Changes in the skin temperature (Tsk) are known to be connected with diseases and subsequently infrared thermography (IRT) has been proposed to be a diagnostic aid, e.g. in musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). However, mostly due to conflicting results of previous studies, IRT lost credibility. Now interest in IRT is growing again but valid methodological studies are needed in order to avoid new di...

Mice carrying the Tight skin (Tsk) mutation have thickened skin and visceral fibrosis resulting from an accumulation of extracellular matrix molecules. These and other connective tissue abnormalities have made Tskl + mice models for scleroderma, hereditary emphysema, and myocardial hypertrophy. Previously we localized Tsk to mouse chromosome 2 in a region syntenic with human chromosome 15. The ...

The Tight Skin mouse is a genetically induced animal model of tissue fibrosis caused by a large in-frame mutation in the gene encoding fibrillin-1 (Fbn-1). We examined the influence of gender on the collagen content of tissues in C57BL/6J wild type (+/+) and mutant Tight Skin (Tsk/+) mice employing hydroxyproline assays. Tissue sections were stained with Masson's trichrome to identify collagen ...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder characterized by oxidative stress, impaired vascular function, and attenuated angiogenesis. The tight-skin (Tsk(-/+)) mouse is a model of SSc that displays many of the cellular features of the clinical disease. We tested the hypotheses that abnormal fibrillin-1 expression and chronic phospholipid oxidation occur in Tsk(-/+) mi...

Interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) has been called a "master switch" for its ability to determine whether cells mount proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses. Accordingly, IRF5 should be an attractive target for therapeutic drug development. Here we report on the development of a novel decoy peptide inhibitor of IRF5 that decreases myocardial inflammation and improves vascular endothe...

In this paper, subtractive clustering method is combined with least squares estimation algorithms to pre-identify a type-1 Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) fuzzy model from input/output data. Then the type-2 fuzzy theory is used to expand the type-1 model to a type-2 model. A sensitivity analysis is used to ascertain how a type-1 TSK model output depends upon the pre-initialized parameters and determin...

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of CD40/CD40 ligand (CD40L) interactions with the development of skin fibrosis and autoimmunity in tight-skin (TSK/+) mouse, which is a mouse model for human systemic sclerosis. METHODS Newly born TSK/+ mice were treated with murine anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody (100 microg intraperitoneally weekly). Hypodermal thickness of 8-week-old female mice (defined ...

BACKGROUND Radiation therapy is generally contraindicated for cancer patients with collagen vascular diseases (CVD) such as scleroderma due to an increased risk of fibrosis. The tight skin (TSK) mouse has skin which, in some respects, mimics that of patients with scleroderma. The skin radiation response of TSK mice has not been previously reported. If TSK mice are shown to have radiation sensit...

UNLABELLED The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) in a clinical sample of patients with chronic pain. Chronic pain patients (n = 276) seeking treatment at an interdisciplinary treatment center completed self-report questionnaires including the TSK-13, and 2 tests of physical functioning. Four comp...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the validity and reliability of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia Heart (TSK-SV Heart), a brief questionnaire to detect kinesiophobia (fear of movement) in patients with coronary artery disease. DESIGN Methodological research (cross-sectional study). SUBJECTS A total of 332 patients, mean age 65 years (standard deviation 9.1) diagnosed with coronary artery disease a...