Search results for "Diagnostic medicine"
showing 10 items of 213 documents
Monitoring the reproductive activity in captive bred female ball pythons (P. regius) by ultrasound evaluation and noninvasive analysis of faecal repr…
2018
The royal python (Python regius) is commonly bred in captivity. To have a successful breeding season, accurate monitoring of the reproductive activity is necessary. The use of non-invasive monitoring methods in exotics is important in order to minimize stress. For this purpose ultrasound has been anecdotally used to monitor royal python reproductive activity. However, there is limited information regarding the reproductive cycle of this species. The aim of the present study is to monitor the female reproductive cycle of the royal python using ultrasonography and gonadal steroid metabolite measurements in the faeces. The reproductive activity of one hundred twenty-nine adult female P. regius…
Secretion of autoimmune antibodies in the human subcutaneous adipose tissue
2018
The adipose tissue (AT) contributes to systemic and B cell intrinsic inflammation, reduced B cell responses and secretion of autoimmune antibodies. In this study we show that adipocytes in the human obese subcutaneous AT (SAT) secrete several pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which contribute to the establishment and maintenance of local and systemic inflammation, and consequent suboptimal immune responses in obese individuals, as we have previously shown. We also show that pro-inflammatory chemokines recruit immune cells expressing the corresponding receptors to the SAT, where they also contribute to local and systemic inflammation, secreting additional pro-inflammatory mediators.…
Quantitative and qualitative profiles of circulating monocytes may help identifying tuberculosis infection and disease stages
2017
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important cause of morbidity and death among infectious diseases, and continuous efforts are needed to improve diagnostic tools and therapy. Previous published studies showed that the absolute cells number of monocytes or lymphocytes in peripheral blood or yet the ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes displayed the ability to predict the risk of active TB. In the present study we evaluated the ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes variation and we also analyzed the ex-vivo expression of CD64 on monocytes as tools to identify biomarkers for discriminating TB stages. Significant differences were found when the average ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes of active TB…
Grey Matter Microstructural Integrity Alterations in Blepharospasm Are Partially Reversed by Botulinum Neurotoxin Therapy.
2016
OBJECTIVE Benign Essential Blepharospasm (BEB) and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are the most common hyperkinetic movement disorders of facial muscles. Although similar in clinical presentation different pathophysiological mechanisms are assumed. Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) is a standard evidence-based treatment for both conditions. In this study we aimed to assess grey matter microstructural differences between these two groups of patients and compared them with healthy controls. In patients we furthermore tracked the longitudinal morphometric changes associated with BoNT therapy. We hypothesized microstructural differences between the groups at the time point of maximum symptoms representation a…
Changes in the spatial distribution of the Purkinje network after acute myocardial infarction in the pig
2018
Purkinje cells (PCs) are more resistant to ischemia than myocardial cells, and are suspected to participate in ventricular arrhythmias following myocardial infarction (MI). Histological studies afford little evidence on the behavior and adaptation of PCs in the different stages of MI, especially in the chronic stage, and no quantitative data have been reported to date beyond subjective qualitative depictions. The present study uses a porcine model to present the first quantitative analysis of the distal cardiac conduction system and the first reported change in the spatial distribution of PCs in three representative stages of MI: an acute model both with and without reperfusion; a subacute …
Genome wide DNA methylation profiling identifies specific epigenetic features in high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma
2019
ABSTRACTCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common skin cancer. Although most cSCCs have good prognosis, a subgroup of high-risk cSCC has a higher frequency of recurrence and mortality. Therefore, the identification of molecular risk factors associated with this aggressive subtype is of major interest. In this work we carried out a global-scale approach to investigate the DNA-methylation profile in patients at different stages, from premalignant actinic keratosis to low-risk invasive and high-risk non-metastatic and metastatic cSCC. The results showed massive non-sequential changes in DNA-methylome and identified a minimal methylation signature that discriminates bet…
Risk factors for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in unresponsive and responsive patients in a major focus, southeast of Iran
2018
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a serious health challenge at the global level due to Leishmania tropica. This study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors associated with anthroponotic CL (ACL) in unresponsive (patient who does not heal and remains with an active lesion, despite receiving two courses of intra-lesional Glucantime along with cryotherapy and one cycle of systemic Glucantime) and responsive patients in a major focus in southeastern Iran. A case-control study was conducted from April 2015 to October 2016 in the southeast of Iran. Patients were recruited in a major ACL focus from unresponsive and responsive cases. These patients were compared for environmental, clinical, and…
Modeling of Hepatocytes Proliferation Isolated from Proximal and Distal Zones from Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Lesion
2016
Isolation of hepatocytes from cirrhotic human livers and subsequent primary culture are important new tools for laboratory research and cell-based therapeutics in the study of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Using such techniques, we have previously identified different subpopulations of human hepatocytes and among them one is showing a progressive transformation of hepatocytes in HCC-like cells. We have hypothesized that increasing the distance from the neoplastic lesion might affect hepatocyte function and transformation capacity. However, limited information is available in comparing the growth and proliferation of human hepatocytes obtained from different areas of the same cirrhotic liv…
Elevated Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 in Humans with Acute Pancreatitis.
2016
Background The metabolic regulator Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 (FGF21) is highly expressed in the acinar pancreas, but its role in pancreatic function is obscure. It appears to play a protective role in acute experimental pancreatitis in mice. The aim of this study was to define an association between FGF21 and the course and resolution of acute pancreatitis in humans. Methods and Principal Findings Twenty five subjects with acute pancreatitis admitted from May to September 2012 to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) were analyzed. Serial serum samples were collected throughout hospitalization and analyzed for FGF21 levels by ELISA. Twenty healthy subjects sampled three times o…
Identification of plasma biomarkers for discrimination between tuberculosis infection/disease and pulmonary non tuberculosis disease.
2018
We used the Luminex Bead Array Multiplex Immunoassay to measure cytokines, chemokines and growth factors responses to the same antigens used for RD1-based Interferon γ Release Assay (IGRA) test. Seventy-nine individuals, 27 active TB, 32 latent infection subsets, 20 individuals derivative purified protein (PPD) negative (subjects that do not have any indurative cutaneous reaction after 72 hrs of intradermal injection of PPD) and with other pulmonary disease were retrospectively studied. Forty-eight analytes were evaluated by Luminex Assay in plasma obtained from whole blood stimulated cells. The diagnostic accuracies of the markers detected were evaluated by ROC curve analysis and by the co…