Search results for "digestive system"
showing 7 items of 1747 documents
Real-world experience with obeticholic acid in patients with primary biliary cholangitis
2021
Background & aims Obeticholic acid (OCA) is the second-line treatment approved for patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and an inadequate response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of OCA under real-world conditions. Methods Patients were recruited into the Italian PBC Registry, a multicentre, observational cohort study that monitors patients with PBC at national level. The primary endpoint was the biochemical response according to Poise criteria; the secondary endpoint was the biochemical response according to normal range criteria, defined as normal levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and alanine aminotransfer…
Characterizing the bacterial fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare, and some factors affecting its pathogenicity
2010
Flavobacterium columnare is a bacterial pathogen of fresh water fish causing lethal columnaris disease worldwide. At Finnish fish farms, columnaris disease has occurred since the early 1980s, and is a serious problem in salmonid farming in Finland. Currently, the only effective treatment is with antibiotics. Factors related to the pathogenicity of F. columnare, transmission of columnaris disease and the immunity of salmonids to columnaris infections are poorly known. F. columnare strains isolated from Finnish fish farms were characterized geno- and phenotypically, virulence and transmission experiments were conducted, and the efficacy of two immunostimulants against columnaris infections in…
Modulation of Hepatitis C Virus NS5A Hyperphosphorylation by Nonstructural Proteins NS3, NS4A, and NS4B
1999
NS5A of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a highly phosphorylated protein involved in resistance against interferon and required most likely for replication of the viral genome. Phosphorylation of this protein is mediated by a cellular kinase(s) generating multiple proteins with different electrophoretic mobilities. In the case of the genotype 1b isolate HCV-J, in addition to the basal phosphorylated NS5A (designated pp56), a hyperphosphorylated form (pp58) was found on coexpression of NS4A (T. Kaneko, Y. Tanji, S. Satoh, M. Hijikata, S. Asabe, K. Kimura, and K. Shimotohno, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 205:320‐326, 1994). Using a comparative analysis of two full-length genomes of genotype 1b…
Functional properties of a monoclonal antibody inhibiting the hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
2001
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), represented by nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B), has recently emerged as a promising target for antiviral intervention. Here, we describe the isolation, functional characterization, and molecular cloning of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) inhibiting the HCV RdRp. This mAb, designated 5B-12B7, binds with high affinity to a conformational epitope in the palm subdomain of the HCV RdRp and recognizes native NS5B expressed in the context of the entire HCV polyprotein or subgenomic replicons. Complete inhibition of RdRp activity in vitro was observed at equimolar concentrations of NS5B and mAb 5B-12B7, whereas RdRp activities of classica…
In vitro studies on the activation of the hepatitis C virus NS3 proteinase by the NS4A cofactor.
1996
AbstractProteolytic processing of the nonstructural proteins of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is mediated by two viral proteinases: the NS2-3 proteinase cleaving at the NS2/3 junction and the NS3 serine-type proteinase responsible for processing at the NS3/4A, NS4A/B, NS4B/5A, and NS5A/B sites. Activity of the NS3 proteinase is modulated by NS4A. In the absence of this cofactor processing at the NS3-dependent sites does not occur or, in the case of the NS5A/B junction, is poor but increased when NS4A is present. Although recent studies demonstrated that proteinase activation requires direct interaction between NS3 and NS4A, the mechanism by which NS4A exerts the activation function is not kno…
Low-level environmental metal pollution is associated with altered gut microbiota of a wild rodent, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus)
2021
Mining and related industries are a major source of metal pollution. In contrast to the well-studied effects of ex-posure to metals on animal physiology and health, the impacts of environmental metal pollution on the gut mi-crobiota of wild animals are virtually unknown. As the gut microbiota is a key component of host health, it is important to understand whether metal pollution can alter wild animal gut microbiota composition. Using a combination of 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and quantification of metal levels in kidneys, we assessed whether multi-metal exposure (the sum of normalized levels of fifteen metals) was associated with changes in gut microbiota of wild bank voles (Myodes glar…
Validation in Young Soccer Players of the Modified Version of the Harre Circuit Test: The Petrucci Ability Test
2021
The evaluation of soccer players’ physical fitness from youth onward is important for monitoring performance and planning training. While health-related factors present valid and reliable tests, the skill-related component should be studied in depth. An interesting test to evaluate the skill-related factors is the Harre circuit test (HTC); unfortunately, this test includes the somersault, an element not present in soccer. The aim of the present study is the validation of the Petrucci ability test (PAT), a variation of the HTC without the somersault for young soccer players. Children and adolescents (age range 10–13 years old) soccer players concluded the 20-m, the HTC and the PAT. To establ…