Numerous peripheral tissues possess self-sustaining daily biologic rhythms that are regulated at the molecular level by clock genes such as PER1, PER2, CLOCK, and BMAL1. Physiological function of nasal mucosa exhibits rhythmic variability to a day-night environmental cycle. Nevertheless, little is known of the expression and distribution pattern of clock genes in nasal mucosa. The present study...

BACKGROUND Excess mucus production and hypersecretion characterize upper airway diseases. The primary mechanisms leading to mucus hypersecretion in chronic rhinosinus inflammation are not well understood. Mucus hypersecretion is commonly accompanied by goblet cell and submucosal gland cell hyperplasia. It is important to identify which mucin gene messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are expressed in the sinu...

Objectives/Hypothesis. To determine if laryngopharyngeal reflux alters mucin gene expression in laryngeal mucosa. Methods. In situ hybridization was employed to study the expression of the 8 well-characterised mucin genes MUC1-4, 5AC, 5B, 6, and 7 in reflux laryngeal mucosa from laryngeal ventricles, posterior commissures, and vocal folds compared to control/normal laryngeal mucosa. Results. MU...

BACKGROUND Not much is known about the role of gastric microbiota except for Helicobacter pylori in human health and disease. In this study, we aimed to detect human gastric microbiota in both gastric mucosa and gastric juice by barcoded 454-pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and to compare the results from mucosa and juice. METHODS Gastric biopsies and stomach juices were collected from 4 s...

BACKGROUND The movement of neutrophils into the colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis is induced by chemokines including interleukin 8 (IL8) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). AIMS To compare the ability of mucosa from ulcerative colitis patients and controls to stimulate neutrophil movement, to define the contribution of LTB4 to this, and to define the relative biological importance of LTB4 and IL8. ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Gastric intestinal metaplasia, which is mainly induced by Helicobacter pylori infection, is thought to be a precancerous lesion of gastric adenocarcinoma. Intestinal metaplastic mucosa expresses intestine specific homeobox genes, Cdx1 and Cdx2, in the human gastric mucosa. We and others have reported that ectopic expression of Cdx2 in the gastric epithelium generates intesti...

Object: The inability of the spinal cord to regenerate after SCI is due to the extremely limited regenerative capacity of most central nervous system (CNS) axons, along with the hostile environment of the adult CNS, which does not support axonal growth. It seems that for successful axonal regeneration to take place, a supportive local environment is required after the injury. We have previously...

BACKGROUND The cause of inflammation in cardiac mucosa at the gastro-oesophageal junction (GOJ) is unclear, both gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and Helicobacter pylori having been implicated. AIMS To describe patterns of gastritis in patients with symptomatic GORD. METHODS In 150 patients (126 normally located Z-line, 24 Barrett's oesophagus) with symptoms of GORD, biopsies were t...