Subepithelial fibrosis in asthma involves an increase in the thickening of the lamina reticularis and is due to increased deposition of collagen I, III and V, and fibronectin. The cause of the thickening of the reticular layer is not known in detail, however, it is proposed to be caused by bronchial myofibroblasts. The transformation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts may be contributed by inflammat

Purpose: To assess the additional value of subtraction ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) coregistered to MRI (SISCOM) for localization of the epileptogenic zone in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy scheduled for invasive video-EEG (VEEG) before epilepsy surgery by a descriptive study from clinical practice. Methods: Forty-nine consecutive epilepsy patients between Januar

Objective: The aim of this study was the validation of the criteria defining a significant mucocutaneous-bleeding history in type 1 von Willebrand disease (VWD). Subjects and methods: To avoid selection bias, 42 obligatory carriers (OC) of type 1 VWD were identified from a panel of 42 families with type 1 VWD enrolled by 10 expert centers. OC were identified by the presence of an offspring and ano

The ability of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) to influence epithelial interleukin (IL)-8 responses to the intestinal bacterium Lactobacillus plantarum 299v was analyzed in the human HT-29 colonic epithelial cell line. In the absence of TNF-alpha, IL-8 mRNA expression was not detectable by Northern blot analysis in HT-29 cells alone or in HT-29 cells co-culture

The production of complex three-dimensional dendritic structures is an important step in the application of semiconductor nanowires. One promising method for achieving this is the sequential seeding of multiple generations of epitaxial nanowires using metal seed particles. However, it is difficult to control and predict the position of second and higher generation nanowires with respect to the fir

The emission time chronology of neutrons, protons, and deuterons from the E/A=61 MeV Ar-36+Al-27 reaction is deduced from two-particle correlation functions.

A system is developed that from an image sequence of a deformable object automatically extracts features and tracks them through the sequence, estimates the non-rigid 3D structure and finally computes a surface triangulation. Also the camera motion is acquired. The object is supposed to deform according to a linear model, while the motion of the camera can be arbitrary. No domain specific prior of

BACKGROUND. Spindle cell lipoma (SCL) is a relatively uncommon, benign tumor that usually presents in the subcutaneous fat of adult men. Although some studies have addressed the histologic findings of SCL, only a few descriptions of aspiration cytology findings have been published. The cytologic features are poorly defined, and aspirates from SCL may cause diagnostic problems, because SCL shares s

The emission of air pollutants which form acid components in rain and snow represents a threat to natural ecosystems. Increased leaching of nutrients from soils (ABRAHAMSEN et al. 1976b), decreased pHvalues in lakes and changes in fish populations (SCHOFIELD 1976) have been suggested as some of the consequences of the increased acidity of rain. Scandinavian coniferous forests are very stable ecosy

The ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors of the proton G(Ep)/G(Mp), which is an image of its charge and magnetization distributions, was measured at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) using the recoil polarization technique. The ratio of the form factors is directly proportional to the ratio of the transverse to longitudinal components of the polarization of the r

We have analyzed mantle cell lymphomas (MCLs), using high-density DNA microarrays, and confirmed the expression of differentially regulated antigens, using flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. The results show that MCLs acquire expression of molecules that normally are involved in interaction with other immune cells and, thus, might affect the ability of the tumor to survive. The MCL signature

This paper presents data on an extensive late Holocene advance of Kotlujokull, a southeastern outlet glacier from the ice cap Myrdalsjokull, central south Iceland. During the advance, basal till was deposited on top of a volcanic ash layer resting on lava hummocks. Remnants of this landscape are now seen 3.5-5.5 km in front of Kotlujokull as a fragment surrounded by the Myrdalssandur. Electron mic

Buprenorphine misuse by injecting drug users was assessed in a survey of 350 needle exchangers, either amphetamine (57%) or heroin users (42%). 89% of heroin users and 24% of amphetamine users reported using buprenorphine at some time during the previous year. Most users reported illicit acquisition. Among illicit users, 87% of heroin users reported intake for withdrawal treatment or self-detoxifi

Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem associated with microvascular and macrovascular complications, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. It is rapidly growing worldwide with huge economical and social burden. Although prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications play a key role in reducing its morbidity and mortality, they require an integrated team approach at nation

PRELP (proline, arginine-rich end leucine-rich repeat protein) is an extracellular matrix leucine-rich repeat protein. The amino-terminal region of PRELP differs from that of other leucine-rich repeat proteins in containing a high number of proline and arginine residues. The clustered proline and basic residues are conserved in rat, bovine, and human PRELP. Although the function of PRELP is not ye

Objective. To assess the interaction between cystatin C (CysC) and serum amyloid A protein (SAA). Methods. Levels of CysC and SAA and antibodies against these proteins were assessed in the paired blood and synovial fluid (SF) samples of 90 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Age and sex matched individuals having normal iohexol clearance (n = 90) and SF following joint trauma (n = 40) were us