Showing papers by "Marche Polytechnic University published in 1995"

The roles of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E on the peroxidation of human low density lipoprotein subfractions.

Abstract: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationships between the levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and vitamin E and the levels of hydroperoxide in three subfractions of low density lipoproteins (LDL) that were isolated from healthy donors. LDL3, the densest of the three subfractions, has shown statistically significant lower levels of CoQ10 and vitamin E, which were associated with higher hydroperoxide levels when compared with the lighter counterparts. After CoQ10 supplementation, all three LDL subfractions had significantly increased CoQ10 levels. In particular, LDL3 showed the highest CoQ10 increase when compared with LDL1 and LDL2 and was associated with a significant decrease in hydroperoxide level. These results support the hypothesis that the CoQ10 endowment in subfractions of LDL affects their oxidizability, and they have important implications for the treatment of disease.

Fasting inhibits natriuretic peptides clearance receptor expression in rat adipose tissue.

Abstract: Objective and design:The early phase of weight loss induced by fasting is associated with diuresis, natriuresis and reduction in blood pressure through unclear mechanisms. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone with potent natriuretic, diuretic and hypotensive effects mediated by 'bio

Treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura with high-dose immunoglobulins. Results in 17 patients. Italian Cooperative Group for TTP.

Abstract: BACKGROUND. The experimental observation that plasma from TTP patients sometimes exhibits a protein which can cause platelet agglutination, and that such agglutination can be inhibited in vitro by the use of IgG led some authors to treat plasma exchange-resistant TTP patients with high-dose IgG (HDIgG). METHODS. We report the results obtained with HDIgG treatment in 17 patients retrospectively examined by the Italian Cooperative Group for the study of TTP: 6 males and 11 females, mean age was 31.7 years for the women (range: 20-65) and 44.6 for the men (range: 26-66). In all cases HDIgG administration was combined with other treatment modalities. RESULTS. Of the 17 patients, 7 died from disease progression (41.1%), 2 achieved partial remission (11.7%) and the remaining 8 achieved complete remission (47%). Of the 10 cases (58.8%) with a positive response, only in 4 did the addition of HDIgG seem to produce significant improvement. All efforts made to characterize the subgroup of patients who responded to HDIgG and compare them with the non responders failed. CONCLUSIONS. Although our results do not unquestionably demonstrate the role of HDIgG in the treatment of TTP, they suggest a possible role for HDIgG in the treatment of those rare plasma exchange-resistant TTP cases.

Angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism and carotid atherosclerosis in a low-risk population.

Abstract: Objectives : Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism has been shown to be an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between ACE genotype and carotid atherosclerosis evaluated by ultrasonography. Patients and methods : ACE I/D polymorphism was determined in 240 low-risk patients (mean age 53.6 ± 7 years) in relation to traditional risk factors and the degree of carotid atherosclerosis. Intimal-medial thickness was measured at the level of the common carotid artery, bifurcation and internal carotid on both sides. Patients were defined as normal (n=47, intimal-medial thickness 1.3 mm for at least one level of examination). Age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure levels and prevalence of other risk factors were similar in the three groups. I/D polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction using specific primers and genomic DNA from leukocytes as template. Plasma ACE levels, plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone were evaluated in all patients by standard procedures. Results : No significant differences were found in humoral parameters, ACE, genotype distribution and the corresponding allele frequency among the three groups of patients. Only ACE plasma levels were significantly higher in the DD and ID genotypes compared with the II genotype (DD 14.27 ± 5.05 IU/ml, ID 12.70±4.31 IU/ml ; II 8.04 ± 3.45 IU/ml). The mean intimal-medial thickness was similar in all three genotypes. Conclusion : Although ACE genotype has been shown to be related to coronary atherosclerosis, the present data do not indicate that the DD genotype is associated with carotid atherosclerosis. However, further studies of larger populations are needed to clarify whether genetic ACE polymorphism is associated with carotid atherosclerosis.

Apoptotic bodies in prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostatic adenocarcinoma following total androgen ablation

Abstract: The frequency and location of apoptotic bodies (AB) were evaluated in hematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections of 12 radical prostatectomies from patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma pre-treated for 3 months with total androgen ablation. Results were compared with an untreated age-, morphology- and stage-matched control group. Treated prostates showed involutional changes, with cytoplasmic vacuolization and chromatin changes ranging from mild to severe condensation, similar to that observed in apoptosis. In treated benign prostatic epithelium, the mean number of AB was 1.64% (standard error (SE), 0.19%), 6.3 times greater than in the untreated group (mean, 0.26%; SE, 0.03%). AB were more frequent in the basal cell layer than in the lumenal cell layer, whereas in the untreated group, AB were almost exclusively found in the basal cell layer. In treated prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN present in 10 cases), the mean number of AB was 1.74% (SE, 0.04%), which was 2.56 and 2.32 times greater than in untreated low grade PIN (mean, 0.68%; SE, 0.15%) and high grade PIN (mean, 0.75%; SE, 0.11%), respectively. In treated and untreated PIN, the number of AB was greatest in the basal cell layer, less in the intermediate cell layer and lowest in the cell layer bordering the lumen. The mean number of AB in the 12 treated cancers was 1.35 times greater than in untreated cancers (1.80% [SE, 0.12%] versus 1.33% [SE, 0.32%], respectively). The number of AB in treated cases of the acinar pattern of cancer (present in 7 cancer cases) was 1.78 times greater than in untreated cases, and in treated cases of the cribriform pattern of cancer (present in four cases), the mean number of AB was 1.39 times greater than in untreated cases. The number of AB was greatest in the outermost cell layer, with progressive decrease in layers closer to the lumen. In the one treated case with solid/trabecular pattern of cancer, the number of AB was 1.08 times greater than in untreated cases. The gland lumina was rich in macrophages, sloughed secretory cells with degenerative features and AB. The number of AB in the lumina increased from normal epithelium through PIN to cancer, and was greater in treated cases than in untreated cases.

Addition of erythropoietin to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor after priming chemotherapy enhances hemopoietic progenitor mobilization.

Abstract: Hemopoietic progenitor cell mobilization intended for autotransplantation is now feasible in many patients, following the administration of single cytokines (G-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-3) or their combination. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine which showed an interesting activity also on non-erythroid progenitors, however the clinical relevance of this activity has not been sufficiently investigated yet. This retrospective study has attempted to assess the effectiveness of the combination of EPO plus G-CSF after priming chemotherapy to increase the number of blood progenitor cells, as compared to the results obtained by G-CSF alone. Thirty-four patients underwent priming chemotherapy followed by cytokine administration: 18 patients received G-CSF 5 micrograms/kg/day and 16 patients G-CSF plus EPO 50 U/kg/day. The two groups were homogeneous as regards the main clinical characteristics which are thought to affect BPC mobilization. As for hemopoietic progenitor cell mobilization, we observed that the combination of EPO and G-CSF was more effective in comparison with G-CSF alone, with a median of 1.9-fold for circulating MNC, 4.0-fold for CFU-GM, 4.7-fold for BFU-E and 2.8-fold increase for CD34+ cells. The results of apheresis collections revealed that the same group of patients showed better results for total blood progenitor cells/kg. The difference was statistically significant both for BPC mobilization and collection. Our findings suggest that EPO has a synergistic activity with G-CSF in mobilizing hemopoietic progenitors; the good results obtained, despite our pretreated patients, suggest that this cytokine combination has both biologic and clinical relevance.

Adenoma-carcinoma sequence of colorectum. Prevalence of K-ras gene mutation in adenomas with increasing degree of dysplasia and aneuploidy.

Abstract: One hundred and fifty colorectal adenomas were investigated in order to detect the presence of K-ras gene mutation. The adenomas were classified according to the severity of the histological lesion (mild, moderate, or severe dysplasia and carcinomatous transformation) and to the degree of aneuploidy. K-ras mutation was found in 30.8% of cases, mostly consisting of a point mutation of codon 12. K-ras mutation was more frequently found in adenomas > 1 cm and in the villous type. No correlation was otherwise demonstrable with the ploidy pattern of the lesion.

Motion planning and control for non-holonomic mobile robots

Abstract: The design of autonomous robots relies heavily on the development of feasible and efficient motion planning and control algorithms. Such a design must consider the non-holonomic constraints which characterize the existing wheeled mobile robots. In this paper the integration of reliable procedures for motion planning and for control is performed by means of an appropriate interface, taking into account the geometric, kinematic and dynamic models of the mobile base. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.