Why Don't CD8+ T Cells Reduce the Lifespan of SIV-Infected Cells In Vivo?

In January 2010 two groups independently published the observation that the depletion of CD8+ cells in SIV-infected macaques had no detectable impact on the lifespan of productively infected cells. This unexpected observation led the authors to suggest that CD8+ T cells control SIV viraemia via non-lytic mechanisms. However, a number of alternative plausible explanations, compatible with a lytic model of CD8+ T cell control, were proposed. This left the field with no consensus on how to interpret these experiments and no clear indication whether CD8+ T cells operated primarily via a lytic or a non-lytic mechanism. The aim of this work was to investigate why CD8+ T cells do not appear to reduce the lifespan of SIV-infected cells in vivo

Έκφραση της απολιποπρωτεΐνης J στην αθηρωματική πλάκα ασθενών με στένωση καρωτίδων

Η ποσόστωση και η ακριβής συμμετοχή της Apo-J στη καρωτιδική πλάκα δεν έχει επαρκώς μελετηθεί ως τώρα. Σε αυτή την μελέτη γίνεται μία προσπάθεια ανίχνευσης και μέτρησης του ποσοστού της Apo-J τόσο σε ένταση όσο και σε έκταση επί του εμβαδού της εξαιρεθείσας χειρουργικά καρωτιδικής, αθηρωματικής πλάκας, σε ασθενείς με προχωρημένη καρωτιδική νόσο. Τα αποτελέσματα της Apo-J πάνω στην πλάκα, στη συνέχεια συσχετίζονται με παράγοντες μετρημένους στον ορό αίματος των ασθενών, αλλά και με δημογραφικούς, σωματομετρικούς δείκτες, στοχεύοντας στο συσχετισμό της Apo-J με δείκτες όπως αυτούς της φλεγμονής και δίνοντας έτσι περισσότερες πληροφορίες για το ρόλο της στη πορεία της αθηρωματικής διαδικασίας, καθιστώντας την απολιποπρωτείνη J έναν πιθανό βιοδείκτη για την φάση της αθηρωματικής νόσου στην καρωτίδα και πιθανώς και συσχετισμό της με την ευάλωτη καρωτιδική πλάκα, που κατεξοχήν θεωρείται συμπτωματική και εμβολογόνος

A Rare Variation of Transverse Testicular Ectopia (TTE) in a Young Adult as an Incidental Finding during Investigation for Testicular Pain

Transverse testicular ectopia (TTE) with fused vas deferens is an extremely rare clinical entity. Herein, we present a case of a 19-year-old patient with persistent left testicular pain lasting for a week. Clinical examination revealed an empty right hemiscrotum, a normal left-sided descended testis, and in close proximity a mass-like structure resembling testicular parenchyma. Laboratory tests were significant for elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), while sperm count revealed azoospermia. Ultrasound imaging (US) of the scrotum demonstrated the presence of both testes in the same left hemiscrotum with varicocele and no signs of inguinal hernia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the penis and scrotum revealed TTE with a single, fused vas deferens, and hypoplastic seminal vesicles. Surgical intervention by means of microsurgical sperm retrieval and transseptal orchidopexy were considered but not performed, primarily owing to the patient’s unwillingness and to a lesser extent due to the restriction that the short and fused vas would pose in an attempt to transpose the ectopic testis. Therefore, an annual follow-up was recommended

The relationship of novel adipokines, RBP4 and omentin-1, with carotid atherosclerosis severity and vulnerability

Objective: We investigated the relationship of circulating novel adipokines, retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and omentin-1, with advanced carotid atherosclerosis and ultrasound indexes of severity (total plaque area-TPA) and plaque echogenicity and vulnerability (Gray-Scale median - GSM score). Methods: We enrolled 225 patients with high-grade carotid stenosis (HGCS) who underwent carotid revascularization (73 Symptomatic patients, 152 asymptomatic patients) and 75 age-and sex-matched, asymptomatic individuals with low-grade (< 50%) carotid stenosis (LGCS). Seventy-three individuals without current manifestations of atherosclerotic disease served as control group (COG). All participants underwent carotid ultrasound with TPA and GSM score assessment. Moreover, clinical parameters, metabolic profile, and circulating levels of hsCRP and adipokines were assessed. Results: RBP4 was significantly elevated in HGCS (51.44 +/- 16.23 mg/L) compared to LGCS (38.39 +/- 8.85 mg/L), independent of symptoms existence, whereas RBP4 levels in COG were even lower (25.74 +/- 10.72 mg/L, p < 0.001 compared to either HGCS or LGCS). Inversely, serum omentin-1 levels were significantly lower across HGCS (490.41 +/- 172 ng/ml) and LGCS (603.20 +/- 202.43 ng/ml) than COG (815.3 +/- 185.32, p < 0.001). Moreover, the considerable difference between HGCS and LGCS (p < 0.001) was exclusively attributed to the excessive suppression of omentin-1 concentrations in symptomatic versus asymptomatic (p = 0.004) patients. HGCS and LGCS did not differ in the rest of clinical and biochemical parameters. In multiple regression analysis, RBP4 (beta = 0.232, p = 0.025) and hsCRP (beta = 0.300, p = 0.004) emerged as independent determinants of TPA in patients with carotid atherosclerosis. Low serum levels of omentin-1 correlated with GSM score and symptoms but that association was lost in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: RBP4 serum levels were significantly elevated in patients with established carotid atherosclerosis and were positively associated with atherosclerosis severity. The association of low serum omentin-1 with carotid plaque echolucency requires further investigation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Measuring the stoichiometry of functional PspA complexes in living bacterial cells by single molecule photobleaching

Accepted versio

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)