Search results for "Review article"
showing 10 items of 426 documents
Extracellular vesicles in parasitic diseases
2014
Parasitic diseases affect billions of people and are considered a major public health issue. Close to 400 species are estimated to parasitize humans, of which around 90 are responsible for great clinical burden and mortality rates. Unfortunately, they are largely neglected as they are mainly endemic to poor regions. Of relevance to this review, there is accumulating evidence of the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in parasitic diseases, acting both in parasite parasite inter-communication as well as in parasite host interactions. EVs participate in the dissemination of the pathogen and play a role in the regulation of the host immune systems. Production of EVs from parasites or paras…
Towards an improvement of hospital services and streamlining of health care costs: The DRG analysis in Italy
2012
The term Diagnosis-related Group (DRG) refers to a classification system used to assess hospital services with the aim of a better management of health care costs and improving performance. The DRG system focuses on the utilization of resources, and is not concerned with the specific type of care provided to the patient. This system highlights any diseconomies and eventual critical aspects of the hospital system. This article, starting from the history of heath care financing in Italy and pointing out the difficulty to define the "quality" of health care services, describes the variables used to evaluate correctly hospital performance based on the DRG system. These include Average Length of…
Structure and function of the vacuolar Ccc1/VIT1 family of iron transporters and its regulation in fungi
2020
Iron is an essential micronutrient for most living beings since it participates as a redox active cofactor in many biological processes including cellular respiration, lipid biosynthesis, DNA replication and repair, and ribosome biogenesis and recycling. However, when present in excess, iron can participate in Fenton reactions and generate reactive oxygen species that damage cells at the level of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Organisms have developed different molecular strategies to protect themselves against the harmful effects of high concentrations of iron. In the case of fungi and plants, detoxification mainly occurs by importing cytosolic iron into the vacuole through the Ccc1/V…
Novel immunotherapies in multiple myeloma – chances and challenges
2021
In this review article, we summarize the latest data on antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T-cell-engaging antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells in the treatment of multiple myeloma. We discuss the pivotal questions to be addressed as these new immunotherapies become standard agents in the management of multiple myeloma. We also focus on the selection of patients for these therapies and speculate as to how best to individualize treatment approaches. We see these novel immunotherapies as representing a paradigm shift. However, despite the promising preliminary data, many open issues remain to be evaluated in future trials.
Toll-like receptors – sentries in the B-cell response
2009
Summary Toll-like receptors (TLR) play a central role in the initiation of the innate immune response to pathogens. Upon recognition of molecular motifs specific for microbial molecules TLR mediate pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and enhance antigen presentation; in B cells they further promote expansion, class switch recombination and immunoglobulin secretion. As a result of their adjuvant properties, TLR ligands have become an integral component of antimicrobial vaccines. In spite of this, little is known of the direct effects of TLR engagement on B-lymphocyte function. The scope of this review is to outline the differences in TLR expression and reactivity in murine and human B-cell s…
HSP90 and HSP70: Implication in Inflammation Processes and Therapeutic Approaches for Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.
2015
Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are clonal stem cell disorders that lead to the excessive production of one or more blood cell lineages. It has been reported that, in most MPN, inflammatory cytokines are frequently increased, indicating that inflammation plays a crucial role in these disorders. Heat shock proteins (HSP) are induced in response to many stressful conditions from heat shock to hypoxia and inflammation. Besides their chaperone and cytoprotective functions, HSPs are key players during inflammation, hence the term “chaperokine.” Through their chaperone activity, HSP90, a stabilizer of many oncogenes (e.g., JAK2), and HSP70, a powerful antiapoptotic chaperone, tightly regulate …
Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in atopy
2021
Abstract Background The occurrence of allergic conditions, for example allergic asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis, is rising worldwide. These allergic conditions are associated with poor life quality. Vitamin D is proposed to be linked with increased risk and severe forms of allergic diseases. Aims This review article aimed to evaluate the vitamin D level role and polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) in atopy. Methods & Materials We analyzed publications that were focusing on levels of vitamin D and/or polymorphism analysis of vitamin D receptor gene in allergic asthma, rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis patients. Results We noticed that levels of vitamin D are extensively stud…
Endometrial Factor in Unexplained Infertility and Recurrent Implantation Failure
2021
AbstractUnexplained infertility (UI) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) are diagnoses based on failed pregnancy attempts within current infertility treatment models. Both diagnoses are made when fertility is unexplained based on current diagnostic methods and has no clear cause; UI is diagnosed when testing is inconclusive, and RIF is diagnosed after three failed in vitro fertilization cycles. In both cases, interventions are often introduced without an understanding of the cause of the infertility, frequently leading to frustration for patients and caregivers. Here, we review evidence to support an influence of endometrial factor in patients given these poorly defined diagnoses and p…
What are the ethical aspects surrounding the collegial decisional process in limiting and withdrawing treatment in intensive care?
2017
International audience; The decision to limit or withdraw life-support treatment is an integral part of the job of a physician working in the intensive care unit, and of the approach to care. However, this decision is influenced by a number of factors. It is widely accepted that a medical decision that will ultimate lead to end-of-life in the intensive care unit (ICU) must be shared between all those involved in the care process, and should give precedence to the patient's wishes (either directly expressed by the patient or in written form, such as advance directives), and taking into account the opinion of the patient's family, including the surrogate if the patient is no longer capable of…
Intersecting vulnerabilities in professionals and patients in intensive care.
2017
International audience; In the context of healthcare delivery, the vulnerabilities of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are intricately linked with those experienced on a daily basis by caregivers in the ICU in a symbiotic relation, whereby patients who are suffering can in turn engender suffering in the caregivers. In the same way, caregivers who are suffering themselves may be a source of suffering for their patients. The vulnerabilities of both patients and caregivers in the ICU are simultaneously constituted through a process that is influenced on the one hand by the healthcare objectives of the ICU, and on the other hand, by the conformity of the patients who are managed in tha…