Specificity of EIA immunoassay for complement factor Bb testing.

Background: During the alternative complement pathway activation, factor B is cleaved in two fragments, Ba and Bb. Concentration of those fragments is about 2 logs lower than of factor B present in the blood, which makes fragment detection challenging because of potential cross-reactivity. Lack of information on Bb assay cross-reactivity stimulated the authors to investigate this issue.

Sodium fluoride influences the expression of keratins in cultured keratinocytes.

Epithelia in lung, skin, and kidney are often exposed to fluoride, and tissue damage in lung and kidney due to fluoride is well documented. Nevertheless, the biological effects of fluoride on epithelia are poorly investigated. In the present study, we report effects of sodium fluoride (NaF) on the differentiation of a human epithelial cell line, HaCaT.

Inquiring minds: women's approaches to evaluating complementary and alternative therapies for menopausal symptoms.

Objective: To examine how women gather, evaluate, and use information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) options for managing menopausal symptoms.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Calgary, Alta.

Immunohistochemical localization of plakophilins (PKP1, PKP2, PKP3, and p0071) in primary oropharyngeal tumors: correlation with clinical parameters.

Plakophilins (PKPs) are members of the armadillo multigene family. Armadillo-related proteins function in both cell adhesion and signal transduction, and also play a central role in tumorigenesis. Here we report the immunohistochemical localization of PKPs in 37 cases of human primary squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx lacking overt distant metastases that were followed clinically for 3 years.

H-7 and fetal calf serum (FCS) act synergistically to increase apoptosis in the KB line of human oral carcinoma cells.

There is a high incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) worldwide. The survival rate is among the lowest of the major cancers and has not improved significantly over the past two decades. The KB line of human oral carcinoma cells is a useful experimental system for studies of the biology of oral SCC.