Search results for "ATC"
showing 10 items of 1982 documents
A genetic basis for IFN-gamma production and T-bet expression in humans.
2005
Abstract Th1 and Th2 cytokines secreted by polarized effector T cells play a pivotal role in the development of autoimmune and allergic diseases. However, the genetic basis of cytokine production by T lymphocytes in humans is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the genetic contribution to cytokine production and regulation of T cell-specific transcription factors in a prospective twin study. We found a substantial genetic contribution to the production of Th1 cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α with heritabilities of 0.85 (95% confidence intervals, 0.74–0.95) and 0.72 (0.50–0.93), respectively, whereas no genetic influence on production of the Th2 signature cytokine IL-4 was obs…
Towards a unified analysis of cerebellum maturation and aging across the entire lifespan: A MRI analysis
2021
[EN] Previous literature about the structural characterization of the human cerebellum is related to the context of a specific pathology or focused in a restricted age range. In fact, studies about the cerebellum maturation across the lifespan are scarce and most of them considered the cerebellum as a whole without investigating each lobule. This lack of study can be explained by the lack of both accurate segmentation methods and data availability. Fortunately, during the last years, several cerebellum segmenta- tion methods have been developed and many databases comprising subjects of dif- ferent ages have been made publically available. This fact opens an opportunity window to obtain a mo…
The development of involuntary and voluntary attention from childhood to adulthood: A combined behavioral and event-related potential study
2006
Abstract Objective This study investigated auditory involuntary and voluntary attention in children aged 6–8, 10–12 and young adults. The strength of distracting stimuli (20% and 5% pitch changes) and the amount of allocation of attention were varied. Methods In an auditory distraction paradigm event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral data were measured from subjects either performing a sound duration discrimination task or watching a silent video. Results Pitch changed sounds caused prolonged reaction times and decreased hit rates in all age groups. Larger distractors (20%) caused stronger distraction in children, but not in adults. The amplitudes of mismatch negativity (MMN), P3a, a…
Patch testing with components of water-based metalworking fluids
2003
Water-based metalworking fluids (MWFs) may cause both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. Several well-known MWF allergens are available for patch testing, but considering the wide variety of possible components used in MWF, our diagnostic arsenal covers only a small part of potential allergens. We therefore selected 13 frequently used MWF components that might be sensitizers and had not yet been tested routinely. In 5 centres, 233 dermatitis patients with present or past occupational exposure to MWF were patch tested with this and other panels. Only 7 patients showed positive reactions to the study panel. Allergic reactions to the emulsifier diglycolamine [syn. 2-(2-aminoethoxy) etha…
Temporal dynamics of hippocampal neurogenesis in chronic neurodegeneration.
2014
Increased neurogenesis has been reported in neurodegenerative disease, but its significance is unclear. In a mouse model of prion disease, Gomez-Nicola et al. detect increased neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus that partially counteracts neuronal loss. Targeting neurogenesis may have therapeutic potential.
Male facial attractiveness and masculinity may provide sex- and culture-independent cues to semen quality
2013
Phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis (PLFH) predicts that male secondary sexual traits reveal honest information about male fertilization ability. However, PLFH has rarely been studied in humans. The aim of the present study was to test PLFH in humans and to investigate whether potential ability to select fertile partners is independent of sex or cultural background. We found that on the contrary to the hypothesis, facial masculinity was negatively associated with semen quality. As increased levels of testosterone have been demonstrated to impair sperm production, this finding may indicate a trade-off between investments in secondary sexual signalling (i.e. facial masculinity) and fertilit…
Processing of auditory stimuli during tonic and phasic periods of REM sleep as revealed by event-related brain potentials
1996
The brain has been reported to be more preoccupied with dreams during phasic than during tonic REM sleep. Whether these periods also differ in terms of the processing of external stimuli was examined. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to a frequent standard tone of 1000 Hz (P = 97%) and infrequent deviant tones of 1100 and 2000 Hz (P = 1.5% for each) were recorded (n = 13) during wakefulness and nocturnal sleep. An ERP wave (called REM-P3) resembling a waking P3 wave was larger for the 2000 Hz deviant during tonic than during phasic REM sleep. Also the P210 wave was larger during tonic than during phasic REM sleep. A reliable mismatch negativity component appeared only in wakefulness. I…
Learning-induced neural plasticity of speech processing before birth
2013
Learning, the foundation of adaptive and intelligent behavior, is based on plastic changes in neural assemblies, reflected by the modulation of electric brain responses. In infancy, auditory learning implicates the formation and strengthening of neural long-term memory traces, improving discrimination skills, in particular those forming the prerequisites for speech perception and understanding. Although previous behavioral observations show that newborns react differentially to unfamiliar sounds vs. familiar sound material that they were exposed to as fetuses, the neural basis of fetal learning has not thus far been investigated. Here we demonstrate direct neural correlates of human fetal l…
Difficulties of Drivers With Dyslexia When Reading Traffic Signs: Analysis of Reading, Eye Gazes, and Driving Performance
2018
A group of adult individuals with dyslexia and a matched group of normally reading individuals participated in a driving simulation experiment. Participants were asked to read the word presented on every direction traffic sign encountered along a route, as far as possible from the sign, maintaining driving performance. Word frequency and word length were manipulated as within-subject factors. We analyzed (a) reading accuracy, (b) how far the sign was when the participant started to give the response, (c) where the participant looked during the time leading up to the response, and (d) the variability of the vehicle’s speed during that time and during driving on similar segments of the route…
PREVALENCE OF ANTIBODIES ANTI-BARTONELLA HENSELAEIN WESTERN SICILY: CHILDREN, BLOOD DONORS, AND CATS
2011
To evaluate seroprevalence of B. henselae infection both in Sicilian children and healthy blood donors. Furthermore, circulation of Bartonella in the natural reservoir was also studied. Two hundred forty-three children, living in Sicily (Palermo), affected by various diseases, without clinical features suggesting B. henselae infection, together with 122 healthy blood donors were serologically investigated for IgG and IgM antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). One hundred twenty stray and 62 pet cats were also analyzed only for IgG. Among children 25.1% had IgG antibodies to B. henselae; 18.5% showed a titer 1:64, 2.4% 1:128, 2.4% 1:256, 0.8% 1:512, 0.4% 1:1024, and 0.4% 1:…