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Zeitschrift Fur Rheumatologie Mar 2024Autoimmunity, including that involved in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, seems to be the price we have to pay for our efficient immune system. It has the... (Review)
Review
Autoimmunity, including that involved in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, seems to be the price we have to pay for our efficient immune system. It has the ability to precisely recognize pathogens and tumor cells, to efficiently fight them, to adapt to their alterations and provide specific immunity for a lifetime. "Inoculation", and more specifically "vaccination" takes advantage of this, either by transfer of protective antibodies (passive vaccination) or by using attenuated pathogens or parts of them by which a specific protective immunity is induced (active vaccination). The idea to use vaccination to reduce undesired (auto)immunity and chronic inflammation is nothing new in rheumatology. Many biologicals are antibodies, which specifically block the mediators of inflammation and in the broader sense are similar to a passive vaccination. The active vaccination with autoantigens using the recent mRNA/liposome technology, has shown in experimental animal models that they can prevent the formation of chronic inflammatory immune reactions, in that they strengthen the physiological tolerance and deviate the immune system to noninflammatory immune reactions against the antigen; however, there is still a long way to go to achieve the actual goals of a permanent suppression of established undesired immune reactions and the regeneration of immunological tolerance.
Topics: Animals; Immune Tolerance; Autoimmunity; Autoantigens; Vaccination; Regeneration
PubMed: 38110746
DOI: 10.1007/s00393-023-01453-z -
Brain and Nerve = Shinkei Kenkyu No... Nov 2023Allostasis refers to the mechanism by which the brain changes bodily states to adapt to the environment in order to achieve stability or homeostasis. This concept was...
Allostasis refers to the mechanism by which the brain changes bodily states to adapt to the environment in order to achieve stability or homeostasis. This concept was originally proposed by Sterling and Eyer in 1988. Recently, allostasis has been reconceptualized from the viewpoint of predictive processing, a theory arguing that the brain regulates perception and motor movement by generating predictions through inner models of the external world and self and minimizing the prediction error between the predictions and sensory signals. This idea provides integrated explanations of a wide range of phenomena, including homeostasis, decision-making, and the accompanying emotions and consciousness. Although this theory is a hypothesis, empirical evidence has been proposed in recent years. This article introduces the theory of predictive processing of allostasis, recent related research findings, and issues to be examined in the future.
Topics: Humans; Interoception; Allostasis; Brain; Emotions; Consciousness
PubMed: 37936424
DOI: 10.11477/mf.1416202505 -
Communications Biology Jun 2024Human language relies on the correct processing of syntactic information, as it is essential for successful communication between speakers. As an abstract level of...
Human language relies on the correct processing of syntactic information, as it is essential for successful communication between speakers. As an abstract level of language, syntax has often been studied separately from the physical form of the speech signal, thus often masking the interactions that can promote better syntactic processing in the human brain. However, behavioral and neural evidence from adults suggests the idea that prosody and syntax interact, and studies in infants support the notion that prosody assists language learning. Here we analyze a MEG dataset to investigate how acoustic cues, specifically prosody, interact with syntactic representations in the brains of native English speakers. More specifically, to examine whether prosody enhances the cortical encoding of syntactic representations, we decode syntactic phrase boundaries directly from brain activity, and evaluate possible modulations of this decoding by the prosodic boundaries. Our findings demonstrate that the presence of prosodic boundaries improves the neural representation of phrase boundaries, indicating the facilitative role of prosodic cues in processing abstract linguistic features. This work has implications for interactive models of how the brain processes different linguistic features. Future research is needed to establish the neural underpinnings of prosody-syntax interactions in languages with different typological characteristics.
Topics: Humans; Speech Perception; Male; Female; Adult; Language; Brain; Speech; Young Adult; Magnetoencephalography; Linguistics; Cues
PubMed: 38902370
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06444-7 -
Medical Teacher Nov 2023Concept maps (CMs) visually represent hierarchical connections among related ideas. They foster logical organization and clarify idea relationships, potentially aiding...
BACKGROUND
Concept maps (CMs) visually represent hierarchical connections among related ideas. They foster logical organization and clarify idea relationships, potentially aiding medical students in critical thinking (to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe). However, there are inconsistent claims about the use of CMs in undergraduate medical education. Our three research questions are 1) What studies have been published on concept mapping in undergraduate medical education; 2) What was the impact of CMs on students' critical thinking; 3) How and why have these interventions had an educational impact?
METHODS
Eight databases were systematically searched (plus a manual and an additional search were conducted). After eliminating duplicate entries, titles and abstracts and full-texts were independently screened by two authors. Data extraction and quality assessment of the studies were independently performed by two authors. Qualitative and quantitative data were integrated using mixed-methods. The results were reported using the STructured apprOach to the Reporting In healthcare education of Evidence Synthesis statement and BEME guidance.
RESULTS
Thirty-nine studies were included from 26 journals (19 quantitative, 8 qualitative and 12 mixed-methods studies). CMs were considered as a tool to promote critical thinking, both in the perception of students and tutors, as well as in assessing students' knowledge and/or skills. In addition to their role as facilitators of knowledge integration and critical thinking, CMs were considered both a teaching and a learning methods.
CONCLUSIONS
CMs are teaching and learning tools which seem to help medical students develop critical thinking. This is due to the flexibility of the tool as a facilitator of knowledge integration, as a learning and teaching method. The wide range of contexts, purposes, and variations in how CMs and instruments to assess critical thinking are used increases our confidence that the positive effects are consistent.
PubMed: 37980607
DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2023.2281248 -
South African Family Practice :... May 2024No abstract available.
No abstract available.
Topics: Humans; Suicide, Assisted; Euthanasia
PubMed: 38832383
DOI: 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5948 -
The Journal of Analytical Psychology Sep 2023In this paper the author explores a cultural narrative that she suggests rests on the concepts of the Feminine and Masculine as such, employing both as though they...
In this paper the author explores a cultural narrative that she suggests rests on the concepts of the Feminine and Masculine as such, employing both as though they contain an agreed set of universal givens. These givens are extrapolated from an androcentric perspective on female and male bodies, in particular their biological functions regarding reproduction. The metaphors of the baby-in-womb, mother's preoccupation with child and heteronormative sexual relations are the primary cyphers for the narrative. She suggests that remaining unconscious of this narrative, such that it is taken as a universal given, can hamper a person's relation to themselves, the world and others. The author names two concepts, Home and Identity: Home being an hospitable and accommodating space with Identity denoting the one who inhabits the space. In the narrative these two are unhelpfully categorized as belonging to the Feminine and the Masculine respectively. For ease of understanding the author uses a capital letter to designate an abstract idea, and lower case when referring to the concrete or particular. Clinical examples are given throughout the paper to illustrate how acknowledgement and awareness of this narrative might free the analyst or therapist to think more broadly around issues pertaining to space and identity.
Topics: Child; Humans; Male; Female
PubMed: 37551149
DOI: 10.1111/1468-5922.12947 -
Zhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za... May 2024To summarize the dynamic and synchronized changes between the hair cycle and dermal adipose tissue as well as the impact of dermal adipose tissue on hair growth, and to... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To summarize the dynamic and synchronized changes between the hair cycle and dermal adipose tissue as well as the impact of dermal adipose tissue on hair growth, and to provide a new research idea for the clinical treatment of hair loss.
METHODS
An extensive review of relevant literature both domestic and international was conducted, analyzing and summarizing the impact of dermal adipose precursor cells, mature dermal adipocytes, and the processes of adipogenesis in dermal adipose tissue on the transition of hair cycle phases.
RESULTS
Dermal adipose tissue is anatomically adjacent to hair follicles and closely related to the changes in the hair cycle. The proliferation and differentiation of dermal adipose precursor cells promote the transition of hair cycle from telogen to anagen, while mature adipocytes can accelerate the transition from anagen to catagen of the hair cycle by expressing signaling molecules, with adipogenesis in dermal adipose tissue and hair cycle transition signaling coexistence.
CONCLUSION
Dermal adipose tissue affects the transition of the hair cycle and regulates hair growth by secreting various signaling molecules. However, the quantity and depth of existing literature are far from sufficient to fully elucidate its prominent role in regulating the hair cycle, and the specific regulatory mechanisms needs to be further studied.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Adipocytes; Adipogenesis; Adipose Tissue; Alopecia; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; Dermis; Hair; Hair Follicle; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 38752252
DOI: 10.7507/1002-1892.202402092 -
Urologiia (Moscow, Russia : 1999) Dec 2023Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are among the most common urological diseases in men. It has been repeatedly suggested that viral infection...
INTRODUCTION
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are among the most common urological diseases in men. It has been repeatedly suggested that viral infection plays an important role in prostate carcinogenesis.
AIM
To assess the relationship between viral infection and PCa, as well as the clinical and morphological features of BPH and PCa.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 98 patients undergoing treatment for BPH (n=48) or PCa (n=50) between 2019 and 2021 were included in the study. Real-time PCR on the surgical specimens for human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpes virus type 6 (HSV-6) was performed.
RESULTS
In patients with PCa, viruses in prostate tissue were found more often compared to those with BPH (50.0 vs. 31.3%, respectively, p=0.046.) The most common virus in both PCa and BPH was EBV (22.0 vs. 16.7%, respectively). The second most common virus in patients with PCa was HSV-6 (20.0%), which was not detected in any men with BPH (p=0.003). There was a trend toward higher prevalence of CMV among patients with PCa (16.0% vs. 4.2%), but the difference was not significant (p=0.09). There was no association of viral infection with clinical and morphological features.
CONCLUSIONS
The resulting trend toward a higher prevalence of HSV-6 and CMV in patients with PCa compared to those with BPH creates the prerequisites for further study of viruses in prostate diseases involving a larger cohort, which will provide an idea of the multi-stage process of malignant transformation and, possibly, open new therapeutic options for prevention and treatment.
Topics: Male; Humans; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; Human Papillomavirus Viruses; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Papillomavirus Infections; Prostatic Neoplasms; Cytomegalovirus; Cytomegalovirus Infections
PubMed: 38156690
DOI: No ID Found -
Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi [Chinese... Oct 2023Proanthocyanidins (PCs) are a class of polyphenols that are composed of flavanate monomers and their polymers, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties... (Review)
Review
Proanthocyanidins (PCs) are a class of polyphenols that are composed of flavanate monomers and their polymers, which have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties with very few side effects. This article reviews the mechanism by which PCs differentially regulate microbiota, reshape microflora diversity and play a role in suppressing inflammation, providing a reference for the basic research of PCs in improving female vaginal health, and is expected to provide a new idea and breakthrough for the combined use of PCs with other antibacterial drugs in the treatment of vaginitis.
Topics: Humans; Female; Microbiota; Inflammation; Proanthocyanidins; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 37859393
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20230518-00392 -
Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi =... Jul 2023To explore the expression and the role of chemerin in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Quantitative PCR and Western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and...
To explore the expression and the role of chemerin in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Quantitative PCR and Western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein levels of chemerin in lung tissues from IPF patients and the controls. Clinical serum level of chemerin was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mouse lung fibroblasts isolated and cultured were divided into the control, TGF-β, TGF-β+chemerin and chemerin groups. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control, bleomycin, bleomycin+chemerin, and chemerin groups. Masson and immunohistochemical staining were performed to evaluate the severity of pulmonary fibrosis. Expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers was detected by quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical staining in the and models of pulmonary fibrosis, respectively. Compared with the control group, the expression of chemerin was downregulated in both the lung tissue and the serum of IPF patients. Immunofluorescence showed that treatment of fibroblasts with TGF-β alone resulted in a robust expression of α-SMA, whereas treatment with TGF-β and chemerin together exhibited the similar expression levels of α-SMA as the control group. Masson staining indicated that the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model was constructed successfully, while treatment of chemerin partially alleviated the damage of lung tissue. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of chemerin in the lung tissue was significantly decreased in the bleomycin group. Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry showed that chemerin attenuated EMT induced by TGF-β and bleomycin both and . The expression of chemerin was reduced in patients with IPF. Chemerin may play a protective role in the development of IPF by regulating EMT, providing a new idea for the clinical treatment of IPF.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Lung; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Bleomycin; Transforming Growth Factor beta1; Chemokines; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
PubMed: 37402659
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112147-20221119-00910