Reversible adult respiratory distress in primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is a disorder caused by circulating antibodies reacting with biological membranes and characterized by recurrent thrombosis, chronic thrombocytopenia and miscarriages. It has been reported to occur either as a primary syndrome or secondary to systemic autoimmune disorders. We describe a case of primary APS in a young patient, in whom the clinical course was particularly severe and complicated by a respiratory distress syndrome.

Right ventricular diastolic abnormalities in systemic sclerosis. Relation to left ventricular involvement and pulmonary hypertension.

Objectives: To investigate right ventricular diastolic function in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its relation to clinical features of the disease.

Methods: Seventy seven unselected SSc patients and 33 healthy subjects were submitted to echocardiography and echo Doppler study to assess left and right systolic as well diastolic function and to estimate maximal arterial systolic pulmonary pressure (PAP). In addition, the patients were investigated to define the SSc subset and the extent of skin and internal organ involvement.

Preliminary evaluation of two fluorescence imaging methods for the detection and the delineation of basal cell carcinomas of the skin.

Background And Objective: Fluorescence techniques can provide powerful noninvasive means for medical diagnosis, based on the detection of either endogenous or exogenous fluorophores. The fluorescence of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) has already shown promise for the diagnosis of tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate the localization of skin tumors after the topical application of ALA, by detecting the PpIX fluorescence either in the spectral or in the time domain.

Changes of glycosylation of serum proteins in Sjögren's syndrome: correlation with interleukin-6 and soluble interleukin-2 receptor.

A strong increase of the affinity for concanavalin A (Con A) of serum alpha 2-macroglobulin, a non-acute-phase protein, was observed by lectin blotting in patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS). On the contrary, the total Con A reactivity of serum proteins, measured by enzyme-linked lectin assay, was not augmented in SS, compared with normal donors, probably because positive changes of certain proteins were balanced by negative changes of others, as suggested by lectin blotting analysis. However, a significant increase of total Con A reactivity occurred in subjects with increased serum concentrations of soluble interleukin (IL)-2 receptor, compared with patients with normal concentrations of this marker of disease activity.

Stabilization of rat serum proteins following oral administration of fish oil.

The mechanism of action of fish oil (FO), currently used in different chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is not completely understood, although it is thought that it could alter the metabolism of endogenous autacoids. In addition, we hypothesized that the known capability of fatty acids (FA) of stabilizing serum albumin and perhaps other proteins, may be of pharmacological relevance considering that it is shared by other anti-rheumatic agents (e.g.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography as a complementary method to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for studying limited proteolysis of proteins.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been utilized as an analytical method to perform investigations on limited proteolysis of proteins. To this purpose partial proteolysis experiments with a series of proteinases were performed, utilizing as model protein pyruvate kinase (PK) from Escherichia coli, an enzyme that is regulated allosterically by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP). Data obtained with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and MEKC were compared; the profiles generated by submitting digests of PK treated with different proteinases in the presence and absence of FBP to electrophoretic analysis provided a useful adjunct for a better understanding of the effects of the allosteric activator on the conformation of the model enzyme.

Changes in concanavalin A-reactive proteins in neurological disorders.

Changes of glycosylation of cerebrospinal fluid proteins such as alpha2-macroglobulin, and prostaglandin D synthase were studied by lectin blotting, using concanavalinA, in multiple sclerosis (n = 42) and neuropathies (n = 20) in comparison to neurological controls (n = 22). The concanavalinA-reactivity of alpha2-macroglobulin, which was increased in the neuropathies but not in multiple sclerosis compared to controls, correlated with the total concanavalinA-reactivity in controls and neuropathies but not in multiple sclerosis, indicating that the protein could be abnormally glycosylated in the latter disease. Although the concentration and the concanavalinA-reactivity of prostaglandin D synthase were not significantly different in the three groups, the two parameters correlated only in neuropathies but not in controls or multiple sclerosis, probably due to the high heterogeneity of the protein.

Development of an in vitro assay for the screening of substances capable of dissolving calcium oxalate crystals.

Despite the risk of kidney damage, lithotripsy is the usual way of treating calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones, the most common type of nephrolithiasis, because no effective chemolytic agents are available. However, the search of new calcium chelators, less toxic than the current ones, continues, and some of them could be tested in experimental models of nephrolithiasis, after their ability of dissolving CaOx crystals is verified. In this connection, we developed a simple assay that requires only inexpensive equipment available in most laboratories for the screening of substances potentially capable of dissolving CaOx crystals.

Myocardial infarction and death after caesarean section in a woman with protein S deficiency and undiagnosed phaeochromocytoma.

We describe the case of a 36-year-old woman, with a previous history of recurrent abortion due to protein S deficiency, undergoing an elective Caesarean section at 39-weeks gestation. During pregnancy no signs of hypertension or cardiovascular disease were reported, but at the end of the surgical procedure, the patient developed acute hypertension, leading to myocardial infarction, severe heart failure and death. The autopsy revealed a 2-cm undiagnosed phaeochromocytoma in the right adrenal gland.

[Endoscopic sphincterotomy in acute biliary pancreatitis. A multicenter study].

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis are still dangerous, as can be seen from the high mortality rate (around 30%). It's commonly known that in the last years diagnostic ability, precise stadiation and control over the disease development were increased. Surgical therapy is directed mainly to achieve the control over septic evolution, and in biliary pancreatitis to resolve hypertension and infection inside the biliary tree (now widely accepted as the real cause of this disease).

Decay of the GRB 990123 optical afterglow: implications for the fireball model.

Broad-band (ultraviolet to near-infrared) observations of the intense gamma ray burst GRB 990123 started approximately 8.5 hours after the event and continued until 18 February 1999. When combined with other data, in particular from the Robotic Telescope and Transient Source Experiment (ROTSE) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), evidence emerges for a smoothly declining light curve, suggesting some color dependence that could be related to a cooling break passing the ultraviolet-optical band at about 1 day after the high-energy event.

Serological and clinical markers of autoimmune disease in HCV-infected subjects with different disease conditions.

Objective: To investigate whether the serological markers of autoimmunity and the clinical features of autoimmune disease which occur in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected subjects are correlated to each other and/or to the clinical pattern of the disease.

Methods: Seventeen symptom-free, anti-HCV antibody positive subjects, 17 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 21 patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), and as controls 17 anti-HCV negative patients with dyspepsia were enrolled in a prospective study. A patient history, clinical examination, self-administered questionnaire and laboratory investigations (hepatic enzyme levels, serum HCV-RNA and anti-HCV antibody testing, and serum autoantibody profile) were performed to detect liver and/or autoimmune disease.

Inhibition of protein denaturation by fatty acids, bile salts and other natural substances: a new hypothesis for the mechanism of action of fish oil in rheumatic diseases.

Natural hydrophobic substances like bile salts (cholate, deoxycholate, chenodeoxycholate, lithocholate and their conjugates with glycine and taurine), fatty acids (caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachidonic, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid) were much more active (EC50 approximately 10(-4)-10(-5) M) than selected amino acids (EC50 > 10(-2) M) and inorganic salts (EC50 approximately 10(-1) M) in inhibiting heat-induced denaturation of human serum albumin in vitro. Fish oil, rich in n-3-polyunsaturated acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, administered p.o.

Rapid detection of ornithine transcarbamylase activity by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A quantitative ultraviolet detection method for determining ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC-ase) activity using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is described. The method is based on the direct determination of citrulline formed upon enzymatic reaction. Using a background electrolyte consisting of 35 mM sodium tetraborate, pH 9.

Effect of selected substances on heat-induced aggregation of albumin, IgG and lysozyme.

Compounds capable of inhibiting protein aggregation may find pharmacological applications in the treatment of a number of diseases called protein condensation diseases [Benedek (1997)], which include cataract, biliary and urinary lithiasis and certain rheumatic diseases. We examined the effect of selected compounds on heat-induced aggregation human serum albumin (HSA), IgG and lysozyme. HSA (0.

Changes of glycosylation of serum proteins in psoriatic arthritis, studied by enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA), using concanavalin A.

Changes of glycosylation of serum proteins of patients with psoriatic arthritis were detected by lectin blotting and a new enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA) using concanavalin A (Con A). A good linear correlation was found between the total Con A-reactivity of serum and the serum levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, which is known to regulate the glycosylation pattern of proteins upon inflammation. A good linear correlation was also observed between the immunoreactivity of alpha 1-antitrypsin, measured by ELISA, using a monoclonal antibody sensitive to glycosylation changes, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the serum concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptor, an index of lymphocyte activation which correlated with some inflammatory parameters of disease activity.

Development of an HPLC assay to study the effect of endogenous and exogenous substances on heat-induced aggregation of human serum albumin.

The mechanism of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are used in high doses in chronic inflammatory conditions is not clearly understood. Their known protein-stabilizing properties could play a significant role. The inhibition of cyclooxygenase may not be essential for their anti-rheumatic activity, since compounds with strong anti-denaturant properties and devoid of anti-inflammatory activity were shown to be effective in an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis.

Antitumor efficacy of the combination of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy in murine tumors.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the administration of tumor-localizing photosensitizers followed by light exposure of the tumor mass. The photocytotoxic effects are mainly caused by the generation of singlet oxygen. Recently, PDT has been proposed for use in combination with anticancer chemotherapy with a view to exploiting any additive antitumor effect.

Development of a turbidimetric assay to study the effect of urinary components on calcium oxalate precipitation.

The pharmacological treatment of calcium urinary stones, most of which are made of calcium oxalate (CaOx), is only prophylactic. The causes of nephrolithiasis are often unclear, and a number of patients were found to be deficient in physiological inhibitors, e.g.

A solid tissue phantom for photon migration studies.

A solid tissue phantom made of agar, Intralipid and black ink is described and characterized. The preparation procedure is fast and easily implemented with standard laboratory equipment. An instrumentation for time-resolved transmittance measurements was used to determine the optical properties of the phantom.

Tumour visualization in a murine model by time-delayed fluorescence of sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine.

Mice bearing the MS-2 fibrosarcoma were administered 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mg kg(-1) body weight (b.

Scleroderma renal crisis analysis of prevalence and outcome in a large italian series.

During a 30-year period, 323 SSc patients were admitted to a tertiary center specialized in connective tissue diseases. Among them 13 (4|X%) developed scleroderma renal crisis (SRC). These 13 SRC patients with respect to the remaining SSc patients were older, were more often affected by diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc), and had slightly higher blood pressure and more frequent heart involvement at initial presentation.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging of experimental tumors in hematoporphyrin derivative-sensitized mice.

Tumor detection has been carried out in mice sensitized with hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) by measuring the spatial distribution of the fluorescence lifetime of the exogenous compound. This result has been achieved using a time-gated video camera and a suitable mathematical processing that led to the so-called "lifetime images." Extensive experimental tests have been performed on mice bearing the MS-2 fibrosarcoma or the L1210 leukemia.

Recombinant pyruvate kinase type I from Escherichia coli: overproduction and revised C-terminus of the polypeptide.

The gene encoding pyruvate kinase type I (PKI) of Escherichia coli was amplified by PCR, cloned and sequenced. The gene product was overexpressed in E. coli, using an inducible T7 RNA polymerase-based expression system.