The expansion of follicular lymphomas (FLs) resembles, both morphologically and functionally, normal germinal center B-cell growth. The tumor cells proliferate in networks of follicular dendritic cells and are believed to be capable of somatic hypermutation and isotype switching. To investigate the relation between somatic mutation and heavy chain isotype expression, we analyzed the variable he...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Angiogenesis, which is a critical step in the initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), involves pro-angiogenic factors, including interleukin (IL)-8 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We investigated the role of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in the regulation of pro-angiogenic factors in RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). METHODS FLS were isolated...

This study evaluates the performance of three control systems, namely root locus method, type-1 Mamdani fuzzy logic system (FLS), and interval type-2 FLS, in noise-free noisy ball beam systems. The main contribution this is enabling improved design implementation systems real-world applications by offering a comprehensive understanding each system's performance. methodology involves conducting ...

OBJECTIVE To describe our experience with the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) program as a teaching and assessment tool for basic laparoscopic competency among gynecology residents. METHODS A prospective observational study was conducted at a single academic institution. Before the FLS program was introduced, baseline FLS testing was offered to residents and gynecology division dir...

Angiogenesis is a critical factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although anti-TNF biologics work effectively on some RA patients, concerns have been raised about the possible increased development of malignancies alongside such treatments. Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has attracted worldwide attention and has been reported to treat some cancers. However, the effects of As2O3 on angiogenesis in the...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by synovial hyperplasia and progressive joint destruction. The impaired apoptosis of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) is pivotal in this process. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the reduced apoptosis are not fully understood. Both nitric oxide and thioredoxin 1 as two important media...

OBJECTIVE To investigate expression of the endogenous antagonist of interleukin 18 (IL-18) bioactivity, IL-18 binding protein isoform a (IL-18BPa), in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). METHODS Long-term cultured FLS from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA) and spondylarthropathy patients were analysed for spontaneous and cytokine-induced IL-18BPa expression. Messenger RNA and rel...

We have recently shown that IL-29 was an important proinflammatory cytokine in pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Inflammation also contributes to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of IL-29 on cytokine production and cartilage degradation in OA. The mRNA levels of IL-29 and its specific receptor IL-28Ra in peripher...

Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a representative systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation and proliferation accompanied joint destruction. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are key constituent of the synovium paly an important role in pathogenesis RA. Although accumulating evidence has implicated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) diseases, lncRNAs RA remains unkn...

Abstract Lyme arthritis (LA) is the predominant late-stage manifestation of disease, caused by tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. LA can resolve with antibiotic therapy or persist after treatment in a subset patients, known as post-antibiotic LA. Post-antibiotic characterized proliferative synovitis, dysregulated Th1/ IFNɣ responses and MHC-II+ fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), commo...