In this study, we evaluated the outcome of surgical intervention for recurrent GCT.\n\nTwenty-seven

patients (14 males and 13 females) with recurrent GCT were recruited. Their primary GCTs were all treated with intralesional surgery. Among these recurrent GCTs, LCL161 9 grade III and 1 grade II tumors were treated with en bloc resection and endoprosthetic replacement, whereas 16 grade II and 1 grade III tumors were treated with intralesional curettage and PMMA bone cement filling.\n\nThe mean interval between initial surgery and first recurrence was 28.8 months (range 7-97 months). About 70 % of first recurrences affected bones around the knee, 44 % in the proximal tibia and 26 % in the distal femur. Of 27 patients, 3 women

treated with intralesional procedures suffered second recurrences in the proximal tibia. No second recurrence was found in patients with en bloc resection. Two grade III re-recurrence GCTs were treated with en bloc resection, and 1 grade II was treated with an intralesional procedure. One patient with en bloc resection developed tumor metastasis in both lungs. Compared to patients with intralesional treatment, the functional score was significantly decreased selleck chemicals llc in patients with en bloc resection (p < 0.01).\n\nThe re-recurrence risk of grade III GCTs can be significantly decreased by wide en bloc resection and endoprosthetic replacement. However, intralesional treatment is a good option for less aggressive (< grade II) recurrent GCTs because it can preserve ideal limb function and reduce surgical complications.”
“The

aim of this study was to evaluate the fracture resistance of teeth with incomplete root development and intracanal reinforcement with adhesives materials. 50 human central and lateral incisors were instrumented and prepared to simulate an immature tooth and filled apically with MTA. learn more The samples were divided into four experimental groups and one control group. Group 1: resin composite Filtek (TM) P90; Group 2: glass Ionomer Vitremer (TM); Group 3: resin composite Filtek (TM) Z350 XT; Group 4: glass Ionomer Ketac (TM) N 100; Group 5: negative control (instrumented but not reinforced). After, the fracture test was performed using a fracture universal testing machine (Instron (TM)). The maximum values of resistance before catastrophic fracture were collected and analyzed by Anova (p = 0.05). The results show a significant difference between the groups compared (p = 0.02). A significant difference was found between group 1 (847.73 N) and group 5 (474.77 N) (p = 0.02) applying the Bonferroni test. Despite the limitations of the study, the conclusion is that micro-hybrid composite resins are ideal materials to strengthen teeth with incomplete root development endodontically treated.

Male rats received 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg BA (i.p.) 30 min prior to daily exposure to repeated restraint stress (2 h/day) for 14 days. Activation of the HPA axis in response to repeated restraint stress was confirmed by measuring serum corticosterone levels and the expression of corticotrophin-releasing factor in the hypothalamus. Daily BA administration significantly

decreased the duration of immobility in the FST, BTK inhibitor solubility dmso increased sucrose consumption, and restored the stress-related decreases in dopamine concentrations in the hippocampus to near normal levels. BA significantly inhibited the stress-induced decrease in neuronal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the ventral tegmental area and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA in the hippocampus. Taken together, these findings indicate that administration of BA prior to the repeated restraint stress significantly improves helpless behaviors and depressive symptoms, possibly by preventing the decrease in dopamine and BDNF expression. Thus, BA may be a useful agent for the treatment or alleviation of the complex

symptoms associated with depression.”
“Epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA methylation, histone modifications and noncoding RNAs regulate and maintain gene-expression states. Similar to genetic mutations, alterations in epigenetic regulation can lead to uncontrolled cell division, tumor initiation and growth, invasiveness and metastasis. Research in brain cancer, particularly gliomas, has uncovered p38 MAPK inhibitor global and gene-specific DNA hypomethylation, local DNA hypermethylation of gene promoters and the de-regulation of microRNA expression. Understanding epigenetic dysregulation in brain cancers has provided

new tools for prognostication, as well as suggesting new approaches to therapy. There is significant interest in new sequencing-based technologies that map genetic and epigenetic alterations comprehensively and at high resolution. These methods are being applied to brain tumors, and will better define the contribution of epigenetic defects to tumorigenesis.”
“Balneotherapy is appreciated as a traditional treatment modality in medicine. Hungary is rich in thermal mineral waters. Balneotherapy has been in extensive use for centuries and its effects have been studied in detail. Here, we present a systematic SRT2104 review and meta-analysis of clinical trials conducted with Hungarian thermal mineral waters, the findings of which have been published by Hungarian authors in English. The 122 studies identified in different databases include 18 clinical trials. Five of these evaluated the effect of hydro- and balneotherapy on chronic low back pain, four on osteoarthritis of the knee, and two on osteoarthritis of the hand. One of the remaining seven trials evaluated balneotherapy in chronic inflammatory pelvic diseases, while six studies explored its effect on various laboratory parameters. Out of the 18 studies, 9 met the predefined criteria for meta-analysis.

Accordingly, the current

report focused on the topical retinoids that increase HB-EGF expression in the skin, and we hypothesized that these topical retinoids induce local chemotherapeutic resistance in the skin of patients receiving chemotherapy and consequently, decrease the cutaneous side-effects of chemotherapy. This report presents a case of the successful treatment of refractory HFS induced by capecitabine using the topical application of adapalene. Topical adapalene was applied for 3 months and significantly reduced inflammation and pain following chemotherapy. Topical retinoids may have the potential to effectively treat capecitabine-induced HFS by increasing HB-EGF expression and decreasing cutaneous side-effects. Further studies are required to establish the therapeutic efficacy of topical retinoids on HFS.”
“In order to assess the situation

of beach litter on the Galician coast (NW Spain), NU7441 DNA Damage inhibitor we conducted a seasonal series of sampling on three beaches: A Lanzada, Baldaio and O Rostro. A total of 79 surveys were conducted from 2001 to 2010 on a stretch of 100 m and a stretch of 1 km. A total of 37862 beach litter items AICAR were counted and classified on the 100-m stretch and 7845 on the 1-km stretch. The average annual value of litter items for the 100-m beach stretch was 1016 +/- 633, 88 +/- 31 and 332 +/- 183; for the 1-km stretch, the average value of litter items was 163 +/- 87, 42 +/- 31 and 81 +/- 38, for A Lanzada, Baldaio and O Rostro beaches, respectively. The most common element found in beach litter was made of plastic, with average percent of 63, 38 and 83 for A Lanzada, Baldaio and O Rostro, respectively. We found that the main source of beach litter was the fishing and aquaculture sector, with an average percent

value of 23, 14 and 38 for A Lanzada, Baldaio and O Rostro, respectively.”
“Thermal image downscaling algorithms use a unique relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation indices (e.g. normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)). The LST-NDVI correlation NCT-501 and regression parameters vary in different seasons depending on land-use practices. Such relationships are dynamic in humid subtropical regions due to inter-seasonal changes in biophysical parameters. The present study evaluates three downscaling algorithms, namely disaggregation of radiometric surface temperature (DisTrad), sharpening thermal imagery (TsHARP), and local model using seasonal (25 February 2010, 14 April 2010, and 26 October 2011) thermal images. The aggregated Landsat LST of 960 m resolution is downscaled to 480, 360, 240, and 120 m using DisTrad, TsHARP, and the local model and validated with aggregated Landsat LSTs of a similar resolution. The results illustrate that the seasonal variability of the LST-NDVI relationship affects the accuracy of the downscaling model.

fordii, weakly in P. tomentosa Carr., but not in C. oleifera. TRV-based VIGS vectors with heterologous phytoene desaturase (PDS) sequences from various woody plant species silenced successfully the endogenous PDS gene in Nicotina benthamiana and V. fordii. The photobleached leaf phenotype of silenced plants significantly correlated with the down-regulation of endogenous PDS as compared with controls. To further confirm the reliability of VIGS in V. fordii, we also

isolated the cloroplastos alterados 1 gene from P. tomentosa Carr., and the silencing pheotypes of albino leaves were Selleck Z-VAD-FMK observed in V. fordii 2 weeks after inoculation using a heterologous TRV-based VIGS system. Taken together, we have successfully developed an Agrobacterium-mediated

VIGS assay in V. fordii and demonstrated that V. fordii as a heterologous VIGS system provides a valuable tool for functional genomic analysis in woody plant species.”
“Background: Although direct medical costs for constipation-related medical visits are thought to be high, to date there have been no studies examining whether longitudinal resource use is persistently elevated in children with constipation. Our aim was to estimate the incremental direct medical costs and types of health care use associated with constipation from childhood to early adulthood.\n\nMethods: selleck chemical A nested case-control study was conducted to evaluate the incremental costs associated with constipation. The original sample consisted of 5718 children in a population-based birth cohort who were born during 1976 to 1982 in Rochester, MN. The cases included individuals who presented to medical facilities with constipation. The controls were matched and randomly selected among all noncases in the sample. Direct medical costs for cases and controls were collected from the time subjects were between 5 and 18 years of age or until the subject emigrated from the community.\n\nResults: We identified 250 cases with a diagnosis of constipation in the birth cohort. Although the mean inpatient costs

for cases were $9994 (95% Confidence interval [CI] find more 2538-37,201) compared with $2391 (95% CI 923-7452) for controls (P = 0.22) during the time period, the mean outpatient costs for cases were $13,927 (95% CI 11,325-16,525) compared with $3448 (95% CI 3771-4621) for controls (P < 0.001) during the same time period. The mean annual number of emergency department visits for cases was 0.66 (95% CI 0.62-0.70) compared with 0.34 (95% CI 0.32-0.35) for controls (P < 0.0001).\n\nConclusions: Individuals with constipation have higher medical care use. Outpatient costs and emergency department use were significantly greater for individuals with constipation from childhood to early adulthood.”
“When visual acuity (VA) is assessed with spatially repetitive stimuli (e.g., gratings) in amblyopes, VA can be markedly overestimated.

The percentage of women classified within the same +/- 1 quartile for energy intake

by the 2 methods was 77.3%. There was moderate agreement between the 2 dietary methods, and no systematic bias was noted for energy, folate, vitamin B-12, and zinc. The deattenuated energy-adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from 0.41 (dietary folate equivalents) to 0.60 (folate). Significant correlations between biomarker and nutrient intakes were found for folate (r = 0.37, P < .01) and vitamin B-12 (r = 0.27, P < .01). The electronic FFQ developed in the present study is a relatively valid tool that was able selleck screening library to adequately assess and rank individuals according to their nutrient intakes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. Al! rights reserved.”
“Purpose: To determine the utility of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (DCE-US) as a prognostic tool for metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients receiving sunitinib and to identify DCE-US parameters that correlate with early treatment response.\n\nExperimental Design: Thirty-eight patients received 50 mg/d sunitinib

on schedule 4/2 (4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off treatment). After two cycles, response evaluation criteria in solid tumors were used to classify patients as responders or nonresponders. DCE-US evaluations were done before treatment and at day 15; variations between days 0 and 15 were calculated selleck chemicals for seven DCE-US functional parameters and were compared for responders and nonresponders. The correlation between DCE-US parameters and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was assessed.\n\nResults: The ratio between DCE-US examinations at baseline

and day 15 significantly correlated with response in five of the seven DCE-US parameters. Two DCE-US parameters (time to peak intensity and slope of the wash-in) were significantly associated with DFS; time to peak intensity was also significantly associated with OS.\n\nConclusions: DCE-US is a useful tool for predicting the early efficacy of sunitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients. Robust correlations were observed between functional parameters and classic assessments, including DFS and OS. Clin Cancer Res; 16(4); 1216-25. (C) 2010 AACR.”
“Background. We encountered repeatedly, in our clinical practice, discordant results between UBT and selleck histopathology about H. pylori infection. Goal. To study the diagnostic accuracy of Heliprobe C-14-urea breath test (C-14-UBT) for detection of H. pylori infection in an Iranian population. Study. We enrolled 125 dyspeptic patients in our study. All of them underwent gastroscopy, and four gastric biopsies (three from the antrum and one from the corpus) were obtained. One of the antral biopsies was utilized for a rapid urease test (RUT), and three others were evaluated under microscopic examination. Sera from all patients were investigated for the presence of H. pylori IgG antibodies.

“
“The small heat shock protein ODF1/HSPB10 is essential for male fertility in mice. Targeted deletion of Odf1 resulted in acephalic sperm in homozygous mice of mixed background (C57BL/6J//129/Sv), whereas heterozygous animals are fully fertile. To further elucidate the function of ODF1, we generated incipient congenic mice with targeted deletion of Odf1 by successive backcrossing on the 129/Sv background. We observed that fecundity of heterozygous Odf1(+/-) male mice was severely reduced selleck chemical over backcross generations. However, neither aberrant sperm parameters nor sperm anomalies could be observed. Ultra-structural analyses of sperm from incipient congenic heterozygous Odf1(+/-) males of backcross generation

N7 revealed no obvious pathological findings. However, we observed Caspase inhibitor an enlargement of the distance between nuclear membrane

and capitulum, indicating a weakening of the sperm head-to-tail coupling. Severe male subfertility provoked by haplo-deficiency of ODF1 is therefore most probably caused by impaired head-to-tail coupling that eventually might induce sperm decapitation on the specific conditions of in vivo fertilisation. As subfertility in haplo-deficient ODF1 male mice could not be diagnosed by semen analysis, it seems to be a paradigm for unexplained infertility that is a frequent diagnosis for male fertility impairment in humans.”
“Background: Artemisinin derivatives are the mainstay of antimalarial treatment, both for uncomplicated malaria and for severe disease. Artemisinins are known for their rapid onset of action, good tolerability, BX-795 and safety. However, besides the sporadic but worrying reports of delayed parasite clearance after treatment with artemisinins, there have been an increasing number of reports of acute haemolytic anaemia following their use and the safety of this class of antimalarials is being questioned. Methods:

In this systematic review, all reports of patients experiencing haemolysis following the use of artemisinins for the treatment of malaria were identified and collated into an electronic database. Summary statistics were calculated to characterize the epidemiology and clinical features of this safety concern related to artemisinin derivatives. Results: A total of 37 patients were identified suffering from haemolysis following the treatment of severe malaria with artemisinin derivatives. Thirty-one cases had received intravenous artesunate, while the remaining cases were attributed to other parenteral or oral regimens of artemisinin derivatives. The majority of patients were returning travellers (n = 30), and six clinical cases had been reported in paediatric patients. The median onset of haemolysis was 15 (interquartile range (IQR) 13-15) days after the initiation of treatment for the ‘delayed-onset’ pattern and 17 (IQR 13-22) days for the ‘persistent’ haemolysis pattern. The median reduction in haemoglobin due to haemolysis was 6 g/dl (IQR 4-8 g/dl).

Using reverse transcription real time PCR (RT-PCR) the maximal inhibition of BP-induced gene expression, >85% for CYP1A1 and >70% for CYP1B1, was observed in the preCHLN, postBP + CHLN group. To explore the relationship between transcription and enzyme activity, the ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) assay was used to measure

the combined CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 activities. BP exposure caused the EROD levels to double, when compared with the unexposed controls, The CHLN-exposed groups all showed EROD levels similar to the unexposed controls. Therefore, the addition of CHLN to BP-exposed cells reduced BPdG formation and CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 expression, but EROD activity was not significantly reduced. Environ. Mal. Mutagen. 50:134-144, 2009. see more Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.(+)”
“Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be due to a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts normal brain function;

it presents an ever-growing, serious public health problem that causes a considerable number of fatalities APR-246 nmr and cases of permanent disability annually. Physical exercise restores the healthy homeostatic regulation of stress, affect and the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Physical activity attenuates or reverses the performance deficits observed in neurocognitive tasks. It induces anti-apoptotic effects and buttresses blood-brain barrier intactness. Exercise offers a unique non-pharmacologic, non-invasive intervention that incorporates different regimes, whether dynamic or static, endurance,

or resistance. RG7204 Exercise intervention protects against vascular risk factors that include hypertension, diabetes, cellular inflammation, and aortic rigidity. It induces direct changes in cerebrovasculature that produce beneficial changes in cerebral blood flow, angiogenesis and vascular disease improvement. The improvements induced by physical exercise regimes in brain plasticity and neurocognitive performance are evident both in healthy individuals and in those afflicted by TBI. The overlap and inter-relations between TBI effects on brain and cognition as related to physical exercise and cognition may provide lasting therapeutic benefits for recovery from TBI. It seems likely that some modification of the notion of scaffolding would postulate that physical exercise reinforces the adaptive processes of the brain that has undergone TBI thereby facilitating the development of existing networks, albeit possibly less efficient, that compensate for those lost through damage.”
“This paper compares spatial and seasonal variations and temporal trends in modeled and measured concentrations of sulfur and nitrogen compounds in wet and dry deposition over an 18-year period (1988-2005) over a portion of the northeastern United States.

Here we identify the Rap1 guanine nucleotide LY2090314 nmr exchange factor PDZ-GEF2 as an upstream activator of Rap1 required for the maturation of adherens junctions in the lung carcinoma cells A549. Knockdown of PDZ-GEF2 results in the persistence of adhesion zippers at cell-cell contacts. Activation of Rap1A rescues junction maturation in absence of PDZ-GEF2, demonstrating that Rap1A is downstream of PDZ-GEF2

in this process. Moreover, depletion of Rap1A, but not Rap1B, impairs adherens junction maturation. siRNA for PDZ-GEF2 also lowers the levels of E-cadherin, an effect that can be mimicked by Rap1B, but not Rap1A siRNA. Since junctions in Rap1B depleted cells have a mature appearance, these data suggest that PDZ-GEF2 activates Rap1A and Rap1B to perform different functions. Our results present the first direct evidence that PDZ-GEF2 plays a critical role

in the maturation of adherens junctions. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Among alternative therapeutic strategies in clinically aggressive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the lung, promising results have been obtained in experimental clinical trials with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors, though in the absence of a proven mTOR signaling activation selleck status. This study analyzed the expression of phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) and its major targets, the ribosomal p70S6-kinase (S6K) and the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) in a large series of 218 surgically resected, malignant lung NETs, including 24 metastasizing typical carcinoids, 73 atypical carcinoids, 60 large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (LCNECs), and 61 small cell carcinomas (SCLCs). By immunohistochemistry, low-to-intermediate-grade tumors as compared with high-grade tumors showed higher levels of p-mTOR and phosphorylated S6K (p-S6K) (P < 0.001), at variance with phosphorylated 4EBP1 (p-4EBP1), which was mainly expressed in

LCNECs and SCLCs (P < 0.001). LY3039478 chemical structure The activated status of mTOR pathway was proved by the strong correlation of p-mTOR with p-S6K and somatostatin receptor(s). Western blot analysis of NET tumor samples confirmed such findings, and differential sensitivity to mTOR inhibition according to mTOR pathway activation characteristics was determined in two lung carcinoid cell lines in vitro. None of the investigated molecules had an impact on survival. However, in low-grade tumors, low p-mTOR expression correlated with lymph node metastases (P = 0.016), recurrent disease, and survival (P = 0.005). In conclusion, these data demonstrate a differential mTOR activation status in the spectrum of pulmonary NETs, possibly suggesting that mTOR pathway profiling might play a predictive role in candidate patients for mTOR-targeted therapies.

We investigated the relationship between adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation and

the long-term outcomes of AF-related IS. We studied 249 patients who were exclusively treated with anticoagulation therapy after they had experienced AF-related IS. We evaluated their platelet function 5 days after admission to the hospital by using an optic platelet aggregometer test. We also assessed the prognoses of patients 90 days after the AF-related IS. Our results showed that ADP-induced platelet aggregation was positively correlated with CHA2DS2-VASc scores (r = .285, P smaller than .01). Totally, 107 (43.0%) patients had a poor outcome Nutlin-3 chemical structure at 90 days after IS. Univariate analysis showed that the following factors significantly contribute to a poor outcome: older age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.07, confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.10, P smaller than .01), a history of stroke (OR = 3.24, CI 1.61-6.53, P smaller

than .01), high scores on the National Institutes phosphatase inhibitor of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; OR = 1.25, CI 1.18-1.32, P smaller than .01), increased white blood cell counts (OR = 1.12, CI 1.02-1.24, P smaller than .01), high CHA2DS2-VASc scores ( bigger than = 5, OR = 7.31, CI 3.36-15.93, P = .025), and the highest tertile of ADP-induced platelet aggregation ( bigger than = 72%, OR = 3.17, CI 1.67-5.99, P smaller than .01). Of these HDAC inhibitor factors, high NIHSS scores (OR = 1.27, CI 1.20-1.36, P smaller than .01), high

CHA2DS2-VASc scores (OR = 4.69, CI 1.21-18.14, P = .03), and the highest tertile of ADP-induced platelet aggregation (OR = 2.49, CI 1.17-5.27, P = .02) were independently associated with a poor outcome at 90 days after IS. Therefore, our results suggest that platelet activation might affect the outcome of AF-related IS.”
“Fumonisin B-1 (FB1) is a mycotoxin, mainly produced by Fusarium fungi and present in food and feed. It causes harmful effects on human and animal health. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sensitive and reliable screening methods. In this study, a highly sensitive monoclonal antibody (MAb) against FB1, clone 2D7, was produced, and the 50% inhibition concentration (IC50) of the MAb was 2.2 ng/mL in buffer. The MAb showed high cross-reactivity with fumonisin B-2 (FB2), and negligible cross-reactivity with other mycotoxins. A sensitive indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) based on this MAb was developed for the determination of FB1 in maize. In spiked samples (100, 200 and 500 mu g/kg), the average recoveries ranged from 78 +/- 11 to 107 +/- 4%, and the coefficient of variation ranged from 3 to 15%. The limit of detection of the icELISA was 5.4 mu g/kg. This method was compared to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) using naturally contaminated samples, and the correlation coefficient was above 0.82.

The requirements for aerosol therapy ZD1839 purchase depend on the target site of action and the underlying disease. Medication to treat airways disease should deposit on the conducting airways. Effective deposition of airway particles generally requires

particle size between 0.5 and 5 mu m mass median aerodynamic diameter; however, a smaller particle size neither equates to greater side effects nor greater effectiveness. However, medications like peptides intended for systemic absorption, need to deposit on the alveolar capillary bed. Thus ultrafine particles, a slow inhalation, and relatively normal airways that do not hinder aerosol penetration will optimize systemic delivery. Aerosolized antimicrobials are often used for the treatment of cystic fibrosis or bronchiectasis, and mucoactive agents to promote mucus clearance have been delivered by aerosol. As technology improves, a greater variety of novel medications are being developed for aerosol delivery, including

for therapy of pulmonary hypertension, as vaccines, for decreasing dyspnea, to treat airway inflammation, for migraine headache, for nicotine and drug addiction, and ultimately for gene therapy. Common reasons for therapeutic failure of aerosol medications include the use of inactive or depleted medications, inappropriate use of the aerosol device, and, most importantly, poor adherence to prescribed therapy. The respiratory therapist plays a key role in patient education, device selection, and outcomes assessment.”
“Firefly oxyluciferin is a prime example in which pi-pi stacking interactions

play an important role, by being the basis for the formation of BIX 01294 Epigenetics inhibitor sandwich-like oxyluciferin complexes. In the present study, we have used a theoretical methodology to further understand the effect of pi-pi stacking interactions in the properties of oxyluciferin molecule. More click here specifically, we have analysed the effect of resonance changes in oxyluciferin pi-pi stacking dimers. We have found that resonance changes have little effect on the ground state properties of the dimmers. More interestingly, by modulating the resonance of the dimmers we can obtain different transition energies and efficiencies. This results in changes in the degree of contributions made by the different orbital excitations that compose the excitation transition. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The complement (C’) cascade is an important part of the innate immunity. It acts through three major pathways: classical (CP), alternative (AP) and mannose-binding-lectin (MP). C’ reduction is a key feature in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), for its pathogenesis and for disease relapse. The aims of our study are to correlate C’ variations with disease activity and verify the presence of C’ deficiencies. We tested for three C’ pathways 52 sera from 20 patients affected by SLE. A significant correlation between the ECLAM score and the degree of activation of the CP (Mann-Whitney; P = 0.