Search results for "Context"

Tumor infiltration by Tbet+ effector T cells and CD20+ B cells is associated with survival in gastric cancer patients

2016

International audience; Tumor-infiltrating T and B lymphocytes could have the potential to affect cancer prognosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor infiltration by CD8 and CD4 T cells, and B lymphocytes in patients with localized gastric cancer. In a retrospective cohort of 82 patients with localized gastric cancer and treated by surgery we quantitatively assessed by immunohistochemistry on surgical specimen, immune infiltrates of IL-17(+), CD8(+), Foxp3(+), Tbet(+) T cells and CD20(+) B cells both in the tumor core and at the invasive margin via immunohistochemical analyses of surgical specimens. We observed that CD8(+) and IL17(+) T-cell…

2021

Abstract Background Gastric inflammation is a major risk factor for gastric cancer. Current endoscopic methods are not able to efficiently detect and characterize gastric inflammation, leading to a sub-optimal patients’ care. New non-invasive methods are needed. Reflectance mucosal light analysis is of particular interest in this context. The aim of our study was to analyze reflectance light and specific autofluorescence signals, both in humans and in a mouse model of gastritis. Methods We recruited patients undergoing gastroendoscopic procedure during which reflectance was analysed with a multispectral camera. In parallel, the gastritis mouse model of Helicobacter pylori infection was used…

Linoleic acid: Is this the key that unlocks the quantum brain? Insights linking broken symmetries in molecular biology, mood disorders and personalis…

2017

Abstract In this paper we present a mechanistic model that integrates subneuronal structures, namely ion channels, membrane fatty acids, lipid rafts, G proteins and the cytoskeleton in a dynamic system that is finely tuned in a healthy brain. We also argue that subtle changes in the composition of the membrane’s fatty acids may lead to down-stream effects causing dysregulation of the membrane, cytoskeleton and their interface. Such exquisite sensitivity to minor changes is known to occur in physical systems undergoing phase transitions, the simplest and most studied of them is the so-called Ising model, which exhibits a phase transition at a finite temperature between an ordered and disorde…

Intercellular Connectivity and Multicellular Bioelectric Oscillations in Nonexcitable Cells: A Biophysical Model

2018

Bioelectricity is emerging as a crucial mechanism for signal transmission and processing from the single-cell level to multicellular domains. We explore theoretically the oscillatory dynamics that result from the coupling between the genetic and bioelectric descriptions of nonexcitable cells in multicellular ensembles, connecting the genetic prepatterns defined over the ensemble with the resulting spatio-temporal map of cell potentials. These prepatterns assume the existence of a small patch in the ensemble with locally low values of the genetic rate constants that produce a specific ion channel protein whose conductance promotes the cell-polarized state (inward-rectifying channel). In this…

2020

Physical exercise induces acute physiological changes leading to enhanced tissue cross-talk and a liberation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) into the circulation. EVs are cell-derived membranous entities which carry bioactive material, such as proteins and RNA species, and are important mediators of cell-cell-communication. Different types of physical exercise interventions trigger the release of diverse EV subpopulations, which are hypothesized to be involved in physiological adaptation processes leading to health benefits and longevity. Large EVs (“microvesicles” and “microparticles”) are studied frequently in the context of physical exercise using straight forward flow cytometry approach…

Thioredoxin and Glutaredoxin Systems as Potential Targets for the Development of New Treatments in Friedreich’s Ataxia

2020

The thioredoxin family consists of a small group of redox proteins present in all organisms and composed of thioredoxins (TRXs), glutaredoxins (GLRXs) and peroxiredoxins (PRDXs) which are found in the extracellular fluid, the cytoplasm, the mitochondria and in the nucleus with functions that include antioxidation, signaling and transcriptional control, among others. The importance of thioredoxin family proteins in neurodegenerative diseases is gaining relevance because some of these proteins have demonstrated an important role in the central nervous system by mediating neuroprotection against oxidative stress, contributing to mitochondrial function and regulating gene expression. Specifical…

The habitual nature of food purchases at the supermarket: Implications for policy making

2020

Abstract Supermarkets have become the most important provider of food products worldwide. However, empirical evidence about how consumers make their food purchase decisions in this environment is still scarce. The present field study aimed to: i) explore how people make their in-store food purchases, and ii) identify the information they search for when making those purchases. Consumers (n = 144) were intercepted when entering the facilities of three supermarkets in two Uruguayan cities. They were asked to wear a mobile eye-tracker while they made their purchases as they normally do. The great majority of the consumers bought at least one food product or beverage (92%) and, on average, exam…

Understanding illnesses through a film festival: an observational study

2019

Abstract Audio-visual materials play a fundamental role in the context of education, care and clinical treatment, as they seem to have a high impact on public awareness. This study aims to describe what messages are perceived by the society at an International Festival of Short Films and Art on Diseases that may help to understand difficult topics, such as illness, dying and suffering. Through an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, using full participant observation and an open, self-administered questionnaire, 32 short films were analysed during a healthcare art festival. Categories were developed using inductive content analysis. The message perceived by the participants, a…

How to deal with context? A context-mapping tool for quality and safety in nursing homes and homecare (SAFE-LEAD Context)

2019

Abstract Objective The objective of this paper is to develop a context-mapping tool (SAFE-LEAD Context) adapted to the nursing home and homecare setting. These two contexts represent a substantial variability, but studies focusing on the types and roles of contextual factors in quality and safety in these care settings are lacking. Results We conducted a step-wise collaborative design process consisting of mapping of key contextual factors as perceived by managers in Norwegian nursing homes and homecare, then created a draft tool discussed in a consortium workshop with co-researchers, and ran an international cross-country comparison. The SAFE-LEAD Context tool is inspired by the Consolidat…

Permeating disciplines: Overcoming barriers between molecular simulations and classical structure-function approaches in biological ion transport

2017

Ion translocation across biological barriers is a fundamental requirement for life. In many cases, controlling this process-for example with neuroactive drugs-demands an understanding of rapid and reversible structural changes in membrane-embedded proteins, including ion channels and transporters. Classical approaches to electrophysiology and structural biology have provided valuable insights into several such proteins over macroscopic, often discontinuous scales of space and time. Integrating these observations into meaningful mechanistic models now relies increasingly on computational methods, particularly molecular dynamics simulations, while surfacing important challenges in data manage…