Herbivory is a fundamental ecological force in the evolution of plant physiological, morphological, and chemical attributes. In this study, we explored how browsing pressure by local deer populations affected leaf form and function in two California native tree species, Quercus agrifolia (coast live oak) and Umbellularia californica (California bay laurel). Specifically, we investigated how leaf and stem vascular attributes differed between browsed and non-browsed zones of each species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare, vascular sarcoma with clinical presentation ranging from an indolent to an aggressive form. Over 50% of patients present with metastatic disease, requiring systemic therapy, although no systemic therapies are specifically approved for EHE. Retrospective evidence supports the activity of mTOR inhibitors (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare, translocated vascular sarcoma. EHE can have different clinical presentations from indolent to rapidly evolving cases, behaving as a high-grade sarcoma. Serosal effusion and systemic symptoms such as fever and severe pain are known as adverse prognostic factors; however, outcome prediction at disease onset remains a major challenge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tissue factor (TF) generates proteases that can signal through PAR-1 and PAR-2. We have previously demonstrated PAR-1 signalling primes innate myeloid cells to be exquisitely sensitive to interferon-gamma (IFNγ). In this work we explored how TF mediated PAR-2 signalling modulated responsiveness to IFNγ and investigated the interplay between PAR-1/-2 signalling on macrophages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultrarare vascular sarcoma with an incidence of <1/million/year and a large clinical heterogeneity. Data on supportive care needs of rare cancer patients are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the level of supportive care needs of EHE patients and its association with sociodemographic, clinical and symptom burden characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe long-term trajectory of kidney function recovery or decline for survivors of critical illness is incompletely understood. Characterising changes in kidney function after critical illness and associated episodes of acute kidney injury (AKI), could inform strategies to monitor and treat new or progressive chronic kidney disease. We assessed changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and impact of AKI for 1301 critical care survivors with 5291 eGFR measurements (median 3 [IQR 2, 5] per patient) between hospital discharge (2004-2008) and end of 7 years of follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDelayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses underpin chronic inflammation. Using a model of oxazolone-induced dermatitis and a combination of transgenic mice, adoptive cell transfer, and selective agonists/antagonists against protease activated receptors, we show that that PAR-1 signaling on macrophages by thrombin is required for effective granuloma formation. Using BM-derived macrophages (BMMs) , we show that thrombin signaling induced (a) downregulation of cell membrane reverse cholesterol transporter ABCA1 and (b) increased expression of IFNγ receptor and enhanced co-localization within increased areas of cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground Anticoagulants induce atherosclerosis regression in animal models but exploiting this clinically is limited by bleeding events. Here we test a novel thrombin inhibitor, PTL060, comprising hirulog covalently linked to a synthetic myristoyl electrostatic switch to tether to cell membranes. Methods and Results ApoE-/- mice were fed chow or high-fat diets, before transplantation of congenic aortic segments or injection of PTL060, parental hirulog, control saline, or labeled CD11b positive cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare vascular sarcoma with unique clinical features. EHE is characterized by an unpredictable, often protracted, clinical course and highly variable clinical presentation. Due to difficulty recruiting ultra-rare cancer patients, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of EHE patients has not yet been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Kidney J
February 2020
Severe and life-threatening hypercalcaemia can develop in haemodialysis patients dialysed against a dialysate with a high calcium concentration, the so-called hard water syndrome. Here we describe the development of hard water syndrome in 30 patients following sequential failure of the reverse osmosis unit and water softeners. Serum calcium levels rose from 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The best approach for surgical treatment of an infected THA remains controversial. Two-stage revision is believed to result in lower reinfection rates but may result in significant functional impairment. Some authors now suggest that single-stage revision may provide comparable results in terms of infection eradication while providing superior functional outcomes.
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