Atherosclerotic plaques with a low content of connective tissue proteins are believed to have an increased risk of rupture and to give rise to clinical events. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the content of elastin, collagen and of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -1, -3, -9 and -12 in plaques removed at surgery can be associated with the occurrence of ipsilateral symptoms.

Beulens JWJ, van der Schouw YT, Bergmann MM, Rohrmann S, B Schulze M, Buijsse B, Grobbee DE, Arriola L, Cauchi S, Tormo M-J, Allen NE, van der A DL, Balkau B, Boeing H, Clavel-Chapelon F, de Lauzon-Guillan B, Franks P, Froguel P, Gonzales C, Halkjaer J, Huerta JM, Kaaks R, Key TJ, Khaw KT, Krogh V, Molina-Montes E, Nilsson P, Overvad K, Palli D, Panico S, Ramon Quiros J, Ronaldsson O, Romieu I, Ro

OBJECTIVE Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is associated with insulin resistance and diabetes. The aim of the current study was to determine incidence of diabetes during GH replacement therapy (GHRT) and the effect of GHRT on fasting plasma glucose concentrations and HbA(1c) in adult patients with GH deficiency. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-A total of 5,143 GH-deficient patients (male 49.9%; mean age

Celiac disease is a common autoimmune disorder characterized by an intestinal inflammation triggered by gluten, a storage protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Similar to other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease is the result of an immune response to self-antigens leading to tissue destruction and production of autoantibodies. Common d

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Women who develops hyperglycemia for the first time during pregnancy receive the diagnosis gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Presently, there is no consensus about the diagnostic criteria for GDM. A majority of these women subsequently develop postpartum overt diabetes making it important to identify these patients

This study investigates the mechanisms of (de)coding modality, focusing on the interpretation of utterances containing the modals must, may, måste, and kan. The main research question posed in this study is what enables the interlocutors to interpret modal expressions so that communicative goals are achieved. To answer this general question, Coates's (1983) study on modal contexts is initially rep

OBJECTIVE: The principal aim of the study was to estimate the level of exposure to organic solvents of graffiti removers, and to identify the chemicals used in different cleaning agents. A secondary objective was to inform about the toxicity of various products and to optimise working procedures. METHODS: Exposure to organic solvents was determined by active air sampling and biological monitoring

Developing a reliable and quantitative assessment of the potential virulence of a malignancy has been a long-standing goal in clinical cytometry. DNA histogram analysis provides valuable information on the cycling activity of a tumor population through S-phase estimates; it also identifies nondiploid populations, a possible indicator of genetic instability and subsequent predisposition to metastas

Normal glucose homeostasis is characterized by appropriate insulin secretion and low HbA1c. Gene expression signatures associated with these two phenotypes could be essential for islet function and patho-physiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Herein, we employed a novel approach to identify candidate genes involved in T2D by correlating islet microarray gene expression data (78 donors) with insulin

Epigenetic variation may contribute to the development of complex metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Hepatic insulin resistance is a hallmark of T2D. However, it remains unknown if epigenetic alterations take place in the liver from diabetic subjects. Therefore, we investigated the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern in the liver from subjects with T2D and non-diabetic controls and

BACKGROUND: Progressive immune dysfunction and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) develop in most persons with untreated infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) but in only approximately 20 to 30% of persons infected with HIV type 2 (HIV-2); among persons infected with both types, the natural history of disease progression is poorly understood. METHODS: We analyzed d

The structure, composition and turnover of the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as cell-matrix interactions are crucial in the developing atherosclerotic plaque. There is a need for further insight into specific proteins in the ECM and their functions in the developing plaque, and during the last few years a number of publications have highlighted this very important field of research. These nov