Here, we evaluated the effects of PEDF (pigment epithelium-derived factor) and PEDF peptides on cone-photoreceptor cell damage in a mouse model of focal LED-induced phototoxicity (LIP) in vivo. Swiss ...mice were dark-adapted overnight, anesthetized, and their left eyes were exposed to a blue LED placed over the cornea. Immediately after, intravitreal injection of PEDF, PEDF-peptide fragments 17-mer, 17-merH105A or 17-merR99A (all at 10 pmol) were administered into the left eye of each animal. BDNF (92 pmol) and bFGF (27 pmol) injections were positive controls, and vehicle negative control. After 7 days, LIP resulted in a consistent circular lesion located in the supratemporal quadrant and the number of S-cones were counted within an area centered on the lesion. Retinas treated with effectors had significantly greater S-cone numbers (PEDF (60%), 17-mer (56%), 17-mer H105A (57%), BDNF (64%) or bFGF (60%)) relative to their corresponding vehicle groups (≈42%). The 17-merR99A with no PEDF receptor binding and no neurotrophic activity, PEDF combined with a molar excess of the PEDF receptor blocker P1 peptide, or with a PEDF-R enzymatic inhibitor had undetectable effects in S-cone survival. The findings demonstrated that the cone survival effects were mediated via interactions between the 17-mer region of the PEDF molecule and its PEDF-R receptor.
•Identifying pro-atherogenic factors in rheumatic diseases can help prevent cardiovascular events.•Axial spondyloarthritis features associated with atherosclerosis remain unclear.•Inflammation and ...disease severity are associated with atherosclerosis in axial spondyloarthritis.
To identify disease-related factors associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular (CV) events in a large series of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and to identify possible differences in the effect of the potential pro-atherogenic factors between ankylosing spondylitis (AS) non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA).
This is a cross-sectional observational study of the AtheSpAin cohort, a Spanish multicenter cohort to study atherosclerosis in axSpA. Subclinical atherosclerosis determined by carotid ultrasound included assessment of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque detection.
639 AS and 167 nr-axSpA patients were recruited. CV risk factors (CRF) and several disease-related factors showed a statistically significant association with subclinical atherosclerosis in the crude analysis. After adjustment for age, sex, and smoking (model 1), associations remained statistically significant for spinal mobility, inflammatory bowel disease, use of prednisone, and Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) when assessing carotid plaques and for acute phase reactants (APR) at diagnosis, use of prednisone, DMARD, and TNF-inhibitors when measuring cIMT. In model 2, which also included classic CRF as confounding factors to identify axSpA features with a potential independent pro-atherogenic effect, the functional status was the only variable significantly associated with plaques and the use of prednisone and APR at diagnosis with cIMT. No association differences were found between both subtypes of patients. Besides, APR at diagnosis were also associated with subsequent development of CV events that had occurred in 33 patients.
Apart from CRF, atherosclerotic disease in AxSpA is associated with disease-related factors such as inflammatory response and disease severity, with no differences between AS and nr-axSpA.
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Background:
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients are known to have a higher prevalence of several comorbidities, including, among others, an increased risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, ...dyslipidemia, and diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the sum of traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors is related to disease characteristics, such as disease activity, in patients with axSpA.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study that encompassed 804 patients with axSpA was conducted. Patients were assessed for the presence of five traditional CV risk factors (diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and smoking status), and disease activity measurements. A multivariable regression analysis was performed to evaluate whether the number of classic CV risk factors was independently associated with specific features of the disease, to include disease activity.
Results:
A multivariable analysis showed that Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score–C reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP) activity score was significantly higher in patients with 1 beta coefficient 0.3 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1–0.5), p = 0.001 and ⩾2 beta coefficient 0.5 (95% CI 0.3–0.7), p = 0.000 CV risk factors compared with those without CV risk factors. Similarly, patients with 1 OR 2.00 (95%CI 0.99–4.02), p = 0.053 and ⩾2 OR 3.39 (95%CI 1.82–6.31), p = 0.000 CV risk factors had a higher odds ratio for the presence of high disease activity compared with the zero CV category. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) activity score was significantly associated with the number of CV risk factors, being higher in patients with more CV risk factors. These relationships showed a CV risk factor-dependent effect being beta coefficients and ORs higher for the effect of ⩾2 over 1 CV risk factor.
Conclusion:
Among patients with axSpA, as the number of traditional CV risk factors increased, disease activity similarly increases in an independent manner.
To determine the potential impact of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) on disease characteristics and cardiovascular (CV) risk in patients with axial spondylarthritis (axSpA).
This is a ...cross-sectional study from the AtheSpAin cohort, a Spanish multicenter cohort to study atherosclerosis in axSpA. Data on the history of CV events, subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, and disease-related features, including EAMs, were collected.
888 axSpA patients were recruited. Concomitant acute anterior uveitis (AAU), psoriasis (PSO), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were present in 177 (19.9%), 96 (10.8%), and 57 (6.4%) patients, respectively. When compared with axSpA patients without EAMs, a significant increase in past CV events was observed in patients with PSO (9% versus 4%, p = 0.048) and in those with at least one EAM (7% versus 4%, p = 0.032) or with more than one EAM (11% versus 4%, p = 0.022). The frequency of carotid plaques and the values of cIMT were higher in patients with EAMs than in those without EAMs, although only the univariable analysis for carotid plaques in patients with PSO (39% versus 30%, p = 0.038) and for cIMT in patients with AAU (665 ± 156 µm versus 637 ± 139 µm, p = 0.042) and those with at least one EAM (661 ± 155 µm versus 637 ± 139 µm, p = 0.024) showed significant results. In addition, patients with PSO or IBD were found to have specific disease-related features, such as higher ESR at diagnosis, and more frequent use of glucocorticoids and TNF inhibitors than those without EAMs. Also, PSO patients had more commonly peripheral involvement and those with AAU more severe radiographic damage than those without EAMs. The frequency of HLA B27 was higher in patients with AAU and lower in those with PSO or IBD compared to those without EAMs.
Patients with axSpA and EAMs, in addition to displaying their own disease-related features, are likely to have an increased CV risk that appears proportional to the number of EAMs and could be related to proatherogenic factors other than traditional CV risk factors, such as the inflammatory load and the use of glucocorticoids.
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To determine the potential impact of sex-specific disease-related characteristics on cardiovascular (CV) disease in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
Cross-sectional study of the Spanish AtheSpAin ...cohort to study CV disease in axSpA. Data on carotid ultrasound and CV disease and disease-related features were collected.
611 men and 301 women were recruited. Classic CV risk factors were significantly less prevalent in women, who also showed a lower frequency of carotid plaques (p = 0.001), lower carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) values (p<0.001) and CV events (p = 0.008). However, after adjustment for classic CV risk factors, only the differences with respect to carotid IMT remained statistically significant. Women showed higher ESR at diagnosis (p = 0.038), and more active disease (ASDAS, p = 0.012, and BASDAI, p<0.001). They had shorter disease duration (p<0.001), lower prevalence of psoriasis (p = 0.008), less structural damage (mSASSS, p<0.001), and less mobility limitation (BASMI, p = 0.033). To establish whether these findings could lead to sex differences in CV disease burden, we compared the prevalence of carotid plaques in men and women with the same level of CV risk stratified according to the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE). Men included in the low-moderate CV risk SCORE category had more carotid plaques (p = 0.050), along with longer disease duration (p = 0.004), higher mSASSS (p = 0.001) and psoriasis (p = 0.023). In contrast, in the high-very high-risk SCORE category, carotid plaques were observed more frequently in women (p = 0.028), who were characterized as having worse BASFI (p = 0.011), BASDAI (p<0.001) and ASDAS (p = 0.027).
Disease-related features may influence the expression of atherosclerosis in patients with axSpA. This may be especially applicable to women at high CV risk, characterized by greater disease severity and more severe subclinical atherosclerosis than men, suggesting a stronger interaction between disease activity and atherosclerosis in women with axSpA.
Capillary hemangioma of the middle ear: a case report Álvarez-Buylla Blanco, Mercedes; Vázquez Barro, Juan Carlos; López Amado, Manuel ...
Acta otorrinolaringologica espanola,
2011 Jan-Feb, Letnik:
62, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Capillary hemangiomas are considered benign vascular tumours. Two-thirds of hemangiomas occur in the head and neck region. They commonly originate from the vascular networks around the geniculate ...ganglion. They are underdiagnosed because there are a great many diseases with similar clinical and radiologic signs. Therefore, the histological exam is definitive for diagnosis.
Physical activity (PA) has been hypothesized to be effective to maintaining cognitive function and delay cognitive decline in the elderly, but physical fitness (PF) could be a better predictor of ...cognitive function. We aimed to study the association between PA and PF with cognitive function and quality of life using cross-sectional data from 6874 participants of the PREDIMED-Plus trial (64.9 ± 4.9 years, 48.5% female). PF and PA were measured with a Chair Stand Test, the REGICOR and Rapid Assessment Physical Activity questionnaires. Cognitive function was measured with Mini-mental State Examination, Control Oral Word Association Test, Trail Making Test and Digit Span tests; whereas health-related quality of life was assessed with the SF36-HRQL test. Cognitive and quality of life scores were compared among PF quartiles and PA levels (low, moderate and high) with ANCOVA and with Chair Stand repetitions and energy expenditure from total PA with multivariable linear regression adjusted for confounding factors. PF associated with higher scores in phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tests and with lower TMT A time. However, PA was not associated with the neurocognitive parameters evaluated. Both PF and PA levels were strongly associated with a better quality of life. We concluded that PF, but not PA, is associated with a better cognitive function. This trial was retrospectively registered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial (ISRCTN89898870, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN89898870?q=ISRCTN89898870&filters=&sort=&offset=1&totalResults=1&page=1&pageSize=10&searchType=basic-search) on 07/24/2014.
Purpose: To evaluate the optimal therapeutic window of 7,8‐Dihydroxyflavone (DHF), an agonist of TrkB receptor, as a neuroprotectant for degenerative retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) due to an ...excitotoxic damage with N‐methyl‐D‐aspartic acid (NMDA).
Methods: In adult albino Sprague–Dawley rats, NMDA (5 μl of 100 nM) was intravitreally injected into the left eye (day 0) and the animals were sacrificed after 7 days. In these animals, the treatment regimen of systemically administered DHF (5 mg/kg) was evaluated in four groups of increasing dose range (n = 8/group): a single injection of DHF (day −1), two injections (days −1 and 0), four injections (days −1, 0, 1 and 2) and seven injections (day −1 and one daily injection until processing). The number of Brn3a+RGCs was automatically quantified in whole‐mounted retinas. Once the optimal dose of DHF was stablished, the time course of Brn3a+RGCs degeneration was analysed at 3, 7 and 14 days after NMDA administration (n = 8/time‐point) and their treatment with 4 injections of DHF or vehicle (0.9% NaCl containing 1% DMSO). The number of Brn3a+RGCs in injured retinas was quantified and the spatial distribution was assessed with isodensity maps. As control, intact retinas were used.
Results: Seven days after NMDA injury, DHF treatment increases the percentage of surviving Brn3a+RGCs from 27% to 68% when retinas were treated with one injection to four injections, respectively (p < 0.05). No significant changes were found between four or seven DHF injections, indicating that the optimal treatment regimen for DHF is four injections and showing a rescue of Brn3a+RGCs over the entire retinal surface. Using this DHF dose at different time‐points after NMDA injury, DHF treatment rescues most Brn3a+RGCs degeneration at 3 days and it decreases up to 56% at 14 days.
Conclusions: DHF prevents RGC death following NMDA excitotoxic damage.
To quantify the whole population of S- and L-cones in the albino (Sprague-Dawley, SD) and pigmented (Piebald Virol Glaxo, PVG) rats and to study their topographical distribution within the retina.
...Retinal radial sections and whole-mounted retinas were double immunodetected with antibodies against UV-sensitive and L-opsins to detect the S- and L-cones, respectively. Two automated routines were developed to quantify the whole population of S- and L-cones. Detailed isodensity maps of each cone type were generated. In both strains, the presence of dual cones was detected, these were semiautomatically quantified and their distribution determined. The matching distribution of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and L-cones was attained by double immunodetection of Brn3a and L-opsin, respectively.
The mean number +/- SEM of L- or S-cones in SD and PVG retinas was 231,736 +/- 14,517 and 239,939 +/- 6,494 or 41,028 +/- 5,074, and 27,316 +/- 2,235, respectively. There was an increasing gradient of S-cone density along the inferonasal quadrant, although the highest densities were found in the retinal rims. The distribution of L-cones seemed to be complementary to the S-cones. The highest densities were observed in the superior nasotemporal axis, paralleling the distribution of Brn3a-positive RGCs.
These data establish, for the first time, the total number and the topographical distribution of S- and L-cones in two rat strains and demonstrate the correlation of L-cones and RGC spatial distribution.
Purpose
The substance 7,8‐dihydroxyflavone (DHF) is a potent agonist of the tropomyosin‐related kinase B (TrkB) receptor with a small molecular weight (254 Da) that crosses the blood brain barrier. ...We analyse the neuroprotective effects of systemically administered DHF on the survival of adult rat axotomized retinal ganglion cells (RGC) expressing Brn3a (Brn3a+RGCs).
Methods
In adult albino rats, the left optic nerve was intraorbitally transected (IONT). Rats were assigned to different groups that received daily intraperitoneal injections of saline (n=16) or DHF at different doses (1 mg/kg, n = 4; 2 mg/kg, n = 6; 4 mg/kg, n = 6; 5 mg/kg, n = 12; 10 mg/kg, n = 6; 25 mg/kg n = 6). Animals were analyzed 7 days after IONT, both retinas were dissected, prepared as wholemounts and immune‐labelled for Brn3a to identify surviving Brn3a+RGCs. Total numbers of surviving Brn3a+RGCs were quantified automatically and their topographical distribution was examined with the construction of isodensity maps.
Results
Seven days after IONT, treatment with saline alone or with low doses of DHF (1mg/kg, 2mg/kg) results in the loss of approximately 40% of the RGC population, whereas treatment with medium doses of DHF (4 or 5mg/kg) resulted in significant neuroprotection with loss of only 15% or 7% of the RGC population, and treatment with high doses of DHF (10 or 25mg/kg) caused loss of 26 or 29% of the RGC population.
Conclusion
Our data show that DHF has significant RGC neuroprotective effects, and that the most effective doses are 4‐5mg/kg.
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