OBJECTIVE:: Arterial stiffening increases with age and is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Several risk factors have been shown to predict the development of arterial stiffening; however, a positive family history (FH+) of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and hypertension has not been extensively studied. We hypothesize that FH+ of CMD plays a significant role in the development of arte

BACKGROUND:: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was introduced in 2000. The first 7-valent vaccine was followed by a 13-valent vaccine (PCV13) with the same conjugate, and a 10-valent vaccine (PCV10), conjugated to protein D from H. influenzae. The vaccines offer some protection against pneumococcal acute otitis media (AOM), and, with PCV10, possibly also some protection against H. influenzae AO

The aim of this paper is to explore the establishment of diplomatic representation as a measure of de facto recognition by other state units, and to explain its causes in the “long 19th century” (1817-1914). The premise of the paper is that, at least before the advent of broad-ranging legitimizing international organizations such as the League of Nations or the UN in the 20th century, sending a di

Rationale: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), in particular emphysema, is characterized by loss of parenchymal alveolar tissue and impaired tissue repair. Wingless and INT-1 (WNT)/b-catenin signaling is reduced in COPD; however, the mechanisms thereof, specifically the role of the frizzled (FZD) family of WNT receptors, remain unexplored. Objectives: To identify and functionally charact

Background: A novel potential approach for lung transplantation could be to utilize xenogeneic decellularized pig lung scaffolds that are recellularized with human lung cells. However, pig tissues express several immunogenic proteins, notably galactosylated cell surface glycoproteins resulting from alpha 1,3 galactosyltransferase (α-gal) activity, that could conceivably prevent effective use. Use

The University of Vermont College of Medicine and the Vermont Lung Center, in collaboration with the NHLBI, Alpha-1 Foundation, American Thoracic Society, European Respiratory Society, International Society for Cell Therapy, and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, convened a workshop, "Stem Cells and Cell Therapies in Lung Biology and Lung Diseases, " held July 29 to August 1, 2013 at the Universit

An increasing number of studies demonstrate that administration of either conditioned media (CM) or extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow and other sources are as effective as the MSCs themselves in mitigating inflammation and injury. The goal of the current study was to determine whether xenogeneic administration of CM or EVs from human

Acellular whole human lung scaffolds represent a unique opportunity for ex vivo tissue engineering. However, it remains unclear whether lungs from individuals with chronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be appropriately decellularized and recellularized. To assess this, cadaveric human lungs from normal (non-smoking) patients and from patients with COPD (smo

Calcium phosphates (CaPs) are major chemical constituents of mammalian bone. Their osteoconductivity in vitro and in vivo has encouraged their use in biomaterial applications such as implant materials and drug delivery. High aspect ratio nanoparticles are attractive for many biomedical applications; however, precise control of the phase and morphology is challenging. The impact of fuel-to-oxidant

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is one of the most common chronic lung diseases in infants caused by pre- and/or postnatal lung injury. BPD is characterized by arrested alveolarization and vascularization due to extracellular matrix remodeling, inflammation, and impaired growth factor signaling. WNT signaling is a critical pathway for normal lung development, and its altered signaling has been sh

Aims: Our aim was to investigate the impact of intravenous (IV) beta-blocker therapy on short-term mortality and other in-hospital events in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and results: Using the nationwide Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development o

The European League Against Rheumatism recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis have been recently published. Unique to recommendation development, they were also voted on by members of a learned society. This paper explores the wider validity of the recommendations among people who self-identify as clinicians caring for patients with vasculit

Background - The pathogenic role of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; EF

Objective. To compare outcomes over the first 8 years in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) recruited in the 1990s and the 2000s, with a special focus on functional disability and its possible predictors. Methods. Data were acquired from 1938 patients with early RA (American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria) included in the BARFOT study, who had completed the 8-year followup. The p