Interaction Connecting Leptin-Obesity-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus

Obesity is a chronic disease that is increasing in prevalence and represents an important risk factor for the developement of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and many forms of cancer. Fat distribution has a profound influence on health risks. For example, increased deposits of visceral, or abdominal fat correlate with risks for many diseases. The leptin system is an important and essential regulating factor for body weight and developement. Many studies have demonstrated that leptin plays an important role in behavior disorders such as obesity and anorexia. In recent studies insulin resistance has received considerable attention in the development of the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disorders comprising glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and dysfibrinolysis that is associated with type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this short review is to define the interaction between leptin, obesity and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

Study on the effectiveness of a nifedipine gel for treatment of Raynaud?s phenomenon

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a nifedipine gel in patients with primary or secondary Raynaud?s phenomenon. Photopletismography was the instrumental examination test used to evaluate recovery time (time necessary for recuperation of normal capillary circulation) in 17 patients with primary or secondary Raynaud?s phenomenon before and after the application of the gel. It emerged that of the 17 patients who used the gel, in 3 cases the recovery time was reduced, in 9 cases the recovery time was cancelled (no spasm occurred), in 5 cases the recovery time was not modified. Therefore, in more than 70 percent of patients the drug had a positive effect. Besides, 50 percent of the patients referred an improvement of the subjective symptomatology with reduction of cooling, torpidity, ache and paresthesias of the fingers. The results obtained, even if related to a restricted number of patients and to a brief interval of time, show the effectiveness of this drug in patients with primary or secondary Raynaud?s phenomenon. We believe that these results, presented here for the first time, are important for investigators involved in the study of Raynaud?s disease

Viewed by the Allies – the image of the CIA in Italy: a study in public perception

Steph Paladini: ORCID: 0000-0002-1526-3589 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1526-3589Item is not available in this repository.Public perception differs from historical reality and nothing shows it in a more convincing way than the cases where intelligence services are involved. The image of the CIA in Italy is emblematic in this sense, and the Agency has often been the protagonist of several conspiracies theories in the recent Italian political history. The case study presented and discussed here, the murder of Aldo Moro, illustrates how, in this instance as in others, perception biases and a culture of suspicion have played a key role in shaping the Italian public opinion.https://doi.org/10.1080/18335330.2017.141249113pubpub

Allergic inflammation: role of cytokines with special emphasis on IL-4

This review examines recent articles on the relationship of cytokines to allergy and inflammation with particular emphasis on interleukin (IL)-4. The objective of this article is therefore to review published studies to identify cytokines consistently involved in allergic inflammation. Proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and GM-CSF along with TNF-alpha play a role in allergen-induced airway leukocyte recruitment and these cytokines can be generated by T mast cells and other cells. In addition, IL-9, IL-25, IL-33, IL-17, IL-27 and IFN-gamma are deeply involved in the regulation of asthma. Blocking the effect of these proinflammatory cytokines might provide new therapeutic approaches for the control of allergy and inflammation

Inflammatory Compounds: Neuropeptide Substance Pand Cytokines

Inflammatory diseases represent one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world and they affect the functions of several tissues. The pathophysiology of these diseases involves release of many pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines/chemokines, histamine, C3a, C5a (complement components), bradykinin, leukotrienes (LTC4, LTD4, LTE4), PAF, and substance P, in addition to anti-inflammatory molecules. Recently, it has been demonstrated that neuroimmune interactions are important in the initiation and progress of inflammatory processes. Substance P is an 11-amino acid neuropeptide that is released from nerve endings in many tissues. It acts via membrane-bound NK1 receptors (NK1R). Inflammatory and neuropeptides such as substance P stimulate the release of chemokines, in particular IL-8, a potent neutrophil chemoattractant. Expression of IL-8 is regulated mainly by the transcription factors NF-kappaB, activating protein-1. Substance P plays an important role in immunological and inflammatory states, and it is a mediator of tissue injury, asthma, arthritis, allergy and autoimmune diseases. In this article, our studies revisited the interrelationship between these two powerful inflammatory compounds: substance P and cytokines. These observations suggest that these inflammatory molecules may represent a potential therapeutic target to treat several inflammatory states

PGD2, IL-1-Family Members and Mast Cells

Cytokines are immunomodulatory and inflammatory compounds produced by many different cell types. The IL-1 family consists of at least eleven cytokines including IL-18 and IL-13 and are essential to the host defence against severe infections and mediate inflammation. IL-18 also enhances tumour rejection and has high capacity to augment the cytotoxicity of NK cells and T cells. IL-33 stimulates basophils and mast cells to produce cytokines and histamine independently of IgE. Mast cells play a crucial role in the development of allergy through the cross-linking of their surface receptors for IgE leading to degranulation and inflammation. Activated mast cells induce the generation of PGD2, detectable in 2–15 minutes after challenge, and LTC4. Here we review the interrelationship between PGD2, IL-1 family members and mast cells