Human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER/ERBB) form dimers that promote cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, but overexpression of HER proteins results in cancer. Consequently, inhibitors of HER dimerization may function as effective antitumor drugs. An alternatively spliced variant of HER2, called herstatin, is an autoinhibitor of HER proteins, and the intron 8-encoded 79-residue domain of herstatin, called Int8, binds HER family receptors even in isolation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The precise mechanism of hyponatremia in Kawasaki disease (KD) remains elusive because assessment of volume status based on serial changes in body weight is lacking in previous reports.
Methods: Seventeen patients who were diagnosed with KD and hyponatremia (serum sodium levels <135 mmol/L) were analyzed. Volume status was assessed based on serial changes in body weight.
Background: Although early treatment of Kawasaki disease (KD) with i.v. immunoglobulin (IVIG) is expected to prevent coronary artery abnormalities, the effectiveness of IVIG by day 4 of illness remains to be determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy is a risk factor for coronary lesions in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). Risk-adjusted initial therapy may improve coronary outcome in KD, but identification of high risk patients remains a challenge. This study aimed to develop a new risk assessment tool for IVIG resistance using advanced statistical techniques.
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