Search results for " test"
showing 10 items of 7948 documents
Homocysteine concentration in coronary artery disease: Influence of three common single nucleotide polymorphisms.
2017
Whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of homocysteine metabolism enzymes influence the rate of cardiovascular (CV) events in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients remains controversial.In this analysis, 1126 subjects from the AtheroGene study with CAD and 332 control subjects without known CAD were included. The following SNPs were investigated: methylentetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR-C667T), methionin synthetase (MS-D919G), and cystathionin beta synthetase (CBS-I278T). The endpoint was the combination of cardiovascular death, stroke, and non-fatal myocardial infarction (N = 286). The median follow-up time was 6.4 years. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed an increasing event rat…
Clinical Determinants of Thrombin Generation Measured in Presence and Absence of Platelets-Results from the Gutenberg Health Study.
2018
AbstractThe tendency of a plasma sample to generate thrombin, a central enzyme in blood coagulation, might be an important indicator of prothrombotic risk linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the presence of platelets may be a critical determinant. Clinical data, laboratory markers and thrombin generation (TG), investigated in both platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-free plasma (PFP) at 1 pM TF, were available in 407 individuals from the Gutenberg Health Study. Given the well-known effect of anticoagulants on TG, subjects taking anticoagulants (n = 15) have been excluded resulting in 392 subjects for further analysis. Lag time, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) and peak height…
Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of low burden Dirofilaria immitis (heartworm) in dogs and cats
2017
The performance of a rapid immunochromatographic test for the detection of Dirofilaria immitis antigens (Speed Diro™; BVT-Virbac, France) was assessed in 49 experimentally infected dogs and in 244 naturally infected animals; 142 dogs and 102 cats. In experimentally infected dogs, Speed Diro™ showed a sensitivity of 90.9% in dogs infected with one adult female worm and 100% in dogs infected with more than one female worm. Specificity was 100%. For naturally infected dogs, the Knott test and PetChek® HTWM PF served as reference methods for microfilaremia and antigenemia, respectively. All microfilaemic dogs (55/142) were positive with Speed Diro™. Importantly, none of the 21 dogs infected wit…
Impact of elosulfase alfa in patients with morquio A syndrome who have limited ambulation: An open-label, phase 2 study.
2017
Efficacy and safety of elosulfase alfa enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) were assessed in an open-label, phase 2, multi-national study in Morquio A patients aged ≥5 years unable to walk ≥30 meters in the 6-min walk test. Patients received elosulfase alfa 2.0 mg/kg/week intravenously for 48 weeks. Efficacy measures were functional dexterity, pinch/grip strength, mobility in a modified timed 25-foot walk, pain, quality of life, respiratory function, and urine keratan sulfate (KS). Safety/tolerability was also assessed. Fifteen patients received elosulfase alfa, three patients discontinued ERT due to adverse events (two were grade 3 drug-related adverse events, the other was not drug-related), …
Neuroprotective potential of antihyperglycemic drug metformin in streptozocin-induced rat model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
2020
Abstract The earliest hallmarks of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (sAD) are impaired glucose metabolism, chronic neuroinflammation, diminished synaptic plasticity and subsequent cognitive decline. The safest antidiabetic drug metformin has shown both glucose metabolism-improving and cognition-enhancing action in type 2 diabetes patients and diabetic model animals. However, metformin has not been previously studied in intracerebroventricular streptozocin (STZ)-induced model of sAD. Therefore, our aim was to assess the preventive action of metformin in sAD model-rats. Firstly, the actions of metformin (75 and 100 mg/kg) on cognitive functions and sociability were examined. Secondly, we wanted t…
Evaluation of HIV transmission clusters among natives and foreigners living in Italy
2020
We aimed at evaluating the characteristics of HIV-1 molecular transmission clusters (MTCs) among natives and migrants living in Italy, diagnosed between 1998 and 2018. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on HIV-1 polymerase (pol) sequences to characterise subtypes and identify MTCs, divided into small (SMTCs, 2&ndash
Anxiolytic effects of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors agonist oxotremorine in chronically stressed rats and related changes in BDNF and FGF2 level…
2017
Rationale: In depressive disorders, one of the mechanisms proposed for antidepressant drugs is the enhancement of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Previously, we showed that the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonist oxotremorine (Oxo) increases neuronal plasticity in hippocampal neurons via FGFR1 transactivation. Objectives: Here, we aimed to explore (a) whether Oxo exerts anxiolytic effect in the rat model of anxiety-depression-like behavior induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS), and (b) if the anxiolytic effect of Oxo is associated with the modulation of neurotrophic factors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and fibroblast growth factor-2…
Altered Semmes–Weinstein monofilament test results are associated with oxidative stress markers in type 2 diabetic subjects
2017
Abstract Background Different lines of evidence suggest that oxidative stress (OS) is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. The Semmes–Weinstein monofilament (SWM) test is an efficient tool for evaluating diabetic polyneuropathy and diabetic foot. In this study, we analyzed the association between OS markers and altered SWM test results in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. Methods Seventy T2DM patients were studied and 34 showed altered SWM results. The clinical and biochemical parameters were determined using standardized methods. Levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in circulating mononuclear cells using high-performance liquid chro…
The Gut Microbial Metabolite Trimethylamine-N-Oxide Is Present in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid
2017
Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a small organic molecule, derived from the intestinal and hepatic metabolism of dietary choline and carnitine. Although the involvement of TMAO in the framework of many chronic diseases has been recently described, no evidence on its putative role in the central nervous system has been provided. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether TMAO is present at detectable levels in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF was collected for diagnostic purposes from 58 subjects by lumbar puncture and TMAO was quantified by using liquid chromatography coupled with multiple-reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. The molecule was detected in all samples, at concentrati…
The predictive power of transcranial sonography in movement disorders: a longitudinal cohort study.
2018
Transcranial sonography (TCS) is a noninvasive, easily performed, and commonly available neuroimaging technique useful for the study of brain parenchyma in movement disorders. This tool has been increasingly used in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonism. The aim of the study was to evaluate the applicability of this technique as supportive tool in the early diagnosis of movement disorders. We performed TCS on 315 individuals which were diagnosed as healthy controls or affected by idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, monogenetic subtypes of Parkinson’s disease, atypical parkinsonism, and Dementia with Lewy bodies. Five TCS diagnostic patterns were defined on the basis of …