Search results for "PATHOGENESIS"
showing 10 items of 761 documents
Expansion of intestinal Prevotella copri correlates with enhanced susceptibility to arthritis.
2013
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent systemic autoimmune disease, caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Animal models suggest a role for intestinal bacteria in supporting the systemic immune response required for joint inflammation. Here we performed 16S sequencing on 114 stool samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and controls, and shotgun sequencing on a subset of 44 such samples. We identified the presence of Prevotella copri as strongly correlated with disease in new-onset untreated rheumatoid arthritis (NORA) patients. Increases in Prevotella abundance correlated with a reduction in Bacteroides and a loss of reportedly beneficial microbes in NORA subjec…
Increased seroprevalence of parvovirus B 19 IgG in complex regional pain syndrome is not associated with antiendothelial autoimmunity
2005
The etiology of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is unclear yet. Recently autoantibodies and antecedent viral infections have been discussed to be involved in the pathogenesis of CRPS. We investigated sera from 39 CRPS patients and healthy controls for parvovirus B19 IgG and the occurrence of antiendothelial autoantibodies (AECA). CRPS patients showed a higher seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 IgG than controls (p < 0.01). All CRPS 2 patients were positive. 10.2% of the CRPS patients and 10.0% of the controls had AECA (n.s.) and AECA were not associated with parvovirus B19 seropositivity. Our findings suggest the involvement of parvovirus B19, but not autoantibody-mediated endothelial c…
Vitiligo susceptibility and catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms in sicilian population
2018
BACKGROUND Catalase gene (CAT) polymorphisms were analyzed as responsible for the deficiency of catalase enzyme activity and concomitant accumulation of excessive hydrogen peroxide in vitiligo patients. Catalase is a well-known oxidative stress regulator that could play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. This study was conducted to evaluate three CAT gene polymorphisms (-89A/T, 389C/T, 419C/T) and their association with vitiligo susceptibility in Sicilian population. METHODS Sixty out of 73 Sicilian patients with vitiligo were enrolled and submitted to CAT gene analysis. RESULTS Contrary to the Northern part of Europe but likewise to the Mediterranean area, the frequency of …
The CD34 epitope is expressed in neoplastic and malformative lesions associated with chronic, focal epilepsies.
1999
The etiology and pathogenesis of complex focal lesions associated with chronic, intractable epilepsy are largely unknown. Some data indicate that malformative changes of the central nervous system may preceed the development of gangliogliomas and other epilepsy-associated neoplasms. In the present immunhistochemical study, we have examined epilepsy-associated lesions for CD34, a stem cell marker transiently expressed during early neurulation. Surprisingly, most tissue samples from patients with chronic epilepsy (n = 262) revealed neural cells immunoreactive for CD34. Prominent immunoreactivity was detected in gangliogliomas (74%), low-grade astrocytomas (62%) and oligodendrogliomas (59%). O…
Desmin-related myopathies
1997
Desmin-related myopathies are marked by accumulation of desmin, which is often familial and associated with cardiomyopathy. When multifocal this excess is characterized by inclusions such as cytoplasmic or spheroid bodies, when disseminated the excess is called granulofilamentous material. Excess of desmin might represent an abnormal type of protein metabolism.
Monocyte/macrophage differentiation in dermatomyositis and polymyositis.
2004
Recent advances have revealed significant differences in the pathogenesis of inflammatory myopathies. To determine whether different patterns of macrophage differentiation are a useful tool to delineate the major groups of inflammatory myopathies, the muscle biopsies of 11 patients with dermatomyositis and 12 patients with polymyositis were studied using different macrophage markers. In polymyositis, the early-activation markers MRP14 and 27E10 stained the majority of macrophages, which were recognized by the pan-macrophage marker Ki-M1P and which were located primarily in the endomysium. In dermatomyositis, macrophages predominantly expressed the late-activation marker 25F9 and were found …
Sputum metalloproteinase-9/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 ratio correlates with airflow obstruction in asthma and chronic bronchitis
1998
Asthma and chronic bronchitis are inflammatory diseases with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and collagen deposition. Collagen homeostasis is controlled by metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). We evaluated MMP and TIMP balance in induced sputum of 10 control, 31 untreated asthmatic, and 16 chronic bronchitic subjects. We first performed zymographic analysis to identify the profile of MMPs. Zymography revealed a similar MMPs profile in all populations studied and that MMP-9 was the major enzyme released. We then measured, using enzyme immunoassay, the concentrations of MMP-9 and of its inhibitor TIMP-1 and evaluated whether airflow limitation m…
Increased Levels of Elastase and α1-Antitrypsin in Sputum of Asthmatic Patients
1998
Asthma and chronic bronchitis are inflammatory diseases associated with remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Elastin, a major component of the ECM in the airways, has been previously found to be disrupted in asthma and chronic bronchitis. This study was aimed at evaluating whether elastin disruption might be associated with an imbalance between elastase (active and total) and alpha1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha1-PI), the main inhibitor of elastase. We measured elastase and alpha1-PI in induced sputum obtained from 16 control subjects, 10 healthy smokers, 19 asthmatic patients, and 10 chronic bronchitis patients. We also assessed the possible origin of elastase, evaluating its levels…
Homocysteine levels in patients with primary and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Its association with microangiopathy severity
2013
The association between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) remains a matter of debate. In 18 primary RP, 23 secondary RP and 41 controls, we investigated homocysteine (Hcy) levels along with biochemical and inflammatory parameters. The Hcy levels in both primary and secondary RP were elevated when compared with controls (p0.05 and p0.01, respectively). As age was higher in secondary RP as compared with controls (p0.01), both primary and secondary RP were age-matched with a corresponding control group, and with Hcy maintaining its statistical significance (p0.05). No differences in creatinine, B12 vitamin or folic acid were observed between groups (p0.05), or in the pr…
Primary umbilical endometrioma: Analyzing the pathogenesis of endometriosis from an unusual localization
2015
Abstract Objective This report presents a rare case of symptomatic primary umbilical endometriosis and reviews the literature on the topic with the aim to clarify some questions on the origin of endometriosis. Case report A 33-year-old woman with cyclic umbilical bleeding was found to have umbilical endometriosis. She had no history of pelvic or abdominal surgery. There was no past history of endometriosis or endometriosis-associated symptoms. An omphalectomy was performed after explorative laparoscopy to carefully inspect the abdominopelvic cavity and assess any coexisting pelvic endometriotic lesions. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of umbilical endometriosis. Conclusion …