Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive lung disease that primarily affects young women. Genetic evidence suggests that LAM cells bearing TSC2 mutations migrate to the lungs, proliferate, and cause cystic remodeling. The female predominance indicates that estrogen plays a critical role in LAM pathogenesis, and we have proposed that estrogen promotes LAM cell metastasis by inhibition of ...

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a female-predominant lung disease that can lead to respiratory failure. LAM cells typically have inactivating tuberous sclerosis 2 (TSC2) mutations, leading to mTORC1 hyperactivation. The gender specificity of LAM suggests that female hormones contribute to disease progression. Clinical findings indicate that estradiol exacerbates LAM behaviors and symptoms. Al...

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis is the most common cause of death among patients with HIV infection living in tuberculosis endemic countries, but many cases are not diagnosed pre-mortem. We assessed the test characteristics of urinary lipoarabinomannan (LAM) and predictors of mortality among HIV-associated tuberculosis suspects in Tanzania. METHODS We prospectively enrolled hospitalized HIV-infected ...

Chronic hepatitis B continues to be a global problem, with an estimated 240 million cases according to the World Health Organization. Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. There are currently several US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for treating chronic hepatitis B, with Lamivudi...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Spontaneous acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection occasionally occurs in its natural history, sometimes leading rapidly to fatal hepatic failure. We compared the effects of lamivudine (LAM) with those of entecavir (ETV) treatments in acute exacerbation of chronic hepatitis B with 500 IU/L or higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. METHODS Thirty...

In antiviral therapy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, drug resistance remains a huge obstacle to the long-term effectiveness of nucleoside/tide analogs (NAs). Primary resistance mutation (rtM204V) contributes to lamivudine (LAM)-resistance, and compensatory mutations (rtL180M and rtV173L) restore viral fitness and increase replication efficiency. The evaluation of new anti-viral agents aga...

Tuberous sclerosis syndrome (TSC) is an autosomal dominant tumor suppressor gene syndrome affecting multiple organs, including renal angiomyolipomas and pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). LAM is a female-predominant interstitial lung disease characterized by the progressive cyst formation and respiratory failure, which is also seen in sporadic patients without TSC. Mutations in TSC1 or T...

Author Contributions: All authors had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Lam and Steinman. Acquisition of data: Steinman. Analysis and interpretation of data: Lam, Miao, and Steinman. Drafting of the manuscript: Lam. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intel...

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive disease caused by accumulation of metastatic (LAM) cells in the lungs, lymphatics, and the tumor angiomyolipoma (AML). LAM cells have biallelic loss of either tuberous sclerosis complex gene (but predominantly TSC-2) and resultant dysregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Chemokines are associated with neoplastic cell grow...