Search results for "IMMUNOLOGY"
showing 10 items of 9651 documents
Analysis of the Gut Microbiota: An Emerging Source of Biomarkers for Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
2021
Simple Summary The immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), and concretely the blockade of the PD1/PDL1 axis, has opened up a new standard of treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, despite substantial advances in clinical care, many patients still remain refractory to these therapies. Biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden have been associated with ICB efficacy, but the mechanisms underlying variable responses are not yet fully understood. Recently, the differential composition of the gut microbiota was studied as one of the variables accounting for interpatient heterogeneity in ICB responses. To better understand the potential role of the gut microbiot…
Acute surgical abdomen during the COVID‑19 pandemic: Clinical and therapeutic challenges
2021
The present study investigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical presentation and therapeutic management of acute surgical abdomen. A retrospective study of emergency hospitalizations with a diagnosis of acute surgical abdomen between April and July 2020 vs. a similar period in 2019 was performed. The observation sheets and the operating protocols were analyzed. Between April and July 2020, 50 cases of acute surgical abdomen were hospitalized and treated, compared to 43 cases in the same period last year. The main types of pathology in both groups included: Occlusions (60%, respectively 44.2% in 2019) and peritonitis (32%, respectively 41.8% in 2019). There was an increas…
Renal haemodynamics and coronary atherosclerotic burden are associated in patients with hypertension and mild coronary artery disease
2019
Intrarenal hemodynamic alterations are independent predictors of cardiovascular events in different populations. It has been hypothesized that there is an association between renal hemodynamics and coronary atherosclerotic burden in patients with hypertension. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between renal hemodynamics, coronary atherosclerotic burden and carotid atherosclerotic disease. A total of 130 patients with hypertension aged between 30-80 years who had been referred for an elective coronary angiography were enrolled in the present study. A duplex ultrasound of the intrarenal vasculature was performed to evaluate the resistive index (RI), pulsatility index (PI)…
Hydroxyurea‑induced superinfected ulcerations: Two case reports and review of the literature
2020
The chronic use of hydroxyurea (HU) in some oncologic and non-oncologic diseases (psoriasis, sickle cell anemia) can be accompanied by side effects, both systemic and mucocutaneous. The most severe adverse events known in HU therapy are leg ulcers and cutaneous carcinomas. At skin level may also appear: xerosis, persistent pruritus, skin color changes (erythema, hyperpigmentation), cutaneous atrophy. Likewise, oral ulcerations and stomatitis may occur at mucosal level. Hair damage can be expressed through alopecia and nail damage through melanonychia and oncycholysis. First case, a 63-year-old woman with severe psoriasis vulgaris and chronic granulocytic leukemia, with 5 years of HU therapy…
Importance of food in the control of inflammation in atopic dermatitis
2020
Patients that suffer from inflammatory diseases need to pay special attention to nutrition. For this reason, it is very important to change the approach of both health professionals and food industry specialists. There must be a close collaboration, starting from research, the development phase of foods for special nutrition states. Our primary objective was to identify foods or potential dietary ingredients, which efficacy in the treatment of atopic dermatitis had been scientifically demonstrated in vitro, in vivo and clinically. Furthemore, our perspective is presented regarding the research and development of foods for special nutritional states in atopic dermatitis. The PubMed database …
Cumulative visual impact of two coagulability disorders: A case report.
2020
Cumulative visual impact of two coagulability disorders were reviewed by presenting a case of a young female patient with a spontaneous abortion and two thromboembolic events in 8 years, whose visual function was severely affected. The particularities of her genetic constellation regarding the retinal circulation are also discussed. The patient developed a central retinal artery occlusion in the right eye during pregnancy in 2010, which led to an extended hematological workup that revealed presence of MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C heterozygote mutations. The screening for myeloproliferative disorders showed JAK2 V617F gene mutation. Test results confirmed the diagnosis of thrombophilia and e…
Accuracy of five intraocular lens formulas in eyes with trifocal lens implant.
2020
Accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) calculation formulas SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, Haigis and Barrett Universal II were compared in prediction of postoperative refraction for multifocal and implants using a single optical biometry device. The authors included 88 refractive lens exchange and cataract surgeries, with AcrySof IQ PanOptix implant (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.). All eyes were divided into three groups based on axial length (AL), group 1: 24.5 mm (6 eyes). The refractive prediction error (RPE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were calculated for 5 different formulas: SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, Haigis and Barrett Universal II. For eyes with the AL between 22 mm and 24.5 mm the greate…
Immunomodulatory activity of microRNAs: potential implications for multiple myeloma treatment
2015
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell neoplasm accounting for about 10% of all hematologic malignancies. Recently, emerging evidence is disclosing the complexity of bone marrow interactions between MM cells and infiltrating immune cells, which have been reported to promote proliferation, survival and drug resistance of tumor cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules with regulatory functions in the cell, whose expression has predictive and prognostic value in different malignancies. MiRNAs are gaining increasing interest due to their capability to polarize the immune-response through different mechanisms, which include the molecular reprogramming of immune cel…
Mechanisms of Immune Evasion in Multiple Myeloma: Open Questions and Therapeutic Opportunities
2021
Simple Summary The growing interest in immunotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma demands a deep knowledge of the complex interactions between malignant and immune cells within the bone marrow. Indeed, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this network should represent the basis for the design of novel patient-oriented biological therapeutic approaches. Here, we describe the role of the main immune components of the myeloma niche along disease evolution and their implication in impairing/improving the response to anti-cancer treatments. Additionally, we provided an overview of the potential weakness of this pro-tumor interplay, evidencing novel therapeutic …
Genetics and pathophysiology of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and its main autoantigen proteinase 3.
2016
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a severe autoimmune disease and one of the small vessel anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides. Although its etiology and pathophysiology are still widely unknown, it is accepted that infections, environmental factors, epigenetic modifications, and a genetic predisposition provide the basis for this systemic disorder. GPA typically evolves into two phases: an initial phase characterized by ear, nose and throat (ENT) manifestations, such as chronic sinusitis and otitis, ulceration of the oral cavity and pharynx, as well as pulmonary nodules and a severe generalized phase, defined by the occurrence of rapidly progressive g…