Efficacy of the Once-Daily Tacrolimus Formulation LCPT Compared to the Immediate-Release Formulation in Preventing Early Post-Transplant Diabetes in High-Risk Kidney Transplant Patients: A Randomized, Controlled, Open-Label Pilot Study (EUDRACT: 2017-000718-52).

: Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) and prediabetes (PreDM) are common after renal transplantation and increase the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality. Compared to immediate-release tacrolimus (IR-Tac), the LCPT formulation, with delayed absorption, offers higher bioavailability and a smoother time-concentration curve, potentially reducing beta-cell stress. : This randomized pilot trial compared de novo immunosuppression with IR-Tac (twice daily) and LCPT (once daily).

Liver Fibrosis Index-4 Does Not Correlate to Liver Elastography in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index is a non-invasive tool for assessing liver fibrosis that has been validated in various liver diseases. The main objective of this study was to study whether the FIB-4 index is a reliable predictor of liver fibrosis, as assessed through elastography, in patients with IBD.

Fungal Enzyme-Responsive Hydrogel Drug Delivery Platform for Triggered Antifungal Release.

Fungal infections can lead to debilitating consequences if they are not treated effectively. Antifungal drugs used to treat these infections can be toxic and overuse contributes to growing antifungal resistance. Candida spp.

Plant Protease Inhibitors as Emerging Antimicrobial Peptide Agents: A Comprehensive Review.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important mediator molecules of the innate defense mechanisms in a wide range of living organisms, including bacteria, mammals, and plants. Among them, peptide protease inhibitors (PPIs) from plants play a central role in their defense mechanisms by directly attacking pathogens or by modulating the plant's defense response. The growing prevalence of microbial resistance to currently available antibiotics has intensified the interest concerning these molecules as novel antimicrobial agents.

Relationship of Hematological Profiles with the Serum Complement System in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disorder identified by hematological abnormalities including anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Complement system disturbance is implicated in the pathogenesis of SLE. In this work, we aim to study how a full assessment of the complement system, which includes the evaluation of its three pathways, relates to blood cell counts in a population of patients with SLE.

A Brain Ischemia-Reperfusion Model for the Study of Tau Phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation.

Cerebral ischemia produces a decrease, loss, or instability of the assembly processes in the neuronal cytoskeleton, related to the alteration in the normal processes of phosphorylation of the Tau protein, triggering its hyperphosphorylation and altering the normal processes of formation of neuronal microtubules. Here we describe the methods used to study the impact of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) on neurological functions and Tau phosphorylation in Wistar rat brain.

Malondialdehyde Serum Levels in a Full Characterized Series of 430 Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

. Oxidative stress has been involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level is a reliable biomarker of oxidative stress status.

Interleukin-6 serum levels are associated with disease features and cardiovascular risk in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic multisystem disease characterised by microcirculatory vascular dysfunction and progressive fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases and in the initiation and progression of the cardiovascular disease. In the present work we aimed to study the relationship of IL-6 with clinical manifestations and the cardiovascular risk in patients with SSc.

The Ratio of Monocytes to HDL-Cholesterol Is Associated with Cardiovascular Risk and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The monocytes to high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol ratio (MHR) indicates inflammation based on the anti-inflammatory properties of HDL-cholesterol as well as the pro-inflammatory effect of monocytes. Several studies have investigated MHR in various disorders, specifically in cardiovascular diseases. Consequently, MHR has been significantly associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general population, regardless of established risk factors.

Red Cell Distribution Width Association with Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the variation in mean corpuscular volume that reflects the degree of anisocytosis on the peripheral blood smear. RDW value variation has been implicated in several disorders including chronic inflammatory processes and cardiovascular (CV) diseases. In the present work, our objective was to study the relationship that RDW has with the characteristics of the disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), focusing on CV risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis.

Assessment of pH Value and Release of Calcium Ions in Calcium Silicate Cements: An In Vitro Comparative Study.

Unlabelled: The goal of this study was to evaluate the pH and the release of calcium from four calcium-silicate-based cements.

Methods: Four materials were tested (ProClinic MTA; Angelus MTA; ProRoot MTA; Biodentine). The palatal canal root of acrylic upper molars was filled with each cement.

Relationship between Disease Characteristics and Circulating Interleukin 6 in a Well-Characterized Cohort of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine that mediates pleiotropic functions in immune responses and inflammatory diseases. The literature lacks studies, with a clinical perspective, on the relationship between IL-6 serum levels and the characteristics of the disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In the present work, we aimed to analyze the association between circulating IL-6 and disease manifestations in a well-characterized series of patients with SLE.

Relationship between Malondialdehyde Serum Levels and Disease Features in a Full Characterized Series of 284 Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is a marker of oxidative stress and antioxidant status. Oxidative stress has been observed to be increased in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Some studies have shown that MDA is upregulated in SLE compared to controls.

Relationship of Fibroblast Growth Factor 23 Serum Levels with Disease Characteristics in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), a hormone secreted by osteocytes and osteoblasts, is a major regulator of vitamin D and phosphate homeostasis. FGF23 has been associated with the disturbance of mineral homeostasis, and with kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced neurotoxicity is not associated with seroprevalence of neurotropic infections.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) substantially improve outcome for patients with cancer. However, the majority of patients develops immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can be persistent and significantly reduce quality of life. Neurological irAEs occur in 1-5% of patients and can induce severe, permanent sequelae or even be fatal.

Relationship of Blood Inflammatory Composite Markers with Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SIRI, neutrophils × monocytes/lymphocytes) have been described as potential blood-derived inflammatory biomarkers in several diseases. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that has been related to an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease. In the present work, we analyze how these hematological composite scores of inflammation are related to classic CV risk factors and subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with RA.

Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Automatic Detection of Peri-implant Marginal Bone Remodeling in Intraoral Radiographs.

Peri-implantitis can cause marginal bone remodeling around implants. The aim is to develop an automatic image processing approach based on two artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in intraoral (periapical and bitewing) radiographs to assist dentists in determining bone loss. The first is a deep learning (DL) object-detector (YOLOv3) to roughly identify (no exact localization is required) two objects: prosthesis (crown) and implant (screw).

Auranofin coated catheters inhibit bacterial and fungal biofilms in a murine subcutaneous model.

Microbe entry through catheter ports can lead to biofilm accumulation and complications from catheter-related bloodstream infection and ultimately require antimicrobial treatment and catheter replacement. Although strides have been made with microbial prevention by applying standardized antiseptic techniques during catheter implantation, both bacterial and fungal microbes can present health risks to already sick individuals. To reduce microbial adhesion, murine and human catheters were coated with polyurethane and auranofin using a dip coating method and compared to non-coated materials.

Push out bond strength of hydraulic cements used at different thicknesses.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the pushout bond strength (POBS) of three hydraulic cements, when used at thicknesses of 3 and 5 mm.

Methods: 78 root slices of 3 and 5 mm of thickness were obtained from human teeth. Cylindrical cavities of 1.

Circulating interleukin-6 and cardiovascular disease risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis with low disease activity due to active therapy.

Objectives: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in the development of atherosclerosis in the general population. In the present work we aimed to study if IL-6 serum levels have an influence on factors associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease in a cohort of Spanish patients with RA.

Methods: Cross-sectional study that encompassed 407 patients with RA.

Disease Activity Is More Associated with IL-1 Than with IL-6 in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) concentration reflects and is proportional to IL-1 production. Both IL-1 and IL-6 are involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the relationship of serum levels of these two cytokines to each other in RA patients is not well-understood.