Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0036421 (PSS)
 10,989 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte transformation and circulating thymus-dependent (T) lymphocyte numbers were studied in twenty-eight patients with systemic sclerosis (SS), in fifty normal controls and eleven elderly controls. Patients with SS were found to have impaired lymphocyte transformation responses which showed a positive correlation with both the number of circulating T lymphocytes and the extent of visceral involvement by the disease. This defect of cell-mediated immunity could not be attributed to the effects of increasing age, corticosteroid treatment, iron and folate deficiency or inhibitory serum factors and may have pathogenetic implications for the disorder.
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PMID:The relationship of defective cell-mediated immunity to visceral disease in systemic sclerosis. 30 48

We investigated so-called superoxide scavenging activity (SSA) of plasma in patients with several immunological disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polymyo-dermatomyositis (PM), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), myasthenia gravis (MG) and autoimmune thyroid disease (AT), using the electron paramagnetic resonance/spin trapping technique. Since carboxyethylgermanium sesquioxide, Ge-132, has been reported to modulate both the immune response and leukocyte functions, we have studied in vivo effect of Ge-132 on plasma SSA and other laboratory parameters in these disorders. The plasma SSA was significantly lower in RA, SLE, PM and PSS, but not in MG and AT, as compared with that in healthy controls. An inverse correlation was observed between plasma SSA and parameters such as erythrocytes sedimentation rates, absolute number of leukocytes, C-reactive protein and serum globulin levels. Furthermore, plasma SSA was significantly decreased in rheumatoid factor-positive patients as compared to negative patients. No correlation was observed between plasma SSA and factors such as ages, sex of patients or the other laboratory parameters, such as serum albumin, triglyceride, cholesterol, hemoglobin and serum iron levels. Patients treated with prednisolone, especially ones with RA, showed an increase of plasma SSA. It appears that Ge-132 promotes prednisolone effects. Our results indicate that a decrease in plasma SSA is not disease specific, but inversely correlates with the severity and activity of inflammation. The methodology to measure plasma SSA presented in this work provides a helpful tool for determining the actual activity of the diseases as well as in vivo studies of antiinflammatory agents.
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PMID:Decreased plasma superoxide scavenging activity in immunological disorders--carboxyethylgermanium sesquioxide (Ge-132) as a promoter of prednisolone. 131 42

Six males with systemic sclerosis were observed in the work forces of two iron ore mines. The usual spectrum of clinical features encountered in systemic sclerosis patients were present. Histologic examination of pulmonary tissue was performed on three of the cases and showed features of both silicosis and scleroderma but to different degrees and stages of development. Exposure to high levels of silica-containing dusts had occurred in all six cases.
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PMID:Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) in two iron ore mines. 1045 97

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in heme catabolism and presumably is involved in cellular iron homeostasis. It is induced by a variety of cellular stresses, including oxygen deprivation and free radical-mediated stress. We examined induction of HO-1 mRNA in skin fibroblasts and investigated the mechanism by which it occurs. Hypoxia did not appear to act via induction of oxygen free radicals: induction of HO-1 was not sensitive to the free radical scavenger GSH or other antioxidants. Moreover, hypoxia did not increase steady-state levels of free radicals generated by fibroblasts. In contrast, HO-1 induction by the oxidants, H(2)O(2) and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) was significantly attenuated in the presence of free radical scavengers. This correlated with increased levels of free radical production in fibroblasts treated with these oxidants. Iron depletion by desferrioxamine mesylate, a specific iron complexon, completely inhibited hypoxic stimulation of HO-1 but did not attenuate the effect of H(2)O(2) and CCCP on HO-1 mRNA. Addition of Fe(2+), Fe(3+), or holo-transferrin to fibroblasts increased levels of HO-1 mRNA. Treatment of cells with hypoxia, but not H(2)O(2) or an exogenous source of iron, significantly increased the half-life of HO-1 mRNA. The data suggest hypoxia regulates HO-1 gene expression by a specific posttranscriptional mechanism: stabilization of mRNA. Hypoxia has previously been shown to increase fibroblast collagen synthesis and is thought to play a role in pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Skin fibroblasts isolated from patients with SSc demonstrated significantly stronger induction of HO-1 by hypoxia than did fibroblasts from normal controls. We hypothesize that exposure of SSc fibroblasts to hypoxic conditions leads to in vivo selective proliferation of cells that adapt to hypoxia.
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PMID:Induction of heme oxygenase-1 by hypoxia and free radicals in human dermal fibroblasts. 1064 16

Vascular lesions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract include arterio-venous malformations as angiodysplasia and Dieulafoy's lesion, venous ectasias (multiple phlebectasias and haemorroids), teleangiectasias which can be associated with hereditary hemorrhagic teleangiectasia (HHT), Turner's syndrome and systemic sclerosis, haemangioma's, angiosarcoma's and disorders of connective tissue affecting blood vessels as pseudoxanthoma elasticum and Ehlers-Danlos's disease. As a group, they are relatively rare lesions that however may be a major source of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Clinical presentation is variable, ranging from asymptomatic cases over iron deficiency anaemia to acute or recurrent bleeding that may be life-threatening. Furthermore, patients may present with other symptoms, e.g. pain, dysphagia, odynophagia, the presence of a palpable mass, intussusception, obstruction, haemodynamic problems resulting from high cardiac output, lymphatic abnormalities with protein loosing enteropathy and ascites, or dermatological and somatic features in syndromal cases. Diagnosis can usually be made using endoscopy, sometimes with additional biopsy. Barium radiography, angiography, intraoperative enteroscopy, tagged red blood cell scan, CT-scan and MRI-scan may offer additional information. Treatment can be symptomatic, including iron supplements and transfusion therapy or causal, including therapeutic endoscopy (laser, electrocautery, heater probe or injection sclerotherapy), therapeutic angiography and surgery. The mode of treatment is of course depending on the mode of presentation and other factors such as associated disorders. If endoscopic or angiographic therapy is impossible and surgical intervention not indicated, pharmacological therapy may be warranted. Good results have been reported with different drugs, albeit most of them have not been tested in large trials.
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PMID:Vascular lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. 1261 28

Oxidative stress appears to be important in the causation and perpetuation of tissue injury and fibrosis in systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (SSc). We conducted a case-control study to assess lipid peroxidation levels as determined by measuring fasting plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum levels of the trace elements selenium, iron, zinc and copper in SSc. Plasma MDA levels were almost tenfold higher in patients than in controls (p=0.00007), and an inverse relationship between MDA levels and disease duration (r=-0.52, p=0.044) was observed. Selenium levels were lower in patients than in controls (p=0.012). Within the patient cohort, copper correlated inversely with the total skin score (r=-0.52, p=0.03). Our findings provide further evidence that lipid peroxidation is increased and antioxidant capacity is reduced in SSc. The gradual decline in MDA levels with time suggests that antioxidant therapy, if to be useful in SSc, is most likely to be effective early in the course of the disease.
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PMID:Lipid peroxidation and trace elements in systemic sclerosis. 1624 31

Six isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi namely, Laccaria fraterna (EM-1083), Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1081), Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1290), Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1293), Scleroderma verucosum (EM-1283), and Scleroderma cepa (EM-1233), were grown on three variants of coal ash, namely electrostatically precipitated (ESP) ash, pond ash, and bottom ash moistened with Modified Melin-Norkans (MMN) medium in vitro The colony diameter reflected the growth of the isolates on the coal ash. Metal accumulation in the mycelia was assayed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Six metals, namely aluminum, cadmium, chromium, iron, lead, and nickel, were selected on the basis of their abundance in coal ash and toxicity potential for the present work. Growth of vegetative mycelium on fly ash variants and metal accumulation data indicated that Pisolithus tinctorius (EM-1290) was the most tolerant among the isolates tested for most of the metals. Since this isolate is known to be mycorrhizal with Eucalyptus, it could be used for the reclamation of coal ash over burdened sites.
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PMID:Effect of coal ash on growth and metal uptake by some selected ectomycorrhizal fungi in vitro. 1628 11

Electrochromic multilayer films consisting of polyoxometalate (POM) cluster alpha-K(10)[P(2)W(17)O(61)].17H(2)O (P(2)W(17)), copper(II) complex [Cu(II)(phen)(2)](NO(3))(2) (phen = 1,10-phenithroline), and iron complex [Fe(II)(phen)(3)](ClO(4))(2) were fabricated on silicon, quartz and ITO substrates by layer-by-layer self-assembly method. The multilayer films, PSS/Cu(II)(phen)(2)/[(P(2)W(17)/Cu(II)(phen)(2))](n) and PSS/Fe(II)(phen)(3)/[(P(2)W(17)/Fe(II) (phen)(3))](n) were characterized by UV-vis spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectra, cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometric (CA) and in-situ spectral electrochemical measurements. The interesting feature of the electrochromic film is its adjustable color by reduction of both transition metal complex and polyoxometalate at different potentials. The multilayer films also exhibit high optical contrast, suitable response time and low operation potential due to the presence of mono-lacunary-substituted polyoxometalate and transition metal complex. This is the first example that the color of electrochromic film can be adjustable, which gives valuable information for exploring new electrochromic materials with tunable colors.
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PMID:Electrochromic multilayer films of tunable color by combination of copper or iron complex and monolacunary dawson-type polyoxometalate. 1685 64

Siderophores are compounds secreted under low iron stress, that act as a specific ferric iron chelate agents and due to their potentialities in the biological control of phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria, their study has been stimulated in recent years. Siderophores produced by different Pseudomonas species have been widely studied as biological agents and it is an alternative to take into account in the control of phytopathogenic microorganisms in agriculture. The purpose of this paper was to study the influence of some culture medium, and the iron concentration in the production of this metabolite. The experiments were carried out in a conventional batch system in succinate, glucose and glutamate medium. The highest metabolite concentration was obtained in glucose and glutamate medium. The increase of Fe(III) concentration, had a negative effect in siderophores production, especially above 10 microM. The evaluation of the studied media led to the conclusion that it is possible to increase the production of this metabolite by the strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSS, in a glutamate medium without iron addition.
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PMID:Evaluation of the siderophores production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSS. 1706 84

To date, several bacterial species have been described as mineral-weathering agents which improve plant nutrition and growth. However, the possible relationships between mineral-weathering potential, taxonomic identity, and metabolic ability have not been investigated thus far. In this study, we characterized a collection of 61 bacterial strains isolated from Scleroderma citrinum mycorrhizae, the mycorrhizosphere, and the adjacent bulk soil in an oak forest. The ability of bacteria to weather biotite was assessed with a new microplate bioassay that measures the pH and the quantity of iron released from this mineral. We showed that weathering bacteria occurred more frequently in the vicinity of S. citrinum than in the bulk soil. Moreover, the weathering efficacy of the mycorrhizosphere bacterial isolates was significantly greater than that of the bulk soil isolates. All the bacterial isolates were identified by partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis as members of the genera Burkholderia, Collimonas, Pseudomonas, and Sphingomonas, and their carbon metabolism was characterized by the BIOLOG method. The most efficient isolates belonged to the genera Burkholderia and Collimonas. Multivariate analysis resulted in identification of three metabolic groups, one of which contained mainly bacterial isolates associated with S. citrinum and exhibiting high mineral-weathering potential. Therefore, our results support the hypothesis that by its carbon metabolism this fungus selects in the bulk soil reservoir a bacterial community with high weathering potential, and they also address the question of functional complementation between mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria in the ectomycorrhizal complex for the promotion of tree nutrition.
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PMID:Effect of the mycorrhizosphere on the genotypic and metabolic diversity of the bacterial communities involved in mineral weathering in a forest soil. 1735 Nov 1


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