Search results for " Basic"

Human somatic cells subjected to genetic induction with six germ line-related factors display meiotic germ cell-like features

2016

AbstractThe in vitro derivation of human germ cells has attracted interest in the last years, but their direct conversion from human somatic cells has not yet been reported. Here we tested the ability of human male somatic cells to directly convert into a meiotic germ cell-like phenotype by inducing them with a combination of selected key germ cell developmental factors. We started with a pool of 12 candidates that were reduced to 6, demonstrating that ectopic expression of the germ line-related genes PRDM1, PRDM14, LIN28A, DAZL, VASA and SYCP3 induced direct conversion of somatic cells (hFSK (46, XY) and hMSC (46, XY)) into a germ cell-like phenotype in vitro. Induced germ cell-like cells …

Vitamin D Receptor Activation Reduces Angiotensin-II–Induced Dissecting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Apolipoprotein E–Knockout Mice

2015

Objective— Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the aortic wall. Low concentrations of vitamin D 3 are associated with AAA development; however, the potential direct effect of vitamin D 3 on AAA remains unknown. This study evaluates the effect of oral treatment with the vitamin D 3 receptor (VDR) ligand, calcitriol, on dissecting AAA induced by angiotensin-II (Ang-II) infusion in apoE −/− mice. Approach and Results— Oral treatment with calcitriol reduced Ang-II–induced dissecting AAA formation in apoE −/− mice, which was unrelated to systolic blood pressure or plasma cholesterol concentrations. Immunohistochemistry and reverse-tran…

Complement Activation in Peritoneal Dialysis–Induced Arteriolopathy

2017

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of increased mortality in patients with CKD and is further aggravated by peritoneal dialysis (PD). Children are devoid of preexisting CVD and provide unique insight into specific uremia- and PD-induced pathomechanisms of CVD. We obtained peritoneal specimens from children with stage 5 CKD at time of PD catheter insertion (CKD5 group), children with established PD (PD group), and age-matched nonuremic controls (n=6/group). We microdissected omental arterioles from tissue layers not directly exposed to PD fluid and used adjacent sections of four arterioles per patient for transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. Findings were validated in omenta…

How Have Intravitreal Anti-VEGF and Dexamethasone Implant Been Used in Italy? A Multiregional, Population-Based Study in the Years 2010–2016

2020

Purpose. To describe intravitreal anti-VEGF drug and dexamethasone use in four Italian regions. Methods. Four regional claims databases were used to measure drug prevalence, compare dosing intervals to those recommended in the summary of product characteristics (SPC), and identify switchers. Bilateral treatment and diabetic macular edema (DME) coding algorithms were validated, linking claims with a sample of prospectively collected ophthalmological data. Results. Overall, 41,836 patients received ≥1 study drug in 2010–2016 (4.8 per 10,000 persons). In 2016, anti-VEGF drug use ranged from 0.8 (Basilicata) to 5.7 (Lombardy) per 10,000 persons while intravitreal dexamethasone use ranged from 0…

De-novo Williams–Beuren and inherited Marfan syndromes in a patient with developmental delay and lens dislocation

2017

Utility of lateral flow tests in SARS-CoV-2 infection monitorization

2020

Introduction. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial for medical and public health reasons, to allow the best treatment of cases and the best control of the pandemic. Serology testing allows for the detection of asymptomatic infections and 19-COVID cases once the virus has been cleared. We analyzed the usefulness of the SARS-CoV-2 rapid test of Autobio and tried to correlate its pattern with the severity of COVID19 infection. Material and methods. We analyzed the accuracy and clinical usefulness of a point-of-care IgM and/or IgG test for SARS-CoV-2 in 35 COVID-19 patients [12 (34.3%) mild-moderate and 23 (65.7%) severe-critical] admitted to a field hospital in Madrid, as well as i…

Sirolimus exposure and the occurrence of cytomegalovirus DNAemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

2018

Sirolimus appears to protect against cytomegalovirus (CMV) in organ transplant recipients. The effect of this drug in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients remains unexplored. By means of multivariate continuous-time Markov model analyses, we identified 3 independent covariates that significantly impacted the risk of CMV DNAemia: recipient/donor CMV serostatus, tacrolimus exposure, and sirolimus exposure. CMV-seropositive recipients with CMV-seronegative donors had a significantly higher probability of having detectable CMV DNAemia. Increasing the tacrolimus trough concentration from 0 to 16 ng/mL increased the probability of patients having detectable CMV DNAemia by…

Influence of diet in urinary levels of metals in a biomonitoring study of a child population of the Valencian region (Spain)

2018

[EN] Pollution by trace elements and its possible effect on organisms has become a worldwide concern due to the increasing presence of trace elements in the environment and especially in the food chain. Exposure to chemicals has traditionally been measured using environmental samples, however, human biomonitoring brings a different perspective, in which all sources and exposure pathways are integrated. The objective of this paper is to discern the possible relationship between children's diet and the metals found in children urine. With this aim in mind, a total of 120 voluntaries participated in a diet survey carried out in a school-aged population (age 6-11) from the Valencian region. In …

Eliminating Factor H-Binding Activity of Borrelia burgdorferi CspZ Combined with Virus-Like Particle Conjugation Enhances Its Efficacy as a Lyme Dise…

2018

The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the U.S and Europe. No potent human vaccine is currently available. The innate immune complement system is vital to host defense against pathogens, as complement activation on the surface of spirochetes results in bacterial killing. Complement system is inhibited by the complement regulator factor H. To escape killing, B. burgdorferi produces an outer surface protein CspZ that binds factor H to inhibit complement activation on the cell surface. Immunization with CspZ alone does not protect mice from infection, which we speculate is because factor H-binding cloaks potentially pro…

Outcomes After Vascular Surgery Procedures in Patients with COVID-19 Infection: A National Multicenter Cohort Study (COVID-VAS)

2021

Objectives To analyze the outcome of vascular procedures performed in patients with COVID-19 infection during the 2020 pandemic. Methods This is a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study. We analyzed data from 75 patients with COVID-19 infection undergoing vascular surgery procedures in 17 hospitals across Spain and Andorra between March and May 2020. The primary end point was 30-day mortality. Clinical Trials registry number NCT04333693. Results The mean age was 70.9 (45–94) and 58 (77.0%) patients were male. Around 70.7% had postoperative complications, 36.0% of patients experienced respiratory failure, 22.7% acute renal failure, and 22.7% acute respiratory distress syndrome (…