DP antagonism reduces airway smooth muscle mass in asthma by decreasing eosinophilia and myofibroblast recruitment.

Increased airway smooth muscle mass, a feature of airway remodeling in asthma, is the strongest predictor of airflow limitation and contributes to asthma-associated morbidity and mortality. No current drug therapy for asthma is known to affect airway smooth muscle mass. Although there is increasing evidence that prostaglandin D type 2 receptor (DP) is expressed in airway structural and inflammatory cells, few studies have addressed the expression and function of DP in airway smooth muscle cells.

Electrical impedance spectroscopy and the diagnosis of bladder pathology.

Bladder pathology is usually investigated visually by cystoscopy. At present, definitive diagnosis of the bladder can be made by biopsy only, usually under general anaesthesia. This is a relatively high-cost procedure in terms of both time and money and is associated with discomfort for the patient and morbidity.

Stand-off electrode (SoE): a new method for improving the sensitivity distribution of a tetrapolar probe.

Tetrapolar probes have been widely used for measuring the impedance spectra of tissues. However, the non-uniform sensitivity distribution of these probes limits the ability to identify conductivity changes in tissue. This paper presents a novel method for improving the sensitivity distribution beneath a tetrapolar probe.