133 research outputs found

    Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in thyroid diseased patients.

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    Several studies have underlined the high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and disorders in thyroid diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in 93 inpatients affected by different thyroid diseases during their lifetimes, by means of a standardized instrument, i.e., the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised, Upjohn Version (SCID-UP-R). The results showed higher rates of panic disorder, simple phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and cyclothymia in thyroid patients than in the general population. These findings would suggest that the co-occurrence of psychiatric and thyroid diseases may be the result of common biochemical abnormalities

    Impaired flow-induced arterial remodeling in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats

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    Arteries from young healthy animals respond to chronic changes in blood flow and blood pressure by structural remodeling. We tested whether the ability to respond to decreased (-90%) or increased (+100%) blood flow is impaired during the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension in rats, a model for an upregulated endothelin-1 system. Mesenteric small arteries (MrA) were exposed to low blood flow (LF) or high blood flow (HF) for 4 or 7 weeks. The bioavailability of vasoactive peptides was modified by chronic treatment of the rats with the dual neutral endopeptidase (NEP)/endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) inhibitor SOL1. After 3 or 6 weeks of hypertension, the MrA showed hypertrophic arterial remodeling (3 weeks: media cross-sectional area (mCSA): 10 +/- 1 x 10(3) to 17 +/- 2 x 10(3) mu m(2); 6 weeks: 13 +/- 2 x 10(3) to 24 +/- 3 x 10(3) mu m(2)). After 3, but not 6, weeks of hypertension, the arterial diameter was increased (empty set: 385 +/- 13 to 463 +/- 14 mu m). SOL1 reduced hypertrophy after 3 weeks of hypertension (mCSA: 6 x 10(3) +/- 1 x 10(3) mu m(2)). The diameter of the HF arteries of normotensive rats increased (empty set: 463 +/- 22 mu m) but no expansion occurred in the HF arteries of hypertensive rats (empty set: 471 +/- 16 mu m). MrA from SOL1-treated hypertensive rats did show a significant diameter increase (empty set: 419 +/- 13 to 475 +/- 16 mu m). Arteries exposed to LF showed inward remodeling in normotensive and hypertensive rats (mean empty set between 235 and 290 mu m), and infiltration of monocyte/ macrophages. SOL1 treatment did not affect the arterial diameter of LF arteries but reduced the infiltration of monocyte/ macrophages. We show for the first time that flow-induced remodeling is impaired during the development of DOCA-salt hypertension and that this can be prevented by chronic NEP/ECE inhibition. Hypertension Research (2012) 35, 1093-1101; doi:10.1038/hr.2012.94; published online 12 July 201

    Genetic polymorphisms in DNA repair and damage response genes and late normal tissue complications of radiotherapy for breast cancer

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    Breast-conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy is effective in reducing recurrence; however, telangiectasia and fibrosis can occur as late skin side effects. As radiotherapy acts through producing DNA damage, we investigated whether genetic variation in DNA repair and damage response confers increased susceptibility to develop late normal skin complications. Breast cancer patients who received radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery were examined for late complications of radiotherapy after a median follow-up time of 51 months. Polymorphisms in genes involved in DNA repair (APEX1, XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3, XPD) and damage response (TP53, P21) were determined. Associations between telangiectasia and genotypes were assessed among 409 patients, using multivariate logistic regression. A total of 131 patients presented with telangiectasia and 28 patients with fibrosis. Patients with variant TP53 genotypes either for the Arg72Pro or the PIN3 polymorphism were at increased risk of telangiectasia. The odds ratios (OR) were 1.66 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02–2.72) for 72Pro carriers and 1.95 (95% CI: 1.13–3.35) for PIN3 A2 allele carriers compared with non-carriers. The TP53 haplotype containing both variant alleles was associated with almost a two-fold increase in risk (OR 1.97, 95% CI: 1.11–3.52) for telangiectasia. Variants in the TP53 gene may therefore modify the risk of late skin toxicity after radiotherapy

    A transcriptomic analysis of gene expression in the venom gland of the snake Bothrops alternatus (urutu)

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The genus <it>Bothrops </it>is widespread throughout Central and South America and is the principal cause of snakebite in these regions. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies have examined the venom composition of several species in this genus, but many others remain to be studied. In this work, we used a transcriptomic approach to examine the venom gland genes of <it>Bothrops alternatus</it>, a clinically important species found in southeastern and southern Brazil, Uruguay, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A cDNA library of 5,350 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was produced and assembled into 838 contigs and 4512 singletons. BLAST searches of relevant databases showed 30% hits and 70% no-hits, with toxin-related transcripts accounting for 23% and 78% of the total transcripts and hits, respectively. Gene ontology analysis identified non-toxin genes related to general metabolism, transcription and translation, processing and sorting, (polypeptide) degradation, structural functions and cell regulation. The major groups of toxin transcripts identified were metalloproteinases (81%), bradykinin-potentiating peptides/C-type natriuretic peptides (8.8%), phospholipases A<sub>2 </sub>(5.6%), serine proteinases (1.9%) and C-type lectins (1.5%). Metalloproteinases were almost exclusively type PIII proteins, with few type PII and no type PI proteins. Phospholipases A<sub>2 </sub>were essentially acidic; no basic PLA<sub>2 </sub>were detected. Minor toxin transcripts were related to L-amino acid oxidase, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, dipeptidylpeptidase IV, hyaluronidase, three-finger toxins and ohanin. Two non-toxic proteins, thioredoxin and double-specificity phosphatase Dusp6, showed high sequence identity to similar proteins from other snakes. In addition to the above features, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, microsatellites, transposable elements and inverted repeats that could contribute to toxin diversity were observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Bothrops alternatus </it>venom gland contains the major toxin classes described for other <it>Bothrops </it>venoms based on trancriptomic and proteomic studies. The predominance of type PIII metalloproteinases agrees with the well-known hemorrhagic activity of this venom, whereas the lower content of serine proteases and C-type lectins could contribute to less marked coagulopathy following envenoming by this species. The lack of basic PLA<sub>2 </sub>agrees with the lower myotoxicity of this venom compared to other <it>Bothrops </it>species with these toxins. Together, these results contribute to our understanding of the physiopathology of envenoming by this species.</p

    Measurement of the inclusive and differential Higgs boson production cross sections in the decay mode to a pair of τ Leptons in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV

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    Measurements of the inclusive and differential fiducial cross sections of the Higgs boson are presented, using the τ lepton decay channel. The differential cross sections are measured as functions of the Higgs boson transverse momentum, jet multiplicity, and transverse momentum of the leading jet in the event, if any. The analysis is performed using proton-proton collision data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13  TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138  fb^{-1}. These are the first differential measurements of the Higgs boson cross section in the final state of two τ leptons. In final states with a large jet multiplicity or with a Lorentz-boosted Higgs boson, these measurements constitute a significant improvement over measurements performed in other final states

    Search for Higgs Boson Pair Production in the Four b Quark Final State in Proton-Proton Collisions at root s=13 TeV

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