Search results for "MerA"
showing 10 items of 3426 documents
Non-syndromic supernumerary premolars
2010
Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of non-syndromic supernumerary premolars, to classify them and to identify the complications related to them. Study Design: This retrospective cohort study was composed of 8400 panoramic radiographs of patients who presented at our Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Services from January 1998 to May 2008. The number of supernumerary premolars, their localization, the ages and the sex of the patients, any associated complications and treatment methods were estimated. Results and Conclusion: A total of 20 supernumerary premolar teeth were found in 10 of the 8400 patients (0.24%) with 7 of those being females and three males. Thr…
Heavy resistance exercise training and skeletal muscle androgen receptor expression in younger and older men
2010
Effects of heavy resistance exercise on serum testosterone and skeletal muscle androgen receptor (AR) concentrations were examined before and after a 21-week resistance training period. Seven healthy untrained young adult men (YT) and ten controls (YC) as well as ten older men (OT) and eight controls (OC) volunteered as subjects. Heavy resistance exercise bouts (5 × 10 RM leg presses) were performed before and after the training period. Muscle biopsies were obtained before and 1h and 48 h after the resistance exercise bouts from m.vastus lateralis (VL) to determine cross-sectional area of muscle fibers (fCSA) and AR mRNA expression and protein concentrations. No changes were observed in YC …
Genetically engineered hybrid proteins from Parietaria judaica pollen for allergen-specific immunotherapy
2006
Background Despite the use of conventional allergen-specific immunotherapy in clinical practice, more defined, efficient, and safer allergy vaccines are required. Objective The aim of the study was to obtain hypoallergenic molecules by deleting B-cell epitopes, which could potentially be applied to Parietaria judaica pollen allergy treatment. Methods Three hybrid molecules (Q1, Q2, and Q3) derived from fragments of the 2 major P judaica pollen allergens, Par j 1 and Par j 2, were engineered by means of PCR. Hybrid structures were compared with their natural components by means of circular dichroism, and their biologic activities were compared by using T-cell proliferation assays. Their IgE-…
Lack of neurofibromatosis type 2 gene promoter methylation in sporadic vestibular schwannomas.
2011
<i>Background:</i> Vestibular schwannomas (VS) are benign tumors of the nervous system that are usually sporadic but also occur in the inherited disorder neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). In VS, losses of chromosomal material and mutations of the NF2 gene have been established to be causative. For a subset of VS without detectable gene alterations, promoter inactivation by hypermethylation has been suggested. However, published data are very limited and contradictory. <i>Methods:</i> We analyzed NF2 gene promoter methylation in 35 sporadic VS by methylation-specific PCR. <i>Results:</i> Twenty-three of the tumors were informative, showing no promoter methyl…
T cells involved in psoriasis vulgaris belong to the Th1 subset
1994
Although the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris is still unknown, several characteristics point to an immunologically mediated process. Epidermal psoriatic lesions are characterized by a hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and an infiltration of T lymphocytes and granulocytes. Because the former may be mediated in part by lymphokines secreted by T cells, we have focused our interest on the in vivo and in vitro cytokine secretion patterns of T lymphocytes from psoriatic lesions. In five patients T lymphocytes were obtained from epidermal specimens. The cells were propagated with lectin and irradiated feeder cells and subsequently cloned by limiting dilution. The resulting T-cell clones were …
Individual and common antigen-recognition sites of liver-derived T cells in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.
2003
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by dense T-cell infiltrations in the liver tissue, but little is known how T cells influence the pathogenesis. To address this question, the distribution of T-cell receptor variable beta-chain (TCR Vbeta) transcripts of peripheral blood and liver-infiltrating T cells from previously untreated patients with newly diagnosed acute exacerbated AIH was investigated. Furthermore, the lengths and sequences of complementary-determining region 3 (CDR3) were studied. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and CDR3 spectratyping revealed multiple clonal expansions of liver-infiltrating T cells but not peripheral T cells within vari…
Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum/chagasi infection in blood donors of western Sicily.
2007
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the risk of transfusion-transmitted visceral leishmaniasis was present in an area of western Sicily where the incidence of the disease is higher than the regional average. From May to December 2005, 1449 blood donors from Agrigento district (Sicily, Italy) were screened for the presence of anti-Leishmania antibodies by an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples from IFAT-positive donors were examined by PCR to detect Leishmania DNA. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were found in 11 (0.75%) cases, among which Leishmania DNA was detected from four (36.4%). Particular techniques to inactivate different pathogens would be consid…
Herpes Simplex I virus impairs regenerative outcomes of periodontal regenerative therapy in intrabony defects: a pilot study.
2011
Aim To evaluate the impact of herpesvirus type-1 and -2 on the clinical outcomes of periodontal regenerative procedures in isolated deep intrabony pockets, in an experimental population with no detectable periodontal pathogens. Materials and Methods Seventeen periodontal intraosseous defects in 17 moderate-to-advanced periodontitis patients were treated with regenerative therapy and amelogenins. Microbiological evaluation was performed at baseline (after the completion of initial therapy) and at 1 year to exclude the presence of periodontal pathogens. Herpesviruses-1 and -2 DNA were quantified in the pocket tissues associated to the intrabony defect using molecular assays. Clinical attachme…
Analysis of IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 genetic polymorphisms as risk factors for sepsis development in burned patients.
2012
Abstract Infection risk, sepsis and mortality after severe burn are primarily determined by patient age, burn size, and depth. Whether genetic differences contribute to otherwise unexpected variability in outcomes is unknown. We sought to determine whether there was an association between IL-6, IL-10 and IL-17 polymorphisms with cytokine production and development of sepsis. We evaluated 71 patients with burns ≥15% TBSA and 109 healthy subjects. The genotypes of IL-6 (−174C/G), IL-10 (−819C/T and −1082A/G) and IL-17 (7488T/C) polymorphisms were identified applying polymerase chain reaction protocols. The cytokine levels in serum were determined with enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays. Our…
Rapid and reliable genotyping procedure for detection of alleles with mutations, deletion, or/and duplication of the CYP2D6 gene
2009
Abstract Background Polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) have a significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of most tricyclic antidepressants. More than 150 alleles lead to four distinct phenotypes of drug metabolism. The phenotypes are described as ultrarapid, extensive, intermediate, and poor metabolizers. Therapeutic plasma levels of CYP2D6 substrates may be difficult to achieve. Here we describe a rapid and reliable procedure for CYP2D6*4, *3, *6, and *9 genotyping. Design and methods Serum concentrations of venlafaxine and its pharmacologically active metabolite, O-desmethylvenlafaxine, were measured in patients treated with the antidepressant venlafaxine, a substrate of CYP2D6…