364 research outputs found
Card from S. Rufini to Hagan
No full textHolograph card from [S. Rufini] of the Banca Italiana di Sconto, Piazza di Spagna 20, Rome, to Hagan, offering to call with the residue in cash from the subscription; hoping he is better
Taralli S, Sollini M, Milella M, Perotti G, Filice A, Menga M, Versari A, Rufini V. (18)F-FDG and (68)Ga-somatostatin analogs PET/CT in patients with Merkel cell carcinoma: a comparison study.
No full textBackground: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine skin tumor. Currently, 18F-fluorodeoxy-
glucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT is the functional imaging modality of choice. Few data are available on the use
of 68Ga-somatostatin analogs. The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of
18F-FDG and 68Ga-somatostatin analog PET/CT in MCC patients.
Results: Fifteen patients (12 males, 3 females; median age 73 years; range 41–81 years) with histologically proven
MCC (4 with unknown primary lesion) who underwent both 18F-FDG and 68Ga-somatostatin analog PET/CT for
staging, re-staging, or treatment response assessment were retrospectively evaluated. Results of both studies
were qualitatively analyzed and compared on a patient- and lesion-based analysis, using histology or clinical/
radiological follow-up as reference standard for final diagnosis. According to final diagnosis, 8/15 patients had at
least one MCC lesion and 7/15 had no evidence of disease. On a patient-based analysis, 18F-FDG and 68Gasomatostatin
analogs correctly classified as positive 8/8 (100% sensitivity) patients and as negative 6/7 (85.7%
specificity) and 5/7 (71.4% specificity) patients, respectively, with no significant difference. On a lesion-based
analysis, 18F-FDG detected 67/75 lesions (89%) and 68Ga-somatostatin analogs 69/75 (92%), with no significant
difference. In four patients with unknown primary MCC, both tracers failed to identify the primary MCC site.
Conclusions: Our preliminary data suggest that 18F-FDG and 68Ga-somatostatin analog PET/CT provide good and
equivalent diagnostic performance, adding interesting insights into the complex MCC biology. However, these
results do not suggest that 18F-FDG PET/CT should be replaced by 68Ga-somatostatin receptor imaging, which
should be performed in addition, according to clinical indication, to the perspective of “personalized medicine.
Concanavalin A blocks black widow spider toxin stimulation of transmitter release from synaptosomes
No full textanticorpo murino monoclonale diretto contro una tossina emolitica dell'attinia Stichodactyla helianthus
No full textChromatographic evaluation of urinary N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine: an ergogenic drug.
No full textN-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is a sulphidryl group donor widely used since many years in the treatment of respiratory disorders and in paracetamol poisoning. Its principal properties however are related to its activity as a direct free radical scavenger and to its capacity of increasing intracellular cysteine levels thus potentiating cell natural defence mechanisms against oxidative damage. Recently NAC (150 mg/kg intravenous) has been used to increase by over 15% the forces sustained during muscular fatigue induced by low stimulus frequencies. Application of NAC in sport medicine as enhancer of performance in endurance exercise (e.g. cycling or running) will be limited by important side effects of the drug but it is likely a different way of administration or a different scavenger would overcome this problem. If controlled trials will be able to confirm any positive effects in muscular fatigue inhibition, NAC could have important practical implications in professional sports and could be added to the list of banned substances. In light of recent interest in the relationship of NAC to fatigue it is essential that a facile, reliable assay be devised for its determination in biological fluids. We have set up a Chromatographic HPLC method for acetyl cysteine determination in urine samples. This isocratic procedure, fast and requiring no elaborate pre-assay work, could help to set urinary concentrations in case of therapeutical use (200-600 mg/day) or when elevated levels are assumed as doping agent in order to impart an unfair advantage in endurance test
The temperature-dependence of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase activity is not affected by membrane cholesterol enrichment
No full textThe temperature-dependence of both the lipid order parameter (S(DPH)) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity from native and cholesterol-enriched human erythrocyte membranes was investigated. Cholesterol enrichment abolishes an inflection observed around 30°C in the temperature-dependence of native membrane lipid order parameter, whereas the Arrhenius plot of the enzymic activity is substantially unaffected. These results support the view that the breaks in the Arrhenius plot of the enzyme activity are not related to sudden changes of bulk membrane physical state, but arise from a direct effect of temperature on enzyme conformation
Age-dependent changes of rat liver plasma membrane composition
No full textThe chemical composition of liver plasma membrane was studied in Wistar rats aged between 3 and 24 months. Results obtained indicate a significant age-dependent positive correlation of both the protein:phospholipid and cholesterol:phospholipid ratios, whereas the protein:cholesterol ratio seems to remain unaffected. Phospholipid analysis of liver plasma membrane reveals that only the phosphatidylcholine content has a significant negative correlation with age; all other phospholipid species remain basically unchanged
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