Search results for "Biological Markers"
showing 10 items of 50 documents
Molecular Mechanism Involved in the Pathogenesis of Early-Onset Epileptic Encephalopathy
2019
Recent studies have shown that neurologic inflammation may both precipitate and sustain seizures, suggesting that inflammation may be involved not only in epileptogenesis but also in determining the drug-resistant profile. Extensive literature data during these last years have identified a number of inflammatory markers involved in these processes of “neuroimmunoinflammation” in epilepsy, with key roles for pro-inflammatory cytokines such as: IL-6, IL-17 and IL-17 Receptor (IL-17R) axis, Tumor-Necrosis-Factor Alpha (TNF-α) and Transforming-Growth-Factor Beta (TGF-β), all responsible for the induction of processes of blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and inflammation of the Central Nervou…
Visceral adiposity index and DHEAS are useful markers of diabetes risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
2014
ObjectiveOn the basis of the known diabetes risk in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), recent guidelines of the Endocrine Society recommend the use of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to screen for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in all women with PCOS. However, given the high prevalence of PCOS, OGTT would have a high cost–benefit ratio. In this study, we identified, through a receiver operating characteristic analysis, simple predictive markers of the composite endpoint (impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or IGT or IFG+IGT or T2DM) in women with PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 241 women with PCOS in a unive…
High sCD36 plasma level is associated with steatosis and its severity in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C
2013
SUMMARY. Soluble CD36 (sCD36) plasma levels, a known marker of cardiometabolic disorders, are associated with surrogate markers of steatosis, while experimental and human studies show a link between CD36 expression in the liver and steatosis. In a cohort of patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1 CHC), we tested the association of sCD36 plasma levels with host and viral factors and sustained virological response (SVR). One hundred and seventy-five consecutive biopsy-proven patients were studied. sCD36 plasma levels were assessed by an in-house ELISA. All biopsies were scored by one pathologist for staging and grading (Scheuer) and graded for steatosis, which was considered moderate…
CONSISTENT BONE MARROW-DERIVED CELL MOBILIZATION FOLLOWING REPEATED SHORT COURSES OF GRANULOCYTE-COLONY-STIMULATING FACTOR IN PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPH…
2009
Background and aims. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize the feasibility and safety of bone marrow-derived cell (BMC) mobilization following repeated courses of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods. Between January 2006 and March 2007, 26 ALS patients entered a multicenter trial that included four courses of BMC mobilization at 3-month intervals. In each course, G-CSF (5 mu g/kg b.i.d.) was administered for four consecutive days; 18% mannitol was also given. Mobilization was monitored by flow cytometry analysis of circulating CD34(+) cells and by in vitro colony assay for clonogenic progenitors. Co-exp…
Is Health-Related Quality of Life Associated with Upper and Lower Airway Inflammation in Asthmatics?
2013
Background.Allergic diseases impair health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). However, the relationship between airway inflammation and HR-QoL in patients with asthma and rhinitis has not been fully investigated. We explored whether the inflammation of upper and lower airways is associated with HR-QoL.Methods.Twenty-two mild allergic asthmatics with concomitant rhinitis (10 males, 38 ± 17 years) were recruited. The Rhinasthma was used to identify HR-QoL, and the Asthma Control Test (ACT) was used to assess asthma control. Subjects underwent lung function and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) test, collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC), and nasal wash.Results.The Rhinasthma Global Summary sc…
Left ventricular filling abnormalities and obesity-associated hypertension: relationship with overproduction of circulating transforming growth facto…
2005
This study has been designed to evaluate the relationship among transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and some measurements of diastolic function in a population of hypertensive subjects with normal left ventricular ejection fraction. We studied 67 hypertensive outpatients who according to their BMI levels were subdivided into three groups: lean (L), overweight (OW) and obese (OB) hypertensives (HT). Circulating TGFbeta1 and M- and B-mode echocardiography was determined. All hypertensives were further subgrouped, according to European Society of Cardiology Guidelines, into two subsets of patients with normal diastolic function or with diastolic dysfunction. Prevalence of left ventricu…
Missense mutations in the fas gene resulting in autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome: A molecular and immunological analysis
1997
AbstractProgrammed cell death (or apoptosis) is a physiological process essential to the normal development and homeostatic maintenance of the immune system. The Fas/Apo-1 receptor plays a crucial role in the regulation of apoptosis, as demonstrated by lymphoproliferation in MRL-lpr/lpr mice and by the recently described autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) in humans, both of which are due to mutations in the Fas gene. We describe a novel family with ALPS in which three affected siblings carry two distinct missense mutations on both the Fas gene alleles and show lack of Fas-induced apoptosis. The children share common clinical features including splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy, b…
Assessing autophagy in archived tissue or how to capture autophagic flux from a tissue snapshot
2020
This article belongs to the Special Issue Autophagy in Cancer.
POSTPRANDIAL HYPERGLYCEMIA IS A DETERMINANT OF PLATELET ACTIVATION IN EARLY 2 DIABETES MELLITUS
2010
BACKGROUND: Chronic hyperglycemia is a major contributor to in vivo platelet activation in diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of acarbose, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, on platelet activation and its determinants in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Forty-eight subjects (26 males, aged 61 +/- 8 years) with early type 2 diabetes (baseline hemoglobin A(1c) < or = 7% and no previous hypoglycemic treatment) were randomly assigned to acarbose up to 100 mg three times a day or placebo, and evaluated every 4 weeks for 20 weeks. The main outcome measures were urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane (TX)B(2) (marker of in vivo platelet activation) and 8-iso-prostaglandi…
Investigation of sterols as potential biomarkers for the detection of pig (S. s. domesticus) decomposition fluid in soils
2012
This study was carried out to evaluate the potential of using cholesterol and coprostanol, as indicators for the detection of decomposition fluid of buried pigs (S. s. domesticus) in soils. In May 2007, four pig carcasses (~35. kg) were buried in shallow graves (~40. cm depth) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada. Two pigs were exhumed after three months (Pig 1, Pig 2) and six months (Pig 3, Pig 4) post burial. Soil samples were collected beneath the pig carcasses (~40. cm depth) and from grave walls (~15-20. cm depth) as well as from a parallel control site. Coprostanol and cholesterol were extracted from soils, purified with solid phase extraction (SPE) and analy…