Molecular Mechanisms of Response to Different Sources of Oxidative Stress.

Oxidative stress is a biological principle affecting all life on Earth and is also an important factor in the pathogen-host relationship. The pathogenic free-living amoeba has several pathways to cope with reactive oxygen species and the damage that they cause. In this study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of the amoeba's response to different sources of oxidative stress.

Vitamin D for prevention of sternotomy healing complications: REINFORCE-D trial.

Background: Most cardiac surgery patients undergo median sternotomy during open heart surgery. Sternotomy healing is an arduous, very complex, and multifactorial process dependent on many independent factors affecting the sternum and the surrounding soft tissues. Complication rates for median sternotomy range from 0.

Urinary cytology and quantitative BTA and UBC tests in surveillance of patients with pTapT1 bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Objectives: To compare results of urinary cytology, quantitative detection of human complement factor H-related protein (BTA TRAK), and urinary fragments of cytokeratins 8 and 18 (UBC IRMA) with the recurrence status in patients with pTapT1 bladder cancer and to define the possible role of these methods in a surveillance protocol.

Methods: We collected urine from 88 consecutive patients with primary pTapT1 tumors before the first transurethral resection (TURB) and before each follow-up cystoscopy. In all samples urinary cytology and quantitative BTA and UBC tests were performed.