This study explored the effects and effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for persons with aphasia. Three men with aphasia from left-hemisphere strokes participated in this study. The men received one semester of traditional therapy followed by one semester of AAT. While both therapies were effective, in that each participant met his goals, no significant differences existed between te...

Background Activation of neutrophils sequestered in the alveolar milieu can cause the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), increasingly regarded as key substances modulating epithelium dysfunction and disruption. These oxidants are generated by the neutrophil respiratory burst oxidase system that reduces molecular oxygen (O2) to superoxide (O2-). Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (AATD)...

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), including diffusely adhering atypical E. coli, strains use a type III secretion system to deliver effector proteins into the membrane and cytoplasm of infected cells. The E. coli secreted proteins A, B, and D (EspA, EspB, and EspD) are required for the formation of the characteristic attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions. EspB and EspD are thought to for...

α1-Antitrypsin deficiency is an inherited condition that causes liver disease and emphysema. The normal function of this protein, which is synthesized by the liver, is to inhibit neutrophil elastase, a protease that degrades connective tissue of the lung. In the classical form of the disease, inefficient secretion of a mutant α1-antitrypsin protein (AAT-Z) results in its accumulation within hep...

BACKGROUND The glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) gene is involved in detoxification of electrophilic substances of tobacco smoke. A polymorphism at nucleotide 315 of this gene alters its enzymatic activity. OBJECTIVE We analyzed the association between the variability in the GSTP1 gene and impairment in lung function in smokers with and without alpha(1)-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and COP...

sturbi cognitivi. La valutazione di efficacia della AAT nel danno cognitivo è frequentemente influenzata da un disegno sperimentale scarso, da cui non emergono evidenze conclusive. Scopo di questo studio era di verificare l’effetto clinico di una AAT a medio termine con cani in pazienti ambulatoriali con lieve danno cognitivo da malattia di Alzheimer (AD) verso un gruppo controllo. Metodi. Lo s...

The categorization of prostate cancers that are progressing after castration as 'hormone-refractory' evolved from the clinical observation that surgical or medical castration (i.e. androgen ablation therapy; AAT) is not curative and, despite an initial response, virtually all tumors eventually regrow. Successful AAT is contingent on the dependence of prostate cancer cells for androgen signaling...

Ambient assistive technology (AAT) is envisioned as a powerful tool for facing the growing demands the demographic change toward an aging society puts on care. While AAT is often expected to increase the quality of life of older people, this paper holds that relevant interventions often embody values that can contradict such visions, and in some cases even be harmful to care receivers. We argue...

The serine proteinase inhibitor α-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is produced principally by the liver at the rate of 2 g/d. It is secreted into the circulation and provides an antiprotease protective screen throughout the body but most importantly in the lung, where it can neutralise the activity of the serine protease neutrophil elastase. Mutations leading to deficiency in AAT are associated with liver a...

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) contributes to many inflammatory diseases, including genetic and nongenetic forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. α-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency (AATD) is characterized by destruction of lung parenchyma and development of emphysema, caused by low AAT levels and a high neutrophil burden in the airways of affected individuals. In this study we assessed whether AA...