Publications by authors named "Avi Siani"

Article Synopsis
  • There are specific spinal cord conditions that emergency departments need to consider when patients show focal neurological deficits, which require thorough history-taking and neurological examination.
  • A case study is presented involving a patient with an unusual spinal cord arteriovenous malformation leading to Foix-Alajouanine syndrome, mimicking symptoms of spinal cord compression.
  • Emergency physicians should recognize Foix-Alajouanine syndrome due to its unique diagnostic and management approaches compared to more common spinal conditions.
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Maternal undernutrition (MUN) during pregnancy leads to low-birth weight (LBW) neonates that have a reduced kidney nephron endowment and higher morbidity as adults. Using a severe combined caloric and protein-restricted mouse model of MUN to generate LBW mice, we examined the progression of renal insufficiency in LBW adults. Through 6 mo of age, LBW males experienced greater albuminuria (ELISA analysis), a more rapid onset of glomerular hypertrophy, and a worse survival rate than LBW females.

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Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have evidence of chronic inflammation demonstrated by infiltration of the gray matter by inflammatory macrophages, IL17A-positive T cells, and mast cells. Increased serum levels of IL6 and IL17A have been detected in sporadic ALS (sALS) patients when compared to healthy controls. Herein we investigate, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), the baseline transcription of genes associated with inflammation in sALS and control subjects and the impact of the IL6 receptor (IL6R) antibody (tocilizumab) on the transcription and/or secretion of inflammation factors (e.

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As immune defects in amyloid-β (Aβ) phagocytosis and degradation underlie Aβ deposition and inflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, better understanding of the relation between Aβ phagocytosis and inflammation could lead to promising preventive strategies. We tested two immune modulators in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of AD patients and controls: 1α,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 (1,25D3) and resolvin D1 (RvD1). Both 1,25D3 and RvD1 improved phagocytosis of FAM-Aβ by AD macrophages and inhibited fibrillar Aβ-induced apoptosis.

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Although the cause of neuronal degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains hypothetical, there is evidence of spinal cord infiltration by macrophages and T cells. In post-mortem ALS spinal cords, 19.8 ± 4.

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