A red herring in vascular calcification: 'nanobacteria' are protein-mineral complexes involved in biomineralization

Nanobacteria Are Mineralo Fetuin Complexes

"Nanobacteria" are nanometer-scale spherical and ovoid particles which have spurred one of the biggest controversies in modern microbiology. Their biological nature has been severely challenged by both geologists and microbiologists, with opinions ranging from considering them crystal structures to new life forms. Although the nature of these autonomously replicating particles is still under de...

Inflammation and Vascular Calcification Causing Effects of Oxidized HDL are Attenuated by Adiponectin in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

The role of oxidized high-density lipoprotein (oxHDL) and the protective effects of adiponectin in terms of vascular calcification is not well established. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of oxHDL with regards to inflammation and vascular calcification and to determine the protective role of adiponectin in attenuating the detrimental effects of oxHDL. Cell viability, mineral...

The Utility of Alizarin Red S Staining in Detection of Vascular Calcification Due to Monckeberg's Sclerosis

Purpose: This study designed to introduce Alizarin red S staining instead of Hematoxylin and Eosin staining in diagnosis of calcification of the paraffin sections. Materials and Methods: Uterine paraffin sections belong to the 20 women aged 53±4, endured hysterectomy stained with H&E and ARS staining. For H&E, the sections were treated with Mayer's hematoxylin (pH 2.3) for 5 min and with Eosin...

Authenticity: a red herring?

Authenticity is a difficult and taxing notion in both the digital and the analogue world. It is a retrospective and by implication dynamic notion, a reaction to whether or not we are dealing with the genuine article, that an object is what it purports to be at a moment in time and its content can be validated using available technology. It is not an end in itself like a fresh herring, but a red...

Azithromycin-warfarin interaction: are we fishing with a red herring?