BACKGROUND Vascular remodelling has recently been shown to be a promising pathogenetic indicator in idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs). AIM To validate the importance of the collagen/elastic system in vascular remodelling and to study the relationships between the collagen/elastic system, survival and the major histological patterns of IIPs. METHODS Collagen/elastic system fibres wer...

Elastin is a major structural component of elastic fibres that provide properties of stretch and recoil to tissues such as arteries, lung and skin. Remarkably, after initial deposition of elastin there is normally no subsequent turnover of this protein over the course of a lifetime. Consequently, elastic fibres must be extremely durable, able to withstand, for example in the human thoracic aort...

Elastane fibres show rubber like behavior and are highly stretchable. Basically these fibres contain polyurethane bonds. Elastic fabrics are an important route to achieve comfort by freedom of movement for body fitted with sports and outdoor wear. Elastic garments used in athletics and sports may improve the athlete’s performance in cycling, swimming and so on. A great deal of research is repor...

Multicellular fibres formed by Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) are attracting interest because of their potential application as degradable biomaterials. However, mechanical properties of individual fibres remain unknown because of their small dimensions. Herein, a new approach is developed to investigate the tensile properties of individual fibres with an average diameter of 0.7 μm and a lengt...

Acquired cutis laxa is an uncommon disorder sometimes associated with monoclonal gammopathy and multiple myeloma, although the mechanism of this link is unclear. We report here a case of a 34-year-old man with generalized acquired cutis laxa and monoclonal light chain disease with renal and neurological involvement. Electron microscopy examination of a skin sample revealed shortened and fragmen...

During the chronological ageing process epidermal skin stem cells become less effective, meaning that the renewing and repairing activity of the epidermis is reduced. Moreover, fewer elastic fibres are synthesised, thereby inducing a progressive loss of skin elasticity. The standardised, COSMOS certified Cyanidium caldarium red algae extract, unique in its capability to produce gamma aminobutyr...

STUDY TYPE Therapy (case series). LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4. OBJECTIVE To evaluate, using quantitative and qualitative methods, the changes in the corpora cavernosa of patients with ischaemic priapism. PATIENTS AND METHODS We obtained samples of corpora cavernosa from seven patients with ischaemic priapism (mean age 38 years, range 28-44) who had a cavernous-glandular shunt. The control tissues...

The effect of aspect ratio on the pull-off stress and stiffness of soft elastic fibres is studied using elasticity and numerical analysis. The adhesive interface between a soft fibre and a smooth rigid surface is modelled using the Dugdale-Barenblatt model. Numerical simulations show that, while pull-off stress increases with decreasing aspect ratio, fibres get stiffer. Also, for sufficiently l...

Twenty-three patients of pulseless disease were described with clinical and histopathological findings. Twenty-two cases whose ages range 16 to 41 were female and one was male. In nineteen of twenty-three cases surgical treatments were performed: removal of carotid body in 7, excision with Tetron graft in 4, by-pass prosthesis with Tetron in 5 and autogenous vein graft in 2 cases. Biop· sies we...

OBJECTIVES To examine histological aspects of the ligaments between the middle ear and temporomandibular joint and suppose a theoretical role of their structural characteristics on mobility of mallear ossicle. METHODS The ligaments were obtained by microdissection of middle cranial fossa on both sites of 15 cadavers fixed in formalin solution and were sectioned longitudinally (7-10 mum thickn...