Search results for "Macromolecular Substance"
showing 10 items of 882 documents
Epithelial contribution to the profibrotic stiff microenvironment and myofibroblast population in lung fibrosis
2017
The contribution of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to the profibrotic stiff microenvironment and myofibroblast accumulation in pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. We examined EMT-competent lung epithelial cells and lung fibroblasts from control (fibrosisfree) donors or patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is a very aggressive fibrotic disorder. Cells were cultured on profibrotic conditions including stiff substrata and TGF-β1, and analyzed in terms of morphology, stiffness, and expression of EMT/myofibroblast markers and fibrillar collagens. All fibroblasts acquired a robust myofibroblast phenotype on TGF-β1 stimulation. Yet IPF myofibroblasts exhibited highe…
Levels of C3 in patients with severe, morbid and extreme obesity: its relationship to insulin resistance and different cardiovascular risk factors.
2007
Increased C3 has been related to body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance, although there are not sufficient studies in subjects with morbid obesity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the levels of C3 as a function of the BMI in subjects of both sexes, with severe, morbid and extreme obesity, and their possible relationship to insulin resistance or associated diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia.The study included a total of 316 patients (110 men and 206 women) with severe obesity (17.1%), morbid obesity (54.4%) and extreme obesity (28.4%), with an average BMI of 46.70+/-7.37 kg/m2.The glucose and insulin levels were determined baseline, and 2 h after a 75 g …
Distribution of a special subset of keratinocytes characterized by the expression of cytokeratin 9 in adult and fetal human epidermis of various body…
1987
Biochemical analyses have previously shown that palmar and plantar epidermis, unlike the epidermis of other body sites, contain cytokeratin 9 (Mr 64,000), an unusually large acidic (type I) cytokeratin. Guinea-pig antibodies that specifically and selectively react with bovine and human cytokeratin 9 were used for the immunocytochemical identification of cytokeratin 9 in adult and fetal human epidermis from various body sites. In the epidermis of palms and soles, antibodies against cytokeratin 9 stained a high proportion of the keratinocytes in suprabasal locations. These suprabasal cytokeratin-9-positive keratinocytes were often arranged in vertical columns and concentrated around intraepid…
Peripheral Leptin Levels in Narcoleptic Patients
2007
Narcolepsy is a severe sleep disorder that in most patients is characterized by the deficiency of central orexin. Clinically, narcolepsy is associated with obesity. Currently, there is a literature controversy about the potential alteration of leptin levels in narcoleptic patients. Theoretically, diminished leptin levels could partially contribute to the observed overweight of patients. Two studies have reported decreased leptin levels, whereas a larger, recent study failed to detect differences between patients and controls.To help settle the controversy, we have measured peripheral leptin levels in 42 narcoleptic patients and in 31 body mass index-matched controls.No significant differenc…
The gene expression profile of cumulus cells reveals altered pathways in patients with endometriosis
2014
PURPOSE: The objective of this experimental study was to compare the global gene expression profile of CC of mature oocytes in 18 patients with severe endometriosis and CC in 18 control patients affected by a severe male factor. METHODS: For each group, the CC were pooled, RNA was extracted and a microarray performed. For validating the microarray, a quantitative real-time PCR was performed in the CC of an independent set of patients with endometriosis (n = 5) and controls (n = 7). RESULTS: 595 differentially expressed genes (320 down-regulated, 275 up-regulated, p < 0.05, fold change ≥1.5) were identified. The most significant changes were observed in genes involved in the chemokine signal…
Neuronal and Behavioral Correlates of Health Anxiety: Results of an Illness-Related Emotional Stroop Task
2011
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Health anxiety (HA) is defined as the objectively unfounded fear or conviction of suffering from a severe illness. Predominant attention allocation to illness-related information is regarded as a central process in the development and maintenance of HA, yet little is known about the neuronal correlates of this attentional bias. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> An emotional Stroop task with body symptom, illness, and neutral words was employed to elicit emotional interference in healthy participants with high (HA+, n = 12) and low (HA–, n = 12) HA during functional magnetic resonance imaging. <b><i>Results:</i>…
Functional polymorphism in the neuropeptide Y gene promoter (rs16147) is associated with serum leptin levels and waist-hip ratio in women
2013
<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The neuropeptide-Y (NP-Y) gene is a strong candidate gene in the pathophysiology of obesity-linked behavior, and several single-nucleotide polymorphisms of NP-Y have already been linked to body weight and appetite. However, the results from current studies remain inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to test whether a certain functional genetic variant (SNP rs16147) in the NP-Y promoter gene is associated with serum leptin levels and body fat distribution. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We genotyped and measured the serum leptin levels of the NP-Y rs16147 polymorphism in 1,097 Caucasian subjects in the context of a pop…
Recurrence of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland-predictive value of cadherin-11 and fascin
2008
The predictive value of cadherin-11, tenascin, fascin, and mucin-1 as markers for the likelihood of recurrence in pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland was examined. In this retrospective study we analysed 20 tumours from16 patients by immunohistochemistry. Staining intensities were measured using a semiquantitative scoring approach; localisation (tumour centre vs border) as well as clinical data were analysed and correlated with follow-up. Cadherin-11 was increased in recurrent tumours. However, no changes of fascin, tenascin or mucin-1 were observed. Cadherin-11 and fascin were increased in primary tumours of patients with later recurrence, with fascin upregulation restricted to the tu…
Collagen ultrastructure in ruptured cruciate ligaments
1992
The ultrastructure of collagen fibrils was investigated in normal (n 39) and ruptured (n 23) human anterior cruciate ligaments. The normal ligament had a complex three-dimensional structure. Collagen fibrils predominantly had a unidirectional course with parallel arrangement and a mean diameter of 75 (20-185) nm. Four days after anterior cruciate ligament rupture, the mean fibril diameter was increased; it later decreased, probably due to synthesis of young, thin 30-40 nm fibrils. Interfibrillar dysplastic collagen fibrils were detected in the extracellular matrix of ruptured ligaments. They were more frequently found later than 3 days after rupture and were seen also at a distance of 2-3 c…
A series of West European patients with severe cardiac and skeletal myopathy associated with a de novo R406W mutation in desmin.
2003
Desminopathy is a familial or sporadic cardiac and skeletal muscular dystrophy associated with mutations in desmin. We have previously characterized a de novo desmin R406W mutation in a patient of European origin with early onset muscle weakness in the lower extremities and atrioventricular conduction block requiring a permanent pacemaker. The disease relentlessly progressed resulting in severe incapacity within 5 years after onset. We have now identified three other patients with early onset rapidly progressive cardiac and skeletal myopathy caused by this same desmin R406W mutation. The mutation was present in each studied patient, but not in their parents or other unaffected family member…