Search results for "RESPIRATORY SYSTEM"
showing 10 items of 1829 documents
Neurotensin up-regulation is associated with advanced fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with MAFLD
2020
Background & aims: Neurotensin (NTS), a 13-aminoacid peptide localized in central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, is involved in lipid metabolism and promotes various cancers onset mainly by binding to neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1). Increased plasma levels of pro-NTS, the stable NTS precursor, have been associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular diseases and metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). We aimed to evaluate 1) the impact of NTS rs1800832 and NTSR1 rs6090453 genetic variants on liver damage in 1166 MAFLD European individuals, 2) the relation between NTS variant and circulating pro-NTS and 3) the hepatic NTS expression by RNAseq transcriptomic a…
Immunological Biomarkers of Fatal COVID-19: A Study of 868 Patients
2021
Information on the immunopathobiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly increasing; however, there remains a need to identify immune features predictive of fatal outcome. This large-scale study characterized immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using multidimensional flow cytometry, with the aim of identifying high-risk immune biomarkers. Holistic and unbiased analyses of 17 immune cell-types were conducted on 1,075 peripheral blood samples obtained from 868 COVID-19 patients and on samples from 24 patients presenting with non-SARS-CoV-2 infections and 36 healthy donors. Immune profiles of COVID-19 patients were significa…
Non-neuronal cholinergic system contributes to corticosteroid resistance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients
2016
Background: Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) with long-acting beta-2 agonists is a well-documented combination therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on its additive anti-inflammatory properties. By contrast, the recommendation of ICS in combination with long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) is not evidence-based. In this study, neutrophils obtained from COPD patients were used to compare the anti-inflammatory effects of aclidinium bromide (a long-acting muscarinic antagonist) with corticosteroids and their potential additive effect. Methods: Human sputum and blood neutrophils were isolated from healthy individuals ( n = 37), patients with stable COPD ( n = 52) and th…
The canonical but not the noncanonical wnt pathway inhibits the development of allergic airway disease
2018
Abstract Asthma is a syndrome with multifactorial causes, resulting in a variety of different phenotypes. Current treatment options are not curative and are sometimes ineffective in certain disease phenotypes. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches are required. Recent findings have shown that activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway suppresses the development of allergic airway disease. In contrast, the effect of the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathway activation on allergic airway disease is not well described. The aim of this study was to validate the therapeutic effectiveness of Wnt-1–driven canonical Wnt signaling compared with Wnt-5a–driven noncanonical signaling in murine mo…
Deformation-induced transitional myofibroblasts contribute to compensatory lung growth
2016
In many mammals, including humans, removal of one lung (pneumonectomy) results in the compensatory growth of the remaining lung. Compensatory growth involves not only an increase in lung size, but also an increase in the number of alveoli in the peripheral lung; however, the process of compensatory neoalveolarization remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA)—a cytoplasmic protein characteristic of myofibroblasts—is induced in the pleura following pneumonectomy. SMA induction appears to be dependent on pleural deformation (stretch) as induction is prevented by plombage or phrenic nerve transection (P < 0.001). Within 3 days of pneumonectomy, …
Identification of periplakin as a major regulator of lung injury and repair in mice
2018
IF 12.784 (2016); International audience; Periplakin is a component of the desmosomes that acts as a cytolinker between intermediate filament scaffolding and the desmosomal plaque. Periplakin is strongly expressed by epithelial cells in the lung and is a target antigen for autoimmunity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to determine the role of periplakin during lung injury and remodeling in a mouse model of lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin. We found that periplakin expression was downregulated in the whole lung and in alveolar epithelial cells following bleomycin-induced injury. Deletion of the Ppl gene in mice improved survival and reduced lung fibrosis developm…
The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management and course of chronic urticaria
2021
Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically disrupts health care around the globe. The impact of the pandemic on chronic urticaria (CU) and its management are largely unknown. Aim: to understand how CU patients are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; how specialists alter CU patient management; and the course of CU in patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods: our cross-sectional, international, questionnaire-based, multicenter UCARE COVID-CU study assessed the impact of the pandemic on patient consultations, remote treatment, changes in medications, and clinical consequences. Results: the COVID-19 pandemic severely impairs CU patient care, with less than 50% of the weekly numbers o…
Difensil immuno reduces recurrence and severity of tonsillitis in children: A randomized controlled trial
2020
Oral supplements (OS) support the immune system in fighting upper airways infection. This study aimed to analyze the effect of Difensil Immuno (DI) on the recurrence of tonsillitis and fever in children. A multicentric randomized clinical trial was conducted. One-hundred and twenty children with chronic tonsillitis were randomly assigned to group A, B or control. Patients in group A were treated with 10 mL of DI for 90 consecutive days, patients in group B underwent treatment with 15 mL of DI for 45 consecutive days. The following data were collected at baseline (T0), T1 and T2: tonsillitis and fever episodes, tonsillar volume, blood test results. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze within an…
Angioedema due to acquired C1-inhibitor deficiency: spectrum and treatment with C1-inhibitor concentrate
2018
Abstract Background Acquired angioedema due to C1-inhibitor (C1-INH) deficiency (AAE-C1-INH) is a serious condition that may result in life-threatening asphyxiation due to laryngeal edema. It is associated with malignant B-cell lymphoma and other disorders. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and associated disorders of patients with AAE-C1-INH and assess the efficacy of plasma-derived C1-INH concentrate (pdC1-INH) in the treatment of AAE-C1-INH. Forty-four patients with AAE-C1-INH from the Angioedema Outpatient Service of Mainz were assessed for associated disorders. In 32 of these patients, the duration of swelling attacks was measured before and after treatment …
Assessing the potential association between SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the respiratory tract and COVID-19 mortality.
2020
Special Issue on New coronavirus (2019‐nCoV or SARS‐CoV‐2) and the outbreak of the respiratory illness (COVID‐19): Part‐XI