Gender Differences in the Relationship between Physical Activity, Postural Characteristics and Non-Specific Low Back Pain in Young Adults.

University students are a particularly vulnerable population, as they spend increasing amounts of time sitting, which poses a major threat to their musculoskeletal health and posture. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate gender differences in the relationships between physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior, spinal curvatures and mobility, the endurance and balance of the trunk muscles, and the possible presence of non-specific low back pain (NS-LBP) in young adults aged 18-25 years. A total of 139 students completed all required tests.

Joint Inflammation Correlates with Joint GPR30 Expression in Males and Hippocampal GPR30 Expression in Females in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It is not entirely clear how the interaction between joint inflammation and the central nervous system (CNS) response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) works, and what pathophysiology underlies the sex differences in coexisting neuropsychiatric comorbidities. It is known that estrogen hormones reduce inflammation in RA and that this occurs mainly via the stimulation of G protein-coupled receptor-30 (GPR30), also known as G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) 1. However, changes in GPR30 expression and sex differences induced by local and systemic inflammation in RA are not yet known.

Impact of Appropriate Empirical Antibiotic Treatment on the Clinical Response of Septic Patients in Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Observational Study.

The appropriate antibiotic treatment of patients with bacterial sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains a challenge. Considering that current international guidelines recommend 7 days of antibiotic therapy as sufficient for most severe infections, our primary outcome was a comparison of clinical response to initial empirical therapy on day 7 and mortality between two groups of septic patients-with appropriate (AEAT) and inappropriate (IEAT) empirical antibiotic therapy according to the in vitro sensitivity of bacteria detected in a blood culture (BC). Adult patients admitted to the ICU between 2020 and 2023, who were diagnosed with sepsis according to the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score ≥ 2 in association with a suspected or documented infection, were selected for the study.

Upper-lower limb and breathing exercise program for improving sleep quality and psychological status in multiple sclerosis: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To examine the feasibility and possible effect of an 8-week exercise program on sleep quality, insomnia and psychological distress in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Twenty-four individuals with MS were recruited into a controlled pre-post feasibility study and divided into 2 groups: exercise ( = 13; Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS): 1.0-7.

Relationship between Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior, Spinal Curvatures, Endurance and Balance of the Trunk Muscles-Extended Physical Health Analysis in Young Adults.

Background: Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are associated with poor well-being in young people with adverse effects extending into adulthood. To date, there are many studies investigating the relationship between physical activity (PA) and posture, but there are no data on the relationship between the type and intensity of PA and sedentary behavior, their association with thoracic and lumbar spine angles, and with endurance and balance of the trunk muscles, especially in healthy young adults aged 18-25 years. Moreover, there are no data on the relationship between PA and sedentary behavior and musculoskeletal and cardiopulmonary health, as well as quality of life (QoL) and sleep that would provide a more comprehensive picture of physical health status.

Human Decidual CD1a Dendritic Cells Undergo Functional Maturation Program Mediated by Gp96.

Heat shock proteins (hsps), in certain circumstances, could shape unique features of decidual dendritic cells (DCs) that play a key role in inducing immunity as well as maintaining tolerance. The aim of the study was to assess the binding of gp96 to Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and CD91 receptors on decidual CD1a DCs present at the maternal-fetal interface in vitro as well as the influence of CD1a DCs maturation status. Immunohistology and immunofluorescence of paraffin-embedded first-trimester decidua tissue sections of normal and pathological (missed abortion MA and blighted ovum BO) pregnancies were performed together with flow cytometry detection of antigens in CD1a DCs after gp96 stimulation of decidual mononuclear cells.

Neuroprotective Panel of Olive Polyphenols: Mechanisms of Action, Anti-Demyelination, and Anti-Stroke Properties.

Neurological diseases such as stroke and multiple sclerosis are associated with high morbidity and mortality, long-term disability, and social and economic burden. Therefore, they represent a major challenge for medical treatment. Numerous evidences support the beneficial effects of polyphenols from olive trees, which can alleviate or even prevent demyelination, neurodegeneration, cerebrovascular diseases, and stroke.

-Cause of Nonspecific Acute Sinusitis: First Case Report and Review of Literature.

Although most sinus infections are viral, potential bacterial pathogens such as , and can migrate during a viral respiratory infection from the nasopharynx into the sinus cavity causing sinusitis. is a commensal of the external auditory canal and is considered one of the potential middle ear pathogens. Unlike most otopathogens, is rarely found in the nasopharynx of healthy individuals.

Gender-Related Differences in BMP Expression and Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis within Joint-Hippocampal Axis in a Rat Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BMPs regulate synovial quiescence and adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus in non-stress conditions. However, changes in BMP expression that are induced by inflammation during rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have not yet been reported. Here, we show that signalling with synovial BMPs (BMP-4 and -7) mediates the effect of systemic inflammation on adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus during pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) in (DA) rats, an animal model of RA.

Ceftriaxone and Doxycycline induced Seroconversion in Previously Seronegative Patient with Clinically Suspected Disseminated Lyme Disease: Case Report.

We present a case of middle-aged woman whose health problems began 3 months after a registered tick bite in endemic area of Lyme borreliosis. First symptoms included fatigue, chills, cervical lymphadenopathy, neck pain and stiffness. Patient was afebrile.

Olive Leaf Polyphenols (OLPs) Stimulate GLUT4 Expression and Translocation in the Skeletal Muscle of Diabetic Rats.

Skeletal muscles are high-insulin tissues responsible for disposing of glucose via the highly regulated process of facilitated glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). Impaired insulin action in diabetes, as well as disorders of GLUT4 vesicle trafficking in the muscle, are involved in defects in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. Since the Rab GTPases are the main regulators of vesicular membrane transport in exo- and endo-cytosis, in the present work, we studied the effect of olive leaf polyphenols (OLPs) on Rab8A, Rab13, and Rab14 proteins of the rat soleus muscle in a model of streptozotocin (SZT)-induced diabetes (DM) in a dose-dependent manner.

Age-Related Changes and Sex-Related Differences in Brain Iron Metabolism.

Iron is an essential element that participates in numerous cellular processes. Any disruption of iron homeostasis leads to either iron deficiency or iron overload, which can be detrimental for humans' health, especially in elderly. Each of these changes contributes to the faster development of many neurological disorders or stimulates progression of already present diseases.

Olive Leaf Polyphenols Attenuate the Clinical Course of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Provide Neuroprotection by Reducing Oxidative Stress, Regulating Microglia and SIRT1, and Preserving Myelin Integrity.

Numerous evidences suggest that plant polyphenols may have therapeutic benefits in regulating oxidative stress and providing neuroprotection in many neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, these mechanisms are not yet completely understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of olive leaf polyphenols on oxidative stress through oxidation marker level and activity (TBARS, SOD, and GPX) and their protein expression (SOD1, SOD2, and GPX1), as well as the protein expression of Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and microglia markers (Iba-1, CD206, and iNOS) and myelin integrity (proteolipid protein expression) in the brain of rats with induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and subjected to olive leaf therapy.

Combined upper limb and breathing exercise programme for pain management in ambulatory and non-ambulatory multiple sclerosis individuals: part II analyses from feasibility study.

Purpose: The present small semi-controlled feasibility study investigated a possible efficacy of a combined upper limb and breathing exercise programme in managing pain in ambulatory and non-ambulatory patients with EDSS from 0.0-8.0.

Cryptozoospermia after treatment with clomiphene citrate following long-term use of intramuscular testosterone undecanoate depot injection (Nebido®).

Unlabelled: Objective To illustrate the importance of treatment duration with intramuscular testosterone undecanoate (Nebido®) for the final spermatogenesis recovery after treatment cessation. Also, to show a subsequent poor efficacy of the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) clomiphene citrate (CC) in treating steroid-induced azoospermia following Nebido® cessation and describe that initial oligozoospermia, existing before starting Nebido®, largely contributes to that treatment outcome. Methodology Setting: Department of Human Reproduction and Department of Endocrinology, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Rijeka, and Department of Endocrinology, Clinical Hospital Center Sestre milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia.

Exploring the feasibility of a mild and short 4-week combined upper limb and breathing exercise program as a possible home base program to decrease fatigue and improve quality of life in ambulatory and non-ambulatory multiple sclerosis individuals.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of a combined upper limb and breathing exercise for a home-based program and to explore its effect on primary fatigue and quality of life in ambulatory and non-ambulatory individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a short time.

Method: Nineteen individuals with MS were assigned into semi-controlled pre-post feasibility study based on Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) status and divided into two groups: exercise (five ambulatory, five non-ambulatory; EDSS 1.0-8.

Expression Profiles of Metallothionein I/II and Megalin in Cuprizone Model of De- and Remyelination.

Copper chelator cuprizone (CPZ) is neurotoxicant, which selectively disrupts oligodendroglial respiratory chain, leading to oxidative stress and subsequent apoptosis. Demyelination is, however, followed by spontaneous remyelination owing to the activation of intrinsic CNS repair mechanisms. To explore the participation of metallothioneins (MTs) in these processes, in this study we analyzed the expression profiles of MT-I/II and their receptor megalin (low-density lipoprotein receptor related protein-2) in the brain of mice subjected to different protocols of CPZ feeding.

Hepcidin and metallothioneins as molecular base for sex-dependent differences in clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in chronic iron overload.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterised by inflammatory and degenerative changes. It is considered that disease arises from the influence of environmental factors on genetically susceptible individuals. Recent researches, using magnetic resonance imaging, connected iron deposits in different brain regions with demyelinating process in multiple sclerosis patients.

Osteopontin-metallothionein I/II interactions in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Osteopontin (OPN), an extracellular matrix (ECM) glyco-phosphoprotein, plays an important role in autoimmune-mediated demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). As an integrin and CD44 binding protein it participates in bidirectional communication between the ECM and target cells and affects transduction pathways that maintain neuronal and immune cell homeostasis. Its biological activity is also heavily influenced by microenvironment, which stimulates the cleavage of OPN and changes its functions.

Chronic iron overload induces gender-dependent changes in iron homeostasis, lipid peroxidation and clinical course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

To analyze iron- and gender-dependent mechanisms possibly involved in pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in this study we evaluated the effects of iron overload (IO) on iron status and lipid peroxidation processes (LPO) in tissues of female and male DA rats during chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a well-established MS animal model. Rats were treated by iron sucrose (75mg/kg bw/day) or with saline solution during two weeks before the sensitization with bovine brain homogenate in complete Freund's adjuvant. Clinical signs of EAE were monitored during 29 days.

Hippocampal expressions of metallothionein I/II and glycoprotein 96 in EAE-prone and EAE-resistant strains of rats.

Inflammatory demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are often followed by cognitive deficits associated with the neuronal injury, synaptic loss and altered neurogenesis within the hippocampus. Changes depend on the genetic and epigenetic factors that ensure the cellular and environmental homeostasis and regulate the interactions of immunocompetent, glial and neural cells. Owing to high impact of stress proteins on these processes, in this study we compared the protein content of interleukin-6, transforming growth factor-β1, metallothioneins I/II (MTs) and glycoprotein 96 (gp96) in the hippocampus of DA and AO rats that differ in the susceptibility to the induction of EAE, and tested the relationship of MTs and gp96 to granule neurons, glial cells and neural progenitors in different subfields of dentate gyrus.

Hepatic expression of metallothionein I/II, glycoprotein 96, IL-6, and TGF- β in rat strains with different susceptibilities to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

In a search of peripheral factors that could be responsible for the discrepancy in susceptibility to EAE in Albino Oxford (AO) and Dark Agouti (DA) rats, we estimated the expression of metallothioneins I/II (MT), heat shock protein-gp96, interleukin (IL)-6, and transforming growth factor (TGF)- β in the livers of these animals. Rats were immunized with bovine brain homogenate (BBH) emulsified in complete Freund adjuvant (CFA) or only with CFA. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses were done on day 12 after the immunization, as well as in intact rats.