Search results for "BIOLOGICAL"
showing 10 items of 12574 documents
IL-1β-converting enzyme (caspase-1) in intestinal inflammation
2001
IL-1β-converting enzyme (ICE; caspase-1) is the intracellular protease that cleaves the precursors of IL-1β and IL-18 into active cytokines. In the present study, the effect of ICE deficiency was evaluated during experimental colitis in mice. In acute dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis, ICE-deficient (ICE KO) mice exhibited a greater than 50% decrease of the clinical scores weight loss, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and colon length, whereas daily treatment with IL-1 receptor antagonist revealed a modest reduction in colitis severity. To further characterize the function of ICE and its role in intestinal inflammation, chronic colitis was induced over a 30-day time period. During this chron…
Constitutive androstane receptor activation stimulates faecal bile acid excretion and reverse cholesterol transport in mice.
2010
The constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) is a nuclear receptor expressed in the liver and involved in xenobiotic metabolism. The aim of this study was to assess whether pharmacological CAR activation could affect neutral sterol and bile acid elimination under conditions of cholesterol overload.Wild type, Car-/-, ApoE-/-, and low-density lipoprotein receptor (Ldlr)-/- mice fed a western-type diet were treated with the CAR agonist TCPOBOP.CAR activation was associated with a decrease in faecal cholesterol output related to the repression of the Abcg5/g8 cholesterol transporters. In contrast, TCPOBOP treatment induced a marked increase (up to three fold, p0.01) in the elimination of faecal b…
Early improvement as a resilience signal predicting later remission to antidepressant treatment in patients with Major Depressive Disorder: Systemati…
2017
Early improvement of depressive symptoms during the first two weeks of antidepressant treatment has been discussed to be a resilience signal predicting a later positive treatment outcome in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, the predictive value of early improvement varies between studies, and the use of different antidepressants may explain heterogeneous results. The objective of this review was to assess the predictive value of early improvement on later response and remission and to identify antidepressants with the highest chance of early improvement. We included 17 randomized controlled trials investigating early improvement in 14,779 adult patients with MDD compar…
Hyperinsulinemia, hyperproinsulinemia and insulin resistance in the metabolic syndrome.
1996
For better comprehension of the metabolic syndrome, it is necessary to differentiate the effect of insulin on glucose metabolism on the one hand, and on other metabolic activities on the other hand. Whereas glucose utilization is affected by insulin resistance, the effect of insulin on lipid metabolism, ion and aminoacid transport does not seem to be diminished. Lipid metabolism, however, seems to play a crucial role in the induction of the vicious cycle. Increased energy and fat ingestion may be due to an increased number of galanin secreting cells in the hypothalamus. The excessive fat intake results in an increased rate of release of insulin and increased influx of triglycerides into the…
Theoretical approach and clinical application of kinetic modelling in dialysis.
1991
Using kinetic modelling for shaping profile dialysis, we present a promising approach to improve the cardiovascular stability of patients during dialysis treatment. In order to obtain an insight into the physiological mechanisms of increased stability, a model considering alterations of electrolytes and water distribution and of acid-base status was developed. This algorithm was used for the evaluation of 114 dialysis sessions, which were performed with highly individualised profiles. Each profile was developed for one patient by trying empirically to prevent episodes of hypotension as well as other clinical problems throughout dialysis. The main advantage of profile dialysis compared to st…
Combined Behavioral and Mismatch Negativity Evidence for the Effects of Long-Lasting High-Definition tDCS in Disorders of Consciousness: A Pilot Study
2020
Objective: To evaluate the effects of long-term High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over precuneus on the level of consciousness (LOC) and the relationship between Mismatch negativity (MMN) and the LOC over the therapy period in patients with Disorders of consciousness (DOCs). Methods: We employed a with-in group repeated measures design with an anode HD-tDCS protocol (2 mA, 20 min, the precuneus) on 11 (2 vegetative state and nine minimally conscious state) patients with DOCs. MMN and Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores were measured at four time points: before the treatment of HD-tDCS (T0), after a single session of HD-tDCS (T1), after the treatment of…
Can transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) improve impulsivity in healthy and psychiatric adult populations? A systematic review.
2020
Impulsivity is a multidimensional phenomenon that remains hard to define. It compounds the core pathological construct of many neuropsychiatric illnesses, and despite its close relation to suicide risk, it currently has no specific treatment. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique whose application results in cognitive function improvement, both in healthy and psychiatric populations. Following PRISMA recommendations, a systematic review of the literature concerning tDCS's effects on impulsive behaviour was performed using the PubMed database. The research was based on the combination of the keyword 'tDCS' with 'impulsivity', 'response i…
Immediate Effects of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Postural Stability Using Computerized Dynamic Posturography in People With Chr…
2020
Postural stability is commonly decreased in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis due to multisystemic deficits. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method to modulate cortical excitability, inducing neuroplastic changes to the targeted cortical areas and has been suggested to potentially improve motor functions in individuals with neurological impairments. The purpose of this double-blinded, sham-controlled study was to examine the acute effects of anodal tDCS over the lesioned motor cortex leg area with concurrent limits of stability training on postural control in individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Ten individuals with chronic post-s…
Short-interval intracortical inhibition is not affected by varying visual feedback in an isometric task in biceps brachii muscle
2013
Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) of the primary motor cortex (M1) appears to play a significant role in skill acquisition. Consequently, it is of interest to find out which factors cause modulation of SICI. Purpose: To establish if visual feedback and force requirements influence SICI. Methods: SICI was assessed from 10 healthy adults (5 males and 5 females aged between 21 and 35 years) in three submaximal isometric elbow flexion torque levels (5%, 20% and 40% of maximal voluntary contraction [MVC]) and with two tasks differing in terms of visual feedback. Single-pulse and paired-pulse motor evoked potentials (MEPs), supramaximal M-wave and background surface electromyogram (s…
Gray Matter Changes in Adolescents Participating in a Meditation Training
2020
Meditation has shown to benefit a wide range of conditions and symptoms, but the neural mechanisms underlying the practice remain unclear. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have investigated the structural brain changes due to the practice by examining volume, density, or cortical thickness changes. However, these studies have focused on adults; meditation’s structural effects on the adolescent brain remain understudied. In this study, we investigated how meditation training affects the structure of the adolescent brain by scanning a group of 38 adolescents (16.48 ± 1.29 years) before and after participating in a 12-week meditation training. Subjects underwent Training for Awareness,…