Not that long ago, aspirin, heparin, and warfarin were the only available antithrombotic agents for treating cardiovascular disease patients at risk of thrombotic events. These agents are still used in several places around the world, and it is remarkable how difficult it was to discover other agents that are more effective and/or safer. Since the mid-1980s we have been witnessing an explosion ...

Our aim was to find out if immunoglobulins for intravenous use (IVIG) contain IgG-anti-F(ab')2γ (AFab2) and IgG-antiHinge (AH) antibodies (Ab.) and to discuss how AFab2, in particular AH could contribute to immunomodulatory effect of IVIGs. We measured IgG, AFab2 and AH in five IVIG products approved for therapeutic use. IVIG showed higher AFab2 and AH concentration than sera of randomized heal...

Creatine exerts beneficial effects on a variety of pathologies in which energy metabolism and oxidative stress play an etiological role. Creatine supplements have shown beneficial effects on neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. However, the potential benefits of creatine for patients with convu...

The use of central venous catheter is pointed out as a risk factor to blood stream infection. The objective of this study was to reach scientific evidence on infection control related to central venous catheter impregnated with antiseptics, used in hospitalized adult patients. Studies were selected from the LILACS, CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Nine articles were selected by means of integrativ...

Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) is an adhesive molecule responsible for myelin sheath structural integrity and maintenance. Patients with spectrum of inflammatory demyelinating disease particularly in central nervous system are reported to have antibodies against this protein. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, clinically isolated syndrome, neuro-myelitis optica (NMO) spectrum disor...

OBJECTIVES To determine the impact of baseline rheumatoid factor (RF) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) status on the clinical efficacy of intravenous abatacept in biologic-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) enrolled in the real-world ACTION study. METHODS Clinical outcomes (European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response, mean Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDA...

BACKGROUND Intravenous drug abuse is often associated with poor adherence to anti-retroviral drugs in HIV/AIDS. Very few studies in Pakistan have determined implications of intravenous drug abuse on anti-retroviral drug compliance in HIV/AIDS patients. The objectives of the study were to assess and compare the adherence to anti-retroviral drugs in intravenous drug users (IDUs) and non-intraveno...

introduction: group a beta-hemolytic streptococcus (gabhs) can induce pandas (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection). gabhs is the most important and common bacterial cause of acute pharyngitis in iranian children. we studied the role of gabhs (anti-streptococcal antibodies) in suspected cases of pandas in a cross sectional studies. methods: acr...

The intravenous sensitization of C57BL/6 (B6) mice with class I H-2-disparate B6-C-H-2bm1 (bm1) spleen cells results in almost complete abrogation of anti-bm1 CD8+ helper (proliferative and interleukin 2-producing) T cell (Th) activities. Although an appreciable portion of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) precursors themselves remained after this regimen, such a residual CTL activity was elimi...

BACKGROUND Unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been used clinically for 5 decades. Despite being a cornerstone of anticoagulation, UFH is limited by its unpredictable pharmacokinetic profile, which makes close laboratory monitoring necessary. The most common methods for monitoring UFH are the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and antifactor Xa heparin assay (anti-Xa HA), but both presen...