Correlation between metabolic status and diabetic retinopathy evolution in type 1 diabetes.

Out of the multiple vascular complications of diabetes, retinopathy is the easiest to diagnose and monitor as the examination of the eye fundus is an easy investigation to perform, does not require expensive medical equipment and can be repeated without any risk to the patient. The appearance of the retinal vessels, the optic nerve and the retina can provide useful information on the coronary and cerebral circulation, plasma lipid levels, renal function, and the quality of the arteries of the lower limbs. It is known that visual acuity changes variably depending on the macular alteration and may decrease when edema is installed in the macular region or is altered by the appearance of hemorrhages or the presence of foveolar neovascular tissues resulting from traction retinal detachment.

The novel role of HtrA1 in gingivitis, chronic and aggressive periodontitis.

Proteolytic tissue degradation is a typical phenomenon in inflammatory periodontal diseases. HtrA1 (High temperature requirement A 1) has a serine protease activity and is able to degrade fibronectin whose fragments induce the expression and secretion of several matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The aim of this study was to investigate for the first time if HtrA1 has a role in gingivitis and in generalized forms of chronic and aggressive periodontitis.

The involvement of TGF-β1 and CTGF in regional gingival overgrowth.

Gingival overgrowth is a multifactorial and invalidating condition. Our research is about gingival overgrowth caused by gingival plaque, its purpose being the evaluation of the presence of gingivitis and/or parodontitis in patients with gingival growth and the extent in which there is a connection between gingival overgrowth and the inflammatory process that can contribute to an exceedingly stimulation of the overgrowth. Immunohistological study was conducted on human material--gingival mucosa that came from patients with ages between 20-65 years, divided into three groups: group I--control group, group II--patients with gingivitis, group III--patients with local or general periodontitis.

Evidence for the involvement of TGF-β1-CTGF axis in liver fibrogenesis secondary to hepatic viral infection.

Liver fibrosis is a nonspecific response to injuries, which implies the synthesis of an abnormal extracellular matrix (ECM). TGF-β (transforming growth factor β) is a cytokine involved in regulation of several important processes: cell development and differentiation, apoptosis, synthesis and degradation of ECM. CTGF (connective tissue growth factor) is a cysteine rich peptide that belongs to the CCN family of proteins and plays an essential role in the formation of blood vessels, bone and connective tissue.

Immunohistochemical aspects of endometrial glands in dysfunctional uterine hemorrhage.

The authors present a specific aspect of the modifications of the endometrium in dysfunctional uterine hemorrhages that is the behavior of the endometrial glands. These glands are studied from a immunohistochemical point of view, regarding both the normal endometrium (inclusively at the age of two years) and the endometrium in dysfunctional uterine hemorrhages. The antigens used were VGEF and PCNA.

Idiopathic gingival hypertrophy--a morphological study and a review of literature.

Unlabelled: Gingival overgrowth occurs as a response to several drugs, in some systemic diseases, as a consequence of a genetic predisposition or could be idiopathic, the last being less studied. Independently of the etiological factor involved, histological changes are maintained and intensified by the presence of the bacterial plaque.

Material And Methods: Fibrotic mucosa clinically diagnosed with idiopathic hypertrophy was included in paraffin and studied using usual histological stains and immunohistochemical techniques for vimentin, MMP-3 and TIMP-2.

Immunohistochemical study of the morphological changes in placental villi from fetal membranes infectious disease.

Unlabelled: Many types of infection cause placental changes but sometimes the etiological cause may be difficult to prove. Infections may ascend from endocervical canal or they may reach placenta hematogenously through the maternal blood. Typically, placenta of "the amnionic sac infection syndrome" is an immature placenta.

Dual targeting of IGF-1R and PDGFR inhibits proliferation in high-grade gliomas cells and induces radiosensitivity in JNK-1 expressing cells.

Increased expression and activation of receptor tyrosine kinases frequently occur in human brain tumors, mediating a variety of growth-promoting pathways and leading to radioresistance; however, little is known about their motogenic potency relative to one another. In this study, we found co-expression of Insulin like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) in two high-grade gliomas (HGG) cell lines 18 and 38. Dual targeting of IGF-1R and PDGFR increased cell death in both 18 and 38 cell lines in comparison to inhibition of either receptor alone.

Immunohistochemical assessment of angiogenesis in primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by the presence of angiogenesis, which is necessary for tumor growth, progression and distant metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is clearly expressed in HCC, in variable degrees as a function of differentiation and vascularisation.

Aim: To assess angiogenesis in HCC, by means of immunohistochemical analysis of the expressions of VEGF.

Immunohistochemical assessment of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and dysplastic nodules.

A complementary way for the assessment of HCC prognosis is represented by the analysis of molecular markers. Thus, immunohistochemical assessment of proliferation can describe tumor aggressiveness, probability of local recurrence or metastasis potential, being very useful for the assessment of recurrence-free survival and survival until death. The aim of our study was to assess proliferating cell nuclear antigen activity in HCC and dysplastic nodules as compared with surrounding non-neoplasic areas.