Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Outcome Independent (outcome + independent)
Selected AbstractsCommon infections in diabetes: pathogenesis, management and relationship to glycaemic controlDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 1 2007Anton Y. Peleg Abstract Specific defects in innate and adaptive immune function have been identified in diabetic patients in a range of in vitro studies. However, the relevance of these findings to the integrated response to infection in vivo remains unclear, especially in patients with good glycaemic control. Vaccine efficacy seems adequate in most diabetic patients, but those with type 1 diabetes and high glycosylated haemoglobin levels are most likely to exhibit hypo-responsiveness. While particular infections are closely associated with diabetes, this is usually in the context of extreme metabolic disturbances such as ketoacidosis. The link between glycaemic control and the risk of common community-acquired infections is less well established but could be clarified if infection data from large community-based observational or intervention studies were available. The relationship between hospital-acquired infections and diabetes is well recognized, particularly among post-operative cardiac and critically ill surgical patients in whom intensive insulin therapy improves clinical outcome independent of glycaemia. Nevertheless, further research is needed to improve our understanding of the role of diabetes and glycaemic control in the pathogenesis and management of community- and hospital-acquired infections. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Helicobacter pylori plasticity region locus jhp0947,jhp0949 is associated with duodenal ulcer disease and interleukin-12 production in monocyte cellsFEMS IMMUNOLOGY & MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Ramon De Jonge Abstract Colonization with Helicobacter pylori always results in chronic gastritis, which is controlled by infiltration of mononuclear cells and the subsequent release of cytokines like interleukin (IL)-12. To identify H. pylori factors involved in inducing cytokine production in mononuclear cells, a random H. pylori mutant library was screened for the inability to induce IL-12 production in monocyte THP-1 cells. Of the 231 random mutants screened, one mutant (M1) showed a consistent twofold decrease in the amount of IL-12 induction compared to the parental strain 1061 (P<0.01). Further characterization of mutant M1 revealed that the kanamycin resistance cassette had integrated in the jhp0945 gene, which is situated in an H. pylori strain-specific plasticity region. Three reference strains possessing this plasticity region induced significantly higher amounts of IL-12 when compared to the H. pylori 26695 reference strain, which does not possess this plasticity region. The role in disease outcome of jhp0945 as well as the neighbouring plasticity region genes jhp0947 and jhp049 was assessed in a Dutch population cohort. Firstly, the presence of jhp0947 was completely linked with that of jhp0949 and was roughly associated with jhp0945 (P=0.072), but not with the cag pathogenicity island (PAI) (P=0.464). The presence of the jhp0947 and jhp0949 genes, but not of jhp0945, was significantly associated with duodenal ulcer disease when compared to gastritis (P=0.027). Therefore, the jhp0947,jhp0949 locus may be a novel putative H. pylori marker for disease outcome independent of the cag PAI. [source] Prognostic significance of the therapeutic targets histone deacetylase 1, 2, 6 and acetylated histone H4 in cutaneous T-cell lymphomaHISTOPATHOLOGY, Issue 3 2008L Marquard Aims:, Aberrant histone acetylation has been associated with malignancy and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are currently being investigated in numerous clinical trials. So far, the malignancy most sensitive to HDAC inhibitors has been cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The reason for this sensitivity is unclear and studies on HDAC expression and histone acetylation in CTCL are lacking. The aim of this study was to address this issue. Methods and results:, The immunohistochemical expression of HDAC1, HDAC2, HDAC6, and acetylated H4 was examined in 73 CTCLs and the results related to histological subtypes and overall survival. HDAC1 was most abundantly expressed (P < 0.0001), followed by HDAC2; HDAC6 and H4 acetylation were equally expressed. HDAC2 (P = 0.001) and H4 acetylation (P = 0.03) were significantly more common in aggressive than indolent CTCL subtypes. In contrast, no differences were observed for HDAC1 and HDAC6. In a Cox analysis, elevated HDAC6 was the only parameter showing significant influence on survival (P = 0.04). Conclusions:, High expression of HDAC2 and acetylated H4 is more common in aggressive than indolent CTCL. HDAC6 expression is associated with a favorable outcome independent of the subtype. [source] The contribution of prior psychological symptoms and combat exposure to post Iraq deployment mental health in the UK military,JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 1 2009Roberto J. Rona This study assessed the contribution of baseline psychological symptoms, combat exposure, and unit support in the etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychological distress. From 2004,2006, 67% of a random sample of 2,820 participants who had been assessed for psychological symptoms in 2002 were reassessed. Baseline psychological symptoms, combat exposure, and unit support factors were associated with the outcomes and the effect sizes for combat exposure were marked for PTSD symptoms. Adjustment for baseline psychological symptoms did not modify the pattern of association of group cohesion and combat exposures. The authors concluded that combat exposure and group cohesion have an effect on mental health outcomes independent of previous mental health status, which explains why screening prior to deployment is ineffective. [source] The relationship between the neighbourhood environment and adverse birth outcomesPAEDIATRIC & PERINATAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006Thomas A. Farley Summary Intrauterine growth retardation and preterm birth are more frequent in African-American women and women of lower socio-economic status, but the reasons for these disparities are not fully understood. The physical and social environments in which these women live may contribute to these disparities. We conducted a multilevel study to explore whether conditions of mothers' neighbourhood of residence contribute to adverse birth outcomes independent of individual-level determinants. We analysed data from 105 111 births in 1015 census tracts in Louisiana during 1997,98, merging it with data from other existing sources on neighbourhood socio-economic status, neighbourhood physical deterioration, and neighbourhood density of retail outlets selling tobacco, alcohol and foods. After controlling for individual-level sociodemographic factors, tract-level median household income was positively associated with both birthweight-for-gestational-age and gestational age at birth. Neighbourhood physical deterioration was associated with these birth outcomes in ecological analyses but only inconsistently associated with them after controlling for individual-level factors. Neither gestational age nor birthweight-for-gestational-age was associated with the neighbourhood density of alcohol outlets, tobacco outlets, fast-food restaurants or grocery supermarkets. We conclude that measures of neighbourhood economic conditions are associated with both fetal growth and the length of gestation independent of individual-level factors, but that readily available measures of neighbourhood retail outlets are not. Additional studies are needed to better understand the nature of environmental influences on birth outcomes. [source] Intrabdominal fat is related to metabolic risk factors in Hispanic Americans, African Americans and in girlsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 12 2009K Casazza Abstract Aim:, This study aimed to test the association of individual adipose depots on cardiometabolic outcomes, whether the association varied by depot and if the associations differed by race/ethnicity or gender in early pubertal children. Methods:, Three hundred and twenty children (53% male) aged 7,12 years self-identified as African American (AA; n = 114), European American (EA; n = 120) or Hispanic American (HA; n = 86) participated. Insulin dynamics were assessed by intravenous glucose tolerance test; body composition with DXA; fat distribution with CT. Results:, AA had the least fat in each depot and HA had the most. Fat accumulation negatively impacted cardiometabolic outcomes independent of race/ethnicity or gender. AA and females were reproductively more mature. In AA and HA, each measure of adiposity influenced the insulin sensitivity index (SI), whereas intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) did not contribute to SI in EA. IAAT was positively associated with blood pressure in AA only. In females, adiposity adversely influenced cardiometabolic outcomes such that total fat mass, IAAT and/or SAAT was inversely associated with SI, and positively associated with blood pressure and fasting insulin. Conclusion:, IAAT is uniquely related to metabolic risk factors in Hispanic Americans, African Americans and girls, suggesting that either the threshold for adverse effects of IAAT is lower, or the IAAT metabolism differs in these groups. [source] | ||||||||||