100,935 research outputs found
Vitamina D e artrite reumatoide
No full textRecentemente si è osservato che la vitamina D svolge un ruolo importante nella regolazione della risposta immune. Molte cellule del sistema immunnitario esprimono i recettori della vitamina D. Studi in vitro e in vivo hanno mostrato che i metabolici della vitamina D modulano la proliferazione dei linfociti T e l’attività delle cellule dendritiche. Inoltre dati epidemiologici mostrano che la carenza di vitamina D si associa ad un aumentato rischio di sviluppare malattie autoimmuni. La carenza di vitamina D è piuttosto frequente tra la popolazione anziana e si associa a sintomi muscoloscheletrici. Nell’ artite reumatoide la sua carenza parrebbe associarsi ad un aumentato rischio di disabilità e ad un aumentata attività di malattia. Abbiamo studiato 1191 pazienti affetti da AR (85% donne) provenienti da 22 Centri reumatologici italiani. Sono stati eseguiti dosaggi centralizzati della 25 OH vitamina D e del PTH, sono stati valutati i parametri di attività di malattia, lo stato funzionale di malattia, il tempo di esposizione al sole. Il 55% dei pazienti non assumevano supplementi di vitamina D, tra questi il 52% avevano livelli vitaminici D 0.000). The patients with the worse indices of disease activity were spending significantly less time at sunshine. The association between disease activity scores or functional sores and 25(OH)D levels remained statistically significant even adjusting 25(OH)D levels for both sun exposure time and BMI. In conclusion, in RA patients disease activity and disability scores are inversely related with 25(OH)D levels. The causality of these associations must be confirmed by longitudinal studies aimed at evaluating the clinical response of disease activity to large vitamin D supplementations
Urinary excretion of calcium and phosphate in dogs with pituitary-dependent hypercortisolism: Case control study in 499 dogs
No full textPituitary-dependent hypercortisolism (PDH) in dogs is frequently associated with high serum phosphate and parathormone concentrations which are in turn associated with prognosis and clinical presentation. The pathogenesis of such abnormalities remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the serum and urinary concentrations and the urinary fractional excretion of phosphate and calcium in dogs with PDH. Medical records of newly diagnosed PDH dogs before treatment from one referral centre were retrospectively evaluated. One clinically normal and one sick dog for each dog with PDH were included as controls. One hundred and sixty-seven dogs with PDH were included. The serum phosphate concentration in PDH dogs was significantly (P0.0001) higher compared with clinically normal control dogs (CNDs) and sick control dogs (SCDs). The serum calcium concentration in PDH dogs was significantly higher compared with SCDs but not different compared with CNDs. Urinary fractional excretion of phosphate in PDH dogs was significantly lower compared with CNDs and SCDs. Urinary fractional excretion of calcium in PDH dogs was significantly higher compared with CNDs and SCDs. In conclusion, PDH dogs have lower phosphaturia and higher calciuria compared with control dogs. These findings suggest that, at least in part, high serum phosphate concentrations are related to the renal retention of phosphate
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Spontaneous acromegaly: A retrospective case control study in German shepherd dogs
No full textAcromegaly results from the overproduction of growth hormone in adulthood and is characterised by
overgrowth of soft tissue and/or bone as well as insulin resistance. There are few data indicating the risk
factors associated with this disease in dogs or its clinicopathological features and sequelae. The objective
of this retrospective study was to catalogue and assess these aspects of the disease in German shepherd
dogs (GSDs) which were found to be over-represented among acromegalic dogs attending two
veterinary referral clinics over a period of 7 years. Each acromegalic dog (AD) was compared with two
breed/age/sex matched controls.
Clinical signs of acromegaly included panting, polyuria/polydipsia, widened interdental spaces, weakness,
inspiratory stridor, macroglossia, weight gain, redundant skin folds, thick coat, exophthalmos and
mammary masses. Serum alkaline phosphatase, creatine-kinase, glucose, triglyceride, phosphate ion, and
‘calcium per phosphate product’ concentrations were significantly higher in acromegalic animals while
haemoglobin concentration, blood urea nitrogen, sodium and chloride ion concentrations, and urinary
specific gravity, osmolality and fractional excretion of phosphate were significantly lower. Although, in
the majority of cases clinicopathological abnormalities resolved following ovariohysterectomy, in one dog,
acromegalic signs abated and insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations normalised only following the
surgical excision of mammary tumours carried out 2 months after ovariohysterectomy. The findings of
this study indicate that GSDs are predisposed to the development of acromegaly with a suspected inherited
susceptibility
Transient myocardial thickening associated with acute myocardial injury and congestive heart failure in two Toxoplasma gondii-positive cats
No full textCASE SERIES SUMMARY: In this report, we provide detailed clinical, laboratory, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic descriptions of two Toxoplasma gondii-positive cats diagnosed with transient myocardial thickening (TMT) and acute myocardial injury (MI). In both cases, aetiological diagnosis was based on the antibody screening test (all cats had IgM titres ⩾1:64) and MI was demonstrated by a concomitant severe increase of the serum concentration of cardiac troponin I (5.1–23.6 ng/ml; upper hospital limit <0.2 ng/ml). In both cats, TMT and MI were aggravated by left atrial dilation and dysfunction, as well as congestive heart failure. In one cat, atrial standstill was also documented, while the other cat showed an intracardiac thrombus. Both cats underwent an extensive diagnostic work-up aimed at excluding additional comorbidities that could contribute to able to contribute to TMT and MI, and received appropriate antiprotozoal (ie, clindamycin) and cardiovascular therapy (eg, furosemide, pimobendan and clopidogrel). This was followed by a simultaneous decline in T gondii serology titres, normalisation of troponin level and the resolution of clinical, electrocardiographic, radiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities. In the light of these results, therapies were interrupted and subsequent controls ruled out any disease relapse. RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION: Although T gondii represents an often-cited cause of myocarditis in feline medicine, the existing literature on the demonstration of T gondii-associated cardiac compromise in cats is extremely limited. Accordingly, this report provides a useful contribution to pertinent scientific literature since it describes TMT and acute MI in two T gondii-positive cats
Circulating γδ T cells and the risk of acute-phase response after zoledronic acid administration.
No full textThe use of intravenous nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs) is associated with the appearance of an acute phase response (APR) in a proportion of the patients for reasons which are poorly understood. The APR was attributed to the indirect activation of γδ T cells with the release of interferon-γ and TNF. Forty patients with postmenopausal or senile osteoporosis (age range 53-91 years) never previously treated with intravenous (i.v.) bisphosphonate, received a single 5 mg zoledronic acid (ZOL) i.v. infusion over 15 min. White blood cells were counted and analysed with an automated haematology analyzer (ADVIA 2120i Siemens) and by flow cytometer (BD FACSCanto, Becton Dickinson). The occurrence of APR was defined by the occurrence of fever (> 37.0°C) during the next 2 days. Forty two % of patients (17/40) receiving the infusion of ZOL experienced an APR. As compared with the others they were younger (69 ± 7 years vs 74 ± 8 years; p = 0,06) and both the proportion and absolute number of γδ T cells were significant higher (p = 0,02 and p = 0,013, respectively). Non significant differences were found between the 2 groups for white blood cells and for the other circulating lymphocyte subpopulations. Age was inversely correlated with circulating γδ T cells (P= 0.003) but the difference between the two groups in circulating γδ T cells persisted for age adjusted values and vice-versa. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that the number of circulating γδ T cells, together with age, are important determinant of the occurrence of APR after intravenous infusion of ZOL and possibly of any other N-BPs. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
- …
