Sergio Gullini - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Sergio Gullini
Gene promoter methylation causes loss of tumor suppressor genes function in human cancer. Here, w... more Gene promoter methylation causes loss of tumor suppressor genes function in human cancer. Here, we show that the CDH4 gene, a member of the cadherin family encoding for R-cadherin, contains a CpG island located at the 5′ of the first exon, which functions as a promoter element and is frequently affected by methylation in human cancer. By using methylation-specific PCR and reverse transcription-PCR in human cancer cell lines, promoter methylation could be directly linked to loss of gene expression. After treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine, expression could be restored. Analysis of human primary tumors revealed that the CDH4 gene is methylated in 78% (38 of 49) of colorectal and 95% (20 of 21) of gastric carcinomas. CDH4 methylation was not detected in nonneoplastic colonic (0 of 10) and stomach (0 of 10) tissues or in peripheral blood (0 of 17). CDH4 methylation was detected in histologically normal tissues located in proximity of the neoplasms, indicating t...
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1998
AIM: The fears and concerns are associated with gastroscopy (EGD) decrease patient compliance. Co... more AIM: The fears and concerns are associated with gastroscopy (EGD) decrease patient compliance. Conscious sedation (CS) and non-pharmacological interventions have been proposed to reduce anxiety and allow better execution of EGD. The aim of this study was to assess whether CS, supplementary information with a videotape, or presence of a relative during the examination could improve the tolerance to EGD. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-six outpatients (pts), scheduled for a first-time non-emergency EGD were randomly assigned to 4 groups: Co-group (62 pts): throat anaesthesia only; Mi-group (52 pts): CS with i.v. midazolam; Re-group (58 pts): presence of a relative throughout the procedure; Vi-group (54 pts): additional information with a videotape.
Recenti progressi in medicina, 2004
: Colorectal cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer deaths in western countries wit... more : Colorectal cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer deaths in western countries with elevated costs for health service. It's very important to develop screening and surveillance programs for cancer prevention with "cost-effective" means. We present a surveillance program with colonoscopy focused on first degree relatives of CRC patients. Colonoscopy is a "cost-effective" mean of screening for high risk subjects.
Revue Forestière Française, 2004
Il n'est pas totalement irréaliste de penser que, dans quelques années, le bois de Hêtre à coeur ... more Il n'est pas totalement irréaliste de penser que, dans quelques années, le bois de Hêtre à coeur rouge ait supplanté, sur le marché des bois, le bois de Hêtre sans coeur. Pourquoi ?
Recenti progressi in medicina, 1988
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 2008
Objectives: Efficacy of symbiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unknow... more Objectives: Efficacy of symbiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unknown. Methods: Patients were randomized to a prebiotic (n = 135), or a symbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 (Flortec, n = 132). Primary efficacy was the responder rate for pain and global relief of symptoms in the overall population and in patients with predominant diarrhea (n = 47). Post hoc time-trend analyses for changes within each treatment were carried out. Results: Patients with absent/mild pain amounted to 54.7% in the symbiotic group and to 57.4% in the prebiotic group at treatment week 4, and to 53.9% and 53.4% at the end of treatment. Patients with amelioration of well-being were, respectively, 60.7% versus 61.7% at treatment week 4, and 63.3% versus 60.9% at the end of treatment. Within each treatment group, patients with absent/mild pain increased in the Flortec and the prebiotic group, but time trend analyses were significant only for Flortec (P = 0.019). In IBS-predominant diarrhea, Flortec significantly reduced bowel movements, pain, and IBS scores. Conclusions: To improve pain and well-being, Flortec is encouraging in patients with diarrhea predominant IBS. To establish its efficacy for the majority of IBS patients, Flortec has to be compared with an inert placebo in future work.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 2008
Background: HLA-G antigens are nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecu... more Background: HLA-G antigens are nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules characterized by tolerogenic and antiinflammatory properties. Recently, a different expression of HLA-G antigens has been observed between intestinal biopsies of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) patients. These data suggested a functional role for HLA-G molecules in the diseases and proposed the HLA-G modulation as a marker for the diagnosis of UC and CD. The soluble HLA-G antigens (sHLA-G) are circulating molecules mainly produced by activated peripheral blood CD14ϩ monocytes. Methods: We tested, by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the sHLA-G molecule levels in the supernatants of unstimulated and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 30 healthy subjects, 10 CD, and 18 UC patients. The data were not influenced by treatment or disease activity. Results: The results confirmed a different sHLA-G expression between the diseases, with a spontaneous secretion of sHLA-G in CD patients but not in UC and healthy subjects. Moreover, a lack of sHLA-G antigens has been reported in UC patient cultures after LPS activation but not in healthy subjects and CD patients. The defective sHLA-G production was related to an impaired IL-10 secretion in UC but not in CD. Conclusions: Overall, these results confirm the presence of a different biological characteristic between CD and UC patients and suggest sHLA-G production by PBMC as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in the early phases of the diseases.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2007
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2014
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2009
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Volume 69, Issue 5, Pages AB372, April 2009, Authors:Alessandro Pezzo... more Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Volume 69, Issue 5, Pages AB372, April 2009, Authors:Alessandro Pezzoli; Renato Cannizzaro; Marco Pennazio; Emanuele Rondonotti; Ettore Bidoli; Laura Zancanella; Franco Cantoni; Giancarlo Caravelli; Raffaele Melina; Gaetano Iaquinto ...
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2008
We report two unusual cases of occult intestinal bleeding due to lipoma of the small bowel. Both ... more We report two unusual cases of occult intestinal bleeding due to lipoma of the small bowel. Both the patients underwent several inconclusive endoscopic and radiological procedures before the diagnosis of these lesions that was possible using video capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy. In the first case, the finding of capsule endoscopy was confirmed using enteroscopy, allowing us to diagnose the ileal mass. In the second and more recent case, we used double balloon enteroscopy for the further characterisation and management of the ileal lipoma. Lipoma is a very rare cause of intestinal bleeding and we describe the management and the outcome of our patients.
Archives des Maladies Professionnelles et de l'Environnement, 2006
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1996
Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with peptic ulcer: H. pylori eradication markedly decr... more Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with peptic ulcer: H. pylori eradication markedly decreases the recurrence rate of duodenal and gastric ulcer, but the optimum length of antibiotic therapy in the eradication of H. pylori is still unclear. To verify the effectiveness and side-effect profile of an eradicating regimen consisting of omeprazole 20 mg daily for 4 weeks and, during the first week, combination antimicrobial treatment with tinidazole 500 mg b.d. plus clarithromycin 250 mg b.d. in patients with active duodenal and gastric ulcer. One hundred and ninety-six duodenal ulcer patients and 27 gastric ulcer patients with H. pylori infection were admitted into an open prospective study. Compliance was assessed by an accurate interview. Overall, H. pylori was successfully eradicated in 201 of 223 patients (intention-to-treat 90.1%; 95% CI = 85-94%): 176 of 196 duodenal ulcer patients became H. pylori-negative (89.8%; CI = 85-94%) as well as 25 of 27 gastric ulcer patients (92.6%; CI = 76-99%). Compliance was excellent in 221 of 223 (99.1%) patients evaluated as having taken all the medication as prescribed. Sixteen patients (7.2%) developed mild side effects during treatment. This combination treatment had excellent results with almost absolute compliance and a very low rate of minor side effects.
Helicobacter pylori and Gastroduodenal Pathology, 1993
Notwithstanding the many specific treatments against Helicobacter pylori (HP)-positive antral gas... more Notwithstanding the many specific treatments against Helicobacter pylori (HP)-positive antral gastritis [1–13], HP detection on the gastric mucosa of patients with gastroduodenal peptic disease is still an open question. The purpose of this open noncontrolled study was to compare, the efficacy of two established treatments, i.e., colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS; De-Nol) and amoxicillin in HP-positive patients with histologically confirmed type B gastritis.
Biliary sludge is a mixture of particulate matter which has precipitated from bile. It generally ... more Biliary sludge is a mixture of particulate matter which has precipitated from bile. It generally consists of cholesterol monohydrate crystals, calcium bilirubinate or other calcium salts. In a clinical setting, biliary sludge is almost always an ultrasonographic diagnosis. Although it is less clinically applicable, direct microscopic examination of gallbladder bile is far more sensitive than ultrasonography into sludge detection, and has to be regarded as the diagnostic gold standard. The overall prevalence of sludge in the general population is relatively low. However, several clinical conditions are associated with a particularly high prevalence of biliary sludge, including pregnancy, rapid weight loss, total parenteral nutrition, octreotide therapy, bone marrow or solid organ transplantation. The clinical course of biliary sludge varies, and complete resolution, a waxing and waning course, and progression to gallstones are all possible outcomes. It may cause complications usually...
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2010
Acta Endoscopica, 1987
Sedative-induced hypoxemia in gastrointestinal endoscopy RI~SUMI~ L'analyse des taux de saturatio... more Sedative-induced hypoxemia in gastrointestinal endoscopy RI~SUMI~ L'analyse des taux de saturation de l'h6moglobine et de i'activit6 61ectrocardiographique chez les patients soumis ~ une endoscopie oeso-gastroduod6nale, r6v61e une fr6quence mod6r6e d'6pisodes extrasystoliques chez les malades trait6s par benzodiazepine; dans le m6me groupe de patients, la d6saturation art6rielle de l'oxyg/me est plus 61ev6e. Bien que le chlorm6thyldiazepam produise moins de d6saturation que le Diazepam, il conduit h une 616vation plus importante du rythme cardiaque.
In Digestive and Liver Disease, 2011
Gene promoter methylation causes loss of tumor suppressor genes function in human cancer. Here, w... more Gene promoter methylation causes loss of tumor suppressor genes function in human cancer. Here, we show that the CDH4 gene, a member of the cadherin family encoding for R-cadherin, contains a CpG island located at the 5′ of the first exon, which functions as a promoter element and is frequently affected by methylation in human cancer. By using methylation-specific PCR and reverse transcription-PCR in human cancer cell lines, promoter methylation could be directly linked to loss of gene expression. After treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine, expression could be restored. Analysis of human primary tumors revealed that the CDH4 gene is methylated in 78% (38 of 49) of colorectal and 95% (20 of 21) of gastric carcinomas. CDH4 methylation was not detected in nonneoplastic colonic (0 of 10) and stomach (0 of 10) tissues or in peripheral blood (0 of 17). CDH4 methylation was detected in histologically normal tissues located in proximity of the neoplasms, indicating t...
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1998
AIM: The fears and concerns are associated with gastroscopy (EGD) decrease patient compliance. Co... more AIM: The fears and concerns are associated with gastroscopy (EGD) decrease patient compliance. Conscious sedation (CS) and non-pharmacological interventions have been proposed to reduce anxiety and allow better execution of EGD. The aim of this study was to assess whether CS, supplementary information with a videotape, or presence of a relative during the examination could improve the tolerance to EGD. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-six outpatients (pts), scheduled for a first-time non-emergency EGD were randomly assigned to 4 groups: Co-group (62 pts): throat anaesthesia only; Mi-group (52 pts): CS with i.v. midazolam; Re-group (58 pts): presence of a relative throughout the procedure; Vi-group (54 pts): additional information with a videotape.
Recenti progressi in medicina, 2004
: Colorectal cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer deaths in western countries wit... more : Colorectal cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer deaths in western countries with elevated costs for health service. It's very important to develop screening and surveillance programs for cancer prevention with "cost-effective" means. We present a surveillance program with colonoscopy focused on first degree relatives of CRC patients. Colonoscopy is a "cost-effective" mean of screening for high risk subjects.
Revue Forestière Française, 2004
Il n'est pas totalement irréaliste de penser que, dans quelques années, le bois de Hêtre à coeur ... more Il n'est pas totalement irréaliste de penser que, dans quelques années, le bois de Hêtre à coeur rouge ait supplanté, sur le marché des bois, le bois de Hêtre sans coeur. Pourquoi ?
Recenti progressi in medicina, 1988
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 2008
Objectives: Efficacy of symbiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unknow... more Objectives: Efficacy of symbiotics in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unknown. Methods: Patients were randomized to a prebiotic (n = 135), or a symbiotic formulation containing Lactobacillus paracasei B21060 (Flortec, n = 132). Primary efficacy was the responder rate for pain and global relief of symptoms in the overall population and in patients with predominant diarrhea (n = 47). Post hoc time-trend analyses for changes within each treatment were carried out. Results: Patients with absent/mild pain amounted to 54.7% in the symbiotic group and to 57.4% in the prebiotic group at treatment week 4, and to 53.9% and 53.4% at the end of treatment. Patients with amelioration of well-being were, respectively, 60.7% versus 61.7% at treatment week 4, and 63.3% versus 60.9% at the end of treatment. Within each treatment group, patients with absent/mild pain increased in the Flortec and the prebiotic group, but time trend analyses were significant only for Flortec (P = 0.019). In IBS-predominant diarrhea, Flortec significantly reduced bowel movements, pain, and IBS scores. Conclusions: To improve pain and well-being, Flortec is encouraging in patients with diarrhea predominant IBS. To establish its efficacy for the majority of IBS patients, Flortec has to be compared with an inert placebo in future work.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 2008
Background: HLA-G antigens are nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecu... more Background: HLA-G antigens are nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules characterized by tolerogenic and antiinflammatory properties. Recently, a different expression of HLA-G antigens has been observed between intestinal biopsies of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) patients. These data suggested a functional role for HLA-G molecules in the diseases and proposed the HLA-G modulation as a marker for the diagnosis of UC and CD. The soluble HLA-G antigens (sHLA-G) are circulating molecules mainly produced by activated peripheral blood CD14ϩ monocytes. Methods: We tested, by specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the sHLA-G molecule levels in the supernatants of unstimulated and bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 30 healthy subjects, 10 CD, and 18 UC patients. The data were not influenced by treatment or disease activity. Results: The results confirmed a different sHLA-G expression between the diseases, with a spontaneous secretion of sHLA-G in CD patients but not in UC and healthy subjects. Moreover, a lack of sHLA-G antigens has been reported in UC patient cultures after LPS activation but not in healthy subjects and CD patients. The defective sHLA-G production was related to an impaired IL-10 secretion in UC but not in CD. Conclusions: Overall, these results confirm the presence of a different biological characteristic between CD and UC patients and suggest sHLA-G production by PBMC as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in the early phases of the diseases.
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2007
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2014
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2009
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Volume 69, Issue 5, Pages AB372, April 2009, Authors:Alessandro Pezzo... more Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Volume 69, Issue 5, Pages AB372, April 2009, Authors:Alessandro Pezzoli; Renato Cannizzaro; Marco Pennazio; Emanuele Rondonotti; Ettore Bidoli; Laura Zancanella; Franco Cantoni; Giancarlo Caravelli; Raffaele Melina; Gaetano Iaquinto ...
Digestive and Liver Disease, 2008
We report two unusual cases of occult intestinal bleeding due to lipoma of the small bowel. Both ... more We report two unusual cases of occult intestinal bleeding due to lipoma of the small bowel. Both the patients underwent several inconclusive endoscopic and radiological procedures before the diagnosis of these lesions that was possible using video capsule endoscopy and double balloon enteroscopy. In the first case, the finding of capsule endoscopy was confirmed using enteroscopy, allowing us to diagnose the ileal mass. In the second and more recent case, we used double balloon enteroscopy for the further characterisation and management of the ileal lipoma. Lipoma is a very rare cause of intestinal bleeding and we describe the management and the outcome of our patients.
Archives des Maladies Professionnelles et de l'Environnement, 2006
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 1996
Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with peptic ulcer: H. pylori eradication markedly decr... more Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with peptic ulcer: H. pylori eradication markedly decreases the recurrence rate of duodenal and gastric ulcer, but the optimum length of antibiotic therapy in the eradication of H. pylori is still unclear. To verify the effectiveness and side-effect profile of an eradicating regimen consisting of omeprazole 20 mg daily for 4 weeks and, during the first week, combination antimicrobial treatment with tinidazole 500 mg b.d. plus clarithromycin 250 mg b.d. in patients with active duodenal and gastric ulcer. One hundred and ninety-six duodenal ulcer patients and 27 gastric ulcer patients with H. pylori infection were admitted into an open prospective study. Compliance was assessed by an accurate interview. Overall, H. pylori was successfully eradicated in 201 of 223 patients (intention-to-treat 90.1%; 95% CI = 85-94%): 176 of 196 duodenal ulcer patients became H. pylori-negative (89.8%; CI = 85-94%) as well as 25 of 27 gastric ulcer patients (92.6%; CI = 76-99%). Compliance was excellent in 221 of 223 (99.1%) patients evaluated as having taken all the medication as prescribed. Sixteen patients (7.2%) developed mild side effects during treatment. This combination treatment had excellent results with almost absolute compliance and a very low rate of minor side effects.
Helicobacter pylori and Gastroduodenal Pathology, 1993
Notwithstanding the many specific treatments against Helicobacter pylori (HP)-positive antral gas... more Notwithstanding the many specific treatments against Helicobacter pylori (HP)-positive antral gastritis [1–13], HP detection on the gastric mucosa of patients with gastroduodenal peptic disease is still an open question. The purpose of this open noncontrolled study was to compare, the efficacy of two established treatments, i.e., colloidal bismuth subcitrate (CBS; De-Nol) and amoxicillin in HP-positive patients with histologically confirmed type B gastritis.
Biliary sludge is a mixture of particulate matter which has precipitated from bile. It generally ... more Biliary sludge is a mixture of particulate matter which has precipitated from bile. It generally consists of cholesterol monohydrate crystals, calcium bilirubinate or other calcium salts. In a clinical setting, biliary sludge is almost always an ultrasonographic diagnosis. Although it is less clinically applicable, direct microscopic examination of gallbladder bile is far more sensitive than ultrasonography into sludge detection, and has to be regarded as the diagnostic gold standard. The overall prevalence of sludge in the general population is relatively low. However, several clinical conditions are associated with a particularly high prevalence of biliary sludge, including pregnancy, rapid weight loss, total parenteral nutrition, octreotide therapy, bone marrow or solid organ transplantation. The clinical course of biliary sludge varies, and complete resolution, a waxing and waning course, and progression to gallstones are all possible outcomes. It may cause complications usually...
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2010
Acta Endoscopica, 1987
Sedative-induced hypoxemia in gastrointestinal endoscopy RI~SUMI~ L'analyse des taux de saturatio... more Sedative-induced hypoxemia in gastrointestinal endoscopy RI~SUMI~ L'analyse des taux de saturation de l'h6moglobine et de i'activit6 61ectrocardiographique chez les patients soumis ~ une endoscopie oeso-gastroduod6nale, r6v61e une fr6quence mod6r6e d'6pisodes extrasystoliques chez les malades trait6s par benzodiazepine; dans le m6me groupe de patients, la d6saturation art6rielle de l'oxyg/me est plus 61ev6e. Bien que le chlorm6thyldiazepam produise moins de d6saturation que le Diazepam, il conduit h une 616vation plus importante du rythme cardiaque.
In Digestive and Liver Disease, 2011