BACKGROUND Skin is an essential barrier in maintaining a stable internal environment. Adequate regenerative capacity is crucial to overcome the homeostatic challenges caused by a septic insult. In sepsis, coagulation and inflammation are activated to restore homeostasis, but it is not known whether sepsis also alters tissue regeneration processes such as skin collagen synthesis. METHODS In th...

There is an increasing need to understand the leukocytes and soluble mediators that drive acute inflammation and bring about its resolution in humans. We therefore carried out an extensive characterisation of the cantharidin skin blister model in healthy male volunteers. A novel fluorescence staining protocol was designed and implemented, which facilitated the identification of cell populations...

Ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation of the skin causes immunosuppression which is relevant to the induction of skin cancer. The mechanism of this immunomodulation is unclear but various regulatory molecules have been implicated, including cis-urocanic acid (cis-UCA) and the cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 10 (IL-10). Whether ultraviolet A (UVA) induces similar cha...

To extend prior studies implicating treponemal lipoproteins as major proinflammatory agonists of syphilitic infection, we examined the responses induced by intradermal injection of human subjects with synthetic lipoprotein analogues (lipopeptides) corresponding to the N termini of the 17- and 47-kDa lipoproteins of Treponema pallidum. Responses were assessed visually and by flow cytometric anal...

In sections of control and normal skin, the nuclei of the epithelial cells were often indented by the cell protoplasm, giving them an appearance similar to those indented by Mallory's bodies. It would seem that if these bodies of Mallory's were protozoa they would have been found in the sections from both the living and the dead skin of scarlet-fever and measles, as they were present in the bli...

As part of the NASA Starlight collaboration, we look at implications impacts with interstellar medium (ISM) on a directed energy-driven relativistic spacecraft. The spacecraft experiences stream MeV/nucleon along forward edge primarily from hydrogen and helium nuclei. accumulation implanted slowly diffusing gas atoms in solids drives damage through meso-scale processes bubble formation, blister...

For Pd thin films, microstructural changes involved during hydrogen cycling provide the information needed to predict and optimize film's mechanical strength. In this paper, a systematic study of morphology, microstructure, texture, stress has been performed on films loading deloading cycles at room temperature. similar morphology were prepared by magnetron sputtering substrates different compl...

We present evidence of a possible case of self-medication in a lekking bird, the great bustard Otis tarda. Great bustards consumed blister beetles (Meloidae), in spite of the fact that they contain cantharidin, a highly toxic compound that is lethal in moderate doses. In addition to anthelminthic properties, cantharidin was effective against gastrointestinal bacteria that cause sexually-transmi...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Blister-like aneurysms are uncommon but challenging lesions. Their small size and atypical location often make the diagnosis difficult. Microsurgery and endovascular procedures have been used for their treatment, but there is no consensus on the best treatment technique. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of treatments and outcomes of these vascular lesion...