33 research outputs found
Impact of a 2-yr anti-TNF treatment on the quality of life in JIA patients: a parent's/patient’s view
Macrophage phenotype is associated with disease severity in preterm infants with chronic lung disease.
The etiology of persistent lung inflammation in preterm infants with chronic lung disease of prematurity (CLD) is poorly characterized, hampering efforts to stratify prognosis and treatment. Airway macrophages are important innate immune cells with roles in both the induction and resolution of tissue inflammation
Influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients: systematic review and meta-analysis from a public health policy perspective.
Immunocompromised patients are vulnerable to severe or complicated influenza infection. Vaccination is widely recommended for this group. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients in terms of preventing influenza-like illness and laboratory confirmed influenza, serological response and adverse events
Prospective surveillance study of acute respiratory infections, influenza-like illness and seasonal influenza vaccine in a cohort of juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients
Analysis of Btk mutations in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia (XLA) and determination of carrier status in normal female relatives: a nationwide study of Btk deficiency in Greece
Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase,
critical for B-cell development and function. Mutations that inactivate
this kinase were found in families with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia
(XLA). In this study the Btk gene was analyzed in 13 registered Greek
patients with XLA phenotype originated from 12 unrelated families, in
order to provide a definite diagnosis of the XLA. The structure of Btk
was analyzed at the cDNA level using the recently developed method,
NIRCA (Non-Isotopic-Rnase-Cleavage-Assay). Alterations were detected in
all patients and sequencing analysis confirmed the results and defined
six novel XLA-associated Btk mutations (three missense mutations: C337G,
L346R, L452P; one nonsense mutation: Y392X, and two frameshift
alterations: cl211-1212delA, c1306-1307insA). Having defined the genetic
alteration in the affected males of these families, the information was
used to design polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers and the Btk
segments containing the mutated sequences were amplified from peripheral
blood derived genomic DNA of potential female carriers. The PCR products
were directly sequenced and carrier status was determined in 12 out of
16 phenotypically normal females analyzed. This protocol can be used
once the nature of the Btk mutation has been defined in one of the
affected males and provides a convenient, simple and reliable way to
determine the carrier status of other female family members. Molecular
genetic analysis constitutes a determinative tool for the definitive
diagnosis of XLA and may allow accurate carrier and prenatal diagnosis
for genetic counselling
Nationwide collaborative study of HLA class II associations with distinct types of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) in Greece
The aim of this study was to investigate the association of different
groups and subgroups of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) with HLA class
II (DR, DI: DQ) alleles and/or haplotypes. Groups and subgroups were
mainly distinguished on the basis of the type of onset, the course and
complications of the disease, and some predefined disease markers
according to the criteria proposed by the ILAR Standing Committee
(Chile, 1994). On the basis of these criteria the following five JCA
groups and their subgroups were included in the study: (1) definite
systemic onset (n = 25) and systemic progressing to persistent arthritis
(n = 14); (2) JCA of oligoarthritis onset (O-JCA, n = 124) and of
oligoarthritis onset and course (n = 98), O-JCA of early (< 6 years) or
late (> 6 years) onset (EOO-JCA n = 71 and LOO JCA n = 44), O-JCA with
ANA positive (n = 69) or negative (n = 55) and O-JCA progressing to
extended arthritis (n = 22); (3) JCA of polyarthritis onset (P-JCA) with
rheumatic factor (RF) negative (n = 29), and P-JCA RF negative with
antinuclear antibodies (ANA) positive (n = 13) or negative (n = 16); (4)
JCA complicated with chronic anterior uveitis (CAU, n = 32); (5)
juvenile psoriatic arthritis (n = 20). To assess the HLA allele
frequencies in the above 223 Greek children with JCA, these frequencies
were compared to those of 98 age-matched and 250 adult controls. The
main findings were the following. A common HLA-DRB1* allele was not
involved in the JCA groups and subgroups studied; on the other hand, the
DQA1*0501 allele was found to be associated with different JCA
groups/subgroups (Q-JCA, P-JCA RF-negative ANA-positive, JCA with CAU),
probably suggesting a closer relationship of this locus with the
immunogenetic background of JCA. The DPB1*0201 allele was associated
with the development of either EOO-JCA or CAU. Susceptibility to CAU was
stronger when the DPB1*0201 was combined with the presence of
DRB1*13. Another allele, DQB1*0301, was also associated with O-JCA
and CAU. Finally, no specific HLA class II allele was found to be
related to the presence of ANA or psoriatic lesions or to the severity
of the arthritis. Our findings suggest that the wide clinical and
laboratory spectrum of JCA is associated with an immunogenetic
background that is linked with HLA alleles of more than one locus. Some
of them, such as the DPB1*0201 allele, confer susceptibility to
certain clinical onsets and courses or complications of the disease. The
rapidly advancing techniques of typing of DNA profiles may lead to more
definite conclusions
Stress Physiology Of Lactic Acid Bacteria
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are important starter, commensal, or pathogenic microorganisms. The stress physiology of LAB has been studied in depth for over 2 decades, fueled mostly by the technological implications of LAB robustness in the food industry. Survival of probiotic LAB in the host and the potential relatedness of LAB virulence to their stress resilience have intensified interest in the field. Thus, a wealth of information concerning stress responses exists today for strains as diverse as starter (e.g., Lactococcus lactis), probiotic (e.g., several Lactobacillus spp.), and pathogenic (e.g., Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp.) LAB. Here we present the state of the art for LAB stress behavior. We describe the multitude of stresses that LAB are confronted with, and we present the experimental context used to study the stress responses of LAB, focusing on adaptation, habituation, and cross-protection as well as on self-induced multistress resistance in stationary phase, biofilms, and dormancy. We also consider stress responses at the population and single-cell levels. Subsequently, we concentrate on the stress defense mechanisms that have been reported to date, grouping them according to their direct participation in preserving cell energy, defending macromolecules, and protecting the cell envelope. Stress-induced responses of probiotic LAB and commensal/pathogenic LAB are highlighted separately due to the complexity of the peculiar multistress conditions to which these bacteria are subjected in their hosts. Induction of prophages under environmental stresses is then discussed. Finally, we present systems-based strategies to characterize the "stressome" of LAB and to engineer new food-related and probiotic LAB with improved stress tolera