Publications by authors named "P S Kern"

Article Synopsis
  • Obesity in older adults is prevalent and contributes to chronic inflammation, affecting the health of older populations.
  • Research suggests that obesity alters the immune response, particularly influencing T-cell function and the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory drugs like metformin.
  • Data reveal that metformin does not improve immune cell function in obese older adults as it does in lean individuals, indicating that obesity complicates the body's inflammatory response and must be considered in clinical studies of geroprotective treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: In this multicentric study, we were interested in the vision-related quality of life and its association with visual impairment in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) in comparison to multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls.

Methods: We analysed extracted data from the German NEMOS registry including National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) scores, high and low contrast visual acuity (HCVA, LCVA), visually evoked potentials (VEP) and the scores for the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and other neurological tests which assessed their disease-related impairment. The mean follow-up time of our patients was 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is an immune response to chemical haptens, involving induction and elicitation phases. Quantitative risk assessment (QRA) reviewing the skin sensitisation potential for all ingredients and using chemical-specific induction thresholds for skin allergens remains the current best approach for the safety evaluation of consumer products. However, elicitation thresholds have utility in secondary protection for pre-sensitised consumers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic pelvic pain may cause a significant reduction in the quality of life for affected women, and the extent of the limitation is often underestimated. Chronic pain can lead to lifelong problems. Currently, PCS is probably significantly underdiagnosed as a cause of chronic pelvic pain in women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Persistent skeletal muscle dysfunction in survivors of critical illness due to acute respiratory failure is common, but biological data elucidating underlying mechanisms are limited. The objective of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue in survivors of critical illness due to COVID-19 and determine if cellular changes associate with persistent skeletal muscle dysfunction.

Design: A prospective observational study in two phases: 1) survivors of critical COVID-19 participating in physical outcome measures while attending an ICU Recovery Clinic at short-term follow-up and 2) a nested cohort of patients performed comprehensive muscle and physical function assessments with a muscle biopsy; data were compared with non-COVID controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF