Psoriatic arthritis and depressive symptoms: does systemic inflammation play a role?

Clinical Rheumatology - Depression is commonly associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), but its risk factors in these patients are largely unrecognized. Pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in the...     

Diagnostic value of echocardiographic markers for diastolic dysfunction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Heart Failure Reviews - This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of echocardiographic markers of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and left ventricular diastolic...     

Anal sphincter reconstruction in the elderly: Does advancing age affect outcome?

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine whether advancing age affects outcome after anal sphincter reconstruction. METHOD: Anal sphincter reconstruction, performed on patients 55 years of age and older, was reviewed to determine if functional outcome was adversely affected by advancing age. A subgroup of patients was studied with anal manometry before and after repair and with pudendal nerve terminal motor latency (PNTML) before surgery. Results were compared with a younger group of patients. RESULTS: Between July 1986 and July 1991, 14 patients, ages ranging from 55 to 81, underwent anal sphincter reconstruction using an overlapping muscle repair. Ten patients were incontinent of solid stool and four of liquid stool. Improvement was seen in 13 of 14 patients: 7 (50 percent) complete control, 3 (21 percent) incontinent to flatus, and 4 (29 percent) incontinent to liquid stools (including the patient who failed to improve). Ten patients were studied with a continuous pull-out manometric technique and PNTML: one was not improved. There was minimum change in mean maximum resting pressure (35.0–37.9 mmHg). Mean maximum squeezing pressure increased from 66 to 75 mmHg overall. Patients with complete control had a mean maximum squeezing pressure of 81 mmHg compared with 60 mmHg in patients with residual incontinence. Mean anterior anal sphincter length increased from 2.92 cm to 331 cm. PNTML was normal (2.0±0.2) on one or both sides in all nine patients who improved (average, 2.1). The patient who failed to improve had abnormal nerve function bilaterally (2.4, 2.7). CONCLUSION: Anal sphincter reconstruction can be performed in elderly patients with improvements in the majority of patients. Total control can be achieved by restoring maximum squeezing pressure in a patient with normal pudendal nerve function.Poster presentation at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, San Francisco, California, June 7 to 12, 1992.     

A subset of anti-rotavirus antibodies directed against the viral protein VP7 predicts the onset of celiac disease and induces typical features of the disease in the intestinal epithelial cell line T84

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine triggered by environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals. A strong association between type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and CD has been reported. We have previously shown that rotavirus infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of CD through a mechanism of molecular mimicry. Indeed, we identified a subset of anti-transglutaminase IgA antibodies that recognize the rotavirus viral protein VP7. In this study, we aimed at evaluating whether such antibodies may predict the onset of CD in children affected by T1DM. Moreover, to further analyze the link between rotavirus infection and pathogenesis of CD, we analyzed the effect of anti-rotavirus VP7 antibodies on T84 intestinal epithelial cells using the gene-array technique, complemented by the analysis of molecules secreted in the supernatant of stimulated cells. We found that anti-rotavirus VP7 antibodies are present in the vast majority (81 %) of T1DM-CD tested sera, but are detectable also in a fraction (27 %) of T1DM children without CD. Moreover, we found that anti-rotavirus VP7 antibodies are present before the CD onset, preceding the detection of anti-tTG and anti-endomysium antibodies. The gene-array analysis showed that purified anti-rotavirus VP7 antibodies modulate genes that are involved in apoptosis, inflammation, and alteration of the epithelial barrier integrity in intestinal epithelial cells, all typical features of CD. Taken together, these new data further support the involvement of rotavirus infection in the pathogenesis of CD and suggest a predictive role of anti-rotavirus VP7 antibodies.     

Long pentraxin‐3 as an epithelial–stromal fibroblast growth factor‐targeting inhibitor in prostate cancer

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) exert autocrine/paracrine functions in prostate cancer by stimulating angiogenesis and tumour growth. Here dihydrotestosterone (DHT) up‐regulates FGF2 and FGF8b production in murine TRAMP‐C2 prostate cancer cells, activating a FGF‐dependent autocrine loop of stimulation. The soluble pattern recognition receptor long pentraxin‐3 (PTX3) acts as a natural FGF antagonist that binds FGF2 and FGF8b via its N‐terminal domain. We demonstrate that recombinant PTX3 protein and the PTX3‐derived pentapeptide Ac‐ARPCA‐NH₂ abolish the mitogenic response of murine TRAMP‐C2 cells and human LNCaP prostate cancer cells to DHT and FGFs. Also, PTX3 hampers the angiogenic activity of DHT‐activated TRAMP‐C2 cells on the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). Accordingly, human PTX3 overexpression inhibits the mitogenic activity exerted by DHT or FGFs on hPTX3_TRAMP‐C2 cell transfectants and their angiogenic activity. Also, hPTX3_TRAMP‐C2 cells show a dramatic decrease of their angiogenic and tumourigenic potential when grafted in syngeneic or immunodeficient athymic male mice. A similar inhibitory effect is observed when TRAMP‐C2 cells overexpress only the FGF‐binding N‐terminal PTX3 domain. In keeping with the anti‐tumour activity of PTX3 in experimental prostate cancer, immunohistochemical analysis of prostate needle biopsies from primary prostate adenocarcinoma patients shows that parenchymal PTX3 expression, abundant in basal cells of normal glands, is lost in high‐grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and in invasive tumour areas. These results identify PTX3 as a potent FGF antagonist endowed with anti‐angiogenic and anti‐neoplastic activity in prostate cancer. Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neurological comorbidity and severity of COVID-19

Journal of Neurology - Neurological symptoms of COVID-19 patients have been recently described. However, no comprehensive data have been reported on pre-existing neurological comorbidities and...