Search results for "immunoglobulin G"
showing 10 items of 308 documents
Obesity and reduction of the response rate to anti-tumor necrosis factor α in rheumatoid arthritis: an approach to a personalized medicine.
2013
Objective Obesity is a mild, long-lasting inflammatory disease and, as such, could increase the inflammatory burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study aim was to determine whether obesity represents a risk factor for a poor remission rate in RA patients requiring anti–tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) therapy for progressive and active disease despite treatment with methotrexate or other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Methods Patients were identified from 15 outpatient clinics of university hospitals and hospitals in Italy taking part in the Gruppo Italiano di Studio sulle Early Arthritis network. Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28), body mass index (BMI; categorized …
Safety of etanercept and methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis C virus infection: a multicenter randomized clinical trial.
2014
Objective.To evaluate the safety and efficacy of therapy with etanercept and methotrexate (MTX) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and mild hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.Methods.In this prospective open study, 29 patients with active RA were randomly assigned to receive therapy with MTX alone, etanercept alone, or a combination of MTX and etanercept, and monitored up to 54 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety; secondary aims were efficacy as defined by the 44-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS44) and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). Serum liver enzymes and HCV viral load were serially measured.Results.In the whole cohort, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) serum leve…
Role of calcineurin in Ca2+-induced release of catecholamines and neuropeptides
1998
Neurotransmission requires rapid docking, fusion, and recycling of neurotransmitter vesicles. Several of the proteins involved in this complex Ca2+-regulated mechanism have been identified as substrates for protein kinases and phosphatases, e.g., the synapsins, synaptotagmin, rabphilin3A, synaptobrevin, munc18, MARCKS, dynamin I, and B-50/GAP-43. So far most attention has focused on the role of kinases in the release processes, but recent evidence indicates that phosphatases may be as important. Therefore, we investigated the role of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin in exocytosis and subsequent vesicle recycling. Calcineurin-neutralizing antibodies, which blocke…
IgG4 Related Syndrome: Another Multiorgan Disease in the Interest Field of Internal Medicine.
2016
BACKGROUND: IgG4-related disease is a rare, clinical and pathologic disease entity of unknown etiology. Its main features are increased serum concentrations of IgG4 > 1,35 g/l, lymphocyte and IgG4+plasma-cell infiltration within tissues, fibrosis or sclerosis. The classical presentation of IgG4-RSD is pancreatitis which is combined with the involvement of biliary ducts in 74 percent of patients. Extrapancreatic manifestations include: abdominal or mediastinal lymphadenopathy; the involvement of salivary glands and lacrimal glands, kidneys, lung, retroperitoneum. Since IgG4-related disease is a multiorgan lymphoproliferative syndrome, it requires a careful differential diagnosis from othe…
Longterm Retention of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitor Therapy in a Large Italian Cohort of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis from the GISEA Regist…
2012
Objective.To evaluate 4-year retention rates of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab among patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as derived from an Italian national registry.Methods.The clinical records of 853 adult patients with RA in the GISEA (Gruppo Italiano Studio Early Arthritis) registry were prospectively analyzed to compare drug survival rates and the baseline factors that may predict adherence to therapy.Results.In 2003 and 2004, 324 patients started treatment with adalimumab, 311 with etanercept, and 218 with infliximab. After 4 years, the global retention rate of anti-TNF-α therapy was 42%. Etanercept survival (51.4%) …
Effects of anti-cardiolipin antibodies and IVIg on annexin A5 binding to endothelial cells: implications for cardiovascular disease
2010
Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL), including anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population and in patients with the anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS; Hughes syndrome). APS may be primary but is also common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The anti-coagulant protein annexin A5 (ANXA5) is implicated in CVD by interfering with phospholipids and aPL.ANXA5 binding to human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined by flow cytometry.When cells were cultured in serum from APS patients with a high aPL titre (aPL-S), binding of ANXA5 to HUVECs was reduced. Monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig)G aPL against…
Longitudinal analysis of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG antibodies before and after the third dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine.
2022
AbstractImmunosurveillance by evaluating anti-spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-RBD) antibodies represents a useful tool to estimate the long immunity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetics of antibody response in vaccine recipients. We measured anti-S-RBD IgG levels by indirect chemiluminescence immunoassay on Maglumi 800 (SNIBE, California) in 1013 healthy individuals naïve to SARS-CoV2 infection after two and three COVID-19 vaccine doses. We found that anti-S-RBD IgG levels are higher in females than males. Antibody levels gradually decrease to a steady state after four months since the pea…
Active immunization status against measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B in internationally adopted children, surveyed at the university hospital of P…
2018
Introduction. The internationally adopted child is a fragile subject who often shows an incomplete health documentation, which hinders the complete assessment of health status. Materials and Methods. Between January 2010 and June 2016, at the University Hospital "AOUP P. Giaccone" of Palermo, we reviewed the health documentations of 111 children recently arrived in Italy following the conclusion of the international adoption procedure. 62.2% of the children were male, of various nationalities and with an average age of 7 years (± 3.4). This study aims to detect, in the observed sample, the reliability of the vaccinal documentation and the real acquired immunization. We intend to estimate th…
Two laboratory-confirmed cases of Japanese encephalitis imported to Germany by travelers returning from Southeast Asia
2011
Japanese encephalitis virus is the leading cause of encephalitis in Asia and parts of the Pacific. Despite the high number of symptomatic infections in endemic countries, clinical disease in travelers is rare. However, an increasing number of imported infections from popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia have been recorded in the past few years, including serious disease courses in short-term travelers. Here we report two severe, non-fatal cases in tourists, who returned from a long-time stay in Thailand and a short-term trip to Bali, Indonesia, respectively. Recommendations for vaccination and pre-travel advice are discussed.
Utility of lateral flow tests in SARS-CoV-2 infection monitorization
2020
Introduction. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is crucial for medical and public health reasons, to allow the best treatment of cases and the best control of the pandemic. Serology testing allows for the detection of asymptomatic infections and 19-COVID cases once the virus has been cleared. We analyzed the usefulness of the SARS-CoV-2 rapid test of Autobio and tried to correlate its pattern with the severity of COVID19 infection. Material and methods. We analyzed the accuracy and clinical usefulness of a point-of-care IgM and/or IgG test for SARS-CoV-2 in 35 COVID-19 patients [12 (34.3%) mild-moderate and 23 (65.7%) severe-critical] admitted to a field hospital in Madrid, as well as i…