The placenta forms the interface between the maternal and fetal circulation and is critical for the establishment of a healthy pregnancy. Trophoblast cell proliferation, migration and invasion into the endometrium are fundamental events in the initiation of placentation. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been shown to promote trophoblast invasion in vitro, however its precise role in trophob...

When regenerative processes cannot keep pace with cell death, functional epithelia are replaced by scar. Scarring is characterized by both excessive accumulation of fibrous matrix and persistent outgrowth of cell types that accumulate transiently during successful wound healing, including myofibroblasts (MFs) and progenitors. This suggests that signaling that normally directs these cells to rep...

Peroxisome proliferator activator receptors (PPAR) ligands such as 15-Δ12,13-prostaglandin L(2) [PJ] and all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) have been shown to inhibit the development of liver fibrosis. The role of ligands of retinoic X receptor (RXR) and its ligand, 9-cis, is less clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined treatment of the three ligends, PJ, ATRA an...

AIMS Oxidative stress is present in and contributes to calcification of the aortic valve, but the driving factors behind the initiation of valve oxidative stress are not well understood. We tested whether the valve endothelium acts as an initiator and propagator of oxidative stress in aortic valve disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Calcified human aortic valves showed side-specific elevation of sup...

INTRODUCTION Lung cancer patients receiving radiotherapy present with acute esophagitis and chronic fibrosis, as a result of radiation injury to esophageal tissues. We have shown that soy isoflavones alleviate pneumonitis and fibrosis caused by radiation toxicity to normal lung. The effect of soy isoflavones on esophagitis histopathological changes induced by radiation was investigated. METHO...

PURPOSE To characterize the histological appearance and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators, growth factors, matrix metalloproteinases and biomarkers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in healthy control and trachomatous trichiasis (TT) conjunctival tissue. METHODS Conjunctival biopsies were taken from 20 individuals with TT and from 16 individuals with healthy conjunctiva, which...

Objectives: Arthrofibrosis is characterized by excessive collagen production and adhesions that result in restricted joint motion (stiffness) pain. The rate of procedural intervention (i.e. manipulation under anesthesia or surgical contracture release) ranges from 0.7% to 35% after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery, up 57% a knee dislocation event. Current treatments are l...