Search results for "ALPHA"
showing 10 items of 3228 documents
Asthmatic Bronchial Epithelium Is More Susceptible to Oxidant-Induced Apoptosis
2002
Abnormal apoptotic mechanisms are associated with disease pathogenesis. Because the asthmatic bronchial epithelium is characteristically damaged with loss of columnar epithelial cells, we postulated that this is due to unscheduled apoptosis. Using an antibody directed toward the caspase cleavage product of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, immunohistochemistry applied to endobronchial biopsies showed higher levels of staining in the bronchial epithelium of subjects with asthma as compared with normal control subjects (% epithelial staining [median (range) = 10.5 (1.4-24.5) versus 0.4 (0.0-9.7)]; P < 0.001). Because we were unable to determine whether this difference was due to ongoing inflammati…
The Revised Asthma Problem Behavior Checklist: Adaptation for Use in Spanish Asthmatic Patients
1997
Behavioral problems associated with asthma management were examined in a group of 100 adult Spanish outpatients with asthma (57 women, 43 men; 17-69 years of age). All of them completed a Spanish version of the Revised Asthma Problem Behavior Checklist (RAPBC). Data about duration, severity, and self-management of asthma (self-efficacy expectancies and health care utilization), as well as dyspnea and FEV1, were also recorded. The highest-reliability Cronbach alpha indices were for the criteria related to emotions and behaviors that could precipitate asthma attacks. Concurrent criterion validity was examined first by Pearson correlations between the RAPBC scores and clinical data about asthm…
Psychometric Field Study of Hereditary Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adults:HAE-QoL
2016
Background: Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) may affect health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A specific HRQoL questionnaire for adult patients with C1-INH-HAE, the HAE-QoL, has recently been developed in Spain. Objective: The objective of this study was to perform a cross-cultural validation and psychometric study of the HAE-QoL in an international setting. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of the Spanish HAE-QoL draft version and an international rating phase with experts were performed. The resultant version of the HAE-QoL, a clinical questionnaire, and Short Form 36-item Health Survey Version 2.0 (SF-36v2) were pilot tested internationally. Item reduc…
Ankylosing spondylitis in monozygotic twins: studies on immunological parameters
1999
OBJECTIVE—To examine immunological parameters that might explain disease discordance in monozygotic twin pairs with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS—11 monozygotic twin pairs (nine with AS, two with undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy) were investigated. The peripheral T cell receptor Vβ repertoire was investigated using FACS analysis and 14 different Vβ antibodies. In addition serum samples were tested for antibodies to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli. Peripheral blood lymphocyte reactivity against a number of bacteria was investigated by interferon γ ELISPOT assays. RESULTS—Twins suffering from AS showed cellula…
Vasopressin receptors involved in adrenergic neurotransmission in the circular muscle of the human vas deferens
1998
We studied the effects of vasopressin on the adrenergic responses of in vitro preparations of circular muscle from the vas deferens obtained from 28 men undergoing elective vasectomy. Vasopressin (3 x 10(-9)-3 x 10(-8) M) enhanced the phasic contractions elicited by electrical field stimulation and noradrenaline. This potentiation was blocked by the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)vasopressin (10(-6) M) but not by the vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5, D-Ile2,Ile4,Arg8]vasopressin (10(-6) M). The Ca2+ antagonist nifedipine (10(-6) M) did not affect the potentiation of electrical field stimulation induced by vasopressin and noradrenaline but reduced KCl-induced con…
Repeated muscle biopsies through a single skin incision do not elicit muscle signaling, but IL-6 mRNA and STAT3 phosphorylation increase in injured m…
2011
To determine if muscle biopsies can be repeated using a single small (5–6 mm) skin incision without inducing immediate MAPK activation or inflammation in the noninjured areas, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38-MAPK, c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs), IκBα, IKKα, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was examined concurrent with IL-6 mRNA in six muscle biopsies obtained from the vastus lateralis of five men. Four biopsies were obtained through the same incision (5–6 mm) from the right leg (taken at 0, 30, 123, and 126 min) and another two each from new incisions performed in the left leg (at 31 and 120 min), while the subjects rested supine. The first three biopsie…
Autonomic markers associated with generalized social phobia symptoms: heart rate variability and salivary alpha-amylase.
2016
The study of autonomic nervous system changes associated with generalized social phobia (GSP) disorder has increased in recent years, showing contradictory results. The present study aimed to evaluate how young people with GSP reacted before, during, and after exposure to the Trier Stress Social Test (TSST), focusing on their autonomic changes (heart rate variability (HRV) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA)) compared to a control group (non-GSP). Some psychological variables were also considered. Sex was specifically studied as a possible modulator of autonomic fluctuations and psychological state. Eighty young people were randomly distributed into two counterbalanced situations: stress condi…
Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales in Men: Psychometric Properties of a Polish Adaptation.
2020
AbstractThe present study aimed to develop a Polish version of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scale (SIS/SES-PL) and explore its psychometric validity in a sample of 498 men aged between 18 and 55 years. We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to obtain the best model fit. Out of the 45 items in the original scale, 32 items with eight subscales and three higher-order factors: (sexual excitation [SES], sexual inhibition due to performance failure [SIS1], and sexual inhibition due to performance consequences [SIS2]) were included in the SIS/SES-PL. The SIS/SES-PL was found to have a good and satisfactory fit (comparative fit index = .87; Tucker–Lewis Index = .85; root me…
Assessment of the Relationship Between the Use of Birth Control Pill and the Characteristics of Mate Selection
2014
Abstract Introduction In recent research, scientists have begun to suspect that birth control pill use could interfere with key mechanisms that play a role when women choose a sexual partner. Many studies have shown that women, particularly during the most fertile days of their menstrual cycle, look for specific physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics indicative of genetic quality in a short‐term partner. Aims Analysis of the psychometric properties of the Partner's Masculinity Index (PMI) scale. The scale was built to assess the degree of masculinity in hypothetical short‐term partners. Methods A total of 395 female Italian volunteers from Central Italy (M = 32.9 years old,…
Cytokine Gene Transcription By NF-kappaB Family Members in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
1998
We examined the expression of the transcription factor NF-kappa B, a nuclear trans-acting factor known to play a key role in cytokine gene regulation, in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It was found that LP macrophages in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) display high levels of NF-kappa B DNA-binding activity accompanied by an increased production of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha. Western blot studies showed an increased expression of the p50 and c-rel subunits of NF-kappa B; however, the most striking finding was an increased expression level of NF-kappa B p65 in patients with CD and UC. Selective downregulation of p65 in IBD…