83 research outputs found
Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI) Caused by Red Blood Cell Transfusion Involving Residual Plasma Anti-HLA Antibodies: A report on two Cases and General Considerations
TRALI is considered a serious hazard among immune complications
of blood transfusion and its occurrence is admitted to be globally underestimated.
Each type of blood product is likely to cause TRALI. We report here on two
consecutive observations of TRALI caused by red blood cell concentrates, in
which anti-HLA class I and class II antibodies resulting from post-gravitational
allo-immunization were evidenced in donors. HLA class I and II antigenic
community between recipients and donors' husbands were found and strong
reacting IgG antibodies directed at several of those common antigens were
detected in the donors' serum. Both donors had more than 3 pregnancies, raising
the issue of
blood donor selection or of plasma reduction for cellular products
Interleukin-17 regulation: an attractive therapeutic approach for asthma
Interleukin (IL)-17 is recognized to play a critical role in numerous immune and inflammatory responses by regulating the expression of various inflammatory mediators, which include cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. There is growing evidence that IL-17 is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. IL-17 orchestrates the neutrophilic influx into the airways and also enhances T-helper 2 (Th2) cell-mediated eosinophilic airway inflammation in asthma. Recent studies have demonstrated that not only inhibitor of IL-17 per se but also diverse regulators of IL-17 expression reduce antigen-induced airway inflammation, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and Th2 cytokine levels in animal models of asthma. This review will summarize the role of IL-17 in the context of allergic airway inflammation and discuss the therapeutic potential of various strategies targeting IL-17 for asthma
Candidate Gene Screen in the Red Flour Beetle Tribolium Reveals Six3 as Ancient Regulator of Anterior Median Head and Central Complex Development
Several highly conserved genes play a role in anterior neural plate patterning of vertebrates and in head and brain patterning of insects. However, head involution in Drosophila has impeded a systematic identification of genes required for insect head formation. Therefore, we use the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum in order to comprehensively test the function of orthologs of vertebrate neural plate patterning genes for a function in insect head development. RNAi analysis reveals that most of these genes are indeed required for insect head capsule patterning, and we also identified several genes that had not been implicated in this process before. Furthermore, we show that Tc-six3/optix acts upstream of Tc-wingless, Tc-orthodenticle1, and Tc-eyeless to control anterior median development. Finally, we demonstrate that Tc-six3/optix is the first gene known to be required for the embryonic formation of the central complex, a midline-spanning brain part connected to the neuroendocrine pars intercerebralis. These functions are very likely conserved among bilaterians since vertebrate six3 is required for neuroendocrine and median brain development with certain mutations leading to holoprosencephaly
MiR-190b, the highest up-regulated miRNA in ERα-positive compared to ERα-negative breast tumors, a new biomarker in breast cancers?
Vampires in the village Ćœrnovo on the island of KorÄula: following an archival document from the 18th century
SrediĆĄnja tema rada usmjerena je na raĆĄÄlambu spisa pohranjenog u DrĆŸavnom arhivu u Mlecima (fond: Capi del Consiglio deâ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) koji se odnosi na dogaÄaj iz 1748. godine u korÄulanskom selu Ćœrnovo, kada su mjeĆĄtani â vjerujuÄi da su se pojavili vampiri â oskvrnuli nekoliko mjesnih grobova. U radu se podrobno iznose osnovni podaci iz spisa te reÄeni dogaÄaj analizira u ĆĄirem druĆĄtvenom kontekstu i prate se lokalna vjerovanja.The main interest of this essay is the analysis of the document from the State Archive in Venice (file: Capi del Consiglio deâ Dieci: Lettere di Rettori e di altre cariche) which is connected with the episode from 1748 when the inhabitants of the village Ćœrnove on the island of KorÄula in Croatia opened tombs on the local cemetery in the fear of the vampires treating.
This essay try to show some social circumstances connected with this event as well as a local vernacular tradition concerning superstitions
The clinical role of VeriStrat testing in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer considered unfit for first-line platinum-based chemotherapy
Purpose
We previously demonstrated that the median survival of patients with poor prognosis nonâsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) considered unfit for first-line platinum chemotherapy was <4 months. We evaluated whether VeriStrat could be used as a prognostic or predictive biomarker in this population.
Experimental design
We conducted a randomised double-blind trial among patients with untreated advanced NSCLC considered unfit for platinum chemotherapy because of poor performance status (PS) or multiple comorbidities. All patients received active supportive care (ASC) and were treated with either oral erlotinib or placebo daily. Five hundred twenty-seven patients had plasma samples for VeriStrat classification: good (VeriStrat Good [VSG]) or poor (VeriStrat Poor [VSP]). Main end-point was overall survival.
Results
Fifty-five percent patients had VSG, and 83% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 2â3 at baseline. VeriStrat was strongly associated with survival. Among patients managed with ASC only, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 0.54 (p < 0.001) for VSG versus VSP. The association was consistent across patient factors: HR = 0.25 (p = 0.004) and HR = 0.56 (p < 0.001) for ECOG 0â1 and 2â3, respectively, HR = 0.49 (0070 < 0.001) for ageâ„75 years and HR = 0.59 (p = 0.007) for stage IV. Several ECOG 2â3 patients had long survival: 2-year survival was 8% for VSG patients who had ASC, compared with 0% for VSP. VeriStrat status did not predict benefit from erlotinib treatment because the HRs for erlotinib versus placebo were similar between VSG and VSP patients.
Conclusions
VeriStrat was not a predictive marker for survival when considering first-line erlotinib for patients with NSCLC who had poor PS and were not recommended for platinum doublet therapies. However, VeriStrat was an independent prognostic marker of survival. It represents an objective measurement that could be considered alongside other patient factors to provide a more refined assessment of prognosis for this particular patient group. VSG patients could be selected for treatment trials because of better survival, while VSP patients can continue to be treated conservatively or offered trials of less toxic agents
Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury: Incidence, Pathogenesis and the Role of Multicomponent Apheresis in Its Prevention
First-line erlotinib in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer unsuitable for chemotherapy (TOPICAL): a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial
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