BACKGROUND Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH), also denoted as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, is a lipoprotein-bound enzyme that is possibly involved in inflammation and atherosclerosis. This study investigates the relationship of PAF-AH activity to angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD), the use of cardiovascular drugs, and other established risk factors. METHO...

Platelet activating factor (PAF) and PAFlike lipids induce inflammatory responses in target cells. These lipid mediators are inactivated by PAF-acetylhydrolase (PAFAH). The PAF signaling system affects the growth of hematopoietic CD34 cells, but roles for PAF-AH in this process are unknown. Here, we investigated PAF-AH function during megakaryopoiesis and found that human CD34 cells accumulate ...

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in patients with schizophrenia can respond to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We report the therapeutic utility of rTMS in a 48-year-old patient with a 20-year history of severe depression (five suicidal gestures and previous failure of ECT) and internal AVH. First, 20 Hz rTMS to the left prefrontal cortex for 3 weeks significantly improv...

BACKGROUND Low absolute humidity (AH) has been associated with increased influenza virus survival and transmissibility and the onset of seasonal influenza outbreaks. Humidification of indoor environments may mitigate viral transmission and may be an important control strategy, particularly in schools where viral transmission is common and contributes to the spread of influenza in communities. H...

Aqueous humour (AH) is an important biologic fluid that maintains normal intraocular pressure and contains proteins that regulate the homeostasis of ocular tissues. Any alterations in the protein compositions are correlated to the pathogenesis of various ocular disorders. In recent years, gender-based medicine has emerged as an important research focus considering the prevalence of certain dise...

Aldosterone-producing adenoma and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia account for >90% of all primary aldosteronism cases. Distinguishing between bilateral and unilateral disease is of fundamental importance because it allows targeted therapy. Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the only reliable means to preoperatively differentiate between unilateral and bilateral subtypes. A rare but serious complicati...

Inflammation underlies both onset and perpetuation of atherosclerosis. Plasma lipoproteins transport the platelet-activating factor-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) with potentially anti-inflammatory activities. Our aim was to determine whether PAF-AH activity was associated with inflammatory markers and with coronary artery disease (CAD). PAF-AH activity and a panel of inflammatory mediators were meas...