1,721,210 research outputs found
Early physiotherapy after injection of botulinum toxin increases the beneficial effects on spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis
No full textNatalizumab treatment in multiple sclerosis: the experience of S. Andrea MS Centre in Rome
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Relationship between coping strategies, clinical findings, and quality of life in the early stage of multiple sclerosis: a six-month follow-up study
No full textOne-year MRI scan predicts clinical response to interferon beta in multiple sclerosis.
No full textBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To define the predictive value of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics in identifying relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS) patients with sustained disability progression during interferon beta (IFNB) treatment. METHODS: All patients receiving treatment with one of the available IFNB formulations for at least 1 year were included in this single-centre, prospective and post-marketing study. Demographic, clinical and MRI data were collected at IFNB start and at 1 year of therapy; patients were followed-up at least yearly. Poor clinical response was defined as the occurrence of a sustained disability progression of > or =1 point in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Out of 454 RR-MS patients starting IFNB therapy, data coming from 394 patients with a mean follow-up of 4.8 (2.4) years were analysed. Sixty patients were excluded because of too short follow-up. Less than 1/3 (30.4%) of the patients satisfied the criterion of 'poor responders'. Patients presenting new lesions on T2-weighted MRI scan after 1 year of therapy (compared with baseline) had a higher risk of being poor responder to treatment with IFNB during the follow-up period (HR 16.8, 95% CI 7.6-37.1, P < 0.001). An augmented risk increasing the number of lesions was observed, with a 10-fold increase for each new lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Developing new T2-hyperintense lesions during IFNB treatment was the best predictor of long-term poor response to therapy. MRI scans performed after 1 year of IFNB treatment may be useful in contributing to early identification of poor responders
Purolindoline A-gene expression is involved in association of puroindolines to starch
No full textPuroindolines largely influence cereal grain hardness. In order to understand how they exert this influence, we carried out a molecular analysis of the pina and pinb genes of many Italian wheat cultivars. On the basis of their pin genotypes they could be divided into three groups: Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1a; Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b; and Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a. Five cultivars from each group were chosen to be studied to examine the quantity of puroindolines associated with starch (friabilin) and the amount not associated with starch. In addition, the level of pina expression was measured using RT-PCR. Soft cultivars ( Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1a) exhibited the highest level of expression of pina; among the hard cultivars, those with the Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b genotype showed a lower level of expression, while those with the Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a genotype did not express pina. Total puroindoline and friabilin content was then measured by flow cytometry. Soft Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1a cultivars displayed high puroindoline content that was primarily starch associated. Hard Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a cultivars had very low puroindoline content with no puroindoline bound to starch. Hard Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b cultivars were highly heterogeneous with respect to both the content of puroindolines and the level of association with starch. The accurate quantification of puroindolines in starch-bound and not starch-bound forms in association with molecular analysis, indicates that pina expression and presence controls the abundance of total puroindoline and its association with starch
Experimental phage therapy against Staphylococcus aureus in mice.
No full textThe present study describes a bacteriophage (M-Sa) active against Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains. When inoculated into mice simultaneously with S. aureus A170 (10(8) CFU/mouse), phage (10(9) PFU) rescued 97% of the mice; when applied to nonlethal (5 X 10(6) CFU/mouse) 10-day infections, the phage also fully cleared the bacteria. The phage M-Sa, delivered inside macrophages by S. aureus, kills the intracellular staphylococci in vivo and in vitro. The phage can also prevent abscess formation and reduce the bacterial load and weight of abscesses. These results suggest a potential use of the phage for the control of both local and systemic human S. aureus infections
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