Publications by authors named "Conor J Mc Veigh"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of ixekizumab vs. placebo and adalimumab in reducing spinal pain in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) through objective inflammation measures like MRI and CRP levels.!
  • In a 52-week trial, ixekizumab showed greater reductions in spinal pain compared to placebo, particularly when inflammation was controlled, and continued to improve at week 52.!
  • The analysis suggests that ixekizumab not only helps lessen pain through inflammation reduction but may also work through additional mechanisms, indicating its potential as a more effective treatment for AS pain management.!
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Background: Baricitinib is an oral selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 and 2 approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and alopecia areata. In a 24-week phase 2 study in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), baricitinib 4 mg significantly improved SLE disease activity compared with placebo. In this Article, we report the evaluation of efficacy and safety of baricitinib in patients with SLE in a 52-week phase 3 study.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study reveals that alcohol use and its health risks show significant differences between sexes, with unclear reasons behind these disparities.
  • Researchers discovered that the SMPD3 gene and its associated protein NSM have various effects on alcohol behavior, particularly for males and females.
  • Reduced NSM activity leads to increased alcohol consumption and adverse emotional behaviors in males, while the mechanisms observed in females show opposite effects, suggesting that NSM plays a crucial role in understanding these sex-based differences in alcohol behavior and emotional responses.
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Mental disorders are highly comorbid and occur together with physical diseases, which are often considered to arise from separate pathogenic pathways. We observed in alcohol-dependent patients increased serum activity of neutral sphingomyelinase. A genetic association analysis in 456,693 volunteers found associations of haplotypes of SMPD3 coding for NSM-2 (NSM) with alcohol consumption, but also with affective state, and bone mineralisation.

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The regulation of the serotonin transporter (SERT) by guanine nucleotide-binding protein alpha (Gα) q was investigated using Gαq knockout mice. In the absence of Gαq, SERT-mediated uptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) was enhanced in midbrain and frontal cortex synaptosomes, but only in female mice. The mechanisms underlying this sexual dimorphism were investigated using quantitative western blot analysis revealing brain region-specific differences.

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The serotonin transporter (SERT) facilitates high affinity reuptake of 5-HT from the extracellular fluid and dysregulation of transporter function has been implicated in a range of mood disorders including depression. Recent studies have linked immune system activation to depression as well as to altered serotonin transporter activity. Advancing previous studies, which have mainly focussed on acute effects of immune system activation, in this study we used collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice as a model of chronic inflammatory disease, to investigate the effect of prolonged inflammation on brain SERT function and behaviour.

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