1,721,169 research outputs found
Giusti L, Baldini C, Bazzichi L, Ciregia F, Tonazzini I, Mascia G, Giannaccini G, Bombardieri S, Lucacchini A
No full textPain in Sjögren's syndrome
Full text linkSjögren's syndrome (SjS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the salivary and lacrimal glands, but it can also have extra-glandular manifestations. Although pain has not yet been fully studied and characterized, it is a symptom that can be often found in patients with SjS, who mainly complain of neuropathic pain, followed by nociceptive pain. The latter when combined with widespread dysfunctional symptoms is defined fibromyalgia. The aim of this work is to analyze the scientific literature on the presence of pain in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Symptoms in Euthyroid Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Is There a Role for Autoimmunity Itself?
No full textThe possible effect of autoimmunity per se on general health and overall quality of life of women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) has been recently evaluated by Ott J et al. In 426 euthyroid women, the authors evaluated either the quality of life or symptom load with regard to both histological diagnosis of thyroiditis and serum anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibody levels. The authors found that women with positive anti-TPO titer reported a significantly higher prevalence of general health symptoms as compared to those without HT. Besides the histological thyroiditis grade, anti-TPO levels were positively correlated with the symptom score. Moreover, higher anti-TPO levels were associated with a quality of life, despite levothyroxine supplementation. The authors conclude that women with HT suffer from a high symptom load independently from hypothyroidism, which results just a contributing factor to the development of the clinical syndrome. In agreement with these results, we recently reported on the presence of symptoms and signs consistent with fibromyalgia (FM) in patients with HT regardless thyroid dysfunction, focusing to the weight of anti-thyroid autoimmunity in the HT-associated clinical syndrome. Indeed, FM comorbidity resulted in almost one third of patients (all females) suffering from HT with or without mild hypothyroidism (SCH). Moreover, the prevalence of fibromyalgia was slightly higher in euthyroid HT patients (33.3%) than in those suffering also from SCH (28.5%). In this setting, it is noteworthy that SCH patients without autoimmunity did not show any clinical symptom consistent with FM. Therefore, our data support the hypothesis that thyroid autoimmunity per se plays a role in the development of FM comorbidity, although the specific underlying mechanism is still not completely known. So far, HT is commonly considered a well-defined clinical entity and it is widely assumed that hypothyroidism at various degree is the main, if not the only cause of the broad clinical spectrum. However, our data and those from the study by Ott et al. share new insights into the patho-physiological features of Hashimoto's thyroiditis with special reference to the peculiar role of autoimmunity per se, thus leading to a novel understanding of this apparently well-defined disease
ACTIVATION OF MURINE AUTOREACTIVE B-CELLS BY INTERLEUKIN 1-LIKE FACTORS RELEASED FROM SYNOVIAL INFLAMMATORY CELLS OF RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS PATIENTS
No full textThe effect of interleukin 1 (IL-1)-like factor(s), produced by cells isolated from the synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, on an in vitro murine model of spontaneous autoimmunity, i.e., the development of plaque-forming cells (PFC) to bromelain-treated mouse red blood cells (Br-MRBC) in mouse peritoneal cell (PC) cultures, has been investigated. It has been found that IL-1-containing culture supernatants from cells isolated from joint fluids of RA patients, as well as recombinant IL-1, determine a marked increase in anti-Br-MRBC PFC development. Moreover, factor(s) of 10-20 KD molecular weight, with IL-1-like biological activity, capable of increasing the anti-Br-MRBC PFC development in mouse PC cultures, have been demonstrated in joint fluids from RA patients. The finding that synovial inflammatory cells produce factors that activate autoreactive B cells further supports the role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, as self-perpetuing disorder
Peripheral-type benzodiazepine receptors in human mononuclear cells of patients affected by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasic arthritis
No full textOBJECTIVES:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the kinetic parameters at equilibrium of peripheral benzodiazepine receptors (PBR) in human mononuclear cells from patients affected by osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasic arthritis (PA).
DESIGN AND METHODS:
Mononuclear cells were obtained from 10 patients with OA, 10 patients with RA and 10 patients with PA. Evaluation of kinetic parameters of PBR was performed using [(3)H]PK 11195, a specific radioligand for this receptor, and compared with 10 healthy controls.
RESULTS:
The results show a statistically significant decrease (37.5%, as an absolute percentage) in the maximal number of binding sites (B(max)) of patients with OA, compared with healthy controls; however, the values of the dissociation constant (K(d)) at equilibrium do not show any statistically significant variations.
CONCLUSIONS:
These data further confirm the presence of peripheral biochemical alterations in OA. As peripheral benzodiazepine receptors appear to be involved in the immune function, and in the protection of hematopoietic cells against oxygen radical damage, the observed decrease in B(max) might be related to cellular protection
Effetti della temperatura sulla trasmissione di Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) da parte di neanidi di Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)
No full textPsoriasis, eruthema nodosum and nummular eczema onset in an ankylosing spondylitis patient treated with infliximab
No full textEFFECTS OF 6,9-DISUBSTITUTED 8-AZAPURINES ON ADENOSINE-DEAMINASE, GUANINE DEAMINASE AND XANTHINE-OXIDASE
No full textModified RP-LC of Phenylthiocarbamyl Amino Acid Adducts in Plasma Acetonitrile Extracts using Multiple Internal Standards and Photo-Diode UV Detection.
No full textAmong the techniques available for quantitative analysis of physiological amino acids,
systems using optical detection are of low specificity because of possible interference at the
analytical wavelength. Another disadvantage is problems of sample extraction from complex
biological matrices, for example plasma. This paper describes reversed-phase LC of phenylthiocarbamyl (PTC) amino acids in plasma deproteinated by addition of acetonitrile.
Specificity was monitored by photo-diode UV detection and accuracy was assessed by a
plasma spiking procedure with more than one internal standard. Dual-wavelength spectrophotometry (254 and 283 nm) was also used for separate measurement of co-eluting adducts of tryptophan and ornithine. This method enables the quantification, with high reproducibility, of a total of twenty-three plasma amino acids from fasting healthy subjects. LOQ
values are satisfactory for all the amino acids (average 6 lmol L-1
). However, the method
does not enable analysis of aspartate and overall homocystine, present at very low concentrations, in all plasma samples. This PTC–amino acid chromatographic method is inexpensive, reliable, and suitable for clinical research and therapeutic drug monitoring, but
adaptation to dual on-line detection is required to improve its sensitivity
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