Search results for "Adrenal"
showing 10 items of 416 documents
Integrated and diurnal indices of maternal pregnancy cortisol in relation to sex-specific parasympathetic responsivity to stress in infants.
2020
Maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity may prenatally program sex-specific stress response pathways. We investigated associations between maternal cortisol during pregnancy and infant parasympathetic responsivity to stress among 204 mother-infant pairs. Cortisol indices included 3(rd) trimester hair cortisol, as well as diurnal slope and area under the curve, derived from saliva samples collected during pregnancy. Mother-infant dyads participated in the Repeated Still-Face Paradigm (SFP-R) at age 6 months. We calculated respiration-adjusted respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA(c)), an indicator of parasympathetic activation, from infant respiration and cardiac activity mea…
Assessing biomarkers in a real-world severe asthma study (ARIETTA)
2016
AbstractThe prognostic value of asthma biomarkers in routine clinical practice is not fully understood. ARIETTA (NCT02537691) is an ongoing, prospective, longitudinal, international, multicentre real-world study designed to assess the relationship between asthma biomarkers and disease-related health outcomes. The trial aims to enrol and follow for 52 weeks approximately 1200 severe asthma patients from approximately 160 sites in more than 20 countries. Severe asthmatics, treated with daily inhaled corticosteroid (≥500 μg of fluticasone propionate or equivalent) and at least 1 second controller medication are to be included. In this real-world study, patients will be treated according to the…
Factors reducing omalizumab response in severe asthma
2018
Background: Despite adding Omalizumab to conventional therapy, several severe asthmatics still show poor disease control. We investigated the factors that may affect a reduced Omalizumab response in a large population of severe asthmatics. Methods: 340 patients were retrospectively evaluated. FEV1%, FVC%, Asthma Control Test (ACT), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO), possible step-downs/step-ups of concomitant therapies, exacerbations, disease control levels, ICS doses and SABA use, observed at the end of treatment, were considered as a response to Omalizumab. Results: Age was an independent risk factor for a reduced response concerning FEV1%, FVC%, ACT and for a lower asthma control. O…
Effects of omalizumab in severe asthmatics across ages: A real life Italian experience
2016
Background This retrospective study aimed at evaluating long-term effects of Omalizumab in elderly asthmatics in a real-life setting. Methods 105 consecutive severe asthmatics (GINA step 4–5; mean FEV1% predicted:66 ± 15.7) treated with Omalizumab for at least 1 year (treatment mean duration 35.1 ± 21.7 months) were divided into 3 groups according to their age at Omalizumab treatment onset: 18–39, 40–64 and ≥ 65 years. Results Comorbidities, number of overweight/obese subjects and patients with late-onset asthma were more frequent among older people. A similar reduction of inhaled corticosteroids dosage and SABA on-demand therapy was observed in all groups during Omalizumab treatment; a sim…
Role of calcineurin in Ca2+-induced release of catecholamines and neuropeptides
1998
Neurotransmission requires rapid docking, fusion, and recycling of neurotransmitter vesicles. Several of the proteins involved in this complex Ca2+-regulated mechanism have been identified as substrates for protein kinases and phosphatases, e.g., the synapsins, synaptotagmin, rabphilin3A, synaptobrevin, munc18, MARCKS, dynamin I, and B-50/GAP-43. So far most attention has focused on the role of kinases in the release processes, but recent evidence indicates that phosphatases may be as important. Therefore, we investigated the role of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin in exocytosis and subsequent vesicle recycling. Calcineurin-neutralizing antibodies, which blocke…
The influence of personality on the effect of iTBS after being stressed on cortisol secretion
2019
Over the last years, individualization of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) parameters has been a focus of attention in the field of non-invasive stimulation. It has been proposed that in stress-related disorders personality characteristics may influence the clinical outcome of rTMS. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms as to how personality may affect the rTMS response to stress remains to be clarified. In this sham-controlled crossover study, after being stressed by the Trier Social Stress Test, 38 healthy females received two sessions of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. To take possible personali…
Hospital Care of Older Patients With COPD: Adherence to International Guidelines for Use of Inhaled Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids
2019
Abstract Objectives We aimed to analyze the prevalence and impact of COPD in older patients hospitalized in internal medicine or geriatric wards, and to investigate adherence to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines, associated clinical factors, and outcomes. Design Data were obtained from REgistro POliterapie SIMI (REPOSI), a prospective multicenter observational registry that enrolls inpatients aged ≥65 years. Setting and Participants Older hospitalized patients enrolled from 2008 to 2016 with a diagnosis of COPD. Measures We evaluated adherence to the 2018 GOLD guidelines at admission and discharge, by examining the prescription of inhaled bronchodi…
Biosynthesis and transformation of 20α 21-dihydroxycholesterol by rat adrenal preparations
1979
Abstract The biosynthesis of [ 3 H]-20α, 21 dihydroxycholestderol from [ 3 H]-20α-hydroxycholesterol and its transformation to [ 3 H]-21-hydroxypregnenolone by rat adrenal preparations has been demonstrated. 20α-Hydroxycholesterol was transformed to 20α, 21-dihydroxycholesterol by microsomal preparations in the presence of NADPH and 20α-21-dihydroxycholesterol was metabolized to 21-hydroxypregnenolone by mitochondrial preparations in the presence of a NADPH-generating-system. Comparison of the Michaelis-Menten-Kinetics of the steps “20α, 21-dihydroxycholesterol → 21-hydroxycholesterol” and “20α-hydroxycholesterol → pregnenolone” revealed that both compounds behaved as analogue substrates of…
Malignant and Unclear Histological Findings in Incidentalomas
2007
<i>Background:</i> The management of incidentalomas with tumor size 3 cm and larger is still under controversial discussion. <i>Study Design:</i> Clinical charts of 65 patients who underwent adrenalectomy for an incidentaloma were reviewed. <i>Results:</i> Sixty-five patients were operated. There were 28 men and 37 women with a median age of 56.9 years. Median size of all resected lesions was 4.1 cm. Indications for surgery were tumor size equal and larger than 3 cm, recurrent pain, hormone status and patients’ fear of malignancy. In 45 patients, the adenomas did not meet the defined criteria of malignancy. There were 9 cases of adrenal hyperplasia, and t…
Bone status assessed by quantitative ultrasound in children with inflammatory bowel disease: a comparison with DXA
2016
Background: To determine the bone status in children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurement at hand phalanges and compare the obtained results with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Methods: Fifty-one children with IBD underwent DXA and QUS measurements at hand phalanges in the year 2013. The control group for the QUS consisted of 460 children. Reference data for DXA comes from Hologic Explorer. Results: QUS measurements did not differ significantly between IBD patients and healthy controls. There was no difference between UC and CD subjects. DXA measurements in patients with IBD were lower than in the healthy population. Tanner stage an…