1,721,073 research outputs found
The Psoriasis pathogenesis and the metabolic risk
No full textSummary
Psoriasis is a multifactorial disease that can be related to genetic, environmental and immunological causes. Therefore, not only a
single factor but different aspects contribute to the onset of the disease, varying from individual to individual. It would be
characterized by an abnormal proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, mediated by a dysregulation in the auto-immune T
cell response in which several cytokines participate, including interleukin (IL)-17, IL-17A, IL-12, IL-22, IL-23. These cells and
cytokines are responsible for the aggression on skin cells, inflammation and accelerated reproduction of the cells of the epidermis.
Due to the chronic inflammation, psoriasis is frequently associated with other concomitant non-dermatological morbid conditions
such as arthropathy which can be complicated by a disabling evolution. Psoriasis is also frequently associated with comorbidities
such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), hyperlipidemia, diabetes and obesity.
The knowledge of common inflammatory pathways and of the potential links between psoriasis andother diseases should encourage
dermatologists to a multidisciplinary approach to psoriasis and to an optimal management also in the light of new therapeuti
Drug hypersensitivity cutaneous diseases in the elderly
No full textThe worldwide increase of life expectancy, changes in immunological capacity, comorbidities and polytherapy are responsible for the increasing prevalence of geriatric drug related allergic skin diseases. In the elderly other factors contribute to the onset of these phenomena, such as changes in the structure of the skin and mucous tissues. The integrity of the epithelial barrier in old people is compromised by the loss of its constituents, that predisposes to alterations of the hydrolipidic film with dryness, xerosis and pruritus. Also at the skin level are frequently found abnormal immunological reactions towards new antigens and a chronic inflammatory state that predisposes to a response oriented towards the Th2 cytokinic pattern, allowing allergens to penetrate into tissues. Nevertheless, in the elderly drug related allergic disorders, in particular at the skin level, are often underdiagnosed and difficult to treat.Among the IgE mediated cases, urticaria and angioedema are frequent. However, there are also cell-mediated mechanisms; in particular delayed type reactions to drugs often arise in the elderly for the reiterate use of topical medications (anesthetic, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory creams).A detailed anamnestic history is essential to establish the causal link between an adverse drug reaction and the specific drug. Moreover, in some cases it is necessary the specific knowledge of the histological picture
Anisakiasis: The Importance of Prevention and the Role of Diet Therapy in Allergic Patients.
No full textIntroduction: Anisakiasis is a zoonosis of parasitic origin whose diffusion seems to be continuously increasing.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of a fish-free diet in patients allergic to Anisakis simplex as well as underlining the importance of awareness and prevention. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the critical issues related to the spread of anisakiasis in relation to eating habits.
Methods: Patients were assessed by means of skin prick tests (SPTs) and targeted laboratory testing, with an 18-monthlong fish-free diet being recommended in cases of severe sensitization. The degree of awareness about anisakiasis was evaluated from interviews. Patients were subjected to follow-up visits after 18 months.
Results: A total of 70 cases of sensitization to A. simplex were evaluated. The Interview answers highlighted a general state of misinformation among patients and healthy subjects along with a remarkable underestimation of anisakiasis-related risks. An overall lack of care regarding eating habits and diet plans also emerged. In 21 patients affected by severe sensitization, clinical and laboratory evaluations were repeated after 18 months of the subjects being on a fish-free diet. There was a remarkable improvement in serum IgE levels and clinical symptoms.
Conclusion: Data analysis proved the need to implement new and more effective awareness-raising and prevention campaigns in order to reduce the incidence of anisakiasis. It is crucial to establish an adequate diet therapy for sensitized patients. Evaluation of cytokine patterns suggests how a polyphenol-rich regime can activate regulatory T cell function and possibly reduce the allergic and inflammatory components of the disease
Choosing wisely: practical considerations on treatment efficacy and safety of allergic asthma in the elderly
No full textImmunosenescence in aging: between immune cells depletion and cytokines up-regulation
Full text linkThe immunosenescence is a relatively recent chapter, correlated with the linear extension of the average life began in the nineteenth century and still in progress. The most important feature of immunosenescence is the accumulation in the “immunological space” of memory and effector cells as a result of the stimulation caused by repeated clinical and subclinical infections and by continuous exposure to antigens (inhalant allergens, food, etc.). This state of chronic inflammation that characterizes senescence has a significant impact on survival and fragility. In fact, the condition of frail elderly occurs less frequently in situations characterized by poor contact with viral infections and parasitic diseases. Furthermore the immunosenescence is characterized by a particular “remodelling” of the immune system, induced by oxidative stress. Apoptosis plays a central role in old age, a period in which the ability of apoptosis can change. The remodelling of apoptosis, together with the Inflammaging and the up-regulation of the immune response with the consequent secretion of pro-inflammatory lymphokines represents the major determinant of the rate of aging and longevity, as well as of the most common diseases related with age and with tumors. Other changes occur in the innate immunity, the first line of defence providing rapid, but unspecific and incomplete protection, consisting mostly of monocytes, natural killer cells and dendritic cells, acting up to the establishment of a adaptive immune response, which is slower, but highly specific, which cellular substrate consists of T and B lymphocytes. The markers of “Inflammaging” in adaptive immunity in centenarians are characterized by a decrease in T cells “naive.” The reduction of CD8 virgins may be related to the risk of morbidity and death, as well as the combination of the increase of CD8+ cells and reduction of CD4+ T cells and the reduction of CD19+ B cells. The immune function of the elderly is weakened to due to the exhaustion of T cell-virgin (CD95−), which are replaced with the clonal expansion of CD28-T cells
Intramuscular epinephrine as first-line treatment of anaphylaxis: Still concerns about its safety in the elderly?
Full text linkAnaphylaxis is a severe condition that can affect patients of all ages. Elderly patients must be considered
particularly vulnerable to severe anaphylaxis due to many risk factors such as concomitant diseases and med-
ications. Intramuscular administration of epinephrine is recommended as fist-line therapy for anaphylaxis and
its use should be promoted in every setting. Intramuscular epinephrine is recognized as generally safe and
there are no absolute contraindications to the prescription of self-injectable adrenaline in older patients at risk
of anaphylaxis
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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