Search results for "Gastroenterology and hepatology"
showing 10 items of 93 documents
Microsporidia and Its Relation to Crohn's Disease. A Retrospective Study
2013
Background: The cause of Crohn's Disease (CD) remains unknown. Recently a decrease in the global lymphocyte population in the peripheral blood of CD patients has been reported. This decrease was more evident in gamma delta T lymphocytes, especially gamma delta CD8+T subsets. Furthermore, a decrease of IL-7 was also observed in these patients. We propose the hypothesis that microsporidia, an obligate intracellular opportunistic parasite recently related to fungi, in CD patients can take advantage of the lymphocytes and IL-7 deficits to proliferate and to contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease. Methods and Findings: In this case-control study, serum samples were collected from 36 C…
Noroviral P-Particles as an In Vitro Model to Assess the Interactions of Noroviruses with Probiotics
2014
Noroviruses (NoVs) are the main etiologic agents of acute epidemic gastroenteritis and probiotic bacteria have been reported to exert a positive effect on viral diarrhea. The protruding (P) domain from NoVs VP1 capsid protein has the ability to assemble into the so-called P-particles, which retain the binding ability to host receptors. We purified the P-domains from NoVs genotypes GI.1 and GII.4 as 6X(His)-tagged proteins and determined that, similar to native domains, they were structured into P-particles that were functional in the recognition of the specific glycoconjugated receptors, as established by surface plasmon resonance experiments. We showed that several lactic acid bacteria (pr…
Gene polymorphisms of micrornas in Helicobacter pylori-induced high risk atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer.
2013
Background and aims MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known for their function as translational regulators of tumor suppressor or oncogenes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNAs related genes have been shown to affect the regulatory capacity of miRNAs and were linked with gastric cancer (GC) and premalignant gastric conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential associations between miRNA-related gene polymorphisms (miR-27a, miR-146a, miR-196a-2, miR-492 and miR-608) and the presence of GC or high risk atrophic gastritis (HRAG) in European population. Methods Gene polymorphisms were analyzed in 995 subjects (controls: n = 351; GC: n = 363; HRAG: n = 281) of European descen…
Development and characterization of an experimental model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rabbit
2017
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become one of the main concerns for public health because of its link to cardiovascular disease. Murine models have been used to study the effect of MetS on the cardiovascular system, but they have limitations for studying cardiac electrophysiology. In contrast, the rabbit cardiac electrophysiology is similar to human, but a detailed characterization of the different components of MetS in this animal is still needed. Our objective was to develop and characterize a diet-induced experimental model of MetS that allows the study of cardiovascular remodeling and arrhythmogenesis. Male NZW rabbits were assigned to control (n = 15) or MetS group (n = 16), fed during 2…
The role of morbid obesity in the promotion of metabolic disruptions and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis by Helicobacter Pylori
2016
Background Helicobacter pylory (HP) infection has been associated to an increased rate of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and liver disease through its effect on insulin resistance and systemic inflammation. However, results are inconstant and no studies exist in morbidly obese patients, in which both insulin resistance and inflammation coexist. Material and methods Cross-sectional study to evaluate the relationship between HP infection and alterations in carbohydrate metabolism, lipid profile, inflammation markers, and liver disease in patients awaiting for bariatric surgery. HP infection was histologically assessed in gastric antrum biopsy from 416 subjects. Liver biopsy was also available in 93 su…
Induction of CD36 and thrombospondin-1 in macrophages by hypoxia-inducible factor 1 and its relevance in the inflammatory process.
2012
Inflammation is part of a complex biological response of vascular tissue to pathogens or damaged cells. First inflammatory cells attempt to remove the injurious stimuli and this is followed by a healing process mediated principally by phagocytosis of senescent cells. Hypoxia and p38-MAPK are associated with inflammation, and hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) has been detected in inflamed tissues. We aimed to analyse the role of p38-MAPK and HIF-1 in the transcriptional regulation of CD36, a class B scavenger receptor, and its ligand thrombospondin (TSP-1) in macrophages and to evaluate the involvement of this pathway in phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. We have also assessed HIF-1α, p…
The Bile Acid Receptor GPBAR-1 (TGR5) Modulates Integrity of Intestinal Barrier and Immune Response to Experimental Colitis
2011
Background GP-BAR1, a member G protein coupled receptor superfamily, is a cell surface bile acid-activated receptor highly expressed in the ileum and colon. In monocytes, ligation of GP-BAR1 by secondary bile acids results in a cAMP-dependent attenuation of cytokine generation. Aims To investigate the role GP-BAR1 in regulating intestinal homeostasis and inflammation-driven immune dysfunction in rodent models of colitis. Methods Colitis was induced in wild type and GP-BAR1−/− mice by DSS and TNBS administration. Potential GP-BAR1 agonists were identified by in silico screening and computational docking studies. Results GP-BAR1−/− mice develop an abnormal morphology of colonic mucous cells a…
Safety and efficacy of a fixed-dose combination regimen of grazoprevir, ruzasvir, and uprifosbuvir with or without ribavirin in participants with and…
2017
Background There is a need for hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies with excellent efficacy across genotypes and in diverse populations. Part A of the C-CREST-1 and C-CREST-2 trials led to the selection of a three-drug regimen of grazoprevir (MK-5172; an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitor; 100 mg/day) plus ruzasvir (MK-8408; an NS5A inhibitor; 60 mg/day) plus uprifosbuvir (MK-3682; an HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitor; 450 mg/day). Part B of the studies tested this combination as a single formulation in different treatment durations in a broader population. Methods Part B of these randomised, phase 2, open-label clinical trials enrolled individuals from 15 countries who were chronically infected with H…
Metatranscriptomic Approach to Analyze the Functional Human Gut Microbiota
2011
The human gut is the natural habitat for a large and dynamic bacterial community that has a great relevance for health. Metagenomics is increasing our knowledge of gene content as well as of functional and genetic variability in this microbiome. However, little is known about the active bacteria and their function(s) in the gastrointestinal tract. We performed a metatranscriptomic study on ten healthy volunteers to elucidate the active members of the gut microbiome and their functionality under conditions of health. First, the microbial cDNAs obtained from each sample were sequenced using 454 technology. The analysis of 16S transcripts showed the phylogenetic structure of the active microbi…
Predictive factors for sustained virological response after treatment with pegylated interferon α-2a and ribavirin in patients infected with HCV geno…
2014
BackgroundPrevious trials have often defined genotype 2 and 3 patients as an "easy to treat" group and guidelines recommend similar management.AimsThe present study looks for differences between the two genotypes and analyzes predictive factors for SVR.MethodsProspective, community-based cohort study involving 421 physicians throughout Germany. The analysis includes 2,347 patients with untreated chronic HCV genotype 2 (n = 391) and 3 (n = 1,956) infection treated with PEG-IFN α-2a plus ribavirin between August 2007 and July 2012.ResultsWhen compared with genotype 2 patients, those with genotype 3 were younger, had a shorter duration of infection, lower values of total cholesterol, LDL chole…