67 research outputs found
The impact of multifactorial factors on the Quality of Life of Behçet's patients over 10 years.
OBJECTIVE: This study analyses the 2020 survey and reviews the 2009, 2014 surveys to ascertain which Behçet's symptoms, personal and family status, patients' lifestyle, and work-related outcomes impacted on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). METHODS: Four hundred and fifty-nine Behçet's patients submitted an online survey/questionnaire. Patients provided information on socio-demographic characteristics, disease duration, historical and current symptoms, systemic and topical medication, health related lifestyle, work-related outcomes regarding employment status and claiming benefits and Quality of Life (QoL) measured by EQ-5D index. RESULTS: Four hundred and nineteen patients met the inclusion criteria, and 371 who had full data (Males: Females: Others = 84:285:2, mean-age = 41.1 ± 23.3:38 ± 13.2:40 ± 5). The main symptoms associated with patients seeking medical care were mouth ulcers 30% and genital ulcers 23%, joint 14%, and eye problems 9%. The EQ-5D index for 2009, 2014, 2020 was (mean ± SD); 0.47 ± 0.38, 0.42 ± 0.37, 0.34 ± 0.40, respectively, p < 0.05. 2020 patients had the worst values of the five domains compared to 2014 and 2009. Interestingly, mobility value was the same over the 10 years of monitoring patients. Behçet's syndrome (BS) symptoms that had significant negative impact on QoL were; 2009 (arthropathy, neurological problems, pathergy reaction, and stomach/bowel symptoms), 2014 (arthropathy, headache, neurological problems, pathergy reaction, and skin lesions), 2020 (arthropathy, neurological problems, and stomach/bowel symptoms). The 2014 and 2020 surveys reported the QoL is significantly better in patients on immunosuppressant, who did sport, continued in employment and not receiving benefits. CONCLUSION: Joints and neurological symptoms are the main symptoms which had negative impact on BS patients over the 10 years, sociodemographic (gender, age, marital, and education status), lifestyle (medication, cannabis, drinking wine, and regular exercise), employment status (employee and no career change), and accessing benefits (never claim benefit) had significant influence on patients' HRQoL
P19-20. Allogeneic stimulation of the anti-viral APOBEC3G in human CD4+ T cells and prevention of SHIV infectivity in macaques immunized with HLA antigens
P19-08. Immunisation with recombinant HLA class I and II, HIV-1gp140 and SIVp27 antigens elicits protection against SHIV-SF162P4 infection in rhesus macaques
Caldag-Gefi Down-Regulation in the Striatum as a Neuroprotective Change in Huntington's Disease.
Huntingtin protein (Htt) is ubiquitously expressed, yet Huntington’s disease (HD), a fatal
neurologic disorder produced by expansion of an Htt polyglutamine tract, is
characterized by neurodegeneration that occurs primarily in the striatum and cerebral
cortex. Such discrepancies between sites of expression and pathology occur in multiple
neurodegenerative disorders associated with expanded polyglutamine tracts. One
possible reason is that disease-modifying factors are tissue-specific. Here we show that
the striatum-enriched protein, CalDAG-GEFI, is severely down-regulated in the striatum
of mouse HD models and is down-regulated in HD individuals. In the R6/2 transgenic
mouse model of HD, striatal neurons with the largest aggregates of mutant Htt have the
lowest levels of CalDAG-GEFI. In a brain-slice explant model of HD, knock-down of CalDAG-GEFI expression rescues striatal neurons from pathology induced by transfection of polyglutamine-expanded Htt exon 1. These findings suggest that the striking down-regulation of CalDAG-GEFI in HD could be a protective mechanism that mitigates Htt-induced degeneration.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U.S.) (R01-HD28341)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (F32-MH065815)Wellcome Trust (London, England)Cure Huntington’s Disease Initiative, Inc.MGH/MIT Morris Udall Center of Excellence in Parkinson Disease Research (P50-NS038372
Impact of fermentation, drying, roasting and Dutch processing on flavan-3-ol stereochemistry in cacao beans and cocoa ingredients
This paper reports a systematic study of the level of flavan-3-ol monomers during typical processing steps as cacao beans are dried, fermented and roasted and the results of Dutch-processing. Methods have been used that resolve the stereoisomers of epicatechin and catechin. In beans harvested from unripe and ripe cacao pods, we find only (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin with (-)-epicatechin being by far the predominant isomer. When beans are fermented there is a large loss of both (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin, but also the formation of (-)-catechin. We hypothesize that the heat of fermentation may, in part, be responsible for the formation of this enantiomer. When beans are progressively roasted at conditions described as low, medium and high roast conditions, there is a progressive loss of (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin and an increase in (-)-catechin with the higher roast levels. When natural and Dutch-processed cacao powders are analyzed, there is progressive loss of both (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin with lesser losses of (-)-catechin. We thus observe that in even lightly Dutch-processed powder, the level of (-)-catechin exceeds the level of (-)-epicatechin. The results indicate that much of the increase in the level of (-)-catechin observed during various processing steps may be the result of heat-related epimerization from (-)-epicatechin. These results are discussed with reference to the reported preferred order of absorption of (-)-epicatechin > (+)-catechin > (-)-catechin. These results are also discussed with respect to the balance that must be struck between the beneficial impact of fermentation and roasting on chocolate flavor and the healthful benefits of chocolate and cocoa powder that result in part from the flavan-3-ol monomers
The influence of oral health and psycho-social well-being on clinical outcomes in Behcet's disease
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