Search results for "Sorbent"
showing 10 items of 635 documents
Ankylosing spondylitis in monozygotic twins: studies on immunological parameters
1999
OBJECTIVE—To examine immunological parameters that might explain disease discordance in monozygotic twin pairs with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS—11 monozygotic twin pairs (nine with AS, two with undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy) were investigated. The peripheral T cell receptor Vβ repertoire was investigated using FACS analysis and 14 different Vβ antibodies. In addition serum samples were tested for antibodies to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans, Proteus mirabilis, and Escherichia coli. Peripheral blood lymphocyte reactivity against a number of bacteria was investigated by interferon γ ELISPOT assays. RESULTS—Twins suffering from AS showed cellula…
Methodological considerations to determine the effect of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels.
2015
Objectives: Physical exercise up-regulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the brain and blood. However, there is yet no consensus about the adequate blood processing conditions to standardize its assessment. We aimed to find a reliable blood sample processing method to determine changes in BDNF due to exercise. Design and methods: Twelve healthy university students performed an incremental cycling test to exhaustion. At baseline, immediately after exercise, and 30 and 60 min of recovery, venous blood was drawn and processed under different conditions, i.e. whole blood, serum coagulated for 10 min and 24 h, total plasma, and platelet-free plasma. BDNF concentration was measured …
Autologous whole blood injections to patients with chronic urticaria and a positive autologous serum skin test: a placebo-controlled trial.
2005
<i>Background:</i> Patients with chronic urticaria (CU) frequently exhibit positive skin test reactions to autologous serum (ASST). Therapies aimed at inducing tolerance to circulating histamine-releasing factors in ASST+ CU patients, e.g. by treatment with autologous whole blood (AWB), have not yet been tested. <i>Objective:</i> To test whether ASST+ CU patients can benefit from repeated low-dose intramuscular injections of AWB. <i>Methods:</i> We characterized CU severity and duration, anti-Fc<sub>&#917;</sub>RI and anti-IgE expression, use of antihistamines, and quality of life in 56 CU patients (ASST+: 35, ASST–: 21) and assessed the t…
[Cytomegalovirus infection in immunocompetent patients. Clinical and immunological considerations].
2012
Cytomegalovirus primary infection is considered dangerous for some kinds of patients: immunocompromised (HIV-infected and transplanted patients), newborns with congenital infection, and immunocompetent patients in critical condition. CMV infection is usually asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic in immunocompetent hosts. We collected all cases of acute CMV infection that came to our attention during the period November 2009 - May 2011 to analyze their clinical features. Immunoenzymatic methods (ELISA) were used for the detection of specific IgM and IgG antibodies in every case. We observed 73 cases of acute CMV infection. The male-female ratio was 1.5/1. The average age was 36.4. All the …
Symptoms and complications of pertussis in adults
1995
There is increasing evidence that pertussis occurs frequently in adults, but there is limited information on the clinical course of this disease beyond childhood. A household contact study on the efficacy of an acellular pertussis vaccine was used to study the symptoms of pertussis in adults. Among 257 patients with pertussis identified in 121 families during a two-year period in one study center with a low whole-cell pertussis-vaccine uptake, 79 (30.7%) were adults, aged 19–83 years (mean age: 36 years) with a 1:1.8 male to female ratio. Ninety-one percent of the adults suffered from coughing (mean duration: 54 days), and in 80% this cough lasted ≥ 21 days. Whoops were rare (8%), whereas c…
Concentrations of 9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and 11-Nor-9-Carboxytetrahydrocannabinol in Blood and Urine After Passive Exposure to Cannabis Smoke in a C…
2010
Cannabinoid concentrations in blood and urine after passive exposure to cannabis smoke under real-life conditions were investigated in this study. Eight healthy volunteers were exposed to cannabis smoke for 3 h in a well-attended coffee shop in Maastricht, Netherlands. An initial blood and urine sample was taken from each volunteer before exposure. Blood samples were taken 1.5, 3.5, 6, and 14 h after start of initial exposure, and urine samples were taken after 3.5, 6, 14, 36, 60, and 84 h. The samples were subjected to immunoassay screening for cannabinoids and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-nor-hydroxy-Delta(9)-tetra…
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…
Serum VEGF and b-FGF profiles after tension-free or conventional hernioplasty.
2005
Angiogenesis is strongly influenced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), whose production is also regulated by interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-10. The aim of this study was to evaluate the modifications of serum VEGF, b-FGF, IFN-gamma and IL-10 levels in patients with inguinal hernia undergoing hernioplasty with the Lichtenstein technique (LH) using polypropylene mesh or with Bassini open conventional inguinal hernia repair (BH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Randomly, 16 patients underwent BH, and 16 were treated with the LH technique using polypropylene mesh. Blood samples were collected 24 h prior to surgery and then 6, 24, 48 and …
Aqueous Humor Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Retinitis Pigmentosa
2008
PURPOSE To determine the level of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in aqueous humors of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). METHODS A prospective, comparative control study. Aqueous humor was collected from 16 eyes of 16 patients with RP. The level of VEGF-A was determined with a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. The control group comprised 16 aqueous samples from 16 patients about to undergo cataract surgery and without any other ocular or systemic diseases. RESULTS The concentration of VEGF-A in aqueous humor was markedly lower in patients with RP than in control subjects (Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.001). The level of VEGF-A was 94.9 +/- 99.8 …
Elevated protein carbonyl and HIF-1α levels in eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
2013
Purpose: To evaluate the role of protein carbonyls and hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) in diabetic eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: Prospective consecutive controlled observational study was performed. Vitreous samples were collected at the start of the 3-ppp vitrectomy. Protein carbonylation analysis was performed by Western blotting with antibody against 2,4-Dinitrophenol (anti-DNP), following derivatization of protein carbonyls with 2,4 Dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNHP). Protein carbonylation was quantified by scanning densitometry analysis and relativized to the total amount of protein into the ponceau staining of membranes. Vitreous HIF-1 a was determined w…