Search results for "SAC"
showing 10 items of 3337 documents
Inflammation-Induced Alteration of Astrocyte Mitochondrial Dynamics Requires Autophagy for Mitochondrial Network Maintenance
2013
Accumulating evidence suggests that changes in the metabolic signature of astrocytes underlie their response to neuroinflammation, but how proinflammatory stimuli induce these changes is poorly understood. By monitoring astrocytes following acute cortical injury, we identified a differential and region-specific remodeling of their mitochondrial network: while astrocytes within the penumbra of the lesion undergo mitochondrial elongation, those located in the core-the area invaded by proinflammatory cells-experience transient mitochondrial fragmentation. In brain slices, proinflammatory stimuli reproduced localized changes in mitochondrial dynamics, favoring fission over fusion. This effect w…
Effectiveness of Pulsed Radiofrequency with Multifunctional Epidural Electrode in Chronic Lumbosacral Radicular Pain with Neuropathic Features
2014
Lumbosacral radicular pain is a common clinical finding with a statistical prevalence ranging from 9.9% to 25% in the general population.To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain and neuropathic features.Prospective case series clinical outcome study.We evaluated 34 patients with lumbosacral neuropathic pain who underwent PRF at the corresponding level of radicular symptoms distribution (ranging from L3 to S1). Each patient suffered a single leg-radiating pain with probable neuropathic features (assessed with clinical grading) lasting for6 months and unresponsive to previous treatments. A multifun…
Genetic identification of neurons controlling a sexually dimorphic behaviour
2000
0960-9822 (Print) Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, locomotor activity is sexually dimorphic: female flies constantly modulate their activity pattern whereas males show a steadier, stereotyped walking pace [1]. Here, we mapped the area of the brain controlling this behavioural dimorphism. Adult male Drosophila expressing a dominant feminising transgene in a small cluster of neurons in the pars intercerebralis exhibited a female-like pattern of locomotor activity. Genetic ablation of these neurons prevented the feminisation of the locomotor activity of transgenic males. The results suggest that this cluster of neurons modulates sex-sp…
Exclusion of the Sonic Hedgehog gene as responsible for Currarino syndrome and anorectal malformations with sacral hypodevelopment.
1999
Anorectal malformations (ARMs) are common congenital anomalies that account for 1:4 digestive malformations. ARM patients show different degrees of sacral hypodevelopment while the hemisacrum is characteristic of the Currarino syndrome (CS). Cases of CS present an association of ARM, hemisacrum and presacral mass. A gene responsible for CS has recently been mapped in 7q36. Among the genes localized in this critical region, sonic hedgehog (SHH) was thought to represent a candidate gene for CS as well as for ARM with different levels of sacral hypodevelopment according to its role in the differentiation of midline mesoderm. By linkage analysis we confirmed the critical region in one large fam…
Evaluation of the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a DTPa-HBV-IPV combination vaccine Co-administered with a hib conjugate vaccine either as a si…
2004
A combined DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine containing diphtheria (D), tetanus (T), acellular pertussis (Pa), hepatitis B (HBV) and types 1, 2 and 3 inactivated polioviruses (IPV) extemporaneously mixed with a conjugated Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine (Group 1) was compared to the DTPa-HBV-IPV and Hib vaccines (Group 2) administered separately at 3, 5 and 11 months of age (n = 440). A microneutralization assay was used to detect antibodies against the 3 polio virus types (cut-off 1:8 dil), RIA for anti-HBs antibodies (cut-off 10 mIU/ml) and ELISA for antibodies against all other vaccine antigens (cut-off: 0.1 IU/ml for anti-tetanus and anti-diphtheria antibodies; 5 El.U/ml for antibodi…
Efficacy of posaconazole and amphotericin B in experimental invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in dexamethasone immunosuppressed rats
2007
Objectives: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is associated with high mortality. To assess new antifungal therapy options, animal models have to be developed to assess, in an appropriate setting, the activity of new drugs. Methods: Male albino CD rats (125–150 g) were fed with a protein-free diet and received dexamethasone thrice weekly subcutaneously during the whole experiment. After 2 weeks, an inoculum of 10 6 conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus (H11-20) was injected intratracheally. Antifungal treatment was initiated and continued for a total of 7 days. Animals were grouped in numbers of 10. One group of animals served as untreated control, whereas the others were treated with amphotericin…
Microsurgical fenestration of perineural cysts to the thecal sac at the level of the distal dural sleeve
2011
Background Surgery for symptomatic sacral perineural cysts remains an issue of discussion. Assuming micro-communications between the cyst and thecal sac resulting in a valve mechanism and trapping of CSF as a pathomechanism, microsurgical fenestration from the cyst to the thecal sac was performed to achieve free CSF communication. Methods In 13 consecutive patients (10 female, 3 male), MRI revealed sacral perineural cysts and excluded other pathologies. Micro-communication between the thecal sac and the cysts was shown by delayed contrast filling of the cysts on postmyelographic CT. Surgical fenestration achieved free CSF communication between the thecal sac and cysts in all patients. The p…
Glucose/galactose malabsorption caused by a defect in the Na+/glucose cotransporter.
1991
Glucose/galactose malabsorption (GGM) is an autosomal recessive disease manifesting within the first weeks of life and characterized by a selective failure to absorb dietary glucose and galactose from the intestine. The consequent severe diarrhoea and dehydration are usually fatal unless these sugars are eliminated from the diet. Intestinal biopsies of GGM patients have revealed a specific defect in Na(+)-dependent absorption of glucose in the brush border. Normal glucose absorption is mediated by the Na+/glucose cotransporter in the brush border membrane of the intestinal epithelium. Cellular influx is driven by the transmembrane Na+ electrochemical potential gradient; thereafter the sugar…
A novel class of potent nonglycosidic and nonpeptidic pan-selectin inhibitors.
2006
An early step of the inflammatory response, the rolling of leukocytes on activated endothelial cells, is mediated by selectin/carbohydrate interactions. The tetrasaccharide sialy Lewisx is a ligand for E-, P-, and L-selectin and therefore serves as a lead structure for the development of analogues. A combination of synthesis and structure-based design allowed rapid optimization. The current lead 2a was evaluated in our E-selectin cell flow chamber assay where it proved to inhibit rolling and adhesion with an IC50 of 28+/-7 microM. The assays used are predictive for the in vivo efficacy of test compounds as shown for 2a in a proteose peptone induced peritonitis model of acute inflammation in…
Distant Homology Modeling of LCAT and Its Validation through In Silico Targeting and In Vitro and In Vivo Assays
2013
LCAT (lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase) catalyzes the transacylation of a fatty acid of lecithin to cholesterol, generating a cholesteryl ester and lysolecithin. The knowledge of LCAT atomic structure and the identification of the amino acids relevant in controlling its structure and function are expected to be very helpful to understand the enzyme catalytic mechanism, as involved in HDL cholesterol metabolism. However - after an early report in the late '90 s - no recent advance has been made about LCAT three-dimensional structure. In this paper, we propose an LCAT atomistic model, built following the most up-to-date molecular modeling approaches, and exploiting newly solved crystallog…