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Biomedical subjects

S Di Gennaro

Publications and source records attributed to S Di Gennaro.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Extra-articular localized nodular synovitis (giant cell tumor of tendon sheath origin) attached to the subtalar joint.

A large soft tissue mass of the left ankle was documented by ultrasonography in a 24-year-old man. Histologic examination of biopsy samples was consistent with pigmented villonodular synovitis. Magnetic resonance, performed to establish the extension of the mass, revealed an extra-articular lesion involving the posteromedial extra-articular soft tissues, which, by means of a thin peduncle, extended into the subtalar joint space. The mass was excised; gross and microscopic examinations were characteristic of localized nodular synovitis. Bone and cartilage abnormalities were not revealed by either preoperative imaging or surgery. At 15-month follow-up, the patient was free of recurrences. This case is an uncommon example of localized nodular synovitis of the subtalar joint, characterized by the absence of bone and articular cartilage abnormalities. In addition, this case reveals that the pattern of growth (i.e., the shape of the lesion) is an important factor in determining secondary lesions of bone and cartilage.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Ultrasonography-guided identification of the lumbar epidural space].

The study was designed to assess the reliability of sonographic evaluation in the prediction of the depth of the lumbar epidural space. Forty males, scheduled for epidural anesthesia for surgical repair of inguinal hernia, were prospectively studied. Patients were placed in a sitting position and sagittal scanning of the lumbar spine was performed with a 5-MHz transducer over the fourth or fifth interspace in order to identify the deeper hyperechogen interface, which represents the landmark between the ligamentum flavum and the epidural space. Ultrasound depth was measured and transducer removed. A Tuohy needle 18 G was then introduced percutaneously according to the standard technique and a rubber slide placed over it, so that it depth of insertion could be accurately measured. The potential for using ultrasounds for prediction of the distance from skin to epidural space was analyzed using a simple linear regression analysis; p values < 0.05 were considered significant. Mean values of ultrasound depth and needle depth were respectively 51 mm (SD 6.3) and 50.9 mm (SD 6.2); the correlation coefficient was 0.99. Ultrasound scanning of the lumbar spine provides an accurate measurement of the depth of the epidural space, which can facilitate the performance of the epidural anaesthesia and may decrease the complication rate, particularly in those patients in which anatomic landmarks are obscured.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Purification and characterization of a thermostable carboxylesterase from the thermoacidophilic eubacterium Bacillus acidocaldarius.

A thermostable carboxylesterase from the thermoacidophilic eubacterium Bacillus acidocaldarius was isolated, purified 1800-fold to homogeneity, and characterised. The apparent molecular mass was 36.5 +/- 2.5 kDa when determined by SDS/PAGE and 37.5 kDa when determined by analytical gel filtration, suggesting a monomeric structure. The pure enzyme regained activity on removal of SDS after SDS/PAGE. Several esterase activities were revealed in crude extracts by PAGE and activity staining, although only one was detected after SDS/PAGE and detergent removal. The esterase showed optimal activity at around 70 degrees C and pH 8, and was thermostable. p-Nitrophenyl esters of fatty acids from C2 to C12 were used as substrates; Vmax and Km values were determined at three different temperatures. The enzyme was able to hydrolyse tributyrylglycerol and trihexanoyl-glycerol dissolved in 0.8% acetonitrile, but neither lipase activity toward [14C]trioleoylglycerol nor proteolytic activity could be detected. Inactivation by diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphate, by phenyl-methansulfonyl fluoride and physostigmine, and by diethylpyrocarbonate suggested that the enzyme contained a catalytic triad Ser-His-Asp/Glu in the active site, similar to that demonstrated for other serine-type enzymes. The amino acid composition and the sequence of 19 amino acid residues at the N-terminus were determined. These data, together with substrate preference and inhibition pattern, allowed us to classify this enzyme as a B-type carboxylesterase (EC 3.1.1.1).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

[Asthma in pregnancy. Physiopathological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects].

The constantly increasing frequency of asthmatic pathologies in the general population has consequently led to a greater number of cases of bronchial asthma in pregnant women. In normal conditions the respiratory function undergoes numerous modifications in pregnancy, above all increased ventilation/minute and oxygen consumption. Likewise, asthma has a number of obviously negative effects both on the pregnant woman and the developing foetus. The clinical course of asthma may also be influenced by the start of pregnancy in various unforeseeable ways. All these aspects highlight the considerable difficulties of treating bronchial asthma during pregnancy, not to mention the medicolegal responsibility which the obstetrician and doctor must assume. In this respect it is vitally important to emphasize that pregnant women suffering from asthma must be treated in the same way as those who are not pregnant, and both prophylactic and anti-dysreactive pharmacological treatment must be administered at an early stage right up until the time of birth. Since these drugs are above all of the aerosol type, their potential secondary and/or teratogenic effects is considered extremely low and to all extents absolutely favourable in relation to the cost/benefit ratio. In fact, it is certainly less damaging for the pregnant woman to take these drugs, even in the first trimester of pregnancy, rather than run the risk of an attack of asthma with unforeseeable results. It is therefore enormously important to ensure that both the doctor and pregnant woman are adequately informed regarding preventive and pharmacological strategies for bronchial asthma.

Asthma↗
PubMed1989

[Identification of the root of Punica granatum in galenic preparations using TLC].

The alkaloids present in the root of "Punica granatum" have been extracted by two different methods: extraction by Soxlet and extraction by steam distillation. Then the extracts have been compared by TLC chromatography using different solvents and specific chromogen reagents. The presence of pseudo-pelletierine has been confirmed in both the extractive solution by reaction with conc. K2Cr2O7. The above results explains the toxic activity of the unsuitable galenic preparations.

Alkaloids↗