Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) is a progressive and chronic disease resulting from atherosclerotic events. Atherosclerotic obstructions are consequence of chronic ischemia in the lower extremity arteries in patients with PVD. It is suggested that blood levels of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and endogenous Tissue inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs) have been associated with atheroscl...

The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) have been postulated to play a critical role in the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling associated with follicular development. The gelatinases were localized to the theca of developing follicles and in the stroma of the rodent ovary. Gelatinolytic activity corresponded with the localization of MMP-2 and MMP-9 around the...

The events that result in the establishment and progression of aortic aneurysms are complex and multifactorial. However, degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of aortic tunica media appears to be a consistent histopathological and biochemical feature. An increased local expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as well as an imbalance between MMP expression and the expression of th...

To the Editor: I read with great interest the article by Ruokolainen et al. (1) reporting on the clinical validity of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 (TIMP-1) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Comparing the preoperative serum TIMP-1 concentrations and the immunohistochemical staining of TIMP-1 in tumor sections, they showed that increased TIMP-1 in both compartments...

of MMP-2, 3, and 9 progressively increased with severity of heart failure, while levels of TIMP-1 and full-length fibronectin declined. The change in MMP and TIMP expression levels correlated strongly with the decline in NYHA class. While these results place these analytes at the scene of the crime, several questions remain to be answered before a guilty plea can be entered. For one, there is a...