Bone marrow-derived stromal/stem cells (BMSCs) have recently been characterized as mediators of tissue regeneration after injury. In addition to preventing fibrosis at the wound site, BMSCs elicit an angiogenic response within the fibrin matrix. The mechanistic interactions between BMSCs and invading endothelial cells (ECs) during this process are not fully ...

This study was performed to determine whether chronic direct renin inhibition can prevent the development of slowly progressive angiotensin (ANG) II-dependent hypertension and the associated derangements in renal function in Cyplal-Ren2 transgenic rats with inducible expression of the Ren2 gene. Male Cyplal-Ren2 rats (n = 6) were fed a normal ...

The damaging effect of hyperlipidaemia on testicular structure was determined, and the influence of melatonin was evaluated in testicular damage related to hyperlipidaemia. Hyperlipidaemia was induced in ApoE-knockout C57BL/6J male mice fed with high-fat diet alone (group A), or with high-fat diet and melatonin (group B). Six ApoE wild-type C57BL/6J ...

In the US, HIV disproportionately affects Latinos who often present late in the disease. Baltimore has seen a recent rapid growth in its Latino population paralleled by an increasing impact of HIV/AIDS among Latinos. From 2009 to 2010, we performed a cross-sectional survey of Latinos accessing the Baltimore City Health ...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), are inflammatory demyelinating diseases that develop as a result of deregulated immune responses causing glial activation and destruction of CNS tissues. Oleanolic acid and erythrodiol are natural triterpenes that display strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities. Oleanolic acid beneficially influences ...

The 27-kDa heat shock protein (HSP27) has been implicated in wound healing in multiple tissues. We investigated the expression and localization of phosphorylated HSP27 during epithelial wound healing in the murine cornea. Corneas of 8- to 10-week-old C57BL6 mice were wounded by epithelial debridement (n = 40). Unwounded corneas served ...

Fibrotic disorders of the lung are associated with perturbations in the plasminogen activation system. Specifically, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression is increased relative to the plasminogen activators. A direct role for this imbalance in modulating the severity of lung scarring following injury has been substantiated in the bleomycin model of ...

Behavioral and emotional problems are highly prevalent in early childhood and represent an important focus of practice for clinical child and pediatric psychologists. Although psychological or psychiatric disorders are not typically diagnosed in children under the age of 2 years, recent research has demonstrated the appropriateness of assessing behavioral and ...

The 5-ht(1E) receptor is highly expressed in the human brain and its structure is conserved in humans, suggesting an important physiological role for 5-ht(1E) receptors. However, neither the function nor the distribution of this receptor has been characterized in the mammalian brain. Rats and mice lack the 5-ht(1E) receptor gene; ...

Cross-presentation is the presentation by MHC class I of antigenic peptides from exogenous proteins that have been internalized and processed by professional antigen-presenting cells, e.g. dendritic cells. We have investigated the influence of particle size and antigen load on cross-presentation following antigen delivery on microspheres (MS). Cross-presentation from small particles ...

The presence and persistence of alloantigen is necessary for graft-specific T-cell-mediated immunity. However, specificity comprises only a single facet of an extremely complex process. Evidence is accruing to suggest that immunogenicity could be manipulated by endogenous ligands released during tissue injury. Stress molecules are significantly up-regulated following transplantation and stimulate ...

The pathways by which Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) infection contributes to the formation of Merkel cell carcinomas are important for understanding the pathogenesis of these cancers. We hypothesized that MCV T antigen suppresses normal responses to ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced DNA damage. An MCV-infected cell line (MKL-1) exhibited UVR hypersensitivity, impaired ...

When reconstructing large- to medium-remnant microtia cases, one of the greatest dilemmas is how to deal with the variable shape and volume of the three-dimensional skin remnant for coverage of a newly sculptured three-dimensional framework. There are few guidelines for using the remnant skin adequately for achieving satisfactory aesthetic outcomes ...

: One issue in the adoption of autologous fat transfer to the breast is concern over mammographic changes that may obscure cancer detection. The authors compared mammographic changes following fat grafting to the breast with changes seen after breast reduction. : Twenty-seven women who had normal preoperative mammograms were treated ...

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (CT) is now routinely used for staging and monitoring treatment response in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Although most patients with HSNCC have locoregional disease, distant metastases are relatively uncommon and occur predominantly in the lungs. To explore the potential of a limited scan ...

In the seminiferous epithelium, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are located in a particular environment called the "niche" that is controlled by the basement membrane, key testis somatic cells, and factors originating from the vascular network. However, the role of Leydig cells (LCs) as a niche component is not yet clearly ...

Breast augmentation by autologous fat transfer is an appealing alternative in need of scientific validation. In a prospective multicenter study, 81 women (age range, 17 to 63 years) wore the Brava device, a bra-like vacuum-based external tissue expander, for 4 weeks and then underwent autologous fat injection using 10 to ...

The neuromedin B receptor (Nmbr) is an important physiological regulator of spontaneous activities and stress responses through different cascades as well as its autocrine and paracrine effects. Previous studies have revealed that neuromedin B (Nmb) and its receptor signal via the Rela (also known as p65)/Il6 pathway in a mouse ...

Neonatal distraction in severe micrognathia patients may alleviate the need for tracheostomy. The authors' objectives in evaluating syndromic neonatal distraction cases were to: (1) document preoperative temporomandibular joint pathology, (2) compare the incidence of postoperative temporomandibular joint ankylosis, and (3) determine whether "unloading" the condyle tended to prevent temporomandibular joint ...

The Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 3, 7, 8 and 9 stimulate innate immune responses upon recognizing pathogen-derived nucleic acids. TLR3 is located on the cell surface and in cellular endosomes and recognizes double-stranded viral RNA or the synthetic mimic poly rI:rC. Recently, unformulated small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been reported as ...

Short-term results after proximal interphalangeal joint arthroplasty with pyrolytic carbon (pyrocarbon) implant have shown that this implant has high complication rates, but patient satisfaction is high. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of the implant for use in proximal interphalangeal joint at a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. Thirteen consecutive ...

The cellular innate immune response is essential for recognizing and defending against viral infection. Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) and virus-induced signaling adaptor (VISA) mediated immune signalling is critically involved in RNA-virus-induced innate immune responses. Here we demonstrate that the complement C1qA interacts with different RIG-I pathway components and enhances RIG-I-VISA-mediated ...

The studies of PGE2 (prostaglandin E2) biosynthesis have focused primarily on the role of cyclo-oxygenases. Efforts have shifted towards the specific PGE2 terminal synthases, particularly mPGES-1 (microsomal PGE synthase 1), which has emerged as the crucial inducible synthase with roles in pain, cancer and inflammation. mPGES-1 is induced by pro-inflammatory ...

Renal cell carcinoma is resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. STAT1 is overexpressed in human RCC tissue. Downregulation of STAT1 expression could significantly increase the radiosensitivity in RCC cell lines. To further investigate the function of STAT1 in RCC resistance to chemoradiotherapy, a stable STAT1 knockdown cell line was established. Knockdown ...

Natural luteolysis involves multiple pulses of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF) released by the nonpregnant uterus. This study investigated expression of 18 genes from five distinct pathways, following multiple low-dose pulses of PGF. Cows on Day 9 of the estrous cycle received four intrauterine infusions of 0.25 ml of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) ...

Cyclic-AMP-responsive-element-binding protein H (CREB-H) is a transcription factor that is highly and selectively expressed in liver and small intestine. Here I summarize recent findings on the role of CREB-H in lipid metabolism. Recent studies have demonstrated that hepatic CREB-H is transcriptionally activated by fasting, and induces lipid metabolism genes, such ...

Preeclampsia is characterized by dysfunctional endothelium and impaired angiogenesis. Recent studies suggest that the neuronal guidance SLIT/ROBO system regulates tumor angiogenesis. This study investigated if SLIT and ROBO are differentially expressed in healthy term and preeclamptic placentas and if hypoxia regulates SLIT and ROBO expression in placental trophoblast and endothelial ...

Retinoic acid (RA) is a meiosis-inducing factor. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the developing ovary are exposed to RA, resulting in entry into meiosis. In contrast, PGCs in the developing testis enter mitotic arrest to differentiate into prospermatogonia. Sertoli cells express CYP26B1, an RA-metabolizing enzyme, providing a simple explanation for ...

The process of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) is critical for disposal of excess cholesterol from the body. Although it is generally accepted that RCT requires biliary secretion, recent studies show that RCT persists in genetic or surgical models of biliary insufficiency. Discovery of this nonbiliary pathway has opened new possibilities ...

Prognostic values of genotyping and phenotyping for assessment of clopidogrel responsiveness have been shown in independent studies. To compare different assays for prediction of events during long-term follow-up. In this prospective cohort study polymorphisms of CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*17 alleles, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation (VASP) assay, multiple electrode aggregometry (MEA), cone and ...

A method of defining the image-derived input function (IDIF) was introduced and evaluated for the quantification of the regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose in PET studies. The voxels in the brain vasculature are extracted on the basis of the different monotonicities between the input and the output function curves. ...

Pompe disease can be treated effectively, if immune tolerance to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with acid α-glucosidase (GAA) is present. An adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector carrying a liver-specific regulatory cassette to drive GAA expression (AAV-LSPhGAA) established immune tolerance in GAA knockout (KO) mice, whereas ubiquitous expression with AAV-CBhGAA provoked immune ...

HER2 signalling by heterodimerisation with EGFR and HER3 in breast cancer is associated with worst outcome of the afflicted patients, which is attributed not only to the aggressiveness of such tumours but also to therapy resistance. Thus, in the present study we investigated the role of EGFR, HER2 and HER3 ...

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is common in general surgery and organ transplantation, and in the case of liver, it triggers proinflammatory innate immune cascade and hepatic necrosis, leading to increased incidence of early and late organ rejection. Interleukin (IL)-22, an inducible cytokine of T-cell origin and a member of the IL-10 ...

Trace elements have been cited as both inhibitory and causative agents of cancer but importantly exposure to them is potentially modifiable. Our study aimed to examine toenail trace element status and risk of Barrett's oesophagus (BO) and oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC). Toenail clippings from each hallux were obtained from 638 participants ...

We analyzed the association between meat intake, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and bladder cancer (BC) risk in a large case-control study comprised of 884 BC cases and 878 healthy controls, recruited from 1999 to 2009. Epidemiologic and dietary data were collected via an in-person interview. Compared to the lowest quartile of ...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a potent antihyperglycemic hormone. It can induce glucose-dependent insulin secretion. GLP-1 has a short half-life of less than 2 min in vivo due to degradation by the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV. GLP-l analogues, such as exendin-4 and exendin-3, have similar biological activity but a longer in-vivo half-life. Pancreatic ...

Deimination refers to conversion of protein-bound arginine into citrulline. An mRNA carrier, RNA binding export factor (REF), present on mitochondria undergoes loss of deimination with impaired ATP5b mRNA transport in ND4 mice (model of multiple sclerosis) compared with the controls. We present evidence of (1) reduced ATP5b mRNA binding strength ...

Using MDCK cells that constitutively express a Förster resonance energy transfer biosensor, we found that Rac1 activity is homogenous at the entire plasma membrane in early stages of cystogenesis, whereas in later stages Rac1 activity is higher at the lateral membrane than at the apical plasma membrane. If Rac1 is ...

Video laryngoscopy may be useful in the setting of the difficult airway, but it remains unclear if intubation success is improved in routine difficult airway management. This study compared success rates for tracheal intubation with the C-MAC® video laryngoscope (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) with conventional direct laryngoscopy in patients with ...

Recent findings suggest that nuclear IGF1R binds to enhancer regions and functions as a transcriptional cofactor. However, the downstream transcriptional regulators of this pathway remain to be defined. Here, we show that nuclear IGF1R associates with the transcription factor LEF1 and increases promoter activity of LEF1 downstream target genes cyclin ...

Recognizing actions in videos is rapidly becoming a topic of much research. To facilitate the development of methods for action recognition, several video collections, along with benchmark protocols, have previously been proposed. In this paper, we present a novel video database, the "Action Similarity LAbeliNg" (ASLAN) database, along with benchmark ...

Costello syndrome (OMIM# 218040) is a distinctive rare multisystem disorder comprising a characteristic coarse facial appearance, intellectual disabilities, and tumor predisposition. Although the diagnosis can be suspected clinically, confirmation requires identification of a heterozygous mutation in the proto-oncogene HRAS. In contrast to somatic oncogenic mutations in neoplasia, the Costello syndrome ...

Klotho is a recently discovered anti-aging gene. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether klotho gene transfer attenuates superoxide production and oxidative stress in rat aorta smooth muscle (RASM) cells. RASM cells were transfected with AAV plasmids carrying mouse klotho full-length cDNA (mKL) or LacZ as a control. ...

Disturbances of circadian rhythms and mammalian clock genes have been implicated in the etiologies of many chronic illnesses, including cancer. We show that transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha)-regulated PER2 activation is a potential tumor suppressor pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), one of the commonest types of mature ...

The challenge in protein structure prediction using homology modeling is the lack of reliable methods to refine the low resolution homology models. Unconstrained all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) does not serve well for structure refinement due to its limited conformational search. We have developed and tested the constrained MD method, based ...

Ammonia is responsible for cerebral edema associated with acute liver failure, but the role of the vasogenic mechanism has been a matter of dispute. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ammonia induces changes in blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability by a mechanism coupled to oxidative/nitrosative stress (ONS) evoked in the BBB-forming ...

Monodisperse gas microbubbles, encapsulated with a shell of photopolymerizable diacetylene lipids and phospholipids, were produced by microfluidic flow focusing, for use as ultrasound contrast agents. The stability of the polymerized shell microbubbles against both aggregation and gas dissolution under physiological conditions was studied. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 5000, which was attached ...

Strategies to ameliorate the flaws of current chemotherapeutic agents, while maintaining potent anticancer activity, are of particular interest. Agents which can modulate multiple targets may have superior utility and fewer side effects than current single-target drugs. To explore the prospect in cancer therapy of a bivalent agent that combines two ...

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, has increased in incidence more rapidly than any other cancer. The completion of the human genome project and advancements in genomics technologies has allowed us to investigate genetic alterations of melanoma at a scale and depth that is unprecedented. Here, we survey ...