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- Jonasson, Jenni, et al.
(författare)
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Expression of ataxin-7 in CNS and non-CNS tissue of normal and SCA7 individuals
- 2002
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Ingår i: Acta Neuropathologica. - : Springer. - 0001-6322 .- 1432-0533. ; 104:1, s. 29-37
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting the cerebellum, brain stem and retina. The disease is caused by an expanded polyglutamine tract in the protein ataxin-7. In this study we analyzed the expression pattern of ataxin-7 in CNS and non-CNS tissue from three SCA7 patients and age-matched controls. SCA7 is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, limiting the number of patients available for analysis. We therefore compiled data on ataxin-7 expression from all SCA7 patients (n=5) and controls (n=7) published to date, and compared with the results obtained in this study. Expression of ataxin-7 was found in neurons throughout the CNS and was highly abundant in Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, in regions of the hippocampus and in cerebral cortex. Ataxin-7 expression was not restricted to regions of pathology, and there were no apparent regional differences in ataxin-7 expression patterns between patients and controls. The subcellular distribution of ataxin-7 was primarily nuclear in all brain regions studied. In cerebellar Purkinje cells, however, differences in subcellular distribution of ataxin-7 were observed between patients and controls of different ages. Here we provide an increased understanding of the distribution of ataxin-7, and the possible implication of subcellular localization of this protein on disease pathology is discussed.
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| 2. |
- Jonasson, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Expansion of peripheral CD8+ T cells in patients with coronary artery disease : Relation to cytomegalovirus infection
- 2003
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 254:5, s. 472-478
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. The nature of the immune response in coronary artery disease (CAD) is not fully defined. One pathogen that has been linked to atherogenesis, cytomegalovirus (CMV). is known to exert strong and long-lasting effects on peripheral T cells. In the present study, we investigated the effect of prior CMV infection on the immune system in CAD patients. Subjects. Patients with stable angina and angiographically verified CAD (n = 43) and clinically healthy controls (n = 69) were included. Methods. The expression of CD57 and CD28 on peripheral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was evaluated with three-colour flow cytometry. The findings were related to serological markers of inflammation, T-cell activation and CMV seropositivity. Results. An expansion of CD8+ T cells expressing CD57 but lacking CD28 was seen in the patient group. The numbers of CD8+CD57+ and CD8+ CD28- T-cell subsets were independently related to CMV seropositivity (P < 0.001) but also to CAD per se (P < 0.05). Serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were elevated in the patients but not related to CMV or CD8 + T-cell subsets. Conclusion. A pronounced shift in peripheral T-cell homeostasis was observed in CAD patients. Primarily CMV infection but also CAD per se contributed to the expansion of CD8+ T-cell subsets. The T-cell changes were not related to a systemic inflammatory response but should rather be considered as markers of a chronic antigen exposure and/or immunosenescence in CAD.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Jonasson, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Low serum ß-carotene reflects immune activation in patients with coronary artery disease
- 2003
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Ingår i: NMCD. Nutrition Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. - 0939-4753 .- 1590-3729. ; 13:3, s. 120-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Aim: Low serum levels of antioxidant vitamins are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). An immunomodulatory effect of antioxidants has been proposed. The aim of the study was to investigate whether an increased immune response in CAD patients was associated with suppressed circulating levels of antioxidant vitamins. Methods and Results: Forty-four men with stable angina and angiographically verified CAD were included as well as 69 healthy controls. T cell subsets in peripheral blood were quantified by 3-colour flow cytometry. C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and the lipophilic antioxidants a-tocopherol, ß-carotene and lycopene were determined in serum. Compared with controls, patients had signs of an enhanced inflammatory activity assessed by significantly increased levels of CRP, sIL-2R and CD4+CD25+T cell subsets. Patients also had significantly lower ß-carotene and lycopene levels whereas a-tocopherol levels did not differ. The increased inflammatory/immune parameters in patients showed a significant inverse relationship to serum ß-carotene but not to lycopene or a-tocopherol. Conclusions: Low serum ß-carotene in CAD patients reflects activation of the immune system. Inflammation should be considered as an important confounding factor when analysing data on ß-carotene and CAD. © 2003, Medikal Press.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Mucchiano, Gerd I., et al.
(författare)
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Apolipoprotein A-I–Derived Amyloid in Atherosclerosis : Its Association With Plasma Levels of Apolipoprotein A-I and Cholesterol
- 2001
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Ingår i: American Journal of Clinical Pathology. - 0002-9173 .- 1943-7722. ; 115, s. 298-303
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wild-type apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I)–derived amyloid commonly occurs in atherosclerotic plaques. To clarify apo A-I amyloid formation, plasma levels of apo A-I and cholesterol were related to the presence of amyloid in atherosclerotic plaques in 15 patients with peripheral atherosclerosis, subjected to arterial reconstruction. Plasma levels of apo A-I and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were slightly higher in patients with apo A-I–derived amyloid than in those without, but the difference was not significant. Levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol were significantly higher in the group with amyloid. High concentrations of apo A-I in the arterial intima are probably of greater importance to amyloid formation than high plasma levels of the protein. During atherosclerosis, the acute phase reactant serum amyloid A may displace apo A-I from HDL, leading to increased concentration of lipid-free apo A-I in the intima and conformational changes of apo A-I, which make it more fibrillogenic. Some forms of amyloid fibrils have been shown to be cytotoxic. Apo AI–derived amyloid is possibly a pathogenically important factor in atherosclerosis.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Olsson, Anders, 1940-, et al.
(författare)
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Are early clinical effects of cholesterol lowering mediated through effects on inflammation?
- 2002
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Ingår i: Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. - 0001-6772 .- 1365-201X. ; 176:2, s. 147-150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a randomized, double-blind trial in 3086 patients with unstable angina pectoris or non-Q wave myocardial infarction we investigated if 80 mg of atorvastatin daily could improve outcome of cardiovascular events during a short period of time (16 weeks) compared with placebo. Baseline LDL cholesterol was 3.2 mmol L-1 (124 mg dL-1) and decreased by 40% to 1.9 mmol L-1 (72 mg dL-1) during atorvastatin treatment. The primary endpoint, which was a composite of death, non-fatal acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest with resuscitation or recurrent symptomatic myocardial ischaemia with objective evidence and requiring emergency rehospitalization occurred in 228 patients (14.8%) in the atorvastatin group and 269 patients (17.4%) in the placebo group. The relative risk was 0.84 and 95% confidence interval was 0.70-1.00 (P = 0.048). Thus for patients with acute coronary syndromes, lipid-lowering therapy with high dose atorvastatin reduces recurrent ischaemic events in the short-term. A possible mechanism behind this rapid clinical effect induced by statin treatment is on inflammatory processes. Recent studies strongly suggest that acute T-cell activation is involved in the pathogenesis of unstable angina. In another study we investigated whether circulating T cells showed signs of activation in patients with stable angina pectoris (SA). Systemic venous blood samples were taken from 38 men with SA and 42 healthy controls. The T-cell receptor expression was assessed by three-colour flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25 and human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) was measured as the circulating form in serum. Levels of circulating CD3+ and CD4+ T cells tended to be higher in patients compared with controls. Patients were also shown to have a significant increase in CD4+ T cells expressing the activation markers CD25 (P < 0.05) and HLA-DR (P < 0.01). Furthermore, serum levels of sIL-2R were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in patients than in controls. We also observed that the T-cell response was more pronounced in patients without simvastatin treatment (n = 18) compared with simvastatin-treated patients (n = 20). In conclusion, our findings indicate that a continuous immune system activation takes place in patients with chronic angina pectoris, predominantly involving proliferation of CD4+ T cells. Statin treatment seems to be able to decrease this inflammatory response.
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