Search results for "OTR"
showing 10 items of 6791 documents
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) production by T cell receptor-primed T lymphocytes is a target for low dose methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis
1999
SUMMARYMethotrexate (MTX) is an effective immunosuppressive agent in various chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, its mechanisms of action are only partially understood. In this study, we assessed the effects of MTX on the differentiation of peripheral blood (PB) CD4+CD45RA ‘naive’ and CD4+CD45RO ‘memory’ T cells from healthy controls and patients with RA. Accordingly, purified T cells were primed and restimulated in vitro via the T cell receptor (TCR) in the presence of IL-2 to generate effector T cells secreting large amounts of Th1 and Th2 cytokines. We observed that low doses of MTX strongly suppress TNF and to a lesser extent interferon-gamma (IFN-γ…
Alternatives to Endotracheal Intubation for Patients with Neuromuscular Diseases
2005
To evaluate the usefulness of continuous noninvasive mechanical ventilation and mechanical coughing aids to avoid endotracheal intubation and tracheostomy during episodes of acute respiratory failure in patients with neuromuscular disease.We conducted a prospective cohort study at the respiratory medicine ward of a university hospital to study the success rate of the use of continuous noninvasive mechanical ventilation and manually and mechanically (CoughAssist) assisted coughing to avert endotracheal intubation in 24 consecutive episodes of acute respiratory failure for 17 patients with neuromuscular disease. The noninvasive mechanical ventilation and coughing aids were used to reverse dec…
Life context of pharmacological academic performance enhancement among university students – a qualitative approach
2014
Background Academic performance enhancement or cognitive enhancement (CE) via stimulant drug use has received increasing attention. The question remains, however, whether CE solely represents the use of drugs for achieving better academic or workplace results or whether CE also serves various other purposes. The aim of this study was to put the phenomenon of pharmacological academic performance enhancement via prescription and illicit (psycho-) stimulant use (Amphetamines, Methylphenidate) among university students into a broader context. Specifically, we wanted to further understand students’ experiences, the effects of use on students and other factors, such as pressure to perform in thei…
Stone-Free Rate after Treating Kidney Stones Exceeding 10 mm via Flexible Ureteroscopy: Can Endoscopic Assessment Replace Low-Dose Computed Tomograph…
2019
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> It is unclear whether endoscopic assessment of the stone-free rate after flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) is as effective as assessment with low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Prospective documentation of patients with kidney stones &#x3e; 10 mm diameter from 2 different centers (Freiburg, Regensburg), who underwent fURS and were declared to be endoscopically completely stone-free. Low-dose CT control performed 4–8 weeks postoperatively. <b><i>Results/Conclusion:</i></b> Thirty-eight patients were treated between October 2015 and August 2016 (12 F, 26 M). Average a…
Mechanism of Free Radical Production in Exhaustive Exercise in Humans and Rats; Role of Xanthine Oxidase and Protection by Allopurinol
2000
Exhaustive exercise generates free radicals, However, the source of this oxidative damage remains controversial. The aim of this paper was to study further the mechanism of exercise-induced production of free radicals, Testing the hypothesis that xanthine oxidase contributes to the production of free radicals during exercise, me found not only that exercise caused an increase in blood xanthine oxidase activity in rats but also that inhibiting xanthine oxidase with allopurinol prevented exercise-induced oxidation of glutathione in both rats and in humans. Furthermore, inhibiting xanthine oxidase prevented the increases in the plasma activity of cytosolic enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase, aspar…
Patterned functional network disruption in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
2019
Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease primarily affecting motor function, with additional evidence of extensive nonmotor involvement. Despite increasing recognition of the disease as a multisystem network disorder characterised by impaired connectivity, the precise neuroelectric characteristics of impaired cortical communication remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we characterise changes in functional connectivity using beamformer source analysis on resting‐state electroencephalography recordings from 74 ALS patients and 47 age‐matched healthy controls. Spatiospectral characteristics of network changes in the ALS patient group were quantifi…
Diffusion-tensor MR imaging at 1.5 and 3.0 T: initial observations.
2001
Diffusion-tensor MR imaging was compared at 1.5 and 3.0 T. With sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, we found no differences in fractional anisotropy. With a 40% higher signal-to-noise ratio at 3.0 T, higher resolution could be obtained without introduction of noise-related errors, albeit at the cost of increased geometric distortions caused by 3.0-T magnetic field inhomogeneities.
Thyroid function and release of thyroid-stimulating hormone and prolactin from the pituitary in human obesity
1991
Thyroid function, basal serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and prolactin concentrations, and the effects of 200 micrograms TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) given intravenously on TSH (delta TSH) and prolactin (delta prolactin) were investigated in 25 euthyroid obese subjects and 20 lean controls. No significant differences in serum thyroid hormone concentrations, glucose metabolism parameters, or basal TSH and prolactin concentrations were detected between groups, but a significant (P less than 0.01) increase in delta TSH and a significant (P less than 0.01) decrease in delta prolactin were observed in obese subjects. No significant differences in basal TSH and prolactin were observed in ob…
Study of pituitary secretion in relation to retinopathy in patients with juvenile diabetes mellitus.
1981
Fifteen juvenile diabetic patients with normal eye fundus, 6 with non proliferative retinopathy, 5 with proliferative retinopathy and 5 healthy control subjects were studied in order to investigate pituitary function in relation to diabetic retinopathy. ACTH values at 08(00) and 18(00), hPRL and TSh secretion in response to 200 microgram TRH i.v., and GH secretion in response to 500 mg oral L-dopa were evaluated. In all diabetic subjects, 08(00) ACTH levels were lower than in controls. Basal hPRL, TSH and GH values of the diabetics did not differ from those of the controls. No significant differences were found in hPRL levels in response to TRH, whereas significantly lower TSH responses wer…
Reference interval by the indirect approach of serum thyrotropin (TSH) in a Mediterranean adult population and the association with age and gender.
2019
Abstract Background The serum concentration of thyrotropin (TSH) represents a first-line test in diagnostic algorithms. The estimation of TSH reference intervals (RIs) is still a matter of debate due to the high prevalence of subclinical disease making difficult the definition of truly healthy subjects. The aim of this study was to estimate TSH RIs in healthy subjects and to evaluate the effect of age and gender on TSH concentration. Methods Forty-four thousand one hundred and fifty-six TSH data were collected between July 2012 and April 2018 at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, University-Hospital, Palermo. Common and sex-specific RIs were estimated by Arzideh’s indirect method after …