A MspI polymorphism at the porcine gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) locus.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to V Russo.
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To determine whether plasma endothelin, a potent vasoconstrictive peptide, is elevated in NIDDM patients, we compared a group of 15 NIDDM patients with macroangiopathy of mean age 60.60 +/- 2.33 years with 15 NIDDM randomly selected matched patients without macroangiopathy. Plasma endothelin levels were significantly increased in NIDDM patients with macroangiopathy (4.22 +/- 0.57 pmol/L) and in NIDDM patients without macroangiopathy (3.81 +/- 0.51 pmol/L). Although endothelin values did not differ between NIDDM groups, both represented significant difference from control values (2.46 +/- 0.24 pmol/L). No significant correlations were found between plasma endothelin and age (rs = 0.11), duration of diabetes mellitus (rs = 0.06), BMI (rs = 0.19), plasma glucose (rs = 0.15), plasma fructosamine (rs = 0.02). These findings confirm that in diabetes mellitus a primary disturbance in endothelin production from vascular endothelium exists as an early phenomenon rather than a result of advanced stage of the disease.
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A rat olfactory bulb serum-free organ culture system has been developed, using either E19 or day 1 post-natal bulbs. Whereas E19 bulbs were self-sufficient, combined insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) (100 ng/ml) and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) (50 ng/ml) supported growth and differentiation of day 1PN bulbs over 6 days. Morphological evidence for viability and differentiation in culture were seen, similar to that occurring in vivo, including development of glomerular layer and maintenance of mitral and tufted and granule cells. Quantitative data derived using radio-labelled amino acid or glucose incorporation supported additive or synergistic effects of IGF-I and FGF. This olfactory bulb organ culture system offers the potential for further studies of brain growth, differentiation and function in vitro.
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The effect of topical ketanserin on intraocular pressure (IOP) in normotensive and hypertensive eyes was evaluated. The study was performed on 10 healthy volunteers and 10 glaucomatous patients. Systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP), diastolic arterial blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), IOP, tonographic outflow facility, pupil diameter, corneal thickness, and tear secretion were recorded at baseline and at 1 hour intervals for 12 hours after topical administration of 0.5% ketanserin or placebo, given in a randomised, double masked, crossover fashion. The alternative treatment was given 1 week later. In all subjects ketanserin significantly lowered IOP, while no variations in SBP, DBP, HR, pupil diameter, corneal thickness, and tear secretion were found. When subjects received placebo no significant variations of IOP occurred. Total outflow facility, measured by conventional tonography, increased significantly after drug administration in all subjects. Ketanserin is effective up to 6 hours in control subjects and 9 hours in glaucomatous patients. The placebo did not induce any change in this component of the aqueous humour dynamic in normal or in glaucomatous eyes. The findings indicate that topical ketanserin might be added to the list of antiglaucomatous agents.
Color Doppler gives us the possibility to study autonomous thyroid nodules and their qualitative and morphological aspects and allows us to hit session by session the most vascular area of the nodule with alcohol (Percutaneous ethanol injection). The use of color gives an easier flowmeter analysis reducing its time of performance. Today this method with the latest up to date echographs can provide very good clinical pathology at relatively low costs. We studied 18 patients, with autonomous thyroid nodules. They were all treated by percutaneous echo-guided ethanol injection (PEI). Before the beginning we make sure that the rest of the thyroid gland may function normally. The color Doppler test was carried out by using the multidisciplinary ecotomograph AU 560 CFM supplied with a linear probe 7.5 mHz, AL 35 by Esaote Biomedica. Before the PEI treatment, with the eco color Doppler test we noticed that the hot nodules clearly presented a higher vascularization compared to the remaining parenchyma. The vascularization was more evident in the peripheral area of the nodule even if few signs of flow were present inside the nodule. During a 24 months followup, 10 patients showed an important reduction and sometimes even the extinction of the intranodular flow signs followed by a clear reduction of the nodule's volume.
Methods are reported for the quantitation and isolation of biotinylated red blood cells (B- RBC). The first method is for determination of posttransfusional survival of rabbit RBC by flow cytometry. The survival of B-RBC was measured using both fresh and paraformaldehyde-fixed cells with similar results. The posttransfusion survival of rabbit RBC measured in this way was normal. There was no indication of increased cell destruction due to antibodies directed against B-RBC and no evidence for loss of biotin from circulating cells. The second methodology is for the isolation of B-RBC from blood with streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. At least eighty percent of positive cells were recovered with very few false positives. Both methods may be helpful in the study of resealed erythrocytes.
Three different blood units were treated separately by the hypotonic dialysis (HD) and the dimethylsulphoxide osmotic pulse (DMSO) method, in order to load the erythrocytes with inositol hexaphosphate. A detailed comparison between the two loading techniques was performed by monitoring the red cell distribution patterns on discontinuous Percoll density gradients, the RBC oxygen affinity and the amount of the main intracellular organic phosphates with the 31P-NMR. The results obtained showed that: (1) The HD loading produces a redistribution of the RBC fractions with a concomitant smoothing of the relative differences among distinct fractions (2) only a minor portion of erythrocytes (from 8.5 to 24.9% of total RBCs) are loaded with IHP after the DMSO treatment. All of these cells move to the lightest fraction (d = 1.080 g/ml). (3) Both HD and DMSO IHP-loaded cells show an increase in P50 (basal vs. after loading, means +/- SD: 25.8 +/- 3.0 vs. 52.5 +/- 3.2 mm Hg) correlated to the IHP incorporation (mean intracellular IHP concentration: 4.2 mmol/l RBC). (4) probably the IHP incorporation efficiency could be probably improved at least by increasing the IHP concentration during the treatment.
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Authors show the results obtained in 29 eyes of 29 patients with closed angle glaucoma operated with ECCE plus posterior chamber IOL implantation. After a follow up varying from 1 to 35 months (mean = 20.7) all eyes are under good control (25 without therapy, 4 with topical therapy) of I.O.P. Authors report on the "rationale" of their surgical approach: particular anatomo-functional features of the eyes affected by closed angle glaucoma. Pre-op. and post-op. biometrical and gonioscopical findings are described and discussed.
Recently, aprotinin has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing post-operative bleeding after open heart surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of high dose aprotinin in patients undergoing redo open heart surgery in whom perioperative bleeding is generally increased. Fifty-eight patients, mean age 55 years, underwent a second open heart surgery for single valve replacement in 37 patients (mitral or aortic), for double valve replacement in 16 patients and for coronary artery by-pass grafting in 4 patients. In 30 of the 58 patients (Group A) aprotinin was infused with the following scheme: 2 million KIU in 30 minutes during induction of anesthesia, 2 million KIU in the priming volume of extracorporeal circulation and 500,000 KIU every hour until the end of the surgical procedure. The remaining 28 patients served as control group (Group B). No adverse reactions to aprotinin were observed. There was no significant difference in cardiopulmonary by-pass time and minimum temperature achieved between the two groups of patients. During the operative day blood loss was significantly lower in group A than in group B (492 +/- 336 ml vs. 628 +/- 273 ml) (p < 0.01). This difference was not significant during the following days. However 3 days after the operation a still significant difference was reported in total blood loss between group A and group B (816 +/- 507 ml vs. 1018 +/- 373 ml) (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Conflicting evidence has been reported on the metabolic fate of glucose following oral ingestion. We measured the metabolic pattern of gluconeogenic substrates as alanine, predominantly produced by muscle, and lactate after an oral glucose load in ten normal subjects and in eighteen non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) subjects. Neither in normal or NIDDM subjects were significant increases in plasma alanine observed, whereas a significant increase in plasma lactate was observed at 60, 90 and 120 min after a glucose load. Although a similar behaviour in plasma alanine and lactate between normal and NIDDM subjects was found, in NIDDM significantly higher levels of plasma alanine and lactate were found at each time. From these observations we conclude: 1) when glucose is ingested under post-absorptive conditions, since plasma alanine levels do not change concurrently with lactate increase, muscle tissue does not play a predominant role in glucose disposal 2) after an oral glucose load, the pattern of gluconeogenic precursors (alanine and lactate) is similar in normal and NIDDM subjects 3) the main cause of fasting and post-prandial hyperglycemia in NIDDM subjects may be due to an overproduction of alanine as well as lactate.
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] has been added to the list of independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), whose incidence is greater in obese subjects. There are few data available on the serum Lp(a) concentrations in obese individuals with or without insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We selected 31 obese men with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) tests, 15 obese diabetic men, 14 non obese diabetic men and 17 healthy men as controls. We measured serum total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin and Lp(a). The mean Lp(a) levels in NGT obese men were 70.00 +/- 13.40 mg/l, which were similar to those found in normal controls (75.98 +/- 24.70 mg/l); significantly higher mean Lp(a) levels were found in obese diabetic men (168.84 +/- 56.43 mg/l) and in non obese diabetic men (240.85 +/- 63.35 mg/l). No significant correlation between Lp(a) levels and age, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, was found; only a significant positive correlation between Lp(a) levels and glucose could be revealed (P < 0.05). Since higher levels of Lp(a) were found in NIDDM subjects with or without obesity, we conclude that hyperglycemia may influence the levels of serum Lp(a) facilitating its glycosylation in the liver with the consequence of a decline in its catabolic rate.