1,721,161 research outputs found
Unexpected Baclofen Subdural Infusion in a Patient who Carries an Internal Pump for Intrathecal Infusion: A Case Report
Full text linkObjective: We report a case of intrathecal baclofen infusion pump implantation complicated by migration of the catheter tip. Subdural migration, of the intrathecal catheter tip, in who has been having an infusion pump for years and is experiencing swinging dosage related effects it is not the first thing one takes into consideration. A case of subdural migration of intrathecal catheters is presented.
Methods: Subsequent X-ray and computed tomography evaluations of the catheter system revealed pooling of contrast medium outside of the intrathecal space, in the lumbar subdural region of the vertebral channel and therefore migration of the pump catheter tip.
Results: The spinal catheter was subsequently revised, and the patient made a full recovery. From few days after surgery, the patients spasticity improved and up to now (six months later), he has been experiencing no further complications, is requiring an average baclofen dosage of 150 mcg/day.
Conclusion: The possible migration of an intrathecal catheter into the subdural space should be included as differential diagnosis in a patient who experiences a lack of drug effect, despite increases in dosage, after years from pump implantation. We recommend the use of the CT scan, after contrast injection, to detect the distal catheter tip and confirm a normal diffusion into the subarachnoid space
Plant-derived polyphenols and intestinal HT-29 cells: understanding the cellular uptake.
No full textThe polyphenols have aroused great scientific interest, since their beneficial effects are attributed to their antioxidant activity: the phenolic compounds can act as metal chelators, antimicrobial agents, radical scavengers, and might also trigger changes in cells and in the signaling pathways, as by preventing the LDL oxidation, platelet aggregation, and ROS generation. The health effects of polyphenols depend also on their bioavailability, which can vary greatly because of different factors, as the degree of hydroxylation, the molecular conformation, etc. A critical point in the debate on health effects of polyphenols is indeed their bioavailability, therefore we used the human colorectal carcinoma cells (HT-29), which are a reference model of intestinal cells, to evaluate the polyphenols ability to pass through the cellular membrane and permeate into the cell.
The polyphenols studied in this research are from medicinal plants widely used in traditional medicine: baicalein (from Scutellaria baicalensis G.), eupatorin (Eupatorium semiserratum DC.), galangin (Alpinia officinarum L.), magnolol (Magnolia officinalis L.), myricetin (Myrica rubra S. Z.), oleuropein (Olea europaea L.) and silybin (Silybum marianum L.)
Cinetica dell'alcol etilico: fattori di variabilità in relazione agli effetti benefici e tossici
No full textWine and alcoholic beverages have a social and symbolic value which is ingrained in the Italian culture, despite the potential adverse effects induced by their consumption. This paper describes the kinetics of alcohol: absorption, distribution, and elimination of ethanol determine the time-course of alcohol concentrations in blood after intake of alcoholic beverages and the degree of exposure of organs to their effects. Most ethanol is eliminated by oxidation to acetaldehyde and acetate, catalysed principally by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Other ethanol oxidation pathways include catalase and cytochrome P450 2E1. Besides being a substrate of CYP2E1, ethanol is also a potent inducer of this enzyme. There is large inter- and intra-individual variability in alcohol metabolism, due to genetic and environmental factors. In particular, gender influences kinetics: in comparison with men, women reach higher concentrations of alcohol in blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol. The difference is partly due to a smaller first-pass metabolism and a lower volume of distribution in women.Immoderate, acute or chronic consumption of alcohol is a well-recognized risk for many diseases. Recent epidemiological studies have given new insights into the public health significance of moderate alcohol consumption: there is evidence that moderate, regular intake of alcohol, particularly red wine, is associated with benefits. The data available in the literature are not conclusive and, in addition, do not adequately assess potential alcohol addiction, which is closely related to detrimental social behaviour and is a risk factor promoting various diseases. The consumption of alcohol cannot be viewed as a benefit for health: it is also important to stress the need for very moderate usage of alcoholic beverages, giving preference to ones containing small quantities of ethanol
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia and Future Therapeutic Directions: Beneficial Effects of Small Compounds Acting on Cellular Stress
Full text linkHereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of inherited neurodegenerative conditions that share a characteristic feature of degeneration of the longest axons within the corticospinal tract, which leads to progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs. Mutations of over 70 genes produce defects in various biological pathways: axonal transport, lipid metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) shaping, mitochondrial function, and endosomal trafficking. HSPs suffer from an adequate therapeutic plan. Currently the treatments foreseen for patients affected by this pathology are physiotherapy, to maintain the outgoing tone, and muscle relaxant therapies for spasticity. Very few clinical studies have been conducted, and it's urgent to implement preclinical animal studies devoted to pharmacological test and screening, to expand the rose of compounds potentially attractive for clinical trials. Small animal models, such as Drosophila melanogaster and zebrafish, have been generated, analyzed, and used as preclinical model for screening of compounds and their effects. In this work, we briefly described the role of HSP-linked proteins in the organization of ER endomembrane system and in the regulation of ER homeostasis and stress as a common pathological mechanism for these HSP forms. We then focused our attention on the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic features of some recently identified molecules with antioxidant property, such as salubrinal, guanabenz, N-acetyl cysteine, methylene blue, rapamycin, and naringenin, and on their potential use in future clinical studies. Expanding the models and the pharmacological screening for HSP disease is necessary to give an opportunity to patients and clinicians to test new molecules
Croton lechleri sap inhibits in vitro proliferation of HT-29 human colon cancer cells
No full textCroton lechleri L. (Euphorbiaceae) is one of the most widely used medicinal plants of the South American tropics. Its red viscous sap is reported to have a wide range of pharmacological and physiological actions [1]. It is used for wound healing, controlling diarrhoea, gastric ulcer healing and as a treatment for intestinal inflammation [2]. Thus, it appears that Croton l. has generalized benefits in gastrointestinal function. To evaluate its potential anti-tumour role we examined its effects on HT-29 human cancer cells. Cell proliferation was assessed by means of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Viability of cells treated with the sap from 0.1 ng/ml to 1 μg/ml decreased (p<0.001) in a dose dependent manner measured over a 24-h period. The concentration that induced a 50% inhibition of cell proliferation compared with controls was 1.6 ng/ml of sap.
Croton l. seems undoubtedly to contain biologically active components that have anti-tumour and anti-bacterial agents [3] and vanilloid compounds [2]. These characteristics and the experimental data make this sap a potential source of new anti-cancer agents
Cell cycle control by natural phenols in cisplatin-resistant cell lines.
No full textFifteen plant polyphenols, including flavonoids, cinnamic acids, coumarins and capsaicin, were investigated for their capacity to suppress cell growth and regulate the cell cycle of in vitro human ovarian carcinoma (2008 cell line) and cervix squamous carcinoma cells (A431), and their cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant subclones (C13 and A431Pt, respectively). Evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of the polyphenols (0.01-100 ??M) indicated that especially rhein and quercetin were almost equiactive in wild type and CDDP-resistant cells, indicating lack of cross-resistance with cisplatin. Capsaicin was more potent in CDDP-resistant subclones than in wild type cells. The order of their potencies is flavonoids > anthraquinones > vanilloids > coumarins > phenols, cinnamic acids. The natural phenols which were most cytotoxic (rhein, quercetin and capsaicin) were able to cause the arrest of the cancer cell cycle, suggesting that specific cell cycle regulatory proteins are possibly involved in their intracellular mechanism of action. In particular, the natural compounds were revealed to be more active in CDDP-resistant cells than in wild types, especially inducing apoptotic death
Immune complexes of glucose-regulated protein94 (Grp94) with IgG, present in the plasma of type 1 diabetic subjects, show strong angiogenic-transforming capacity on HUVECs
No full textEffect of β-aescin on vascular endothelial cell exposed to cobalt chloride, a model of experimental hypoxia
No full text- …
