RATIONALE Basic research implicates alveolar endothelial cell apoptosis in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. However, information on endothelial microparticles (EMPs) in mild COPD and emphysema is lacking. OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that levels of CD31(+) EMPs phenotypic for endothelial cell apoptosis would be elevated in COPD and associated with ...

Dear Editor, Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into totipotent or pluripotent state by nuclear transfer (NT) or the ‘Yamanaka method’. White adipose tissue (WAT) is a source of readily accessible donor cells that provide virtually unlimited cells for reprogramming. Recently, freshly isolated white adipose tissue-derived cells (ADCs) from humans or mice have been successfully reprogrammed into i...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunoexpression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and CD31/microvascular density in squamous cell carcinomas of the floor of the mouth and to correlate the results with demographic, survival, clinical (TNM staging) and histopathological variables (tumor grade, perineural invasion, embolization and bone invasion). Data from medical records and diagnoses of 41 patients we...

Nucleolin is implicated to play a role in angiogenesis, a vital process in tumor growth and metastasis. However, the presence and clinical relevance of nucleolin in human non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we explored the expression and prognostic implication of nucleolin in surgically resected NSCLC patients. A cohort of 146 NSCLC patients who underwent ...

The absence of mutations in the IgV genes, together with the presence of ZAP-70 and CD38, are the most reliable negative prognostic markers for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Several lines of evidence indicate that CD38 may be not only a diagnostic marker but also a key element in the pathogenetic network in CLL. First, CD38 is a receptor that induces proliferation and increases s...

BACKGROUND Newer techniques are required to identify atherosclerotic lesions that are prone to rupture. Electric impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is able to provide information about the cellular composition of biological tissue. The present study was performed to determine the influence of inflammatory processes in type Va (lipid core, thick fibrous cap) and Vc (abundant fibrous connective tissue ...

Previous studies have demonstrated the protective effect of hypoxic preconditioning on acute cerebral infarction, but the mechanisms underlying this protection remain unclear. To investigate the protective mechanisms of hypoxic preconditioning in relation to its effects on angiogenesis, we induced a photochemical model of cerebral infarction in an inbred line of mice (BALB/c). Mice were then ex...