Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) is the mesenchymal ligand of the epithelial tyrosine kinase receptor c-Met. In vitro, HGF/SF has morphogenic properties, e.g., induces kidney epithelial cells to form branching ducts in collagen gels. Mutation of the HGF/SF gene in mice results in embryonic lethality due to severe liver and placenta defects. Here, we have evaluated the morphogeni...

INTRODUCTION The Short Form-12 version 2 (SF-12v2) is a shorter version of the Short Form-36 version 2 (SF-36v2) for assessing health-related quality of life. As the SF-12v2 could not be resolved into the physical- and mental-component summary score (PCS and MCS, respectively) in the general population of Singapore, this study aims to determine and validate the Singapore SF-12 version 2 (SG-12v...

conclusions although the two instruments were able to discriminate between various states, the values derived from these instruments were quite different. this distinction could have influenced the conclusions of an economic evaluation. further research is required to determine which instrument should be used in economic evaluations. results the mean and median eq-5d utility scores for the tota...

BACKGROUND Uraemic solutes accumulate in haemodialysis (HD) patients and interfere with physiological functions. Low-flux (LF) HD does not efficiently remove all uraemic compounds. We investigated whether large pore super-flux (SF) cellulose triacetate membranes (CTA) result in a better removal of uraemic solutes. METHODS Eleven patients were dialysed consecutively with LF-CTA and SF-CTA duri...

Scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor (SF/HGF) expression has been linked to malignant progression in glial neoplasms. Using two glioma cell lines, U373MG and SNB-19, we have demonstrated that SF/HGF stimulation allows cells to escape G(1)/G(0) arrest induced by contact inhibition or serum withdrawal. SF/HGF induced effects on two mechanisms of cell cycle regulation: suppression of the cyclin...

BACKGROUND Differential Item Functioning (DIF) is investigated to ensure that each item displays a consistent pattern of responses irrespective of the characteristics of the respondents. Assessing DIF helps to understand the nature of instruments, to assess the quality of a measure and to interpret results. This study aimed to examine whether the items of the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satis...

Cruciferous vegetables contain the bio-active compound sulforaphane (SF) which has been reported to protect individuals against various diseases by a number of mechanisms, including activation of the phase II detoxification enzymes. In this study, we show that the extracts of five cruciferous vegetables that we commonly consume and SF activate human salivary aldehyde dehydrogenase (hsALDH), whi...

The orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) plays pivotal roles in the development and function of steroidogenic organs. It transcriptionally regulates an array of factors required for biosynthesis of steroid hormones and is also necessary for the expression of genes in the pituitary and the male reproductive tract. Here we describe the identification of a novel zinc finger protei...

BACKGROUND Serum fructosamine (SF) has been considered to be an indicator that estimates glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). There is increasing evidence that SF concentration and oxidative stress are significantly elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the data about SF and its association with kidney function are lacking in nondiabetic individua...