Search results for "GD"
showing 10 items of 1142 documents
GDF 15 as an anti-apoptotic, diagnostic and prognostic marker in oral squamous cell carcinoma
2011
Growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF 15) is involved in tumor pathogenesis and its expression is increased in many types of cancers. Functional effects of GDF 15 on oncogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the apoptotic characteristics of GDF 15 in OSCC cell lines in vitro and to analyze serum GDF 15 concentrations as a diagnostic and prognostic tumor marker for OSCC in vivo. Caspase activity was assessed in OSCC cell lines with the Caspase-Glo 3/7 system. Serum GDF 15 concentrations from 64 patients with histopathological proven OSCC and from 30 healthy volunteers were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent a…
Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 pseudovirus by BNT162b2 vaccine–elicited human sera
2021
Vaccine protects against B1.1.7 variant The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B1.1.7 (VOC 202012/01) variant that emerged in late 2020 in the United Kingdom has many changes in the spike protein gene. Three of these are associated with enhanced infectivity and transmissibility, and there are concerns that B.1.1.7 might compromise the effectiveness of the vaccine. Muik et al. compared the neutralization efficacy of sera from 40 subjects immunized with the BioNTech-Pfizer mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 against a pseudovirus bearing the Wuhan reference strain or the lineage B.1.1.7 spike protein (see the Perspective by Altmann et al.). Serum was derived from 40 subjects in tw…
Neuroanatomical basis of number synaesthesias: A voxel-based morphometry study
2016
In synaesthesia, a specific sensory dimension leads to an involuntary sensation in another sensory dimension not commonly associated with it; for example, synaesthetes may experience a specific colour when listening or thinking of numbers or letters. Large-scale behavioural studies provide a rich description of different synaesthesia phenotypes, and a great amount of research has been oriented to uncovering whether a single or multiple brain mechanisms underlie these various synaesthesia phenotypes. Interestingly, most of the synaesthetic inducers are conceptual stimuli such as numbers, letters, and months. However, the impact of these concepts on the synaesthetic brain remains largely unex…
Dopamine-modulated aversive emotion processing fails in alcohol-dependent patients.
2013
Negative mood states after alco- hol detoxifi cation may enhance the relapse risk. As recently shown in healthy volunteers, dopamine storage capacity ( V d ) in the left amy- gdala was positively correlated with functional activation in the left amygdala and anterior cin- gulate cortex (ACC) during an emotional task; high functional connectivity between the amy- gdala and the ACC, a region important for emo- tion regulation, was associated with low trait anxiety. Based on these fi ndings, we now tested whether detoxifi ed alcohol-dependent patients have a disrupted modulation of the anterior cin- gulate cortex activation in response to aversive stimuli by amygdala dopamine. Furthermore, we …
Emotional reactivity in chronic schizophrenia: structural and functional brain correlates and the influence of adverse childhood experiences
2011
Background. Despite behavioural signs of flattened affect, patients affected by schizophrenia show enhanced sensitivity to negative stimuli. The current literature concerning neural circuitry for emotions supports dysregulations of cortico-limbic networks, but gives contrasting results. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) could persistently influence emotional regulation and neural correlates of response to emotional stimuli in healthy humans. This study evaluated the effect of ACEs and chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia on neural responses to emotional stimuli (negative facial expression). Method. Brain blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging neural response…
Dopamine in amygdala gates limbic processing of aversive stimuli in humans
2008
Dopamine is known to contribute to the amygdala-mediated aversive response, where increased dopamine release can augment amygdala function. Combining fMRI and PET imaging techniques, Kienast et al. present findings that suggest a functional link between anxiety temperament, dopamine storage capacity and emotional processing in the amygdala. Dopamine is released under stress and modulates processing of aversive stimuli. We found that dopamine storage capacity in human amygdala, measured with 6-[18F]fluoro-L-DOPA positron emission tomography, was positively correlated with functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygen level–dependent signal changes in amygdala and dorsal anterior cingula…
The use of technology in the context of frailty screening and management interventions: a study of stakeholders’ perspectives
2019
Abstract Background Health and social care interventions show promise as a way of managing the progression of frailty in older adults. Information technology could improve the availability of interventions and services for older adults. The views of stakeholders on the acceptability of technological solutions for frailty screening and management have not been explored. Methods Focus groups were used to gather data from healthy and frail/pre-frail older adults, health and social care providers, and caregivers in three European countries – Italy, Poland and UK. Data were analysed using framework analysis in terms of facilitators or determinants of older adults’ adoption of technology. Results…
Health literacy in familial hypercholesterolemia: A cross-national study.
2018
Background High rates of inadequate health literacy are associated with maladaptive health outcomes in chronic disease including increased mortality and morbidity rates, poor treatment adherence and poor health. Adequate health literacy may be an important factor in the effective treatment and management of familial hypercholesterolemia, and may also be implicated in genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia among index cases. The present study examined the prevalence and predictors of health literacy in familial hypercholesterolemia patients attending clinics in seven countries. Design Cross-sectional survey. Methods Consecutive FH patients attending clinics in Australia, Brazil,…
Functional changes in brain activity after hypnosis in patients with dental phobia.
2015
Visiting the dentist is often accompanied by apprehension or anxiety. People, who suffer from specific dental phobia (a disproportional fear of dental) procedures show psychological and physiological symptoms which make dental treatments difficult or impossible. For such purposes, hypnosis is often used in dental practice as an alternative for a number of treatments adjuvant or instead of sedation or general anaesthetics, as medication is often associated with risks and side effects. This is the first study to address the effects of a brief dental hypnosis on the fear processing structures of the brain in dental phobics using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 12 dental phobics (…
Beyond the amygdala: Linguistic threat modulates peri-sylvian semantic access cortices
2015
In this study, healthy volunteers were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural systems involved in processing the threatening content conveyed via visually presented “threat words.” The neural responses elicited by these words were compared to those elicited by matched neutral control words. The results demonstrate that linguistic threat, when presented in written form, can selectively engage areas of lateral temporal and inferior frontal cortex, distinct from the core language areas implicated in aphasia. Additionally, linguistic threat modulates neural activity in visceral/emotional systems (amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus and periaqueductal gr…