Search results for "significance"

Myeloma-Induced Alterations of Glutamine Metabolism Impair Bone Microenvironment Niche in Multiple Myeloma Patients

2018

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) cells are characterized by tight dependence on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment that exerts a permissive role on cell growth and survival. In turn, MM cells markedly modify their microenvironment leading, in particular, to the development of osteolytic bone lesions. Recently, we demonstrated that metabolic alterations is a major feature of MM cells showing that BM plasma of MM patients is characterized by lower levels of Glutamine (Gln) and higher levels of Glutamate (Glu) and ammonium when compared with patients with smoldering MM (SMM) and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Uncertain Significance (MGUS). In the majority of MM patients MM cells are Gln-addicted si…

2018

Abstract Purpose To report on a case of recurrence of paraproteinemic keratopathy (PPK) associated with monoclonal gammopathy after bilateral penetrating keratoplasty. Observations Penetrating keratoplasty was performed on both eyes of a 45-year-old man due to bilateral progressive corneal stromal clouding. Recurrence of the corneal stromal opacities accompanied by a decrease in visual acuity was observed on slit-lamp examination already two years after penetrating keratoplasty. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) of the corneal grafts performed three years after penetrating keratoplasty showed bilateral morphological changes identical to that found in the patient's corneas prior to p…

The metabolic outcomes of growth hormone treatment in children are gender specific

2018

Objective To evaluate the impact of gender on the clinical and metabolic parameters in prepubertal growth hormone deficiency (GHD) children at diagnosis and during GH treatment (GHT). Design The data of 105 prepubertal children (61 males, 44 females, mean age 6.8 ± 0.7 years) affected by idiopathic GHD were retrospectively evaluated. Methods Body height, BMI, waist circumference (WC), IGF-I, HbA1c, lipid profile, fasting and after-OGTT glucose and insulin levels, insulin sensitivity and secretion indices were evaluated at baseline and after 24 months of GHT. Results At baseline, no significant difference was found in all clinical, hormonal and metabolic parameters between males and females…

Efficient and reproducible experimental infections of rats with Blastocystis spp.

2018

Although Blastocystis spp. infect probably more than 1 billion people worldwide, their clinical significance is still controversial and their pathophysiology remains poorly understood. In this study, we describe a protocol for an efficient and reproducible model of chronic infection in rats, laying the groundwork for future work to evaluate the pathogenic potential of this parasite. In our experimental conditions, we were unable to infect rats using vacuolar forms of an axenically cultivated ST4 isolate, but we successfully established chronic infections of 4 week-old rats after oral administration of both ST3 and ST4 purified cysts isolated from human stool samples. The infection protocol …

Bone loss around narrow implants versus standard diameter implants: Retrospective 2-years case-control study

2019

Background The objectives were to evaluate the bone loss (BL) around narrow diameter implants (3.3 mm) 2 years after implant loading and compare with the bone loss around conventional-diameter implants (4.1 mm), as well as with clinical and anatomical variables. 2-years follow-up. Material and Methods Cases: 20 patients either gender-age, narrow implants (Straumann TM-SLA, diameter 3.3 mm); Control: 20 patients matching for gender-age, conventional implants (Straumann TM-SLA, diameter 4.1). Total 82 implants (31 narrow implants and 51 conventional implants) in 40 patients. To avoid statistical bias, a cluster of one implant per patient was randomly selected (20 narrow implants and 20 conven…

Momentary emotion identification in female adolescents with and without anorexia nervosa.

2017

Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) often report difficulties in identifying emotions, which have been mostly studied as an alexithymia trait. In a controlled two-day ecological momentary assessment, we studied the influence of time of day and aversive tension on self-reported momentary emotion identification. Analysis on an aggregated level revealed a significant lower mean emotion identification in the AN group. In a mixed model analysis, the AN group showed lower emotion identification than the control group (HC). Both a general and a group effect of time of day were found, indicating that emotion identification improved during the day in HC, whereas a negligible decrease of the emoti…

Extra-virgin olive oils storage: Effect on constituents of biological significance

2021

Abstract The high oxidative stability of virgin olive oil with respect to other vegetable oils is mainly due to its fatty acid composition, in particular, to the high monounsaturated-to-polyunsaturated ratio, and to the presence of minor compounds that play a major role in preventing oxidation. In spite of its high stability, virgin olive oil is susceptible to oxidative processes, such as enzymatic oxidation, photooxidation, and autoxidation, which mainly occur during processing and storage. Generally, extra-virgin olive oil has a relatively long shelf life of 16–18 months of storage at room temperature. The study of shelf life is generally based on determining of quality parameters (acidit…

Efficacy of an amine fluoride-triclosan mouthrinse as compared to the individual active ingredients

2003

Background: The purpose of the clinical study was to examine the antibacterial and plaque-reducing properties of mouthrinses containing triclosan (TRI), amine fluoride (AmF), and the combination of both (AFT) on 4-day plaque regrowth. A placebo solution (PLA) and a 0.2% chlorhexidine solution (CHX) served as negative and positive controls, respectively. Materials & Methods: After a professional tooth cleaning (day 0), 15 volunteers refrained from all mechanical oral hygiene measures for the next 96 h and rinsed instead twice daily for 1 min with 10 ml of one of the five randomly assigned solutions. Plaque index (PlI), which was assessed after 24 and 96 h (PlI1, PlI2), and plaque area of the…

High-definition imaging in endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

2011

Background The transsphenoidal approach to sellar lesions has evolved enormously since its first description in the early 20th century. Endoscopic surgical strategies have become an integral part of the surgical armamentarium. More recently, high-definition (HD) digital cameras with better image resolution were introduced, although their value for the surgical procedure remains equivocal. The purpose of this study was to compare the image quality of a standard-definition (SD) camera with a new HD camera. Methods A transsphenoidal pituitary adenomectomy was recorded simultaneously in HD and SD resolution. Eight experienced neurosurgeons were asked to identify predefined as well as not predef…

Redefining outcomes in immune TTP: an international working group consensus report

2021

Abstract Immune-mediated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a potentially fatal thrombotic microangiopathy caused by autoantibody-mediated severe deficiency of ADAMTS13. Standardized definitions of response, exacerbation, remission, and relapse were initially proposed in 2003 and modified by the International Working Group for TTP in 2017. These definitions, which have been widely used in clinical practice and research, are based primarily on the platelet count and are benchmarked against the timing of discontinuation of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). They do not incorporate ADAMTS13 activity or the temporizing effects on the platelet count of caplacizumab, a novel anti–von W…