Regulation of pulmonary inflammation by mesenchymal cells.

Pulmonary inflammation and tissue remodelling are common elements of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and pulmonary hypertension (PH). In disease, pulmonary mesenchymal cells not only contribute to tissue remodelling, but also have an important role in pulmonary inflammation. This review will describe the immunomodulatory functions of pulmonary mesenchymal cells, such as airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells and lung fibroblasts, in chronic respiratory disease.

Identification of serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and prolactin as potential tumor markers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Early diagnosis of hepatocellullar carcinoma (HCC) remains a challenge. The current practice of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) measurement is inadequate. Here we utilized a proteomic approach to identify novel serum biomarkers for distinguishing HCC patients from non-cancer controls.

Genotype diversity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in HCV-associated liver disease patients in Indonesia.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype distribution in Indonesia has been reported. However, the identification of HCV genotype was based on 5'-UTR or NS5B sequence.

Aims: This study was aimed to observe HCV core sequence variation among HCV-associated liver disease patients in Jakarta, and to analyse the HCV genotype diversity based on the core sequence.