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P Scagliusi

Publications and source records attributed to P Scagliusi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Autoantibodies from Sjögren's syndrome induce activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in human salivary gland cell line A-253.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease that targets salivary and lachrymal glands, characterized by a high concentration of serum autoantibodies directed against nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens. It is known that autoantibodies can enter viable cells and this phenomenon has functional consequences including activation of apoptotic process. The objective of this work was to explore whether autoantibodies contained in IgG purified from Sjögren sera trigger apoptotic process in an experimental model represented by the human salivary gland cell line A-253. To define if the intrinsic or extrinsic pathways are activated, we examined which caspases are critical for inducing cell death. The results have demonstrated that morphological changes and DNA laddering, consistent with apoptotic cell death, occurred in A-253 cells treated with IgG from Sjögren sera. Sjögren IgG induced cleavage and activation of the effector caspase-3 and degradation of the caspase-3 substrate poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways were activated, since both caspase-8 and caspase-9 cleavages occurred. In conclusion, autoantibodies contained in IgG purified from Sjögren sera mediate apoptosis of the A-253 cell line in a caspase-dependent manner.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2005

[The strange case of a patient affected by acromegaly with osteoporomalacia without hypogonadism].

Acromegaly is a rare disease that, in the majority of cases, is due to the presence of a benign growth hormone (GH)-producing tumor of the pituitary. Growth hormone has profound effects on linear bone growth, bone metabolism, and bone mass. In acromegaly, the skeletal effects of chronic GH excess have been mainly addressed by evaluating bone mineral density (BMD). Most data were obtained in patients with active acromegaly, and apparently high or normal BMD was observed in the absence of hypogonadism. The Autors describe a case of patient affected by acromegaly without hypogonadism with serious osteoporosis and biological signs of osteomalacia.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed2002

The "submerged" connective tissue diseases.

BACKGROUND: Many patients present with laboratory abnormalities suggestive of connective tissue diseases (CTD), but with a few clinical symptoms, therefore not fulfilling the criteria for a specific diagnosis. This fact led us to suppose the existence of a changeable long "preclinical" phase in CTD development. In the past, we have already dealt with this subject, but the existence of a few reports underlining this concept led us to describe some "paradigmatic" clinical cases, and we suggest the definition of "submerged connective tissue diseases (Sub-CTD)". METHODS: During the last 5 years, we observed 25 patients (23 females and 2 males), with a mean age of 32 years, who were enrolled in a prospective study, with a mean follow-up of 23 months. All the patients were ANA-positive and went to our observation presenting only 1 clinical symptom and other laboratory abnormalities suggestive of CTD. RESULTS: The following development of the clinical picture allowed us to make a specific CTD diagnosis in 22 cases. The follow-up study shows the correlation between the starting symptoms, the serological markers (detected at the first examination) and the definitive diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: From this point of view, we emphasize the importance of the detection of very sensitive and specific serological markers, which are useful for an early diagnosis, particularly in this "submerged" phase of the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Controlled study with a new sustained-release formulation of nifedipine in essential hypertensive patients.

The authors studied the antihypertensive effect and tolerability of a new sustained-release formulation of nifedipine 50 mg once a day, in comparison with nifedipine retard 20 mg twice a day in patients with mild or moderate primary arterial hypertension. Both treatments significantly lowered blood pressure with no difference in daily blood pressure profile. At steady state, the two drugs determined comparable plasma levels of nifedipine as measured immediately before the morning dose. After a 12-month treatment, the new formulation of nifedipine still displayed satisfactory blood pressure control in both supine and standing positions, with no change in tolerability throughout the study. In conclusion, this new sustained-release formulation of nifedipine has similar efficacy and tolerability to conventional treatment with nifedipine retard 20 mg twice a day.

Delayed-Action Preparations↗
PubMed1989

[Significance of anticardiolipin antibodies in connective tissue diseases].

Recent attention has focused on the possibility that the presence of Anticardiolipin Antibodies (ACA) in patients with connective tissue diseases, particularly with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), may be associated with clinical and serological symptoms that identify a particular subset of patients. This group is characterized by recurrent arterial and/or venous thrombosis, multiple abortions and or intrauterine fetal death, presence of Lupus AntiCoagulant (LAC), false positive VDRL, thrombocytopenia and neuro-psychiatric diseases. These clinical features may identify the so-called "Anticardiolipin Syndrome". In this work, we have measured ACA, by ELISA test, in 194 serum samples: 97 SLE patients, 5 Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD), 8 Progressive Systemic Sclerosis (PSS), 7 Dermato/PolyMyositis (D PM), 3 Sjögren Syndrome (SS), 3 Unclassifiable Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD), 9 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), 1 Idiopathic Anticardiolipin Syndrome, 19 cases of Miscellanea, 42 healthy controls. The Optical Density (O.D.) was greater than 0 (higher than 0) in 89 serum samples (out of the 194): 43 SLE, 4 MCTD, 4 PSS, 3 D PM, 1 SS, 7 RA, 10 cases of Miscellanea, the Idiopathic Anticardiolipin Syndrome and 16 healthy controls. The O.D. was greater than m (greater than mean healthy controls level) + 3 Standard Deviations (S.D.) in a restricted number of cases (25 out of the 194): 14 SLE, 2 MCTD, 1 PSS, 1 D/PM, 1 SS, 1 RA, 3 cases of Miscellanea and 2 healthy controls. Therefore, we have noticed, first of all, the lack of specificity of positive results obtained: all the groups of patients, healthy controls included, had low as well as high levels of ACA. Moreover, we have examined the relationship between the presence of ACA and typical clinical features of the so-called. "Anticardiolipin Syndrome"; there was not difference of clinical symptoms between patients with low or high ACA levels. We have also clinically examined ACA negative patients; most of them had one or several clinical features of the "Syndrome", until almost complete clinical picture. Therefore, no correlation was found between clinical picture and immunological features of the so-called "Anti-cardiolipin Syndrome"; we would not exclude the existence of the "clinical" subset of patients, but of the "immunological" subset.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1985

[Connective tissue diseases and HEp-2 antinuclear antibodies].

Some characteristics of antinuclear antibodies that might be of use for diagnostic and/or prognostic purposed were studied using indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells in 55 cases of various types of connective tissue disease. For each nuclear (homogeneous, speckled, granular, dotted, pulverulent and centromeric) and nucleolar fluorescence pattern (homogeneous, conglutinated and dotted), the following parameters were observed; C3 fixing capacity, degree of antibody affinity and sensitivity to RNAse, DNAse and trypsin. The results were very interesting, especially in relation to the diagnosis of progressive systemic sclerosis and of the related subsets, but were insufficient for reliable, conclusive prognostic evaluation.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1984

[Clinical significance of antinuclear antibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis].

Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) was used to detect antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in 42 clinical cases. In each case cryostatic rat kidney slices and cultivated HEp-2 cells were used as substrates. Clinical diagnoses were as follow: Progressive Systemic Sclerosis (PSS) 25 cases, of which 8 were acrosclerotic, 8 diffuse, 5 CREST syndrome, 1 overlap PSS + Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and 3 PSS + myopathy; Localised scleroderma (morphea): 3 cases; Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD): 3 cases; "Idiopathic" Raynaud's Disease (RD): 4 cases; Dermatomyositis (DM): 2 cases (1 paraneoplastic); SLE: 1 case; Unclassifiable Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD): 4 cases. The ANA-positive cases identified by the traditional technique were divided according to pattern into 4 categories: homogeneous, peripheral, speckled, nucleolar. In contrast those identified using HEp-2 cells were divided into 9 pattern groups: (nuclear type) centromere, fine speckled, coarse speckled, diffusely grainy, homogeneous: (nucleolar type) speckled, clumpy, homogeneous. The results demonstrated a higher general incidence of positivity with HEp-2 cells and confirmed the close connection between Anticentromere ANA and CREST syndrome. A similarly close connection was noted between MCTD and both nuclear diffusely grainy and nucleolar speckled patterns. A fairly clear connection was also noted between acrosclerotic or diffuse SSP and a fine speckled nuclear pattern. It is felt that ANA tests using IFI on HEp-2 cells should lead to significant progress in the field of diagnosis and prognosis and the study of PSS subsets.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1984

[Capillaroscopic studies in connective tissue inflammations].

Capillarioscopy has been unjustifiably neglected in the study of connective tissue diseases, where examination of the microcirculation is clearly important. A study of 80 cases is reported. 12 systemic lupus, 11 progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 20 rheumatoid arthritis (including 3 juvenile and 2 Still's disease); 9 Raynaud's disease (of which 3 idiopathic, 4 with rheumatoid arthritis and 2 with UCTD); 1 dermatomyositis; 11 other CTD (2 overlap syndrome--1 lupus + dermatomyositis; 1 lupus + PSS--3 Sjögren syndromes with rheumatoid arthritis, 1 MCTD, 2 primary mixed cryoglobulinaemia, 1 systemic vasculitis, 1 Behçet syndrome, and 1 UCTD); 9 miscellaneous forms (3 psoriatic arthropathy, 1 rheumatic pelvispondylitis, 1 allergic dermatitis, 1 pulmonary TB, 1 ulcerative colitis; 1 scapulohumeral periarthritis, 1 unclassifiable rheumatism; 7 healthy subjects). During capillarioscopy, from one to nine slides were prepared for each subject. These were interpreted separately by three persons who were unaware of the respective diagnosis. Calibre, tortuosity, length and number of capillaries were recorded, plus the visibility of the subpapillar plexus, height and number of the termal, subungual and/or ungual vallum haemorrhage, plugging. It was found that PSS, dermatomyositis, MCTD, and overlap-PSS revealed a very typical common pattern, possibly pathognomonic, namely marked reduction in the number of capillaries + megacapillaries. The other forms presented less evocative diagnostic patterns, though they were fairly indicative in some instances. Clinical correlations of particular significance with respect to prognosis, however, were not observed.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1983

[Immuno-histological findings on Sjögren's syndrome].

Six cases of SS, 12 cases of SS in association with other diseases (AR, LES, MCTD, SSP) and 14 cases of various diseases with no clinical signs of SS (AR, UCTD, LES, MCTD, PM, cutaneous PAN, Scheuermann's disease, ankylosing spondylitis) have been examined. Examination of the patients included general clinical, stomatological and ophthalmological examinations, slit lamp and Schirmer I test, labial biopsy direct immunofluorescence on labial biopsy, indirect immunofluorescence on labial biopsy of a healthy subject scialography and salivary scintiscan. Various seroimmunological tests were also performed--in the hope of identifying LE, ANA, anti-ENA and anti-dsDNA factors. The results of these clinical, immunological, bioptic and instrumental tests were studied with a view to clarifying the diagnostic and nosographic problems of the syndrome. The diagnostic importance of immunological and instrumental tests is emphasized. Labial biopsy in particular also makes it possible to quantify the glandular lesion to some extent as well as providing other histological data regarding any associated disease. Nosographically, it is suggested that SS be definitively included among the connective tissue diseases in recognition of its polymorphism and variety of clinical forms which cover a wide range from definite SS, whether in pure form or associated with other diseases, to "subclinical" SS in systemic diseases.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1981

[Various forms of secondary lumbosciatic pain in children and adults].

Reference is made to two personal cases in underscoring the fact that meralgia paraesthetica, though regarded as a form that displays a preference for adult males, must be considered as extended to subjects of all ages when a benign or malignant neoformation irritating the L2 root or its trunk is involved. Before classifying a case as idiopathic, therefore, one must rule out the possibility of intra-abdominal disease-usually malformative in young subjects, and benign or malignant in persons of all ages. Lastly, stress is laid on the fact that atypical lumbar and sciatic pain in the adult may be secondary to aneurysm of the abdominal aorta, the common iliacs and the hypogastric. Hence the need to look for such conditions symptomatologically.

Aorta, Abdominal↗
PubMed1981

[Serological diagnosis of systemic connective tissue inflammation; a new immunofluorescence method for demonstrating antinuclear antibodies].

Two methods for the demonstration of antinuclear antibodies by means of indirect immunofluorescence were employed on 83 serum samples from 80 patients, with rat liver as the substrate. The first method (the classic ANA-test) uses cryostatic slices fixed in acetone; the second (ANA-Bp-test) is based on fixation of the substrate with Bouin's fluid and embedding in paraffin. The series was composed of 25 cases of lupus erythematosus (28 serum samples), 10 of rheumatoid arthritis, 1 of dermatomyositis, 8 of progressive systemic sclerosis, 4 of unclassifiable systemic connective tissues diseases, and 28 various internal and rheumatological forms. The undiluted sera that proved positive were subsequently tested for Ig typing and ANA titration. The ANA-Bp-test was found to be more sensitive, safer, more practical and less expensive than the ANA-test.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

[Sharp's syndrome. Clinical, immunological and nosographic aspects].

LE cells, ds-DNA antibodies (radioimmunoassay), antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) and anti-ENA antibodies have been sought in 150 clinical cases observed over a 5-year period in the Rheumatology Division of Bari University. For the latter, three parallel techniques were adopted on each serum, each completed by RNA-sensitivity assay for the demonstration of anti-RNP, i.e. IFI, passive haemoagglutination (PHA) and controimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE). The series included systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE), 30 cases; rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 30 cases; progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), 12 cases; unclassified connective tissue disease (UCTD), 8 cases; mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), 7 cases; Sjögren's syndrome (SS), 4 cases; dermatomyositis (DM), 3 cases; overlap syndromes (PSS-SLE, SS-SLE), 2 cases; rheumatological and internal miscellanea, 54 cases, LE cells and ds-DNA antibodies were found exclusively in SLE; the anti-ENA were found in various groups of diseases, while the anti-RNP were only demonstrated in the 7 MCTD and in some SLE. Of the three techniques for demonstrating anti-ENA, the PHA proved most sensitive and CIE most specific, whereas IFI was considered most suitable for clinical screening. The clinical aspects of the 7 MCTD faithfully followed the disease picture described by Sharp, but some overlap-syndromes and the unclassified connective tissue diseases did not present anti-RNP. It is also pointed out that nephropathy is not rare in MCTD and that the clinical course of the disease is not always benign. To conclude, it is considered that MCTD merits nosographic autonomy, but further investigations are recommended for more exact nosographical typing of connective tissue diseases.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1980

[Our experience with over 100 cases of carpal tunnel syndrome].

Reference is made to personal experience with regard to the carpal tunnel syndrome. Attention is drawn to the importance of electromyography in the detection of median nerve deficiency, even in recent forms. The most suitable ways of treating the syndrome are also discussed.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1978

[The lupus erythematosus (LE) phenomenon. Status in 1978].

The results of 835 studies of LE cells carried out over 8 years in 563 clinical cases of various nature are reported. The LE phenomenon--i.e. LE cells, LE globs and rosettes--was encountered exclusively in patients with LES, whereas tart-cells, nucleophagocytosis A and nucleophagocytosis B, although present in initial LES, and particularly in regressing LES, were very frequent in many other conditions. It is therefore held that true LE phenomenon is pathognomonic of LES since so-called AR with LE cells can be considered a clinical variant of LES, whereas lupoid hepatitis remains a vague, uncertain syndrome.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗