Anti-tumour necrosis factor discontinuation in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: study protocol of a prospective, multicentre, randomized clinical trial

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who achieve remission with anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs may have treatment withdrawn due to safety concerns and cost considerations, but there is a lack of prospective, controlled data investigating this strategy. The primary study aim is to compare the rates of clinical remission at 1?year in patients who discontinue anti-TNF treatment versus those who continue treatment. Methods: This is an ongoing, prospective, double-blind, multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with Crohn?s disease or ulcerative colitis who have achieved clinical remission for ?6?months with an anti-TNF treatment and an immunosuppressant. Patients are being randomized 1:1 to discontinue anti-TNF therapy or continue therapy. Randomization stratifies patients by the type of inflammatory bowel disease and drug (infliximab versus adalimumab) at study inclusion. The primary endpoint of the study is sustained clinical remission at 1?year. Other endpoints include endoscopic and radiological activity, patient-reported outcomes (quality of life, work productivity), safety and predictive factors for relapse. The required sample size is 194 patients. In addition to the main analysis (discontinuation versus continuation), subanalyses will include stratification by type of inflammatory bowel disease, phenotype and previous treatment. Biological samples will be obtained to identify factors predictive of relapse after treatment withdrawal. Results: Enrolment began in 2016, and the study is expected to end in 2020. Conclusions: This study will contribute prospective, controlled data on outcomes and predictors of relapse in patients with inflammatory bowel disease after withdrawal of anti-TNF agents following achievement of clinical remission. Clinical trial reference number: EudraCT 2015-001410-1

Data for: Immunomodulatory effect of Celecoxib on HMGB1/TLR4 pathway in a recurrent seizures model in immature rats.

The video shows an immature sham rat (left side) and an immature rat with i.p. of kainic acid (right side) that has developed seizures phase IV

Aromatase and estrogen receptor alpha mRNA expression as prognostic biomarkers in patients with astrocytomas

Estrogens are oncogenic hormones at a high level in breast, prostate, endometrial and lung cancer. Estrogens are synthesized by aromatase which has been used as a biomarker both in breast and lung cancer. Estrogen biological activities are executed by their classic receptors (ER? and ER?). ER? has been described as a cancer promoter and ER?, as a possible tumor suppressor. Both receptors are present at low levels in primary multiforme glioblastoma (GBM). The GBM frequency is 50 % higher in men than in women. The GBM patient survival period ranges from 7 to 18 months. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate aromatase and estrogen receptor expression, as well as 17Zapotitlán-estradiol concentration in astrocytoma patients biopsies to obtain a prognosis biomarker for these patients. We analyzed 36 biopsies of astrocytoma patients with a different grade (I-IV) of malignity. Aromatase and estrogen receptor mRNA expression were analyzed by semiquantitative RT-PCR, and the E2 levels, by ELISA. E2 concentration was higher in GBM, compared to grade II or III astrocytomas. The number of cells immunoreactive to aromatase and estrogen receptors decreased as the grade of tumor malignity increased. Aromatase mRNA expression was present in all biopsies, regardless of malignity grade or patient age or gender. The highest expression of aromatase mRNA in GBM patients was associated to the worst survival prognostic (6.28 months). In contrast lowest expression of ER? mRNA in astrocytoma patients had a worst prognosis. In conclusion, aromatase and ER? expression could be used as prognosis biomarkers for astrocytoma patients. Zapotitlán 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

Secretion systems of pathogenic escherichia coli

Protein secretion plays a central role in modulating the interactions of bacteria with their environments. Bacterial ribosomes synthesize up to 8000 different proteins. Almost half of these become integrated in membranes and are secreted to the periplasm or to the external milieu. Many bacterial processes , such as DNA replication, motility, transport, antibiotic resistance, scavenging of chemicals, and pathogenesis, depend on protein secretion. Thereby, evolutionarily unrelated protein nanomachines have been developed, which allow exported proteins to cross the Gram-negative membranes. Bacterial proteins can be exported directly from the cytoplasm out of the cell by a one-step (cytoplasm to extracellular milieu), including the type I secretion system (T1SS), T3SS, T4SS, and T6SS, or two-step (periplasm translocation step), including the T2SS and T5SS, while the T4SS can use either the one- or two-step mechanism. The T3SS, T5SS, and T6SS are the more common secretion systems in Escherichia coli and most of the secreted substrates are virulence factors related to pathogenic E. coli . In this chapter, we will describe the main characteristic of these last three secretion systems.Inst. de BiotecnologíaFil: Navarro-García, Fernando. Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados.Departamento de Biología Celular; MéxicoFil: Ruiz-Perez, Fernando. University of Virginia School of Medicine. Department of Pediatrics; Estados UnidosFil: Larzabal, Mariano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Angel Adrian. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentin