0000000000643805
AUTHOR
G. Barba
A NEW PCR-BASED TYPING OF THE RODGERS AND CHIDO ANTIGENIC DETERMINANTS OF THE FOURTH COMPONENT OF HUMAN COMPLEMEMT
The Rodgers (Rg) and Chido (Ch) blood groups are antigenic determinants of the fourth component of human complement C4. They are associated with the two isotypes of C4, C4A and C4B, respectively. They serve as markers to distinguish C4A from C4B as well as for the definition of subtypes of common and rare allotypes. As an alternative to the serological typing method using human alloantisera, a PCR typing procedure with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) was designed. The method was tested on selected DNA samples from individuals with well-defined C4 allotypes. No false-positive or false-negative typing results were obtained and all the determinant combinations could be distinguished. The P…
How radical prostatectomy procedures have changed over the last 10 years in Italy: a comparative analysis based on more than 1500 patients participating in the MIRROR-SIU/LUNA and the Pros-IT CNR study
Purpose Therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer (PCa) have been evolving dramatically worldwide. The current article reports on the evolution of surgical management strategies for PCa in Italy. Methods The data from two independent Italian multicenter projects, the MIRROR-SIU/LUNA (started in 2007, holding data of 890 patients) and the Pros-IT-CNR project (started in 2014, with data of 692 patients), were compared. Differences in patients' characteristics were evaluated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify characteristics associated with robot-assisted (RA) procedure, nerve sparing (NS) approach, and lymph node dissection (LND). Results The two cohorts did not …
Familial cases of boutonneuse fever
Pairs of cases of Boutonneuse Fever (BF) occurred in three families. The illness appeared almost simultaneously in both members of each family, but was generally more serious in one as judged by clinical and laboratory parameters. The possibility of a "bed rickettsiosis", that is reactivation of rickettsiae by the blood meal obtained from the first individual by the same tick which fed upon the second individual, could be excluded in two of the three pairs of cases. In only one of the case pairs were the individuals sharing the same bed. The differences in severity of symptoms may be related to the different immunological pattern observed in these patients. Previous rickettsial infection ma…
Genetic basis of human complement C4A deficiency. Detection of a point mutation leading to nonexpression.
Abstract The fourth component of the human complement system (C4) is coded for by two genes, C4A and C4B, located within the MHC. Null alleles of C4 (C4Q0) are defined by the absence of C4 protein in plasma. These null alleles are due either to large gene deletions or to nonexpression of the respective genes. In a previous study, evidence was obtained for nonexpressed defective genes at the C4A locus, and for gene conversion at the C4B locus. To further characterize the molecular basis of these non-expressed C4A genes, we selected nine pairs of PCR primers from flanking genomic intron sequences to amplify all 41 exons from individuals with a defective C4A gene. The amplified products were s…