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Biomedical subjects

R Biondi

Publications and source records attributed to R Biondi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Effect of acetyl-L-carnitine on geriatric patients suffering from dysthymic disorders.

Sixty senile subjects (60-80 years old) with dysthymic disturbances as defined by DSM III (Cat. 390.40) were randomized into two homogeneous groups, one of which was given acetyl-L-carnitine (3 g/day per os) while the other received a placebo. After a washout phase of one week, each patient was evaluated by scoring on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Beck Depression Inventory, as well as the Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric. These tests were administered at the beginning of the trial, prior to drug administration, and repeated during the treatment phase after 30 and 60 days. The results showed that treatment with acetyl-L-carnitine induced a significant reduction, as compared to the placebo (p less than 0.002), in the severity of depressive symptoms and also a significant improvement (p less than 0.0027) in the items measuring the quality of life.

Acetylcarnitine↗
PubMed1989

Ultrastructural features of the intestinal absorption of mouse mammary tumor virus in newborn BALB/cfRIII mice.

The retrovirus mouse mammary tumor virus is present in mouse strains with a high incidence of mammary tumors as a causative agent. It is produced mainly in the mammary glands of sexually mature females and is milk-transmitted to newborns. The fate of the mouse mammary tumor virus is almost unknown. Where it enters, how it is distributed, and where it remains latent, remain unresolved problems. This study tries to answer the first of these questions. Viruses are for the most part digested in the stomach. Very few well-preserved B particles, i.e., the infective particles, are allowed to enter through a process of endocytosis, mainly in the newborn-type epithelial cells. These are epithelial cells with a very rich absorptive apparatus, characteristic of newborn rodents. The adult-type absorptive cells and the M cells of the Peyer's patches might be partly involved.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

On a rare atypical form of metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD): "neurological non-mld patients with low levels of arylsulphatase A". Description of two cases.

Two young patients (a brother and his sister) with low ASA levels who had myoclonic seizures since the age of eight years, were investigated by means of electrophysiological, neuroradiological and laboratory tests and submitted to a physical examination. In both patients, the disease started at the age of eight years with drug resistent myoclonic seizures. Intelligence was not impaired and ASA levels were lower than normal, but clinical features were not those of classic MLD. Electrophysiological study revealed altered SEPs and normal BAEPs (they are both altered in leukodystrophy). Therefore our findings conclude that tour patients must be considered "Neurological patients non-MLD with low levels of ASA".

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Fibrosarcoma of the nose and the paranasal sinuses.

We report a case of fibrosarcoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses and give a brief review of the literature. Fibrosarcoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses is uncommon, and few cases have been reported to date. Previously these tumors may have been overdiagnosed secondary to inadequate diagnostic procedures. Because histologic diagnosis is difficult, these tumors have been confused with other lesions of the head and neck. Thus, the improvement in diagnostic procedures has significantly reduced the reported incidence of fibrosarcoma. Because histologic diagnosis is difficult, this tumor has often been confused with other lesions of the head and neck. To ensure proper handling of the tissue, the pathologist should be informed if fibrosarcoma is suspected. It may be necessary to use electron microscopy or staining techniques such as immunoperoxidase stains to distinguish fibrosarcoma from other lesions. Unfortunately, the early signs and symptoms of the tumor are vague and sometimes misleading. Thus, at the patient's initial visit, it is important that the physician consider the possibility of fibrosarcoma.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Intrathecal interferon in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Three patients at Stage II of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) were treated with semipurified alpha-interferon (IFN) using different combinations of intrathecal and intravenous routes: 1 x 10(6) IU of alpha-IFN were given every other day up to a total of 15 x 10(6) IU. Transient improvement of neurological symptoms and electroencephalogram were noted in all 3, while cognitive function slightly improved in 2 of them. Clinical benefits gradually disappeared 2 to 6 months after cessation of IFN. Intrathecal antibody production did not change substantially, but CSF Leu 3a/Leu 2a ratio appeared to increase. No significant side effects were observed, except for a mild meningeal inflammatory reaction after each intrathecal administration of IFN.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Spindle and EEG sleep alterations in subjects affected by cortical cerebellar atrophy.

All-night polygraphic records (EEG, EOG and ECG) were performed on 9 subjects. Four of them were affected by Familiar Cerebellar Atrophy (FCA) whereas the others were their blood relatives without clinical signs of cerebellar deficit. In the former FCA was diagnosed clinically and the cerebellar atrophy was confirmed by computer tomography (CT). In all the latter except one who showed slight cerebellar atrophy, the CTs were negative. The EEG sleep records of the FCA patients were characterized by slowly changing phases between synchronized and desynchronized sleep, instability of the synchronized sleep with frequent modifications of EEG activity, subnormal measurement of both REM and slow-wave sleep and presence of spindles in REM sleep (only in 2 patients). The spindle activity was reduced in two FCA subjects. The electroencephalographic sleep records of two BRs, one of which with small cerebellar atrophy, showed qualitative and quantitative alterations similar to those of FCA patients, even if marked to a lesser degree. Increased spindle densities were present in the same BRs who showed sleep abnormalities. The EEG alterations observed in the two BR subjects could show small cerebellar injuries which would be insufficient to induce clinical signs.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Effects of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) on the in vivo growth and differentiation of progenitors of natural killer (NK) cells.

We evaluated the possible modulating activity of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) on in vivo growth of mouse progenitors of Natural Killer (NK) cells. Our data show that both IL-1 and IL-2 are able to stimulate the maturation of NK reactivity of infant mice as well as the regeneration of NK reactivity of lethally irradiated and reconstituted bone marrow chimeras.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

[Electroencephalographic characteristics of sleep in subjects with paleo and neocerebellar lesions].

The research was performed in order to study: 1) paleo and neocerebellar contributions in the sleep organization and 2) the electrical sleep activities at different time intervals during the functional compensation which follows the cerebellar lesion. Polygraphic sleep records (EEG, EMG, EOG) were performed on four subjects with surgical lesions more than 6 months old in cerebellar cortex (two subjects in paleo and two in neocerebellum). Another subject was studied before a surgical paleocerebellar lesion and at different time intervals after that (8th, 30th, 60th, and 90th day). Paleo and neocerebellar lesions showed different sleep abnormalities. The former induced both quantitative and qualitative alterations in the cyclic sleep organization, the latter did not show significant alterations in this organization but rather in transition between sleeping and waking and in sleep maintenance. The acute paleocerebellar lesion showed at the 8th and 30th day a strong reduction of the synchronized sleep (SS) and an increase of the desynchronized one (DS). In the successive records, 30th and 90th day, the SS/DS ratio increased to the values observed in the chronic paleocerebellar lesioned subjects.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1983

[Spindle activity during sleep in subjects with a deficit in pallesthetic sensibility].

Sleep spindle activity was studied on four subjects affected by pallesthesic deficit due to injury the posterior funiculi of the cord. The spindle activity was studied as density (number of spindles min.), duration and percent of sleep time utilized in spindle activity. The polygraph sleep records included EOG, EMG and 6 monopolar EEG recordings, 3 for each side, on the frontal, parietal and occipital regions. The records showed a spindle activity which was similar in different subjects and that was significantly higher than the physiological values. In fact, the spindle density was about 250%, the duration was about 130% and the spindle percent was about 280%, with respect to the physiological values assumed to be 100%.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Behaviour of tyrosine amino transferase and convertase during the first hours after hepatectomy in rats.

The activity of rat liver tyrosine amino transferase (TAT) increases after hepatectomy with a first prominent peak at 8 h and a second peak at 18 h. This change in activity is probably due to de novo enzyme synthesis since it is prevented by actinomycin-D (AMD). In the same period an increase of the lysosomal converting enzyme (convertase) which catalyses the in vitro transition of TAT from form I to form III, has been observed; this is not accompanied by changes of other lysosomal enzymes, such as acid phosphatase and cathepsin L. The activity of convertase is equal to that of the controls (sham operated animals) 2 h after hepatectomy, increases three times at 5 h, maintains the same value at 8 h and then decreases slowly to control level after 24 h. The correlation between the activity changes of the two enzymes strongly suggests a physiological role of convertase in TAT turnover.

Acid Phosphatase↗
PubMed1982

[Electroencephalographic changes during nocturnal sleep in subjects with familial cortico-cerebellar atrophy].

The purpose of this research was to analyze the qualitative and quantitative EEG sleep alterations in four subjects affected by familiar cerebellar atrophy and in their blood relations, who were clinically healthy. Polygraphic sleep registrations (including EEG, EOG, EMG, ECG and except in two cases, EPG), computerized cranial tomography and clinical evaluation were carried out in all subjects. The EEG sleep records of subjects afflicted by cerebellar atrophy showed quantitative alterations, namely reductions of IV phase and REM, with an increase of the intermediary phase between synchronized and desynchronized sleep. The qualitative characteristic were: slow and recurrent changing phases, instable periods of sleep with frequent fragmentations, numerous arousals, intermediary phases corresponding to the II studies of Barros-Ferreira and in only two cases, presence of spindle activity during REM sleep. Two blood relations showed EEG sleep alterations similar to the atrophy subjects. According to the common genotype and similar EEG sleep abnormalities, we suggest that the latter, in these two subjects, may be produced by small cerebellar lesions, which are insufficient for a clear clinical symptomatology.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Base composition changes in hepatocyte nuclei DNA of rats at different ages.

DNA extracted from isolated hepatic nuclei of rats at different aged (1 h, 6 and 30 days of life) has been characterized by (i) melting temperature, (ii) buoyant density, (iii) thermal denaturation on hydroxyapatite and (iv) nucleoside composition. The melting midpoint (Tm) determined spectrophotometrically in 0.1 X SSC (0.15 M NaCl/0.0015 M sodium citrate) is 71.9 +/- 0.4 for 1-h-old rats and decreases to 70.7 +/- 0.3 in 6-day-old animals. The buoyant densities of DNAs determined by CsCl on both native and alkaline-denaturated and reneutralized DNA were also found to decrease with age. Hydroxyapatite thermal denaturation of sonicated DNA confirmed the significant difference between the Tm values of 1-h-old and 6-day-old rats (86.5 +/- 0.5 and 85.2 +/- 0.1, respectively). The possibility that these differences in Tm values could be due to an increase in methyl bases, has been ruled out by the finding that the amount of [3H]methyl incorporated in relation to the DNA synthesis is constant at these two ages. The alternative possibility of a change in base composition has been tested by the chromatographic analysis of nucleosides. The dG + dC content is 0.433 +/- 0.003 in 1-h-old rats and decreases to 0.411 +/- 0.002 and to 0.403 +/- 0.005 in 6-day- and 30-day-old rats, respectively. The physiological significance of the different base composition is discussed in relation to the possibility that specific DNA sequences are synthesized during the non-premitotic synthesis which has been found to take place during the first 6 days of life.

Aging↗
PubMed1978

[Changes of the intestinal mucosa-bacterial flora ecosystem in rats fed various diets].

A study has been made of the distribution of bacterial flora in the gastro-enteric tract of rats fed on glycidic, protein and lipidic diets and compared with that found in rats given a standard diet. The flora of the gastro-enteric tract was noted in a fraction adhering to the epithelial cells of the mucous membrane and in a fraction present in the contents of the gastro-enteric tract. Changes resulting from the differences in diet are made particularly at the expense of the adhering flora. In groups fed on a glycidic diet there is a clear prevalence of enterococci, enterobacteria, lactobacilli, peptostreptococci and yeasts. In rats fed on a protein diet the quantity and variability fo the flora are less and clostridia predominate. Where rats are given a lipidic diet there is a prevalence of enterobacteria, lactobacilli and peptostreptococci. An extensive and diversified colonization is noted as a further consequence of differences in diet. The results obtained are discussed in relation to certain pathological intestinal conditions and to results reported elsewhere in the literature.

Animals↗