Search results for "Function"

The Impact of Body Mass Index on Disease Progression in Ankylosing Spondylitis

2018

Abstract Obesity can be a factor that affects the course of chronic systemic inflammatory arthritis. The objective of this study was to characterise patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) according to an evaluation of their body mass index (BMI) and by exploring the link between the overweightness and obesity with routinely measured disease-specific variables, including disease activity (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index BASDAI; Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, using CRP, ASDAScrp), spinal mobility (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, BASMI), functional capacity (BASFI), extraspinal manifestations like fatigue, uveitis, and peripheral arthritis pre…

Menstrual dysfunction and body weight dissatisfaction among Finnish young athletes and non-athletes.

2020

To determine the prevalence of menstrual dysfunction (MD; i.e. oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea) and attitudes towards body weight among athletes and non‐athletes, we studied a cohort of athletes and non‐athletes, in adolescence (14–16 years) and subsequently in young adulthood (18–20 years). We further studied the differences between athletes reporting MD and eumenorrheic athletes at both time periods and identified physical and behavioural characteristicsthat might predict MD in young adulthood. Data were collected using questionnaires, accelerometers, and a pre‐participation screening. In adolescence, the athletes reported current primary amenorrhea more often than the non‐athletes (4.7% vs.…

Efficacy of Chondroitin Sulfate in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Exploring Inconsistencies in Randomized, Placebo-…

2019

Introduction There are some controversies about treatment modalities in osteoarthritis (OA), including chondroitin sulfate (CS). The objective of this study was to determine whether CS is effective at alleviating pain and improving function in patients with knee OA and to identify the factors that explain inconsistencies in clinical trial results. Methods We conducted a systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials, searching the databases Medline, Cochrane central register for controlled trials and Scopus. Random effects meta-analysis was then performed, using tau2 and I2 statistics to assess heterogeneity. The pain and Lequesne index (LI) scores were expressed as standardized…

Diet and environmental factors affecting reproduction

2021

Abstract Diet and exposure to certain chemical compounds related to industrial development could be responsible for the increase in the incidence of human reproductive diseases and the consequent decrease in reproductive function worldwide. The role of diet and environment in fertility has received more attention in recent years because nutrition and exposure to contaminants can affect fecundity in women of reproductive age. Here, we review how diet could affect reproduction. Furthermore, we will review how the most ubiquitous contaminants could disrupt endometrial receptivity and implantation, focusing also on clinical studies performed in the last years.

2015

Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks are associated with multiple types of biases partly rooted in technical limitations of the experimental techniques. Another source of bias are the different frequencies with which proteins have been studied for interaction partners. It is generally believed that proteins with a large number of interaction partners tend to be essential, evolutionarily conserved and involved in disease. It has been repeatedly reported that proteins driving tumor formation have a higher number of PPI partners. However, it has been noticed before that the degree distribution of PPI networks is biased towards disease proteins, which tend to have been studied more often …

Functional Foods: Product Development, Technological Trends, Efficacy Testing, and Safety

2020

Functional foods is a very popular term in the social and scientific media; consequently, food producers have invested resources in the development of processed foods that may provide added functional benefits to consumers’ well-being. Because of intrinsic regulation and end-of-use purposes in different countries, worldwide meanings and definitions of this term are still unclear. Hence, here we standardize this definition and propose a guideline to attest that some ingredients or foods truly deserve this special designation. Furthermore, focus is directed at the most recent studies and practical guidelines that can be used to develop and test the efficacy of potentially functional foods an…

Genome-wide association study of diabetic kidney disease highlights biology involved in renal basement membrane collagen

2018

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a heritable but poorly understood complication of diabetes. To identify genetic variants predisposing to DKD, we performed genome-wide association analyses in 19,406 individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using a spectrum of DKD definitions basedon albuminuria and renal function. We identified 16 genome-wide significant loci. The variant with the strongest association (rs55703767) is a common missense mutation in the collagen type IV alpha 3 chain(COL4A3)gene, which encodes a major structural component of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) implicated in heritable nephropathies. The rs55703767 minor allele (Asp326Tyr) is protective against several definit…

The Hippo Show Must Go On: YAP Activation as a Therapeutic Strategy in Colorectal Cancer

2020

The role of Hippo pathway in colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation and progression has been controversial. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Cheung et al. (2020) shed new light on a distinct function of the transcriptional co-activator YAP as a tumor suppressor and Wnt pathway inhibitor in CRC.

Genetic, biological and structural hierarchies during sponge spicule formation: from soft sol–gels to solid 3D silica composite structures

2012

Structural biomaterials are hierarchically organized and biofabricated. Although the structural complexity of most bioskeletons can be traced back from the millimeter-scale to the micrometer- or submicrometer-scale, the biological and/or genetic basis controlling the synthesis of these skeletons and their building blocks remained unknown. There is one distinguished example, the spicules of the siliceous sponges, for which the principle molecules and molecular-biological processes involved in their formation have been elucidated in the last few years. In this review, recent data on the different levels of molecular, biological and structural hierarchies controlling the synthesis of the pictu…

Multi-variate analysis predicts clinical outcome 30 days after middle cerebral artery infarction

2000

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the functional prognostic value of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy performed within the 5 days of an infarction of the middle cerebral artery territory, compared with previously demonstrated prognostic factors. METHODS: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed on 77 consecutive non-comatosed patients during the acute stage of middle cerebral artery infarction. The functional status was determined for each patient via the Orgogozo score. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic data were acquired in the infarction and in contra-lateral normal tissue and the results were expressed as metabolite ratios. Correlations were evaluated between t…