Search results for "IMMUNOLOGY"
showing 10 items of 9651 documents
Functional effects of proinflammatory factors present in Sjögren's syndrome salivary microenvironment in an in vitro model of human salivary gland.
2017
AbstractPrimary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune exocrinopathy in which the role that the immune response plays in reducing exocrine gland function, including the glandular microenvironment of cytokines, has not been fully understood. Epithelial cells from biopsies of human parotid gland (HPG) were used to establish a model of human salivary gland in vitro. In this model, the functional consequences of several proinflammatory soluble factors present in the pSS glandular microenvironment were assessed. Stimulation with isoproterenol and calcium produced a significant increase in the basal activity of amylase in the HPG cell supernatants. Under these conditions, the presence of TNF-α…
Administrative Coding in Electronic Health Care Record‐Based Research of NAFLD: An Expert Panel Consensus Statement
2021
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Electronic health record (EHR)-based research allows the capture of large amounts of data, which is necessary in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), where the risk of clinical liver outcomes is generally low. The lack of consensus on which International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes should be used as exposures and outcomes limits comparability and generalizability of results across studies. We aimed to establish consensus among a panel of experts on ICD codes that could become the reference standard and provide guidance around common methodological issues.APPROACH AND RESULTS: Researchers with an interest in EHR-based NAFLD research were invited to collect…
Introducing Clicker Training as a Cognitive Enrichment for Laboratory Mice
2017
Establishing new refinement strategies in laboratory animal science is a central goal in fulfilling the requirements of Directive 2010/63/EU. Previous research determined a profound impact of gentle handling protocols on the well-being of laboratory mice. By introducing clicker training to the keeping of mice, not only do we promote the amicable treatment of mice, but we also enable them to experience cognitive enrichment. Clicker training is a form of positive reinforcement training using a conditioned secondary reinforcer, the "click" sound of a clicker, which serves as a time bridge between the strengthened behavior and an upcoming reward. The effective implementation of the clicker trai…
Citations and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns: the GhoS(t)copus Project
2020
Background: Scopus is a leading bibliometric database. It contains a large part of the articles cited in peer-reviewed publications. The journals included in Scopus are periodically re-evaluated to ensure they meet indexing criteria and some journals might be discontinued for 'publication concerns'. Previously published articles may remain indexed and can be cited. Their metrics have yet to be studied. This study aimed to evaluate the main features and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns, before and after their discontinuation, and to determine the extent of predatory journals among the discontinued journals. Methods: We surveyed the list of discontinued jo…
Blastocystis subtypes and their association with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
2018
Blastocystis spp. is a common intestinal protozoan that affects humans and animals. The role of this parasite as a pathogen is still controversial and it is suspected to be linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic or recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered intestinal habits. A broad search in electronic databases, libraries, portals of journals, etc. for reports on the association between the parasite and IBS without language restriction was performed. The selection was not restricted by date, but articles published in the last seven years were given preference. We investigated the evidence regarding Blastocystis and IBS coexist…
Protective effect of quercetin on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice is mediated by modulating intestinal microbiota imb…
2016
Gut microbiota is involved in obesity, metabolic syndrome and the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It has been recently suggested that the flavonoid quercetin may have the ability to modulate the intestinal microbiota composition, suggesting a prebiotic capacity which highlights a great therapeutic potential in NAFLD. The present study aims to investigate benefits of experimental treatment with quercetin on gut microbial balance and related gut-liver axis activation in a nutritional animal model of NAFLD associated to obesity. C57BL/6J mice were challenged with high fat diet (HFD) supplemented or not with quercetin for 16 weeks. HFD induced obesity, metabolic syndrom…
Add-On Peginterferon Alfa-2a Significantly Reduces HBsAg Levels in HBeAg-Negative, Genotype D Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Fully Suppressed on Nucleo…
2016
23 (36%) cases, respectively. Ribavirin (RBV) was used in 35% and 65% of the patients receiving SOF and DCV, respectively. Most of the patients were male (72%) and genotype 1b (81%). Median age was 59 years. Median baseline MELD and Child–Pugh (CPT) scores were 9 and 6, respectively. Among the patients with cirrhosis, 47% were CPT B/C. Tacrolimus was the immunosuppressant used in the majority of the patients (69%). At the beginning of therapy, 20 patients had ascites and 3 had hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Thirty-four patients completed the treatment course and 30 are still on therapy. End of treatment (EOT) response was 88% (30/34) and SVR12 was 83% (25/30). In patients receiving SMV+DCV±RB…
What Healthcare Workers Should Know about Environmental Bacterial Contamination in the Intensive Care Unit
2017
Intensive care unit- (ICU-) acquired infections are a major health problem worldwide. Inanimate surfaces and equipment contamination may play a role in cross-transmission of pathogens and subsequent patient colonization or infection. Bacteria contaminate inanimate surfaces and equipment of the patient zone and healthcare area, generating a reservoir of potential pathogens, including multidrug resistant species. Traditional terminal cleaning methods have limitations. Indeed patients who receive a bed from prior patient carrying bacteria are exposed to an increased risk (odds ratio 2.13, 95% confidence intervals 1.62–2.81) of being colonized and potentially infected by the same bacterial spec…
IL-1β at the crossroad between rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes: may we kill two birds with one stone?
2016
ABSTRACT: Although in the past the prevention of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was strongly emphasized, now a great interest is focused on associated comorbidities in these patients. Multiple data suggest that a large percentage of RA patients are affected by Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), whose incidence has reached epidemic levels in recent years, thus increasing the health care costs. A better knowledge about the pathogenesis of these diseases as well as the mechanisms of action of drugs may allow both policy designers and physicians to choose the most effective treatments, thus lowering the costs. This review will focus on the role of Interleukin (IL)-1β in the pathogenesis of …
Shortened Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time May Help in Diagnosing Hereditary and Acquired Angioedema
2016
<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To evaluate whether activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) could be used in the laboratory diagnosis of hereditary or acquired angioedema (HAE or AAE) with and without C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In a prospective investigation, APTT and other coagulation parameters were determined in 149 adult patients with various types of angioedema and in 26 healthy participants (HP). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Mean APTT was significantly shortened in HAE-C1-INH type I (p < 0.0001) and type II (p = 0.0017) and in AAE-C1-INH (p < 0.0001) compared to the HP. APTT was shorten…