Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Induces Adipogenesis in Orbital Fibroblasts: Implications for the Pathogenesis of Graves' Orbitopathy.

Background: Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Graves' orbitopathy (GO). It stimulates several processes, including hyaluronan synthesis, involved in orbital tissue volume expansion and may act synergistically with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB. PDGF-BB is known to stimulate adipogenesis in orbital fibroblasts, but the effect of bFGF on adipogenesis in orbital fibroblasts is so far unknown.

Swine-like hepatitis E viruses are a cause of unexplained hepatitis in the Netherlands.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in developed countries are recognized as an imported disease related to travel to endemic regions. However, increasing evidence suggests that HEV infection may also occur in the developed countries and that swine may act as a possible reservoir. To investigate the indigenous transmission of HEV in the Netherlands, sera from 50 blood donors and 1027 sera from patients with acute hepatitis were screened with an ELISA for HEV-specific IgG and IgM.

Disturbance and Predictability of Flowering Patterns in Bird-Pollinated Cloud Forest Plants.

The distribution and flowering patterns of hummingbird-pollinated plants were compared from July 1981 to June 1983 in three patch types in cloud forest at Monteverde, Costa Rica. Study plots were: (1) four recent, large (1100-2500 m ) disturbances ("cutovers") produced by cutting vegetation, (2) six recent, smaller (200-600 m ) disturbances caused by treefalls, and (3) four plots (1600-1800 m ) of canopied forest. Based on published literature dealing with communities that characterize different regimes of disturbance, we tested one assumption and two hypotheses.