Biomedical subjects

P Magro

Publications and source records attributed to P Magro.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

A basic peroxidase from wheat kernel with antifungal activity.

A basic heme-peroxidase (WP1) was purified to homogeneity from wheat (Triticum aestivum) kernels. The protein was not glycosylated and exhibited a molecular mass of 36 kDa and a pI of 8.0. The N-terminal amino acid sequence revealed a very high similarity with a wheat flour peroxidase allergen associated with baker's asthma. WPI showed indole-3-acetic acid oxidase activity in the presence of Mn2+ and phenolic cofactors. Antifungal assays performed in vitro towards phytopathogenic fungi indicated that WP1 was active in inhibiting germ tube elongation. This first report on antifungal properties of a heme-peroxidase gives experimental support to the idea that peroxidases play a defensive role against invading pathogens.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Testicular function in men treated in childhood for undescended testes.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate testicular hormones and sperm counts of young men treated in childhood for cryptorchidism METHODS: Testicular volume, serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone as well as semen specimens were evaluated in 57 men (mean age, 19 years; range, 18 to 27 years) treated in childhood for unilateral (n = 47) and bilateral (n = 10) cryptorchidism. In 3 unilateral cases monorchidism was found. Thirty-seven patients underwent orchiopexy after hormonal treatment (luteinizing hormone releasing factor, 1.2 mg/d for 28 days followed by human chorionic gonadotropin, 500 IU intramuscularly 3 times a week for 3 weeks). The remainder underwent surgery. Mean age at surgical treatment was 5.4 years (range, 2 to 12 years). These patients were examinated again after a mean period of 13.3 years (range, 10 to 19 years). RESULTS: Reduced testicular volume (<12 mL) was found in 6 of 64 testes (9.3%). LH, FSH, and testosterone levels were found within the normal range in all patients. With linear regression, inverse relations were found between FSH and, respectively, testicular volume (P =.002), sperm concentration (P =.013), sperm motility (P =.023), and normally shaped sperms (P =.019). There were direct relations between testicular volume and sperm concentration (P =.02), sperm motility (P =.000), and normally shaped sperms (P =.001). We did not find any statistical correlation between age at surgery and semen quality. Significantly better results in terms of sperm counts were found in patients directly operated on in comparison to those treated with hormones before orchiopexy. CONCLUSIONS: Presented data indicate tubular impairment in young men operated on in childhood for cryptorchidism; FSH values increase and testicular volume decrease are related to sperm deterioration. Studies on children treated in the first 2 years of life are required to clarify the usefulness of early treatment of cryptorchidism.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

[Congenital cysts of the pancreas. A case report].

The authors report a clinical case of congenital cyst of the pancreas occurred in a female aged 15 months. They stress how this pathology is particularly rare in pediatric age (only 22 cases in the literature) and how it is extremely difficult to formulate a preoperative diagnosis. The young patient was in good general condition with an enormous abdominal tumefaction and without alterations of hematochemical markers. Echographic and tomographic patterns led to four diagnostic hypotheses: a) mesenteric cyst; b) left ovarian cyst or compound ovarian tumor; c) intestinal duplication; d) pancreatic cyst. Only after surgery a correct diagnosis was formulated (on the basis of the topographic position and the intracystic content of amylase and lipase) and a complete resolution of this pathology was obtained. Surgery therefore has the double function of formulating a correct diagnosis and allowing the complete resolution of this pathology. The complete surgical removal of the mass, in view of the benignity of this lesion, is the therapeutic goal.

Female↗

PubMed1999

A pre- and postsynaptic modulatory action of 5-HT and the 5-HT2A, 2C receptor agonist DOB on NMDA-evoked responses in the rat medial prefrontal cortex.

Intracellular recordings were made from pyramidal neurons in layers V and VI of the rat medial prefrontal cortex in slice preparations to investigate the effect of the serotonin 5-HT2A,2C receptor agonist (-)-1-2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenol-2-aminopropane (DOB) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced responses. Bath application of either DOB or 5-HT [in the presence of antagonists to 5-HT1A, 5-HT3 and gamma-aminobutytric acid (GABA) receptors] produced a concentration-dependent biphasic modulation of the NMDA responses. They facilitated and inhibited NMDA responses at low (</= 1 microM DOB and </= 50 microM 5-HT) and higher concentrations, respectively. Both the facilitating and inhibitory action were blocked by the highly selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist R-(+)-alpha-(2, 3-dimethoxyphenil)-1-[4-fluorophenylethyl]-4-piperidineme thanol (M100907) and the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin, thus indicating that both facilitation and inhibition were mediated by the activation of the 5-HT2A receptor subtype. However, the facilitating, but not inhibitory, action of DOB showed a marked desensitization, suggesting that the facilitation and inhibition of NMDA responses resulted from activation of different 5-HT2A receptor subtypes and/or signal-transduction pathways. Indeed, the selective PKC inhibitor chelerythrine and the Ca2+/CaM-KII inhibitor KN-93 prevented the facilitating and inhibitory action of DOB, respectively. We have generated several lines of evidence to indicate the following scenario. Low concentrations of DOB, at presynaptic nerve terminals, markedly enhance NMDA-induced release of excitatory amino acids (EAAs), which then act upon both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors to elicit inward current. The massive inward current masks the postsynaptic inhibitory action of DOB. At higher concentrations, DOB inhibits the release of EAAs and discloses the postsynaptic inhibitory action.

Alkaloids↗

PubMed1998

Cryptorchidism: medical and surgical treatment in the 1st year of life.

Since cryptorchidism can cause infertility and early orchiopexy can improve fertility, we tried to determine whether medical and surgical treatment in the 1st year of life can improve testicular fertility. We concluded that this is the best time to treat cryptorchid tests.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMed1996

Structural and antifungal properties of a pathogenesis-related protein from wheat kernel.

We have purified and characterized a protein from the water-soluble fraction of wheat kernel (Triticum aestivum cv. S. Pastore) consisting of a single polypeptide chain blocked at its N-terminus by a pyroglutamate residue; the complete amino acid sequence has been determined by automated sequence analysis performed on peptide fragments obtained by enzymatic hydrolyses of the protein. Homology studies have shown that this protein is very similar (97% sequence identity) to the previously characterized wheatwin1 as well as to other members of the pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins of class 4; in analogy with wheatwin1, we have termed this protein wheatwin2. Both wheatwin1 and wheatwin2 have specific antifugal activity toward the wide-host-range pathogen Botrytis cinerea and the wheat-specific pathogenic fungi of wheat Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium graminearum of groups 1 and 2. On the basis of their structural and functional properties, wheatwin1 and wheatwin2 can be classified as members of the PR4 protein family; this represents the first report concerning the presence of this kind of protein in wheat.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[An unusual case of macroscopic hematuria in pediatric age].

An unusual case of macroscopic hematuria in a 14 year old boy is presented. At the time of the first hospital admission, no urinary tract infection could be demonstrated, in spite of the associated symptoms of stranguria and dysuria. At ultrasound examination, only a mild thickening of the upper bladder wall was detected, and cystoscopy showed a huge oedema and inflammation of the mucosal layer. The biopsy of the bladder was characterized by a definite eosinophilic infiltration; due to this particular hystologic pattern, the diagnosis of eosinophilic cystitis was made. In the following months, the boy did not improve. Recurrent hematuria occurred, and a pseudo-polypoid mass in the inner bladder wall was detected at ultrasonography. A limited resection of the vesical dome was performed, to remove completely the mass. The hystologic examination showed Schistosoma Haematobium eggs in the bladder wall, with a typical granulomatous reaction. The post-operative course was uneventful, and the child was completely cured after Praziquantel treatment. The Authors underline the need to take into account Schistosomiasis in cases of hematuria, particularly when this symptom affects boys coming from countries where Bilharziasis is endemic.

Adolescent↗