Correspondence to: Mr Sean Turner, Clinical Services, Princess Margaret Hospital, Roberts Road, Perth, Western Australia 6008, Australia; sean.turner@health. wa.gov.au _________________________ T here has been a great deal written about the use of selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in the adult population. Yet despite this there is still controversy over their place in treatment and...

Reduction in the mRNA and protein expression of lipocalin-like prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)) synthase (PGDS), the main arachidonic acid metabolite produced in neurons and glial cells of the central nervous system, is a significant biological event involved in the malignant progression of astrocytomas and is predictive of poor survival. In vitro, the addition of the main PGDS metabolite, PGD(2), t...

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are highly effective in treating the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, but it is well recognized that these agents are associated with substantial gastrointestinal toxicity. Treatment guidelines suggest that patients with one or more risk factors for NSAID associated ulcers should be prescribed preventive...

The aim of the present study was to compare microvessel responses to hypercapnic and isocapnic acidosis in hyperoxia-injured lungs and to assess the role of constitutive and inducible forms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclo-oxygenase (COX). Real-time confocal luminescence microscopy was used to measure changes in the diameter of acinar arterioles, venules and capillaries in response to s...

In the present study we investigated the role of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and prostaglandins in experimental Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection and the relationship between these mediators and nitric oxide (NO) production. Mouse peritoneal macrophages elicited with thioglicolate were infected with leishmania amastigotes, and the infection index determined 48 h later. The cour...

Comprehensive analysis of the gene expression profiles associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and polarization toward M1 or M2 phenotypes led to the following main results: 1) M-CSF-driven monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation is associated with activation of cell cycle genes, substantiating the underestimated proliferation potential of monocytes. 2) M-CSF leads to expres...

BACKGROUND Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) is induced in cardiomyocytes only in response to stress, such as ischaemia. OBJECTIVE To assess COX-2 expression at the site of recent myocardial infarction. METHODS COX-2 expression was evaluated by specific immunostaining in cardiomyocytes from 23 subjects who died 10-60 days after acute myocardial infarction. The relation between COX-2 myocardial expr...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Differential diagnosis between aggressive osteoblastoma and low grade osteosarcoma may be very difficult or even impossible on a small biopsy. This study was designed to assess the usefulness of immunoexpression of COX-2 and osteocalcin in the differential diagnosis of the two tumour types. METHODS Immunostaining of COX 2 and osteocalcin were studied in 9 osteoblastomas and 30...

Correspondence to: Mr Sean Turner, Clinical Services, Princess Margaret Hospital, Roberts Road, Perth, Western Australia 6008, Australia; sean.turner@health. wa.gov.au _________________________ T here has been a great deal written about the use of selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in the adult population. Yet despite this there is still controversy over their place in treatment and...