1,721,110 research outputs found
Development of a BRET-based assay to investigate the multiple G protein coupling of the oxytocin receptor
No full textnul
Urinalysis alterations in dogs affected with urinary tract infection: a retrospective case/control study
No full textUrine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility test are the gold standard in order to select a correct treatment in urinary tract infections (UTI). However, a complete urinalysis is the first line investigation in dogs with urinary symptoms and results can help the clinician in the diagnostic workup.
The aim of this study was to compare signalment and urinary parameters obtained from dogs with positive urine culture (“UTI-group”) to those with sterile culture (“nUTI-group”) in a population in which UTI was considered among the differential diagnosis.
Two-hundred-eighty-two culture and urinalysis results, from urine sampled by cystocentesis in 214 dogs, between 2013 and 2019, were included in this retrospective study. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-square, Wilcoxon or Kruskal-Wallis test using JMP 14 (SAS Inc., Cary, USA). One-hundred-nine urine samples from 85 dogs were positive and 173 samples from 129 dogs were negative to culture.
Single isolates were 92.7% and Escherichia coli was the main pathogen (50.5%).
Dogs in UTI-group were significantly (p<0.01) older (9.8±4.2 years) compared to nUTI-group (7.6±4.6). No significant difference regarding breed and sex were found.
Urine appearance was predominantly yellow in both groups, but pale yellow (11% vs 5%) was overrepresented in UTI-group. Turbid aspect was predominant in UTI-group (32% vs 9%), but 35% of UTI-group samples was clear.
UTI-group had lower (p=0.03) urine specific gravity (USG); pH was similar between groups. Positivity to blood and haemoglobin was higher in UTI-group (p<0.01) but negative results (44% and 60% respectively) were present in UTI-group and positive (28% and 17% respectively) in nUTI- group.
Nitur test was positive in 13% of UTI-group and 0% in nUTI-group.
Urinary red blood cells were not significantly different between groups. White blood cells (>5/hpf) were present in 72% of UTI-group and in 15% of nUTI-group showing a significant difference (p<0.05).
Bacteria were detected in 75% of urinary sediments of UTI-group and apparently evident in 5% of nUTI-group. In the 27 dogs of UTI-group in which bacteria were not evident, USG ranged from 1002 to 1048 and resulted below 1014 in 11 cases.
Proteinuria staged according to IRIS guidelines was significantly different (p<0.01) between groups: proteinuric and borderline proteinuric were respectively 44% and 28% in UTI-group, while in nUTI- group were 30% and 14%.
Although the set of found alterations can lead to a suspicion of infection, urinalysis is not diagnostic of UTI; based on these results, the diagnosis could be missed in at least 25% of patients
Danno alla salute e infortuni sul lavoro: dall'evoluzione giurisprudenziale alla riforma legislativa
No full text
Interazione tra innervazione arteriosa e dislipidemia nella patogenesi dell'aterosclerosi = Cross-talk between arterial innervation and dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
No full textÈ nota da tempo una relazione tra neurotrasmissione simpatica e ipercolesterolemia. La tonaca avventizia ospita ramificazioni del sistema simpatico, la cui ablazione può aumentare i livelli plasmatici di colesterolo e favorire l’aterosclerosi. A sua volta, l’ipercolesterolemia è in grado di inibire la neurotrasmissione simpatica. Nuovi approcci di trascrittomica e analisi ultrastrutturali dei vasi arteriosi potranno chiarire le basi molecolari dell’interazione tra sistema ner voso simpatico e metabolismo lipidico.A relationship between sympathetic neurotransmission and hypercholesterolemia has been established. The adventitia hosts sympathetic ner ve endings that, once ablated, cause hypercholesterolemia and promote atherosclerosis. On the other side, hypercholesterolemia can inhibit sympathetic neurotransmission. Novel transcriptomic approaches and ultrastructural analyses of the arterial vessel will be able to clarify the molecular bases of the cross-talk between sympathetic ner vous system and lipid metabolism
Apolipoprotein A-I deficiency alters the small intestine transcriptome and increases the expression of the antimicrobial enzyme DUOX2
No full textSelective and potent agonists and antagonists for investigating the role of mouse oxytocin receptors
Full text linkThe neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP) have been shown to play a central role in social behaviors; as a consequence, they have been recognized as potential drugs to treat neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders characterized by impaired social interactions. However, despite the basic and preclinical relevance of mouse strains carrying genetic alterations in the OT/AVP systems to basic and preclinical translational neuroscience, the pharmacological profile of mouse OT/AVP receptor subtypes has not been fully characterized. To fill in this gap, we have characterized a number of OT and AVP agonists and antagonists at three murine OT/AVP receptors expressed in the nervous system as follows: the oxytocin (mOTR) and vasopressin V1a (mV1aR) and V1b (mV1bR) subtypes. These three receptors were transiently expressed in vitro for binding and intracellular signaling assays, and then a homology model of the mOTR structure was constructed to investigate how its molecular features compare with human and rat OTR orthologs. Our data indicate that the selectivity profile of the natural ligands, OT and AVP, is conserved in humans, rats, and mice. Furthermore, we found that the synthetic peptide [Thr4Gly7]OT (TGOT) is remarkably selective for the mOTR and, like the endogenous OT ligand, activates Gq and Gi and recruits b-arrestins. Finally, we report three antagonists that exhibit remarkably high affinities and selectivities at mOTRs. These highly selective pharmacological tools will contribute to the investigation of the specific physiologic and pathologic roles of mOTR for the development of selective OT-based therapeutics
- …
