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- Elhai, M, et al.
(author)
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Outcomes of patients with systemic sclerosis treated with rituximab in contemporary practice: a prospective cohort study
- 2019
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In: Annals of the rheumatic diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 78:7, s. 979-987
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To assess the safety and efficacy of rituximab in systemic sclerosis (SSc) in clinical practice.MethodsWe performed a prospective study including patients with SSc from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) network treated with rituximab and matched with untreated patients with SSc. The main outcomes measures were adverse events, skin fibrosis improvement, lung fibrosis worsening and steroids use among propensity score-matched patients treated or not with rituximab.Results254 patients were treated with rituximab, in 58% for lung and in 32% for skin involvement. After a median follow-up of 2 years, about 70% of the patients had no side effect. Comparison of treated patients with 9575 propensity-score matched patients showed that patients treated with rituximab were more likely to have skin fibrosis improvement (22.7 vs 14.03 events per 100 person-years; OR: 2.79 [1.47–5.32]; p=0.002). Treated patients did not have significantly different rates of decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC)>10% (OR: 1.03 [0.55–1.94]; p=0.93) nor in carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) decrease. Patients having received rituximab were more prone to stop or decrease steroids (OR: 2.34 [1.56–3.53], p<0.0001). Patients treated concomitantly with mycophenolate mofetil had a trend for better outcomes as compared with patients receiving rituximab alone (delta FVC: 5.22 [0.83–9.62]; p=0.019 as compared with controls vs 3 [0.66–5.35]; p=0.012).ConclusionRituximab use was associated with a good safety profile in this large SSc-cohort. Significant change was observed on skin fibrosis, but not on lung. However, the limitation is the observational design. The potential stabilisation of lung fibrosis by rituximab has to be addressed by a randomised trial.
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- Bos, I., et al.
(author)
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Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of neurodegeneration, synaptic integrity, and astroglial activation across the clinical Alzheimer's disease spectrum
- 2019
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In: Alzheimers & Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 15:5, s. 644-654
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: We investigated relations between amyloid-beta (A beta) status, apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4, and cognition, with cerebrospinal fluid markers of neurogranin (Ng), neurofilament light (NFL), YKL-40, and total tau (T-tau). Methods: We included 770 individuals with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer's disease (AD)-type dementia from the EMIF-AD Multimodal Biomarker Discovery study. We tested the association of Ng, NFL, YKL-40, and T-tau with A beta status (Ab beta- vs. A beta+), clinical diagnosis APOE epsilon 4 carriership, baseline cognition, and change in cognition. Results: Ng and T-tau distinguished between A beta+ from A beta- individuals in each clinical group, whereas NFL and YKL-40 were associated with A beta+ in nondemented individuals only. APOE epsilon 4 carriership did not influence NFL, Ng, and YKL-40 in A beta+ individuals. NFL was the best predictor of cognitive decline in A beta+ individuals across the cognitive spectrum. Discussion: Axonal degeneration, synaptic dysfunction, astroglial activation, and altered tau metabolism are involved already in preclinical AD. NFL may be a useful prognostic marker. (C) 2019 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Dicke, B., et al.
(author)
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Transferring the entatic-state principle to copper photochemistry
- 2018
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In: Nature Chemistry. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 10:3, s. 355-362
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The entatic state denotes a distorted coordination geometry of a complex from its typical arrangement that generates an improvement to its function. The entatic-state principle has been observed to apply to copper electron-transfer proteins and it results in a lowering of the reorganization energy of the electron-transfer process. It is thus crucial for a multitude of biochemical processes, but its importance to photoactive complexes is unexplored. Here we study a copper complex-with a specifically designed constraining ligand geometry-that exhibits metal-to-ligand charge-transfer state lifetimes that are very short. The guanidine-quinoline ligand used here acts on the bis(chelated) copper(I) centre, allowing only small structural changes after photoexcitation that result in very fast structural dynamics. The data were collected using a multimethod approach that featured time-resolved ultraviolet-visible, infrared and X-ray absorption and optical emission spectroscopy. Through supporting density functional calculations, we deliver a detailed picture of the structural dynamics in the picosecond-to-nanosecond time range.
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6. |
- Dicke, B., et al.
(author)
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Transferring the entatic-state principle to copper photochemistry
- 2018
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In: Nature Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1755-4349 .- 1755-4330. ; 10:3, s. 355-362
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The entatic state denotes a distorted coordination geometry of a complex from its typical arrangement that generates an improvement to its function. The entatic-state principle has been observed to apply to copper electron-transfer proteins and it results in a lowering of the reorganization energy of the electron-transfer process. It is thus crucial for a multitude of biochemical processes, but its importance to photoactive complexes is unexplored. Here we study a copper complex-with a specifically designed constraining ligand geometry-that exhibits metal-to-ligand charge-transfer state lifetimes that are very short. The guanidine-quinoline ligand used here acts on the bis(chelated) copper(I) centre, allowing only small structural changes after photoexcitation that result in very fast structural dynamics. The data were collected using a multimethod approach that featured time-resolved ultraviolet-visible, infrared and X-ray absorption and optical emission spectroscopy. Through supporting density functional calculations, we deliver a detailed picture of the structural dynamics in the picosecond-to-nanosecond time range.
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- Wohlfarth, C., et al.
(author)
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miR-16 and miR-103 impact 5-HT4 receptor signalling and correlate with symptom profile in irritable bowel syndrome
- 2017
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a gut-brain disorder involving alterations in intestinal sensitivity and motility. Serotonin 5-HT4 receptors are promising candidates in IBS pathophysiology since they regulate gut motor function and stool consistency, and targeted 5-HT4R selective drug intervention has been proven beneficial in subgroups of patients. We identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs201253747) c.*61 T > C within the 5-HT4 receptor gene HTR4 to be predominantly present in diarrhoea-IBS patients (IBS-D). It affects a binding site for the miR-16 family and miR-103/miR-107 within the isoforms HTR4b/i and putatively impairs HTR4 expression. Subsequent miRNA-profiling revealed downregulation of miR-16 and miR-103 in the jejunum of IBS-D patients correlating with symptoms. In vitro assays confirmed expression regulation via three 3'UTR binding sites. The novel isoform HTR4b_2 lacking two of the three miRNA binding sites escapes miR-16/103/107 regulation in SNP carriers. We provide the first evidence that HTR4 expression is fine-tuned by miRNAs, and that this regulation is impaired either by the SNP c.*61 T > C or by diminished levels of miR-16 and miR-103 suggesting that HTR4 might be involved in the development of IBS-D.
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