Search results for "VARY"

The brainstem efferent acoustic chiasm in pigmented and albino rats

2015

Abstract The present study examined whether structural peculiarities in the brain-efferent pathway to the organ of Corti may underlie functional differences in hearing between pigmented and albino individuals of the same mammalian species. Pigmented Brown-Norway rats and albino Wistar rats received unilateral injections of an aqueous solution of the retrograde neuronal tracer Fluorogold (FG) into the scala tympani of the cochlea to identify olivocochlear neurons (OCN) in the brainstem superior olivary complex. After five days, brains were perfusion-fixed and brainstem sections were cut and analyzed with respect to retrogradely labeled neurons. Intrinsic neurons of the lateral system were lo…

Pathogenesis of primary Sjögren's syndrome beyond B lymphocytes

2020

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder affecting exocrine glands of the body, prevalently lacrimal and salivary glands. The pSS pathogenesis has been thought to be B-cell-centric and several clinical trials have been carried out in order to clarify the therapeutic role of B-cell depletion in patients with pSS. Unfortunately, however, B-cell depletion with rituximab has failed in demonstrating any significant results in pSS patients. Besides the contribution of B cells in the pathogenesis of pSS, effector Tfh, Th17 and Th22 cells, follicular dendritic cells (DCs), innate cells (ICs) and several cytokines, chemokines and miRNA have been proved to participate to the …

Pathogenic correlation between mosaic variegated aneuploidy 1 (MVA1) and a novel BUB1B variant: a reappraisal of a severe syndrome.

2022

Funder: Università degli Studi di Catania

AN UNCOMMON BASAL CELL ADENOMA OF PALATE: A CASE REPORT

2021

Out of Asia: Mitochondrial DNA Evidence for an Oriental Origin of Tiger Frogs, Genus Hoplobatrachus

2001

Most examples of intercontinental dispersal events after the Miocene contact between Africa and Asia involve mammal lineages. Among amphibians, a number of probably related groups are known from both continents, but their phylogenies are so far largely unresolved. To test the hypothesis of Miocene dispersal against a Mesozoic vicariance scenario in the context of Gondwana fragmentation, we analyzed fragments of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene (572 bp) in 40 specimens of 34 species of the anuran family Ranidae. Results corroborated the monophyly of tiger frogs (genus Hoplobatrachus), a genus with representatives in Africa and Asia. The African H. occipitalis was the sister group of the Asian…

Invariant NKT cells are expanded in peripheral blood but are undetectable in salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

2016

OBJECTIVES: Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells play a role in regulating the function of autoreactive B cells before their entry into germinal centres. Absence and/or reduction of iNKT cells have been demonstrated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) together with an increase of autoreactive B cell activity. Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which lymphocyte infiltration and organisation in lymphoid structures of inflamed salivary glands occurs. The aim of the study was to investigate the percentage and function of iNKT in the salivary glands and peripheral blood of patients with pSS. METHODS: Minor salivary gland biopsies were obtained from patient…

Hormonal and metabolic adaptation to fasting: effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarianaxis and reproductive performance of rabbit does

2006

To assess the impact of acute caloric shortage on reproduction, rabbit does were either fed ad libitum (control, AL), or fasted for 24 (STF) or 48 h (LTF) before induction of ovulation with GnRH injection. Blood samples were collected during the last 3 h of fasting, and the following 4 h after GnRH injection, when feed was provided again, to measure plasma concentrations of LH, estradiol-17β, leptin, insulin, T3, corticosterone, glucose, and NEFA. Before re-feeding, plasma leptin, insulin, and T3 concentrations were lower (P ≤ 0.01) in both fasted groups than in controls, but then gradually increased following realimentation to match those of controls. During fasting, corticoster…

Metabolic and cardiopulmonary effects of detraining after a structured exercise training programme in young PCOS women

2008

Summary Objective  The aim of the present study was to determine if the favourable cardiopulmonary and metabolic benefits induced by exercise training (ET) programme are maintained after its cessation. Patients  Thirty-two young overweight polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women matched for age and body mass index (BMI) with other 32 PCOS patients was enrolled. The first group [PCOS-T (trained)] underwent 24-week ET programme, whereas the second [PCOS-DT (detrained)] underwent 12-week ET programme followed by 12-week detraining period. Methods  At baseline, after 12- and 24-week follow-up, all PCOS women were studied for their hormonal (ovarian and adrenal androgens), metabolic (glucose and …

Effects of oral contraceptives on metabolic profile in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis comparing products containing cyproteron…

2017

Abstract Background Although oral contraceptives (OCs) are the most common treatment in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), their effects and safety on the metabolic profiles of these patients are relatively unknown. In this meta-analysis the effects of the different durations (from 3 months to 1 year) of OC treatment using cyproterone acetate (CA) or third generation progestins on metabolic profile of patients with PCOS were assessed. Materials and methods PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect databases (2001–2015) were searched to identify clinical trials investigating the effects of OC containing CA or third generation progestins on metabolic profiles of women with PC…

Use of fasting blood to assess the prevalence of insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

2003

To determine the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) using baseline fasting blood measurements of glucose and insulin. Prospective clinical study. Academic endocrinology unit in Palermo, Italy. Two hundred and sixty-seven women with PCOS, consecutively evaluated, and 50 consecutively selected ovulating controls. Fasting blood was obtained for glucose and insulin measurements from all women. For 60 women with PCOS and 20 controls an insulin tolerance test (ITT) was also performed. Assessment of normal and abnormal values for fasting insulin, glucose/insulin ratio, and the calculated indices of the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), quantitat…