Search results for "ALP"
showing 10 items of 4575 documents
P-1294 - Utility of the world health organization disability assessment schedule II in schizophrenia
2012
Aim The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS II) was developed for assessing disability. This study provides data on the validity and utility of the Spanish version of the WHODAS II in a large sample of patients with schizophrenia. Methods The sample included 352 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. They completed a comprehensive assessment battery including measures of psychopathology, functionality and quality-of-life. A sub-sample of 36 patients was retested after six months to assess its temporal stability. Results Participation in society (6.3%) and Life activities (4.0%) were the domains with the highest percentage of missing data. The intern…
Construct validity and reliability of Finnish version of Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire
2016
Abstract Introduction Chronic pain causes suffering for affected individuals and incurs costs to society through work disability. Interventions based on early screening of psychological risk factors for chronic pain using screening tools such as the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (ÖMPSQ) have been found to reduce work absenteeism and health care visits and increase perceived health. The aim of the current study was to translate the ÖMPSQ into Finnish and test its validity and reliability in a patient sample. Methods The ÖMPSQ was forward–backward translated and cross-culturally adapted, and applied to our study population (n = 69), the members of which had been referred…
Estrogenic Modulation of Longevity by Induction of Antioxidant Enzymes
2010
In many species including humans, females live longer than males. We and others have observed that mitochondria from females of Wistar rats and of OF1 mice produce half the amount of peroxide produced by males. We attributed this to a change in the expression of antioxidant, longevity-related genes. We have found that in those species in which females live longer than males, estrogens activate longevity-related genes, particularly antioxidant ones. It should be emphasized that estrogens do not act as antioxidants because of their phenolic ring but rather they act indirectly; that is, they behave as hormones and bind to estrogen receptors, which eventually leads to the upregulation of the ex…
Sequential release of TNFα and phospholipase A2 in a rat model of LPS-induced pleurisy
1997
The levels of extracellular phospholipase A2(sPLA2) and TNFα, and cell accumulation were measured in the pleural washings obtained at different times following the induction ofEscherichia colilipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 μg/cavity) pleurisy in rats. TNFα peaked at 2 hours (3036 ± 160.3 units/ml) and decreased thereafter. Conversely, levels of sPLA2peaked at 48 hours (1.97 ± 0.64 ng/ml) and were increased further (14.02 ± 4.16 ng/ml) by pretreatment with anti-TNFα antibody. Cell accumulation was not affected by antibody pretreatment. These data indicate that the sPLA2enzyme is involved in LPS-induced pleurisy. The enzyme seems not to be stimulated by TNFα which may be involved in the downreg…
Neuroendocrine Regulation Of The IL-27-Dependent Immune Response In Macrophages
2013
Abstract The central nervous system has the ability for modulating immune responses, but the molecular mechanisms of such interactions are only partly understood. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a heterodimeric protein and structurally related to the IL-12 family of cytokines. IL-27 is composed of the subunits EBI3 and p28. The biological functions of IL-27 have been described as either anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory depending on the experimental models studied. In the current study, we investigated how production of Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is regulated by neuroendocrine hormones. We focused our work on the subunit p28, since EBI3 is also present in IL-35 and therefore is not a specific com…
Intraperitoneal injection of tetracyclines protects mice from lethal endotoxemia downregulating inducible nitric oxide synthase in various organs and…
1997
We have tested whether tetracyclines (TETs) are able to protect mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced shock, a cytokine-mediated inflammatory reaction. Mice, injected with a single dose of tetracycline base (TETb; 1.5, 10 and 20 mg/kg of body weight) or doxycycline (DOXY; 1.5 mg/kg), were significantly protected from a lethal intraperitoneal injection of LPS (500 micrograms per mouse). TETs acted in early events triggered in response to LSP; in fact, they were no longer significantly protective if injected more than 1 h after the injection of endotoxin. LPS-treated mice protected by TETs showed a significant inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 alpha (IL…
Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and vascular risk: rationale and evidence for correcting the lipid imbalance.
2004
Type 2 diabetes is an important cardiovascular risk factor. A significant component of the risk associated with type 2 diabetes is thought to be because of its characteristic lipid "triad" profile of raised small dense low-density lipoprotein levels, lowered high-density lipoprotein, and elevated triglycerides (TGs). Trials of statins and fibrates have included substantial numbers of patients with diabetes and indicate that lipid lowering reduces cardiovascular event rates in these patients. However, statins alone do not always address all the lipid abnormalities of diabetes. Fibrates, which have low affinity for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), improve most asp…
Pharmacological Characterization of Loss of Function Mutations of the Human Melanocortin 1 Receptor That Are Associated with Red Hair
2004
Variation in skin color is the major host risk factor for melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. Individuals with red hair show an increased ratio of phaeomelanin to eumelanin in both hair and skin. This ratio is regulated by the melanocortin (MC) 1 receptor. There are several common point mutations in the human MC1 receptor that are overrepresented in North European red-heads, and in individuals with pale skin. In order to determine the functional significance of these mutations, we expressed the Asp84Glu, Val92Met, Arg163Gln, and Asp294His variants of the human MC1 receptors in eukaryotic cells and determined their ability to bind alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) peptides and …
PGC-1α: a master gene that is hard to master
2012
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) is a transcriptional coactivator that favorably affects mitochondrial function. This concept is supported by an increasing amount of data including studies in PGC-1α gene-deleted mice, suggesting that PGC-1α is a rescue factor capable of boosting cell metabolism and promoting cell survival. However, this view has now been called into question by a recent study showing that adeno-associated virus-mediated PGC-1α overexpression causes overt cell degeneration in dopaminergic neurons. How is this to be understood, and can these seemingly conflicting findings tell us something about the role of PGC-1α in cell stress and in cont…
New approaches in the treatment of Adamantiades-Behçet's disease.
2005
Purpose of review To update clinicians on the recent advances in the treatment of Adamantiades-Behcet's disease. Recent findings Interferon-α-2a and infliximab have proved able to induce prompt remission in the vast majority of Adamantiades-Behcet's patients with DMARD-resistant uveoretinitis. Efficacy of interferon-α-2a has also been reported for mucocutaneous lesions, arthritis, and (more anecdotally) for neuro-Behcet, while results from small case series suggest that infliximab is beneficial for mucocutaneous lesions and (more anecdotally) for arthritis and gastro-intestinal manifestations. Two cases of neuro-Behcet treated with infliximab showed a complete resolution. Finally, in a rand…