI), c-erbB-2 and p27kip1 expression on clinical outcome was analysed on a consecutive series of 118 postmenopausal patients with ER-positive, node-positive tumours. All patients were treated with surgery +/- radiotherapy and adjuvant tamoxifen (30 mg/day) for at least 2 years. TLI, ER, c-erbB-2 and p27kip1 were generally unrelated to each other. PgR was directly related to ER and inversely to c-erbB-2. Tumour size was inversely related to both c-erbB-2 and p27kip1 expression. At a median follow-up of 75 months, 5-year relapse-free survival was significantly lower for patients with very rapidly proliferating (HR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.34-5.08), PgR negative (HR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.43-5.33) or relatively low ER content (HR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.14-4.25) tumours than for patients with tumours expressing the opposite biological profiles. Overall survival was also significantly different as a function of TLI (HR = 3.47, 95% CI = 1.52-7.93) and PgR (HR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.00-5.15). TLI and PgR maintained an independent relevance in multivariate analysis and together were capable of identifying subgroups of patients at significantly different risk of relapse and death.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Simultaneous paired analysis of numerical chromosomal aberrations and DNA content in osteosarcoma.

Relatively little is known about the biologic relevance of numerical chromosomal changes in relation to DNA content in osteosarcoma. In this study, by using a series of human osteosarcoma cell lines, we standardized a method for the assessment, on the same nuclei specimen, of both specific chromosome copy numbers by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the DNA content by static cytofluorometry or image cytometry. On the same cell lines, we also evaluated the DNA content by using flow cytometry and the chromosome number distribution by metaphase analysis. Comparison between these different methods showed that DNA ploidy level as determined by FISH or metaphase analysis is frequently lower than the ploidy pattern as defined by cytometric methods. By using comparative genomic hybridization, we were able to demonstrate that these discrepancies were due to the presence of several unbalanced chromosome aberrations, specifically gains and high-level amplifications, which affect the total DNA content with less effect on the total chromosome number. Thus, evaluation of DNA ploidy in osteosarcoma cells is needed for a correct interpretation of FISH or cytogenetic data concerning numerical chromosomal changes. Evaluation of tumor ploidy in a series of clinical samples demonstrated that in high-grade osteosarcoma, flow cytometry sometimes may give false results because of the presence of high proportions of contaminating, nonneoplastic cells that cannot be excluded from the flow cytometric assessment but that do not interfere with the evaluation of DNA ploidy by static cytofluorometry or image cytometry, in which only tumor cells are selected for the analysis. The possibility of using this method to evaluate, on the same nuclei sample, both specific chromosomal aberrations and DNA ploidy may allow a better determination of numerical chromosomal changes that may be relevant for the biologic behavior of osteosarcoma.

Bone Neoplasms↗

PubMed2000

The receptor-associated protein (RAP) interacts with several resident proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum including a glycoprotein related to actin.

The receptor-associated protein (RAP) is a chaperone found primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that plays a necessary role in the folding and exocytic trafficking of members of the LDL receptor gene family including megalin and the LDL receptor-related protein (LRP). Recently, RAP has been shown to interact with a growing number of proteins including several that are unrelated to the LDL receptor family as well as new members of this rapidly expanding family. Based on these observations, we have applied chemical crosslinking procedures to identify additional novel RAP-interacting proteins, and thereby better characterize the scope of RAP's ER-related function. In this study, we have identified eight proteins with molecular weights of 32, 35, 46, 55, 70, 95, 170, and 200 kDa that interact with endogenous RAP. These proteins were found to associate with RAP in multiple cell types from different species, suggesting that their expression and interactions with RAP are ubiquitous. Results of pulse-chase experiments show that most of the proteins remain sensitive to endoglycosidase-H digestion, and also remain stably associated with RAP over an extended period, suggesting that they are ER resident proteins. All of the RAP-associated proteins appear to be largely soluble as they partition into the aqueous phase following TX-114 detergent extraction. Sequence analysis and immunoblotting of the 46-kDa RAP-associated glycoprotein (gp46) shows that it is structurally and immunologically related to actin. If gp46 is also functionally related to actin as an intracellular structural protein, it may represent a novel component of the putative ER matrix.

Actins↗

PubMed1996

Insulin-like growth factor I receptor-mediated circuit in Ewing's sarcoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor: a possible therapeutic target.

The disappointingly low survival rate observed in Ewing's sarcoma (ES)/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) despite the adoption of aggressive multimodal treatments prompted us to study the existence of autocrine circuits to be used as innovative therapeutic targets. Of the several circuits analyzed, only the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR)-mediated loop was found to be constantly present both in cell lines and clinical samples, suggesting a role for this autocrine circuit in the pathogenesis of ES/PNET. The in vitro inhibition of the IGF-IR-mediated circuit by the specific IGF-IR binding antibody alphaIR3 suppressed the growth of ES/PNET cells by decreasing the proliferative rate and increasing apoptosis. alphaIR3 also significantly inhibited the ability of ES/PNET cells to grow in soft agar and to migrate following a chemotactic stimulus. Inactivation of the IGF-IR signaling pathway may therefore be considered as an effective therapeutic modality for patients with ES/PNET.

Antibodies↗

PubMed1996

Evaluation of P-glycoprotein expression in soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities.

Soft tissue sarcomas comprise a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumors accounting for less than one-percent of adult neoplasms. In the last few years, the use of adjuvant chemotherapy has been proposed for the treatment of these lesions in order to obtain a better systemic control, but its usefulness is still controversial. In this study, we evaluated whether P-glycoprotein, a membrane protein strictly associated with multidrug resistance, is overexpressed in soft tissue sarcomas. By using human multidrug resistant sarcoma cell lines as controls, we analyzed P-glycoprotein expression in 34 primary and in 23 relapsed soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities. Overexpression of P-glycoprotein was found in 6 out of 34 primaries (18%) and in 8 out of 23 relapses (35%). In particular, in malignant fibrous histiocytoma, the most frequent soft tissue sarcoma of adults, P-glycoprotein overexpression was found in 23% of primary untreated cases, in agreement with the reported relapse rate of this tumor after surgery and chemotherapy. These data suggest that, in soft tissue sarcomas, overexpression of P-glycoprotein may be of prognostic value and that the assessment of P-glycoprotein expression may be useful for the design of chemotherapy protocols.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

PubMed1996

Immunostaining of the p30/32MIC2 antigen and molecular detection of EWS rearrangements for the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma and peripheral neuroectodermal tumor.

The identification of Ewing's sarcoma (ES) and peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) among other small round cell tumors (SRCTs) is a critical issue in musculoskeletal pathology because of the lack of clearly distinctive morphological features. In this study, the authors have compared advantages and limits of two procedures that were recently suggested as additional tools for the identification of ES/PNET, the analysis of p30/32MIC2 antigen by immunohistochemistry, and the evaluation of the fusion products of two specific chromosomal aberrations, the t(11;22)(q24;q12) and the t(21;22)(q22;q12), by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The authors have analyzed the expression of p30/32MIC2 in 28 cell lines and in 90 tumor samples. p30/32MIC2 was highly expressed in ES/PNET but was also present in all the other cell types. The broad spectrum of positivity for p30/32MIC2 in SRCTs of bone was substantially confirmed by the analysis of tissue samples. In the same material, the authors have evaluated the presence of t(11;22) or t(21;22) transcripts (EWS/FLI-1 and EWS/ERG, respectively) by RT-PCR. These transcripts were found in all the cell lines and tissue samples of ES/PNET, but not in other tumors. The authors' results question the use of p30/32MIC2 immunostaining alone for the identification of ES/PNET and suggest the adoption of RT-PCR as an advantageous alternative. Molecular diagnosis of ES/PNET by RT-PCR is highly specific and can be applied to small amounts of tissue. Moreover, RNA extracted from paraffin-embedded specimens was shown to be suitable for RT-PCR analysis, thus enabling analysis of archival material.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

[Quality assurance in radiology: quality control of radiographic cassettes].

A "quality team" in radiology, whose members are the authors of this paper, has implemented a quality control program to test the cassettes with intensifying screen systems used in radiology departments. 149 systems-124 of them for general purpose radiology and 25 for mammography-were submitted to the following tests: visual inspection of radiographic cassettes and intensifying screens, screen-film contact, intensifying screen cleanliness and relative sensitivity of the intensifying screens. The results of each type of test are reported in detail in the paper, on a 3-point scale: good, sufficient and poor. The overall results of the quality control tests show 78% of general purpose radiology cassettes to qualify as good (69%) or sufficient (9%), while 22% were of poor quality. 88% of the mammographic cassettes qualified as good (76%) or sufficient (12%), while 12% were of poor quality. All tests were easy to perform and required limited resources. The necessary procedures to keep quality high over time are also reported. To conclude, the results obtained with our quality control program could be used as an effective tool to address and plan the turnover of the cassettes with intensifying screens which are usually used in diagnostic radiology practice.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

PubMed1995

Analysis of P-glycoprotein expression in osteosarcoma.

Current treatment of high-grade osteosarcoma combines surgical removal of the lesion with chemotherapy. In this study we evaluated whether the expression of P-glycoprotein, a protein closely associated with multidrug resistance, may be helpful in identifying the patients whose tumours will be further resistant to specific agents. By using multidrug-resistant osteosarcoma cell lines as standards, the expression of P-glycoprotein was evaluated in 105 cases of primary and metastatic osteosarcoma by semiquantitative immunofluorescence. Overexpression of the protein was shown in 23% of primary and in 50% of metastatic lesions. In 38 cases, homogeneously treated and followed-up for at least 24 months, overexpression of P-glycoprotein appeared to be associated with a higher relapse rate and with a trend toward a worse outcome. These data support the role of P-glycoprotein in the response to chemotherapy and its involvement in the determination of the outcome of osteosarcoma patients.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

PubMed1992

Right colon adenocarcinoma presenting as Bacteroides fragilis liver abscesses.

Pyogenic abscesses of the liver occur in association with a variety of diseases. Sometimes they are caused by anaerobic infections of liver metastases. Uncommonly, however, multiple hepatic abscesses caused by anaerobic bacteria are the presenting signs of unsuspected colonic cancer in the absence of liver metastases. We report a 60-year-old man who presented with febrile cholestatic liver disease initially thought to be metastases. Repeated ultrasound-directed liver biopsies yielded a diagnosis of multiple abscesses. Bacteroides fragilis was grown from the liver specimen and the patient responded well to metronidazole treatment. Two months later, however, overt symptoms of large bowel disease led to the diagnosis of colonic adenocarcinoma. After a 6-month postoperative follow-up, the patient is free of liver metastases. Anaerobic liver abscesses should always alert the clinician to possible silent colonic cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed1991

Kappa light chain gene rearrangement in a T-cell lymphoma.

Forty-three patients were studied to determine whether light chain gene rearrangements may occur in hematopoietic cells not pertaining to the B-lineage. In only one patient, affected by T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, one kappa light chain allele was rearranged. Neither at the protein level nor at the RNA level the rearranged gene was expressed. These data confirm that, although rarely, kappa light chain gene rearrangements may occur in neoplastic T-cells. Furthermore, as in our patient Ig heavy chain genes retained a germline configuration, the present data demonstrate that kappa light chain gene rearrangements may occur regardless of Ig heavy chain gene arrangement.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Differential effects of c-myb and c-fes antisense oligodeoxynucleotides on granulocytic differentiation of human myeloid leukemia HL60 cells.

To gain some insight into the role of c-myb and c-fes in myeloid differentiation, the authors have analyzed the ability of HL60 cells to differentiate in response to several different inducers after inhibition of c-myb and c-fes function. This function has been inhibited almost completely by using deoxynucleotides complementary to two 18-nucleotide sequences of c-myb and c-fes encoding mRNA. After 5 days in culture, in several separate experiments with different oligomer preparations, more than 90% growth inhibition was observed in c-myb antisense-treated HL60 cells. At this time, independent of the differentiation inducer used, c-myb antisense-treated HL60 cells differentiate only along the monocytic pathway, whereas in sense oligomer-treated cultures, retinoic acid and dimethyl sulfoxide induced granulocytic differentiation. No perturbation of the HL60 cell growth was observed after 5 days of treatment with antisense c-fes oligomer. However, induction to granulocytic differentiation by retinoic acid and dimethyl sulfoxide resulted in progressive cell death, whereas monocytic differentiation by other differentiation inducers was only marginally affected. These results suggest that granulocytic, unlike monocytic, differentiation requires c-myb-conditioned proliferation and the activity of the protein encoded by c-fes.

Cell Cycle↗

PubMed1990

Chronic myelogenous leukemia with typical clinical and morphological features can be Philadelphia chromosome negative and "bcr negative".

The Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome is found in the majority of patients affected by chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), being considered the hallmark of the disease, but around 5-8% of patients diagnosed as CML lack the Ph1 chromosome-negative (Ph-) CML has been discussed extensively in the literature because of its heterogeneity. However, it is now accepted that some of the Ph1-CML patients have a disease indistinguishable from Ph1-positive (Ph+) CML. It was investigated whether Ph- CML with clinical and morphological features indicating true CML would always have bcr rearrangements, as the relocation of c-abl from 9q34 into the breakpoint cluster region on 22q11 is considered a crucial event in the pathogenesis of CML. From molecular studies, it seemed that Ph- CML with features of true CML always have the bcr rearrangement, while Ph- patients, lacking such rearrangement, have atypical forms of CML. Here we describe 8 Ph- CML and myeloproliferative syndrome (MPS) patients of whom 6 were by all respects true CML cases. Nevertheless, bcr rearrangement and expression of the classic bcr/abl chimeric mRNA was found in only 1 of the 6 patients. More advanced molecular techniques will be needed to understand which molecular mechanisms underlie Ph-, bcr- CML, resulting in phenotypes sometimes indistinguishable from Ph+, bcr+ CML.

Adult↗

PubMed1989

Bone marrow infiltration in hairy cell leukemia after interferon therapy detected by magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect bone marrow infiltration by neoplastic cells in many hematological malignancies. We studied 10 patients affected by hairy cell leukemia (HCL) and treated with interferon (IFN) with both MRI and bone marrow biopsy. T1-weighted MR scans of femurs and pelvis proved to be effective to score hairy cell infiltration, while less information was obtained from the study of the lumbar vertebral column. A good correlation (less than 10% difference) was noted between biopsy and MRI in over 90% of cases. MR scans showed, in general, a higher grade of infiltration. MR scan, however, can be useful for monitoring the course of HCL and the response to the treatment. Moreover, MRI evaluating a large amount of tissue, can detect a nodular type of infiltration which can be missed in biopsy specimens.

Bone Marrow↗

PubMed1989

Expression of the myeloperoxidase gene in acute and chronic myeloid leukemias: relationship to the expression of cell cycle-related genes.

The expression of the myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene was studied, by means of Northern blot analysis in 14 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 11 cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and 6 cases of CML blast crisis, and in HL60 cells before and after induction of terminal differentiation with retinoic acid (RA), phorbol esters (TPA), or vitamin D. The expression of a panel of cell cycle-related genes, namely C-MYC, histone H3, ornithine decarboxylase, P53, vimentin, and calcyclin, was also studied in the same cell populations. Our results indicate that: (a) MPO gene expression (steady state mRNA levels) is strictly confined to the first stages of myeloid differentiation, reaching its peak at the promyelocyte stage and becoming undetectable in mature granulocytes and monocytes; (b) cells devoid of any detectable MPO enzymatic activity such as leukemic basophils have a high content of MPO mRNA; and (c) MPO gene expression is not related to the growth activity of the cell population. Finally, our results show that the pattern of expression of growth-regulated genes in the neoplastic myeloid disorders AML, CML, and CML blast crisis is remarkably different.

Blast Crisis↗

PubMed1989

[The onset of double metachronous neoplasms 29 years after the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease].

The occurrence of two new cancers (a diffuse centrocytic lymphoma and a basal cell cancer) in a patient successfully treated for Hodgkin's disease 29 years before is reported. The centrocytic lymphoma mainly involved the skin, the basal cell carcinoma developed on the dorsum of the right hand. The patient had received high-dose Roentgen-radiation therapy on the mediastinum and lymph nodes for his Hodgkin's disease. The possible relationship between performed therapy and occurrence of new malignancies is discussed.

Aged↗