Search results for "Biochemistry"

Monoclonal Gammopathy of Ocular Significance (MGOS) - a Series of Corneal Manifestations and Treatment Outcomes

2021

Abstract Introduction Monoclonal gammopathy of ocular significance (MGOS) is a rare subset of monoclonal gammopathy of clinical significance (MGCS) occurring secondary to plasma cell dyscrasia resulting in ocular manifestations. Given the rarity of these conditions, optimal management strategies are not defined; the approach is dependent upon the underlying cause of the monoclonal gammopathy and whether or not the patient's vision is affected. We report our review of 23 cases with MGOS, more specifically on paraproteinemic keratopathy (PPK) the most common form, to obtain a better understanding of the patient characteristics, diagnosis and treatments. Methods We report an international retr…

2018

Beyond the classical paradigm that presents the Anticipatory Postural Adjustments (APAs) as a manner to create forces that counteract disturbances arising from the moving segment during a pointing task, there is a controversial discussion about the role APAs to facilitate the movement and perform a task accurately. In addition, arm kinematics features are classically used to infer the content of motor planning for the execution and the control of arm movements. The present study aimed to disentangle the conflicting role of APAs during an arm-pointing task in which the subjects reach a central diode that suddenly turns on, while their postural stability was manipulated. Three postures were a…

29 Clinical benefit of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II, Hunter syndrome)

2007

Effects of a Rehabilitation Program on Perceived Environmental Barriers in Older Patients Recovering from Hip Fracture: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2013

Objectives. To study effects of a one-year multicomponent intervention on perceived environmental barriers in hip fracture patients.Design. Randomized controlled trial of a 12-month home-based rehabilitation aiming to improve mobility and function (ISRCTN53680197); secondary analyses.Subjects. Community-dwelling hip fracture patients on average 70 days after trauma (n=81).Methods. Assessments at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months later included perceived entrance-related barriers (e.g., indoor/outdoor stairs, lighting, floor surfaces, and storage for mobility devices) and perceived barriers in the outdoor environment (poor street condition, hilly terrain, long-distances, and lack of resting plac…

Two-dimensional analysis of tear protein patterns of diabetic patients

2001

In diabetic patients, dry eye and other ocular surface diseases occur more often than in healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to analyze the tear protein patterns of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type II (dia) and to compare them to the patterns of healthy volunteers (ctrl). Tear proteins of nonstimulated tears of 20 patients (ctrl n=10, dia n=10) were separated using two-dimensional electrophoretic techniques. The protein patterns of each group were analyzed by a multivariate analysis of discriminance. Furthermore, for all spots of each gel, a 50 x 50 variables pH/Mr (molecular weight) array was generated and subsequently analyzed by a multivariate analysis of discrimina…

2015

Several point mutations have been identified in human aquaporins, but their effects on the function of the respective aquaporins are mostly enigmatic. We analyzed the impact of the aquaporin 2 mutation V71M, which causes nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in humans, on aquaporin structure and activity, using the bacterial aquaglyceroporin GlpF as a model. Importantly, the sequence and structure around the V71M mutation is highly conserved between aquaporin 2 and GlpF. The V71M mutation neither impairs substrate flux nor oligomerization of the aquaglyceroporin. Therefore, the human aquaporin 2 mutant V71M is most likely active, but cellular trafficking is probably impaired.

3D virtual histopathology of cardiac tissue from Covid-19 patients based on phase-contrast X-ray tomography

2021

eLife 10, e71359 (2021). doi:10.7554/eLife.71359

Monitoring and use of antimycotic (micafungin) for systemic use provided by the pharmacy of Marsala Hospital, Italy

2016

Micafungin is an antimycotic drug and represents an important addition to the available therapies for the treatment of systemic fungal infections. Micafungin is used: in the treatment of invasive candidiasis, oesophageal and prophylaxis of <em>Candida</em> infections. It inhibits, in a non-competitive way, the synthesis of 1,3-β-D-glucan, a component of fungal cell wall and is rapidly distributed into the tissues. It has a high-rate respectful bond with plasma protein, which is independent from the concentration of the drug. It is metabolized through the liver, being not subject to intense metabolic transformations until the excretion. There is no evidence of systemic accumulati…

Comparative cytoprotective effects of carbocysteine and fluticasone propionate in cigarette smoke extract-stimulated bronchial epithelial cells

2013

Cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) induce oxidative stress, an important feature in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and oxidative stress contributes to the poor clinical efficacy of corticosteroids in COPD patients. Carbocysteine, an antioxidant and mucolytic agent, is effec- tive in reducing the severity and the rate of exacerbations in COPD patients. The effects of carbocysteine on CSE-induced oxidative stress in bronchial epithelial cells as well as the comparison of these antioxidant effects of carbocysteine with those of fluticasone propionate are unknown. The present study was aimed to assess the effects of carbocysteine (10−4 M) in cell survival and intracellular reactive o…

Studies on the mechanism of PMN activation II. by triggering the alternative pathway of complement activation

1982

By means of cobra venom factor (CVF) it is demonstrated that the stimulation of hexosemonophosphate shunt (HMPS) of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) by zymosan (Z) and dextran sulfate (DS) is caused by at least two modes of activation: (a) via activation caused by phagocytosis, (b) via activated alternative pathway of complement activation (APC). Active factors of APC presented with phagocytizable objects strongly enhance activation of PMN. The effect of APC can be observed in serum-containing as well as in serum-free cultures. It can be demonstrated that in serum-free cultures the factors of APC participating in the activation of PMN are supplied by monocytes. By the use of synthet…