Rappaport Faculty of Medicine

About: Rappaport Faculty of Medicine is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Heparanase. The organization has 3205 authors who have published 3915 publications receiving 114533 citations.

Thyroid dysfunction in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): relation to disease activity.

Abstract: We examined the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and the production of anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and assessed the association between ATA production and SLE disease activity status. Seventy-seven patients who met the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for SLE participated in the study. Fifty-two individuals served as a control group. Demographic, clinical information and SLE disease activity (SLEDAI) status were collected from all patients. The sera of all participants were tested for free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroglobulin (ATg) and anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO). A SLEDAI score of ≥6 was considered clinically significant. The results of the thyroid function tests and ATA were compared between the study group and the control group. ATA levels were compared between the patients with a SLEDAI score of ≥6 to those with a SLEDAI score of <6. Hypothyroidism was detected in 11.6% of SLE patients compared to 1.9% in the control group. None of the patients or controls had evidence of hyperthyroidism. No statistically significant difference was observed in the levels of ATg or TPO between the study group and the control group. No correlation was found between ATA levels and the degree of the disease activity. Among the different variables tested in this study, hypothyroidism was the only significant abnormal finding in SLE patients. No association was found between the SLEDAI score and the prevalence of ATA production. Larger controlled, longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm these findings and elucidate the role played by ATA in the pathogenesis of thyroid dysfunction in SLE patients.

Effect of dietary fat on early morphological intestinal adaptation in a rat with short bowel syndrome.

Abstract: Among factors promoting mucosal hyperplasia after bowel resection, long-chain fatty acids may have a special role. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of high-fat diet (HFD) on early intestinal adaptation in rats with short bowel syndrome (SBS). Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either a bowel transection with re-anastomosis (Sham rats) or 75% small bowel resection (SBS rats). Animals were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Sham rats fed normal chow (Sham-NC); SBS rats fed NC (SBS-NC); and SBS rats fed HFD (SBS-HFD). Rats were killed on days 3 or 14. Body weight and parameters of intestinal adaptation (overall bowel and mucosal weight, mucosal DNA and protein, villus height, and crypt depth) were determined at time of killing. By day 3, SBS-HFD rats demonstrated higher duodenal and jejunal bowel and mucosal weights and ileal villus height and jejunal crypt depth vs SBS-NC rats. By day 14 SBS-HFD rats continued to demonstrate increased duodenal and jejunal bowel weight and duodenal mucosal weight vs SBS-NC animals. We conclude that early exposure to HFD both augmented and accelerated structural bowel adaptation in a rat model of SBS.