Impact of the perioperative inotropic support in grown-up congenital heart patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a propensity score adjusted analysis.

Background: Grown-up congenital heart (GUCH) patients represent a growing population with a high morbidity risk when undergoing reparative surgery. A main preoperative feature is right ventricular failure, which represents a risk factor for postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. Levosimendan has a potentially beneficial effect.

Characterization of oral immune cells in birch pollen-allergic patients: impact of the oral allergy syndrome and sublingual allergen immunotherapy on antigen-presenting cells.

Background: A detailed characterization of human oral immune cells is needed to better understand local mechanisms associated with allergen capture following oral exposure.

Methods: Oral immune cells were characterized by immunohistology and immunofluorescence in biopsies obtained from three healthy individuals and 23 birch pollen-allergic patients with/without oral allergy syndrome (OAS), at baseline and after 5 months of sublingual allergen immunotherapy (AIT).

Results: Similar cell subsets (i.

Post-treatment efficacy of discontinuous treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet in adults with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Background: Sustained efficacy over three pollen seasons of pre- and co-seasonal treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet has been demonstrated in adults with moderate-severe grass pollen-associated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of discontinuous treatment with 300IR 5-grass pollen sublingual tablet during the post-treatment pollen season of this long-term study.

Methods: Adults aged 18-50, sensitized to grass pollen, with a history of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis for more than two pollen seasons, and a retrospective rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score ≥ 12 (0-18 scale), were randomized to receive Placebo or a 300IR tablet daily beginning either 4 months (4M) or 2 months (2M) prior to each pollen season and continuing for its duration for three consecutive years.

NMR conformational study of the sixth transmembrane segment of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

In current topological models, the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase contains 10 putative transmembrane spans (M1-M10), with spans M4/M5/M6 and probably M8 participating in the formation of the membranous calcium-binding sites. We describe here the conformational properties of a synthetic peptide fragment (E785-N810) encompassing the sixth transmembrane span (M6) of Ca2+-ATPase. Peptide M6 includes three residues (N796, T799, and D800) out of the six membranous residues critically involved in the ATPase calcium-binding sites.

Spectroscopic studies of the interaction of Ca2+-ATPase-peptides with dodecyl maltoside and its brominated analog.

The transmembrane sector of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase comprises ten putative transmembrane spans (M1-M10) in current topology models. We report here the structure and properties of three synthetic peptides with a single Trp representing the M6 and M7 regions implicated in Ca2+ binding: peptide M6 (amino acid residues 785-810), peptide M7-L (amino acid residues 808-847) corresponding to loop 6-7 and the majority of span M7, and peptide M7-S (amino acid residues 818-847) which contains a shorter version of loop 6-7 than M7-L. After uptake of the peptides in the hydrophobic environment of dodecyl maltoside micelles, the peptides gain a significant amount of secondary structure, as indicated by their CD spectra.