Measurement properties of the incremental step test for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The new incremental step test (IST) is a field test that was developed for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), based on the characteristics of the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT); however, its measurement properties still need to be determined. We aimed, first, to assess the construct validity (through the comparison with the ISWT), within-day reliability and measurement error of the IST in people with COPD; and, second, to identify whether the participants have a learning effect in the IST.

Design: Cross-sectional study, conducted according to COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments guidelines.

Reference Equation of a New Incremental Step Test to Assess Exercise Capacity in the Portuguese Adult Population.

Step tests are important in community- and home-based rehabilitation programs to assess patients' exercise capacity. A new incremental step test was developed for this purpose, but its clinical interpretability is currently limited. This study aimed to establish a reference equation for this new incremental step test (IST) for the Portuguese adult population.

Evaluation of the Spider ( genus) Phlotoxin 1 and Synthetic Variants as Antinociceptive Drug Candidates.

Over the two last decades, venom toxins have been explored as alternatives to opioids to treat chronic debilitating pain. At present, approximately 20 potential analgesic toxins, mainly from spider venoms, are known to inhibit with high affinity the Na1.7 subtype of voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels, the most promising genetically validated antinociceptive target identified so far.

From identification to functional characterization of cyriotoxin-1a, an antinociceptive toxin from the spider Cyriopagopus schioedtei.

Background And Purpose: The Na 1.7 channel is highly expressed in dorsal root ganglia of the sensory nervous system and plays a central role in the pain signalling process. We investigated a library prepared from original venoms of 117 different animals to identify new selective inhibitors of this target.

Preventive action of benztropine on platinum-induced peripheral neuropathies and tumor growth.

The endogenous cholinergic system plays a key role in neuronal cells, by suppressing neurite outgrowth and myelination and, in some cancer cells, favoring tumor growth. Platinum compounds are widely used as part of first line conventional cancer chemotherapy; their efficacy is however limited by peripheral neuropathy as a major side-effect. In a multiple sclerosis mouse model, benztropine, that also acts as an anti-histamine and a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, induced the differentiation of oligodendrocytes through M1 and M3 muscarinic receptors and enhanced re-myelination.

Corrigendum: The Na1.7 Channel Subtype as an Antinociceptive Target for Spider Toxins in Adult Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.

The Na1.7 Channel Subtype as an Antinociceptive Target for Spider Toxins in Adult Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons.

Although necessary for human survival, pain may sometimes become pathologic if long-lasting and associated with alterations in its signaling pathway. Opioid painkillers are officially used to treat moderate to severe, and even mild, pain. However, the consequent strong and not so rare complications that occur, including addiction and overdose, combined with pain management costs, remain an important societal and economic concern.

A selective CD28 antagonist and rapamycin synergise to protect against spontaneous autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.

Aims/hypothesis: The CD28/B7 interaction is critical for both effector T cell activation and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) regulatory T cell (Treg) generation and homeostasis, which complicates the therapeutic use of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4)-immunoglobulin fusion protein (CTLA-4Ig) in autoimmunity. Here, we evaluated the impact of a simultaneous and selective blockade of the CD28 and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways in the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes.

Methods: NOD mice were treated with PEGylated anti-CD28 Fab' antibody fragments (PV1-polyethylene glycol [PEG], 10 mg/kg i.

Differential Impact of T-bet and IFNγ on Pancreatic Islet Allograft Rejection.

Background: T cell-mediated graft rejection is mostly correlated with potent Th1 responses. However, because IFNγ mice reject their graft as efficiently as wild-type (WT) mice, the exact contribution of IFNγ and its transcription factor T-bet remains a matter of debate. Here, we address this question in the context of pancreatic islet allograft to better inform the molecular pathways that hampers islet survival in vivo.

Combined effects of oregano essential oil and salt on the growth of Escherichia coli in salad dressing.

There is a broad research interest in the search for alternatives to chemical additives for use as natural food preservatives. Although many natural compounds have biological in vitro properties evidenced, in situ studies are still scarce. This study evaluated the effect of oregano essential oil (OEO) and salt (NaCl) concentrations against Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), in salad dressing, using the response surface methodology.

Direct evidence for high affinity blockade of Na1.6 channel subtype by huwentoxin-IV spider peptide, using multiscale functional approaches.

The Chinese bird spider huwentoxin-IV (HwTx-IV) is well-known to be a highly potent blocker of Na1.7 subtype of voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels, a genetically validated analgesic target, and thus promising as a potential lead molecule for the development of novel pain therapeutics. In the present study, the interaction between HwTx-IV and Na1.

The Induction and Maintenance of Transplant Tolerance Engages Both Regulatory and Anergic CD4 T cells.

Therapeutic tolerance to self-antigens or foreign antigens is thought to depend on constant vigilance by Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs). Previous work using a pancreatic islet allograft model and a short pulse of CD3 antibody therapy has shown that CD8 T cells become anergic and use TGFβ and coinhibitory signaling as their contribution to the tolerance process. Here, we examine the role of CD4 T cells in tolerization by CD3 antibodies.

Revisiting autoimmune gastritis in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Objective: Assess the frequency of anti-H /K adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) autoantibodies (AAB) and symptoms of autoimmune gastritis in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Research Design And Methods: Anti-H /K ATPase AAB were measured in 402 children and adolescents (210 boys and 192 girls, 11.1 ± 4.

TGFβ-dependent expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 controls CD8(+) T cell anergy in transplant tolerance.

CD8(+) T cell anergy is a critical mechanism of peripheral tolerance, poorly investigated in response to immunotherapy. Here, using a pancreatic islet allograft model and CD3 antibody therapy, we showed, by single cell gene profiling, that intragraft CD8(+) lymphocytes coexpressing granzyme B and perforin were selectively depleted through the Fas/FasL pathway. This step led to long-standing anergy of the remaining CD8(+) T cells marked by the absence of cytotoxic/inflammatory gene expression also confirmed by transcriptome analysis.

Partial tetrasomy of chromosome 22: genetic and surgical implications for otolaryngologists.

Partial tetrasomy of chromosome 22 is a rare multiple congenital anomaly syndrome that is more commonly known as cat-eve syndrome (CES). It is caused by the duplication of a 2-million base region of chromosome 22 (22 pter --> q 11 x 2). The phenotype is extremely variable, and its clinical characteristics include a combination of craniofacial, cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal, and genito-urinary defects.