Determination of Sr mobility in viscous bovine bone marrow by cryo-time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

Rationale: In osteoporosis research, strontium ions (Sr ) have emerged as promising therapeutic agent in modified bone cements for better fracture healing. Modeling of Sr dispersion in bone could be used as a predictive tool for the evaluation of functionalized biomaterials in future. Therefore, determination of experimental parameters for Sr transport in bone is essential.

Genetic (KIR, HLA-C) and Some Clinical Parameters Influencing the Level of Liver Enzymes and Early Virologic Response in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C.

Natural killer cells play an important role as effectors of innate immunity and regulators of adaptive immunity. They are important elements of the innate response to viral infections, which they detect using human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I-binding receptors. Most polymorphic of these are killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) which exist as two basic isotypes, activating or inhibitory receptors and are encoded by genes distributed differently in unrelated individuals.

Contribution of genes for killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) to the susceptibility to chronic hepatitis C virus infection and to viremia.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells are an important element of innate immunity against viruses, although their numbers decrease in the liver during chronic HCV infection. NK cells express a large panel of inhibitory and activating receptors. The most polymorphic of these are killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) which are encoded by multiple genes that may be present or absent in given individuals depending on their genotype.

Detection and significance of cytotoxic cell subsets in biopsies of HCV-infected human livers.

Chronic viral hepatitis C still remains the clinical challenge. Attempts of the immune system to cope with this infection are unsatisfactory. There is a conviction that the main site of interaction between virus (Hepatitis C virus, HCV) and immune system is in situ, i.