Search results for "OSiS"

Retrospective Serological Evidence of High Exposure of Globally Relevant Zoonotic Parasite Toxoplasma Gondii in The Latvian Population

2019

Abstract Toxoplasmosis is an important infection caused by the single-celled parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is a zoonotic parasite causing widespread human and animal diseases, mostly involving the central nervous system. Humans can acquire toxoplasmosis by ingestion of raw or undercooked meat containing T. gondii tissue cysts, ingestion of oocysts shed by infected felids via contaminated food or water, and by vertical transmission to the fetus through the placenta from the mother during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of specific anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies using a large set of clinical diagnostic laboratory data obtained over a 14-y…

Cirrhosis risk score of the donor organ predicts early fibrosis progression after liver transplantation.

2019

Background & Aims: Fibrosis progression (FP) after liver transplantation (LT) increases morbidity and mortality. Biomarkers are needed for early prediction of FP. A recipient’s seven-gene cirrhosis risk score (CRS) has been associated with FP, especially in non-transplant cohorts. A broader validation of CRS, including the genotype of the donor-organ and HCV-negative patients is lacking. We therefore analyzed the impact of donor- and recipient-specific genotypes on FP after LT in a large cohort of HCV-positive and -negative patients.Method: Genotyping from liver biopsies (n=201 donors) and peripheral blood (n=442 recipients) was performed. Cirrhosis risk score was correlated with FP at …

Molecular disturbance underlies to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy induced by transgene content, age and exercise in a truncated PKP2 mouse model

2016

13 páginas, 9 tablas, 2 figuras. Contiene material suplementario.

Inducible knockdown of procollagen I protects mice from liver fibrosis and leads to dysregulated matrix genes and attenuated inflammation.

2017

Organ fibrosis is characterized by a chronic wound-healing response, with excess deposition of extracellular matrix components. Here, collagen type I represents the most abundant scar component and a primary target for antifibrotic therapies. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer, which are the major causes of liver related morbidity and mortality. However, a (pro-)collagen type I specific therapy remains difficult and its therapeutic abrogation may incur unwanted side effects. We therefore designed tetracycline-regulated procollagen alpha1(I) short hairpin (sh)RNA expressing mice that permit a highly efficient inducible knockdown of the procollagen alpha1(I) gen…

Expression of endogenous mouse APP modulates β-amyloid deposition in hAPP-transgenic mice

2017

Amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition is one of the hallmarks of the amyloid hypothesis in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mouse models using APP-transgene overexpression to generate amyloid plaques have shown to model only certain parts of the disease. The extent to which the data from mice can be transferred to man remains controversial. Several studies have shown convincing treatment results in reducing Aβ and enhancing cognition in mice but failed totally in human. One model-dependent factor has so far been almost completely neglected: the endogenous expression of mouse APP and its effects on the transgenic models and the readout for therapeutic approaches. Here, we report that hAPP-transgenic models of …

Production Conditions Affect the In Vitro Anti-Tumoral Effects of a High Concentration Multi-Strain Probiotic Preparation.

2016

A careful selection of the probiotic agent, standardization of the dose and detailed characterization of the beneficial effects are essential when considering use of a probiotic for the dietary management of serious diseases. However, changes in the manufacturing processes, equipment or facilities can result in differences in the product itself due to the live nature of probiotics. The need to reconfirm safety and/or efficacy for any probiotic product made at a different factory is therefore mandatory. Recently, under the brand VSL#3®, a formulation produced by a manufacturer different from the previous one, has been commercialized in some European countries (the UK and Holland). VSL#3 is a…

Clinical efficacy of α4 integrin block with natalizumab in ankylosing spondylitis

2016

We describe the impact of α4-β1/7 blockade with natalizumab, a recombinant humanised immunoglobulin (Ig) G4κ monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeted to the α4 subunit of the α4β1 and α4β7 integrins, on the gut and spine inflammation in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who developed multiple sclerosis after treatment with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking agents. A 45-year-old man with human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27-positive AS was admitted in January 2007. He had been diagnosed with AS 4 years earlier based on the presence of inflammatory back pain, peripheral arthritis, radiographic bilateral grade 2 sacroiliitis, HLA-B27 positivity. At that time, he had evidence of chronic int…

Identification of novel mutations in L1CAM gene by a DHPLC-based assay

2016

X-linked hydrocephalus, MASA syndrome, X-linked complicated Spastic Paraplegia Type I, and X-linked partial agenesis of the corpus callosum are rare diseases mainly affecting male population and broadly referred as L1 syndrome, caused by mutations in the L1CAM gene. In the present study 36 boys and a male fetus whose clinical features were consistent with L1 syndrome were analyzed by dHPLC assay and direct sequencing of L1CAM gene. Sequence analysis of the 14 different aberrant dHPLC elution profiles demonstrated that six of them were associated with already reported polymorphisms, four with previously described causative variants while the remaining four represented novel L1CAM mutations. …

Caretakers and Gatekeepers

2017

It has now been generally accepted that the genes responsible for familial cancer syndromes can be divided into two categories, known as caretakers and gatekeepers. Caretakers are genes that control the maintenance of the genetic information integrity in each cell while gatekeepers are those genes which directly regulate tumor growth, codifying for proteins which either stimulate or inhibit proliferation, differentiation or apoptosis. Keywords: gatekeeper genes; caretaker genes; tumor suppressor genes; cell cycle; hereditary syndromes

Mutations in theERCC2(XPD) gene associated with severe fetal ichthyosis and dysmorphic features

2016