Showing papers by "University of Siena published in 1993"
TL;DR: Results indicate that the carboxyl‐terminal region of SNAP‐25 plays a crucial role in the multi‐protein complex that mediates vesicle docking and fusion at the nerve terminal.
432 citations
TL;DR: Control of the identified predictor variables might improve the extent and predictability of guided tissue regeneration in the treatment of deep intrabony defects.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify factors which might affect the healing response in intrabony defects treated with guided tissue regeneration. Selected sites presented with deep periodontal lesions with 1, 2, and 3 wall combination intrabony component of 6.1 +/- 2.5 mm. The significance of patient, tooth, and defect characteristics and surgical parameters as predictor variables affecting the regenerative outcome before and following the removal of the barrier membrane was assessed. Outcome was measured as tissue gain under the membrane, regenerated probing attachment level (PAL), and bone fill. The total depth of the intrabony component and the radiographic defect angle significantly affected the amount of tissue gain. Seventy-five percent (75%) of the variability of regenerated PAL and bone fill was explained in terms of tissue gain under the membrane, radiographic width of the defect angle, full mouth bleeding score, and presence or absence of flap coverage of the newly formed tissue. Control of the identified predictor variables might improve the extent and predictability of guided tissue regeneration in the treatment of deep intrabony defects.
310 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that treatment of deep infrabony defects according to the principles of guided tissue regeneration and a strict plaque control regimen represents an efficacious and predictable treatment alternative.
Abstract: A series of investigations was undertaken to evaluate the extent and predictability of periodontal regeneration with barrier membranes in deep infrabony defects. This study reports the clinical outcomes in terms of probing attachment level (PAL) gains, probing pocket depth (PPD) reduction, and recession (REC) of marginal gingiva. Forty deep 1, 2, and 3-wall combination infrabony defects treated with membranes were evaluated 1 year postoperatively following a strict plaque control regimen (mean plaque score = 6.1%, bleeding score = 4% at 1 year). A PAL gain of 6.1 +/- 2.5 mm along with a PPD reduction of 5.9 +/- 2.5 mm were observed. A PAL gain of 2 mm or more was detected in almost 90% of the treated sites. No site lost attachment. Residual PPD was 3 mm or shallower in 95% of the sites. It is concluded that treatment of deep infrabony defects according to the principles of guided tissue regeneration and a strict plaque control regimen represents an efficacious and predictable treatment alternative.
249 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the cell production versus cell loss rates were estimated, across the boundaries of histological classification, in 50 cases of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas by use of mitotic indices, percentage of Ki-67+ cells and percentage of PC10+ cells as proliferative indices, and the relative number of apoptotic bodies (apoptotic index, AIs) as parameters.
Abstract: Cell Production versus cell loss rates were estimated, across the boundaries of histological classification, in 50 cases of malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas by use of mitotic indices, percentage of Ki-67+ cells and percentage of PC10+ cells as proliferative indices, and the relative number of apoptotic bodies (apoptotic indices, AIs) as parameters. Regression analysis revealed significant (P < 0.01) positive correlations between the AIs and the proliferative indices; among the immunohistochemically assessed proliferative indices; and between these, the mitotic indices and the AIs on the one band and histological malignancy grades on the other band. The Cellular protein BCL-2, which counteracts apoptosis, was significantly (p < 0.01) more often expressed in lymphomas with low than in those with high AIs. Multivariate analysis of data showed that of all parameters tested in this series, only the AIs correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with overall lethality. The correlation between BCL-2 positivity of lymphoma cells and overall survival did not quite attain significance (P = 0.08). Results of the present study suggest that high AIs and lack of BCL-2 expression may be adverse prognostic factors, independent of histological grade.
216 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that treatment of infrabony defects according to the principles of guided tissue regeneration and a strict plaque control regimen resulted in clinically significant and highly predictable bone regeneration.
Abstract: This paper evaluates the osseous healing response of 40 infrabony defects treated with guided tissue regeneration. The selected sites presented with deep periodontal lesions with a 1-, 2-, and 3-wall combination infrabony component of 6.1 +/- 2.5 mm. Baseline intrasurgical clinical measurements were compared with intrasurgical clinical measurements obtained at the 1 year surgical re-entry. A significant regeneration of bone of 4.3 +/- 2.5 mm was observed, along with a 0.4 +/- 1.9 mm resorption of the alveolar bone crest, which resulted in a 4.7 mm reduction of the original infrabony defect. Almost 90% of the sites showed a bone gain of 2 mm or more, while no site lost supporting bone; 73 +/- 31.2% of the original defect was filled with bone. The 3- and 2-wall components were filled 95 +/- 6.2% and 82 +/- 18.7% of their original depth, respectively; however, the 1-wall component was filled only 39 +/- 62.4%. It is concluded that treatment of infrabony defects according to the principles of guided tissue regeneration and a strict plaque control regimen resulted in clinically significant and highly predictable bone regeneration.
202 citations
TL;DR: Cucurbita pepo carries male and female flowers on the same plant, and is pollinated by nectar-collecting bees, and has an unusual feature that the grains do not dehydrate before anther dehiscence.
195 citations
TL;DR: Elevated concentrations of PCBs may have played a role in the immune depression in striped dolphins, ultimately leading to the development of morbillivirus disease.
Abstract: Isomer-specific concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) including planar, mono- and di-ortho congeners and concentrations of DDT were determined in striped dolphins affected by a morbillivirus epizootic in the western Mediterranean in 1990. Extremely high concentrations of PCBs ranging from 94 to 670 μg/g (wet wt) were detected in the blubber. Similarly, DDT concentrations were high, between 22 and 230 μg/g (wet wt). The concentrations of three non-ortho coplanar PCBs were 43 (3,3′,4,4′-T4CB), 6.8 (3,3′,4,4′,5-P5CB), and 7.8 (3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-H6CB) ng/g (wet wt), respectively, the highest residue levels reported to date. The estimated 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalents of non-, mono- and di-ortho PCB congeners in striped dolphins were several times higher than those observed for other marine mammals and humans. Mono-ortho congeners contributed greater 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalents than non-ortho members. The higher ratio of 3,3′,4,4′,5,5′-H6CB/3,3′,4,4′,5-P5CB (IUPAC 169/126) suggested a strong induction of mixed function oxidase enzymes and highlighted the possibility of using this ratio as an index for risk assessment of PCB contamination in marine mammals. Elevated concentrations of PCBs may have played a role in the immune depression in striped dolphins, ultimately leading to the development of morbillivirus disease.
184 citations
TL;DR: A deep, long-standing recession on a mandibular incisor was treated in a 56-year-old female patient and 3.66 mm of new connective tissue attachment had been obtained associated with newly formed cementum and bone growth.
Abstract: A deep, long-standing recession on a mandibular incisor was treated in a 56-year-old female patient. The tooth was tilted buccally and was scheduled for extraction. The recession was 8 mm deep, with a pocket depth of 1 mm and no keratinized tissue. The recession was treated by guided tissue regeneration; the membrane was left in place for 4 weeks. The tooth was extracted along with marginal tissues 5 months after the removal of the membrane. At the time of extraction, 4 mm of root coverage had been achieved and 3 mm of keratinized tissue were measured buccally. Histologic measurements showed that 3.66 mm of new connective tissue attachment had been obtained associated with newly formed cementum (2.48 mm) and bone growth (1.84 mm). The crestal bone level after treatment was located coronal to the preoperative location of the gingival margin.
158 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Hparin, used as an anticoagulant, with the addition of 5 mM CaCl2 favors production of cytokines by leukocytes with only a modest increase in hemolysis, and autohemotherapy with heparinized and Ca(2+)-supplemented blood has not revealed any side effects in volunteers.
Abstract: Ozonization of blood, normally carried out with citrated blood, may be fine for the autohemotherapy of ischemic diseases but it may be at a loss when employed in viral diseases or in immunodeficiencies. We have shown that heparin, used as an anticoagulant, with the addition of 5 mM CaCl2 favors production of cytokines by leukocytes with only a modest increase in hemolysis. High plasmatic levels of glucose, glutathione, and ascorbic acid decrease cytokine's yield because these compounds act as antioxidants and quench the inducing activity of ozone. Autohemotherapy with heparinized and Ca(2+)-supplemented blood has not revealed any side effects in volunteers.
133 citations
TL;DR: Characteristics of probing attachment level and radiographic bone linear measurements were compared to a gold standard obtained as intrasurgical clinical measurements at baseline and at the 1 year re-entry operation.
Abstract: Assessment of actual treatment outcome by simple and available diagnostic tests represents an important aspect in the evaluation of periodontal regenerative procedures. This report focuses on the diagnostic accuracy of different strategies to detect the original extent of bone loss and bone gain in deep vertical defects following guided tissue regeneration. Characteristics of probing attachment level and radiographic bone linear measurements were compared to a gold standard obtained as intrasurgical clinical measurements at baseline and at the 1 year re-entry operation. Radiographic linear measurements underestimated bone loss (CEJ-BD) in 55% of cases while the estimate was within 1 mm in 25% of cases. The goodness of agreement could be significantly described by a general linear model incorporating measures of defect morphology. The original level of bone loss could be best detected by an approach which consisted of adding 1.5 mm to the measured attachment level loss. Such an approach correctly estimated...
130 citations
TL;DR: Findings indicate that a transmembrane pH gradient is needed for the formation and growth of vacuoles caused by the bacterium and that this pHgradient is due to the activity of a vacuolar ATPase proton pump of HeLa cells.
Abstract: Bafilomycin A1, a specific inhibitor of the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase, responsible for acidification of intracellular compartments, prevents the vacuolization of Hela cells induced by H. pylori, with an inhibitory concentration giving 50% of maximal (ID50) of 4 nM. Bafilomycin A1 is also very efficient in restoring vacuolated cells to a normal appearance. The vacuolating activity of Helicobacter pylori is not inhibited by a series of specific inhibitors of vacuolar H(+)-ATPases. These findings indicate that a transmembrane pH gradient is needed for the formation and growth of vacuoles caused by the bacterium and that this pH gradient is due to the activity of a vacuolar ATPase proton pump of HeLa cells.
TL;DR: The secretion of interleukin-6 by cultured rat astrocytes after incubation with various neurotransmitters and neuropeptides is studied to provide further evidence that neurons modulate astroCyte cytokine production and thereby regulate central nervous system immune functions.
TL;DR: Data indicate that the recombinant protein of the CagA is a reliable antigen for detection of infections with Helicobacter pylori strains that are associated with disease.
Abstract: The possibility of using a recombinant fragment of the CagA (128 kDa protein) for the diagnosis ofHelicobacter pylori infection was evaluated. Following cloning of the gene coding for the CagA, a recombinant fragment of it was expressed inEscherichia coli, purified and used in Western blot and an EIA to screen sera from 82 patients with gastroduodenal disease who underwent endoscopic examination. In Western blot, good correlation was found between the serological data obtained with the recombinant antigen and those obtained using non-purified extracts ofHelicobacter pylori. The EIA using the antigen showed a sensitivity of 96.2 % and a specificity of 96.6 % compared with Western blot. These data indicate that the recombinant protein is a reliable antigen for detection of infections withHelicobacter pylori strains that are associated with disease. The EIA assay described may be used in follow-up of the progression of the illness and the results of therapy.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: This is the first demonstration of the existence of a B-cell immune response to selected epitopes of polymorphic epithelial mucin and constitutes the basis for the use of synthetic peptides as a vaccine in cancer patients.
Abstract: Human antibodies generated by Epstein-Barr virus immortalized B-cells from tumor-draining lymph nodes of an ovarian cancer patient were screened for reactivity in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a synthetic peptide corresponding to the protein core of the polymorphic epithelial mucin. Epitopes within this region are in fact considered tumor specific since they are selectively exposed in tumor cells due to aberrant glycosylation. Human antibody BB5, thus selected, reacts in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry with polymorphic epithelial mucin-expressing tumor cells. This is the first demonstration of the existence of a B-cell immune response to selected epitopes of polymorphic epithelial mucin and, together with the cytotoxic T-cell response already demonstrated, constitutes the basis for the use of synthetic peptides as a vaccine in cancer patients.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a kinematically active rheological boundary which separates a brittle upper part from a ductile lower part in the Larderello geothermal field.
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: One of the main features of Spermatophyta parietal tapetum is to produce orbicules, which is believed to aid expulsion from the anther at anthesis.
Abstract: Group-specific functions linked to the dispersal of pollen and spores are reported in all the groups of land plants. Anthocerotopsida tapetal cells envelop developing meiocytes and spores; after exine formation their walls thicken, the cytoplasm starts to degenerate, and elaters from more than one tapetal cell are formed. Elaters aid spore dispersal from the sporangium. In some Marchantiopsida the tapetal cells form elaters but each originates from one cell. In Equisetophyta, the spores have two or four elaters composed of lignin and connected with the exine. They are formed with the aid of the tapetal cytoplasm once exine is complete. The elaters of this group (called also adpressors) differ from the above in that they adhere to and originate connected with the exine. In Polypodiophyta like Lecanopteris mirabilis, the spores have superficial strands which facilitate adhesion to dispersing ants. One of the main features of Spermatophyta parietal tapetum is to produce orbicules. In strictly anemophilous species pollenkitt is not produced and pollen grains are dispersed individually. Since both exine and orbicules consist of sporopollenin, they have the same electrostatic charges. This is believed to aid expulsion from the anther at anthesis. Pollenkitt is a degeneration product of amoeboid and periplasmodial tapetum in Magnoliophyta. It forms a layer on pollen grains and has at least four different functions related to dispersal: (1) it causes the grains to unite in clumps and (2) to adhere to pollinator bodies; (3) it protects the pollen grain cytoplasm from sunlight; and (4) the oily and perfumed components attract pollinators.
TL;DR: Two strains of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, one known to synthesize monomethylmercury from ionic mercury, were grown to determine methylmercuries toxicity and for comparison with an anaerobic strain of Clostridium pasteurianum and with the broad-spectrum mercury-resistant Pseudomonas putida strain FB-1.
Abstract: Two strains of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, one known to synthesize monomethylmercury from ionic mercury, were grown to determine methylmercury toxicity and for comparison with an anaerobic strain of Clostridium pasteurianum, a H2 producer, and with the broad-spectrum mercury-resistant Pseudomonas putida strain FB-1, capable of degrading 1 μg of methylmercury to methane and elemental mercury in 2 h. The CH3HgCl resistance of D. desulfuricans strains was 10 times that of P. putida FB-1 and 100 times that of C. pasteurianum. The methylmercury resistance of D. desulfuricans was related to the disappearance of methylmercury from cultures by transformation to dimethylmercury, metacinnabar, methane, and traces of ionic mercury. During a 15-day experiment the kinetics of the two volatile compounds dimethylmercury [(CH3)2Hg] and methane were monitored in the liquid by a specific new technique with purge-and-trap gas chromatography in line with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and in the headspace by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Insoluble metacinnabar (cubic HgS) of biological origin was detected by X-ray diffractometry in the gray precipitate from the insoluble residue of the pellet of a 1-liter culture spiked with 100 mg of CH3HgCl. This was compared with a 1-liter culture of D. desulfuricans LS spiked with 100 mg of HgCl2. In a further experiment, it was demonstrated that insoluble, decomposable, white dimethylmercury sulfide [(CH3Hg)2S] formed instantly in the reaction of methylmercury with hydrogen sulfide. This organomercurial was extracted with chloroform and identified by gas chromatography in line with mass spectrometry. The D. desulfuricans strains were resistant to high concentrations of methylmercury because they produced insoluble dimethylmercury sulfide, which slowly decomposed under anaerobic conditions to metacinnabar and volatilized to dimethylmercury and methane between pHs 6.2 and 6.5 for high (4.5-g · liter-1) or low (0.09-g · liter-1) sulfate contents. Methane was produced from CH3HgCl at a lower rate than by the broad-spectrum Hg-resistant P. putida strain FB-1.
TL;DR: It is shown that dizocilpine completely antagonized the capacity of IMI to prevent the development of the learned helplessness behavior in rats, suggesting that the blockade of NMDA receptors also antagonizes the antidepressant effect of I MI.
Abstract: Dizocilpine coadministered with imipramine (IMI) through an SC-implanted osmotic minipump completely prevents the occurence of behavioral supersensitivity to quinpirole, as well as the decrease of dopamine D1 and β-adrenergic receptor function. The present report shows that, in the same experimental conditions, dizocilpine completely antagonized the capacity of IMI to prevent the development of the learned helplessness behavior in rats. Thus suggesting that the blockade of NMDA receptors also antagonizes the antidepressant effect of IMI. Interestingly, rats acutely treated with dizocilpine 30 min before the inescapable shock session behaved similarly to naive animals during the escape test session.
TL;DR: In this article, the food habits of the red fox Vulpes vulpes and the stone marten Martes foina were studied in a rural hilly area in Siena county, central Italy, using faecal analysis.
Abstract: The food habits of the red fox Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus, 1758) and the stone marten Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777) were studied in a rural hilly area in Siena county, central Italy, using faecal analysis. Both frequency of occurrence and volume of the different food were quantified.
TL;DR: The general mechanism of the process, the formation of toxic aldehydes capable to react with protein and non protein thiols, and the overall effects in cellular membranes are reviewed.
TL;DR: A role for CRH as a paracrine mediator for human immune cells is suggested, increasing the evidence of a clear correlation between immune and neuroendocrine system.
TL;DR: The kinesinimmunoreactive homologue from pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum L. has been purified and biochemically characterized and it is suggested that molecular mechanisms analogous to those of animal cells may drive the microtubule-based motility of organelles and vesicles in plants.
Abstract: In plant cells, microtubule-based motor proteins have not been characterized to the same degree as in animal cells; therefore, it is not yet clear whether the movement of organelles and vesicles is also dependent on the microtubular cytoskeleton. In this work the kinesinimmunoreactive homologue from pollen tubes of Nicotiana tabacum L. has been purified and biochemically characterized. The protein preparation mainly contained a polypeptide with a relative molecular weight of approx. 100 kDa. This polypeptide bound to animal microtubules in an ATP-dependent manner and it further copurified with an ATPase activity fourfold-stimulated by the presence of microtubules. In addition, the sedimentation coefficient (approx. 9S) was similar to those previously shown for other kinesins. Immunofluorescence analyses revealed a partial co-distribution of the protein with microtubules in the pollen tube. These data clearly indicate that several properties of the kinesin-immunoreactive homologue are similar to those of kinesin proteins, and suggest that molecular mechanisms analogous to those of animal cells may drive the microtubule-based motility of organelles and vesicles in plants.
TL;DR: The distribution of homonymous and heteronymous recurrent inhibition among the motor nuclei innervating the main muscles of the human upper limb has been investigated in 25 healthy subjects and results were obtained.
Abstract: The distribution of homonymous and heteronymous recurrent inhibition among the motor nuclei innervating the main muscles of the human upper limb has been investigated in 25 healthy subjects. Homonymous recurrent inhibition was studied with a specially designed electrophysiological method with paired H-reflexes, previously described by Bussel & Pierrot-Deseilligny (1977), combined with a pharmacological study using a cholinergic agonist, the L-acetylcarnitine (Rossi & Mazzocchio 1991). These methods were used to investigate the Flexor Carpi Radialis (FCR), Extensor Carpi Radialis (ECR), Opponens Pollicis (OP) and Abductor Digiti Minimi (ADM) motor nuclei
TL;DR: Assayed anti-GM1 IgG and IgM levels in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy to investigate whether this immune response may also be localized within the intrathecal compartment and correlate with clinical parameters.
TL;DR: Results suggest that thrombin may play an important role in regulating cell-mediated immunity by enhancing T cell proliferation in response to mitogens, superantigen, alloantigens, and anti-CD3 stimulation.
TL;DR: In GBS patients, no correlation was found between serum and CSF IL-6 values and other laboratory or clinical parameters, but cytokine levels in GBS sera correlated with time elapsed from clinical onset, and in CIDP patients, there was no correlation.
TL;DR: Functional activity levels of the lumbar spinal cord were increased bilaterally over the first hour after unilateral hind limb formalin injection in unanesthetized, freely moving rats, which may reflect an enhancement of the functional activity of both interneuronal pools and units projecting to supraspinal centers, giving rise to a referred contralateral pain.
Abstract: Subcutaneous injection of a dilute formaldehyde solution (5 or 10%) into a hind paw induced, in the majority of rats, the appearance of ‘mirror pain’: licking the contralateral untreated hind paw 10–60 min after injection. Contralateral licking activity was much less frequent than the ipsilaterally directed one, but the overall intensities of the two responses were positively correlated. Qualitatively, the two behaviours were similar. Functional activity levels of the lumbar spinal cord, as revealed by the 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) technique, were increased bilaterally over the first hour after unilateral hind limb formalin injection in unanesthetized, freely moving rats. The enhancement of the [14C]2-DG uptake could be detected both in dorsal and ventral horns, as well as in the gray matter surrounding the central canal, and the anterolateral and dorsolateral funiculi. These metabolic changes may reflect an enhancement of the functional activity of both interneuronal pools and units projecting to supraspinal centers, giving rise to a referred contralateral pain.
TL;DR: The purification and the amino acid sequence of two antibacterial peptides present in the secretion of the female reproductive accessory glands of the dipteran insect Ceratitis capitata are reported and the name ceratotoxins is proposed for these antib bacterial peptides.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: It appears that a transient exposure to ozone of up to 78 micrograms ozone per ml of blood does not depress the production of cytokines even though there is a slight increase of hemolysis and a small decrease of intracellular reduced glutathione.
Abstract: We have investigated the effect of various concentrations of ozone on human blood aiming to correlate the production of cytokines with depletion of reduced glutathione and hemolysis. As erythrocytes constitute the bulk of blood cells and represent the main target of ozone they have been taken as a useful marker of its oxidative activity. It appears that a transient exposure (30 sec) of blood of up to 78 micrograms ozone per ml of blood does not depress the production of cytokines even though there is a slight increase of hemolysis and a small decrease of intracellular reduced glutathione. In contrast either a constant (up to 30 sec) exposure to an ozone flux or a high ozone concentration (108 micrograms/ml) markedly decreases reduced glutathione levels and depresses cytokine production.
TL;DR: Five phosphotyrosine‐containing peptides have been synthesized by FMOC solid‐phase peptide synthesis and used as substrates for activity assay of two isoforms (AcP1 and AcP2) of a low molecular weight cytosolic PTPase.