Developing and enhancing biodiversity monitoring programmes: a collaborative assessment of priorities.

Biodiversity is changing at unprecedented rates, and it is increasingly important that these changes are quantified through monitoring programmes. Previous recommendations for developing or enhancing these programmes focus either on the end goals, that is the intended use of the data, or on how these goals are achieved, for example through volunteer involvement in citizen science, but not both. These recommendations are rarely prioritized.

Thrombin is a potent inducer of connective tissue growth factor production via proteolytic activation of protease-activated receptor-1.

The coagulation protease thrombin plays a critical role in hemostasis and exerts pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic effects via proteolytic activation of the major thrombin receptor, protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1). Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a novel fibroblast mitogen and also promotes extracellular matrix protein production. It is selectively induced by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and is thought to be the autocrine agent responsible for mediating its pro-fibrotic effects.

Interleukin-4 ameliorates crescentic glomerulonephritis in Wistar Kyoto rats.

Background: Activated macrophages play a central role in crescentic glomerulonephritis. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) down-regulates many macrophage proinflammatory activities. We therefore studied the effect of IL-4 on glomerular injury in a model of crescentic glomerulonephritis in the Wistar Kyoto rat.

Heme oxygenase is induced in nephrotoxic nephritis and hemin, a stimulator of heme oxygenase synthesis, ameliorates disease.

Heme oxygenase (HO) catalyses degradation of heme to biliverdin, iron and carbon monoxide (CO). Two isoforms exist, a constitutive form and an inducible form (HO-1). Induction of HO-1 may have protective effects in inflammation.