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Biological Phenotype (biological + phenotype)
Selected AbstractsBiological phenotypes associated with individuals at high risk for developing alcohol-related disorders.ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Part This paper reviews comparisons of populations at higher and lower risk for alcoholism on biological phenotypes. The results of studies must be considered in the context of the research methods used including the need for large, carefully defined samples and longitudinal designs. Comparisons of children of alcoholics and controls have revealed potentially important differences on level of response to alcohol, cognitive attributes and differences in alcohol-metabolizing and other enzyme systems responsible for various aspects of the body's reaction to alcohol. Many opportunities for future research in this area exist, including large-scale, longitudinal studies that simultaneously evaluate multiple domains of influence, and searches for candidate genes or other biological material that will simplify procedures and increase the accuracy of measurement. [source] Isolation and biological characterization of HIV-1 BG intersubtype recombinants and other genetic forms circulating in Galicia, SpainJOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 12 2006Lucía Pérez-Alvarez Abstract The biological characteristics of HIV-1 primary isolates of different recombinant forms (RFs) and non-B subtypes from Galicia, Spain, were investigated and the relationships between biological phenotype and evolution of infection were determined. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained during the follow-up of 32 patients infected with HIV-1 non-subtype B genetic forms, characterized in partial sequences of pol (protease-reverse transcriptase) and env V3 region: 12 (37.5%) circulating RFs (CRFs), 9 (28.1%) unique RFs (URFs), and 11(34.4%) non-B subtypes. Primary isolates were obtained by coculture with donor PBMCs. Syncytium-inducing (SI) phenotype was examined in MT2 cell line and coreceptor use in GHOST and U87.CD4 cells. Fifty percent of tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) and viral phenotype based on V3 net charge and Geno2phenocoreceptor bioinformatic method were determined. Fifty-four HIV-1 primary isolates were obtained. CRF14_BG and BG URFs represented the largest group, being all SI/X4, independently of the CD4+ cell count, viral load, or the duration of infection. By contrast, 10 of 11 CRF02_AG viruses were NSI/R5. The prediction of co-receptor use was concordant with biological characterization in all NSI/R5 and in 23 of 26 SI/X4 isolates. The presence of SI/X4 or SI/X4,R5 isolates at early stages of the infection in addition to a decrease in CD4+ counts below 500 cells/µl between 2 and 6 years since diagnosis was observed in all patients infected with CRF14_BG and BG URFs. These data contrast with the usual progression in B subtype infections, in which SI/X4 viruses rarely predominate in the early years of HIV-1 infection. J. Med. Virol. 78:1520,1528, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Menopausal asthma: a new biological phenotype?ALLERGY, Issue 10 2010M. P. Foschino Barbaro To cite this article: Foschino Barbaro MP, Costa VR, Resta O, Prato R, Spanevello A, Palladino GP, Martinelli D, Carpagnano GE. Menopausal asthma: a new biological phenotype? Allergy 2010; 65: 1306,1312. Abstract Background:, Female hormones play an important role in women's lung health, especially in asthma pathophysiology. Although a growing interest has recently been aroused in asthma related to short-term reproductive states, menopausal asthma has been little studied in the past. The aim of the present study was to explore airway inflammation in menopausal asthmatic women in a noninvasive manner. Methods:, Forty consecutive women with menopausal asthma, 35 consecutive women with premenopausal asthma and 30 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Urinary LTE-4, induced sputum inflammatory cells, and exhaled LTE-4, IL-6, pH, and NO levels were measured in all the subjects enrolled. Results:, Women with menopausal asthma showed decreased estradiol concentrations, high sputum neutrophils, and exhaled IL-6. Women with premenopausal asthma presented instead an essentially eosinophilic inflammatory pattern. Higher urine and breath condensate LTE-4 concentrations were found in premenopausal and menopausal asthma compared to controls. Conclusion:, Our results substantiate the existence of a new biological phenotype of menopausal asthma that is mainly characterized by neutrophilic airways inflammation and shares several characteristics of the severe asthma phenotype. [source] Biological phenotypes associated with individuals at high risk for developing alcohol-related disorders.ADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Part This paper reviews comparisons of populations at higher and lower risk for alcoholism on biological phenotypes. The results of studies must be considered in the context of the research methods used including the need for large, carefully defined samples and longitudinal designs. Comparisons of children of alcoholics and controls have revealed potentially important differences on level of response to alcohol, cognitive attributes and differences in alcohol-metabolizing and other enzyme systems responsible for various aspects of the body's reaction to alcohol. Many opportunities for future research in this area exist, including large-scale, longitudinal studies that simultaneously evaluate multiple domains of influence, and searches for candidate genes or other biological material that will simplify procedures and increase the accuracy of measurement. [source] |