Search results for "Horaci"
showing 10 items of 518 documents
Diabetic thoracic radiculopathy: a case of a young woman with clinical improvement following immunotherapy.
2020
Thoracic radiculopathy is a rare cause of thoracic-abdominal or abdominal pain in subjects with poorly controlled diabetes. We present a case of a young woman with type I diabetes and a severe abdominal pain in both lower quadrants. An extensive diagnostic gastroenterological and gynaecological workup did not disclose abnormalities. Electromyography revealed an initial polyneuropathy and significant neurogenic abnormalities in the T10-T12 paravertebral muscles. Following the hypothesis that the radiculopathy-related abdominal pain might have an immuno-mediated pathogenesis, the patient underwent a complex trial of immunotherapy, which was accompanied by a sustained improvement over months t…
Decreased bioavailability of nitric oxide in aorta from ovariectomized senescent mice. Role of cyclooxygenase.
2015
This study investigates the effects of aging and/or ovariectomy on vascular reactivity to thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor stimulation with U46619, and the modulation by nitric oxide (NO) and cyclooxygenase (COX) in aorta from female senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP8) and from senescence resistant mice (SAMR1). Five-month-old female SAMR1 and SAMP8 were divided into three groups: sham-operated, ovariectomized and ovariectomized plus estradiol. Twenty-eight days after surgery, thoracic aortic rings were mounted for isometric recording of tension and concentration-response curves for U46619 (10(-10)-3 × 10(-7) M) were performed in the absence and in the presence of the NO synthase inhibitor N(…
Germ-free housing conditions do not affect aortic root and aortic arch lesion size of late atherosclerotic low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient…
2020
The microbiota has been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, but the functional impact of these resident bacteria on the lesion size and cellular composition of atherosclerotic plaques in the aorta has never been experimentally addressed with the germ-free low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr(-/-)) mouse atherosclerosis model. Here, we report that 16 weeks of high-fat diet (HFD) feeding of hypercholesterolemicLdlr(-/-)mice at germ-free (GF) housing conditions did not impact relative aortic root plaque size, macrophage content, and necrotic core area. Likewise, we did not find changes in the relative aortic arch lesion size. However, late atherosclerotic GFLdlr(-/-)mice …
Identification of circumferential regional heterogeneity of ascending thoracic aneurysmal aorta by biaxial mechanical testing
2019
Abstract Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) can present an asymmetrical aortic dilatation compared with patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This pattern of aneurysm dilatation led us to hypothesize that biomechanical differences likely induced by regional heterogeneity of material properties can underlie the observed asymmetric enlargement discrepancies between BAV ATAA and TAV ATAA. This study aimed to characterize the mechanical properties and associated aortic tissue stiffness changes along the circumferential direction of aortic rings collected from surgically-repaired patients with ATAA. Biaxial material testing was performed …
Patterns of ascending aortic dilatation and predictors of surgical replacement of the aorta: A comparison of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve pati…
2019
Abstract Background Predictors of thoracic aorta growth and early cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve are undefined. Our aim was to identify predictors of ascending aorta dilatation and cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods Forty-one patients with BAV were compared with 165 patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). All patients had LV EF > 50%, normal LV dimensions, and similar degree of aortic root or ascending aorta dilatation at enrollment. Patients with more than mild aortic stenosis or regurgitation were excluded. A CT-scan was available on 76% of the population, and an echocardiogram was repeated every year for a median time of 4 ye…
Identification of theprothoracicotropic hormone(Ptth) coding gene and localization of its site of expression in the pea aphidAcyrthosiphon pisum
2017
Insect hormones control essential aspects of physiology, behaviour and development in insects. The majority of insect hormones are peptide hormones that perform a highly diverse catalogue of functions. Prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) is a brain neuropeptide hormone whose main function is to stimulate the secretion of ecdysone (the moulting hormone) by the prothoracic glands in insect larvae thus playing a key role in the control of moulting and metamorphosis. Moreover, both PTTH release or blockade have been reported to act as a switch to terminate or initiate larval and pupal diapauses. In insects, diapause is a prevalent response often regulated by the photoperiod. It has been shown tha…
Cyclic pentapeptide cRGDfK enhances the inhibitory effect of sunitinib on TGF-β1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in human non-small cell…
2020
AbstractIn human lung cancer progression, the EMT process is characterized by the transformation of cancer cells into invasive forms that migrate to other organs. Targeting to EMT-related molecules is emerging as a novel therapeutic approach for the prevention of lung cancer cell migration and invasion. Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK) has recently been considered as an anti-proliferative target molecule to regulate the Wnt signaling pathway in several types of cancer cells. In the present study, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib and the integrin-αVβ3targeted cyclic peptide (cRGDfK) on EMT in human lung cancer cells. Sunitinib strongly inhib…
Serratus anterior contraction during resisted arm extension (GravityFit) assessed by MRI
2019
Background: Scapular stabilization is a common focus of shoulder rehabilitation. Objective: Examine contraction of serratus anterior during a bilateral arm extension exercise with axial compression using an exercise device (GravityFit) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: MRI was performed under two conditions: rest and static arm extension with axial compression. Load was set at 20% of age, sex and weight estimated bench press one-repetition maximum. A T2-weighted sequence was used to collect 14 axial images of the upper thoracic spine and shoulder bilaterally. Mean muscle length and thickness were calculated for the whole muscle and in equidistant subregions of the muscle in its …
Cannabinoid receptor expression in non-small cell lung cancer. Effectiveness of tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol inhibiting cell proliferation an…
2020
Background/Objective Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop resistance to antitumor agents by mechanisms that involve the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This necessitates the development of new complementary drugs, e.g., cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) agonists including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The combined use of THC and CBD confers greater benefits, as CBD enhances the effects of THC and reduces its psychotropic activity. We assessed the relationship between the expression levels of CB1 and CB2 to the clinical features of a cohort of patients with NSCLC, and the effect of THC and CBD (individually and in combination) on prolifer…
Regulation of PDE5 expression in human aorta and thoracic aortic aneurysms
2019
AbstractAneurysms and dissections affecting thoracic aorta are associated with smooth muscle cell (SMC) dysfunction. NO/cGMP signaling pathway in smooth muscle cells has been shown to be affected in sporadic thoracic aortic aneurysms. We analyzed the mRNA levels of PDE5, a cGMP-hydrolyzing enzyme highly expressed in aortic SMCs, that regulates arterious vascular tone by lowering cGMP levels. We found that aortic tissue obtained from Marfan, tricuspid and bicuspid thoracic aneurysms expressed lower levels of PDE5 mRNA compared to control aortas. In particular, we found that affected aortas showed lower levels of all the PDE5A isoforms, compared to control aortas. Transfection of vascular SMC…