Sirolimus induced phosphaturia is not caused by inhibition of renal apical sodium phosphate cotransporters.

The vast majority of glomerular filtrated phosphate is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule. Posttransplant phosphaturia is common and aggravated by sirolimus immunosuppression. The cause of sirolimus induced phosphaturia however remains elusive.

The effect of steroid pretreatment of deceased organ donors on liver allograft function: a blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background & Aims: Brain death-associated inflammatory response contributes to increased risk of impaired early liver allograft function, which might be counterbalanced by steroid pretreatment of the organ donor. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to elucidate whether steroid pretreatment of liver donors improves early liver allograft function, prevents rejection and prolongs survival.

Methods: A placebo-controlled blinded randomized clinical trial was performed in three different centers in Austria and Hungary between 2006 and 2008.

CXCL9 induces chemotaxis, chemorepulsion and endothelial barrier disruption through CXCR3-mediated activation of melanoma cells.

Background: Metastasis is associated with poor prognosis for melanoma. The formation of metastases is a multi-step process, in which cancer cells can subsequently acquire the potential to intravasate into the blood or lymph vessels, disseminate through the circulation, extravasate through the endothelium and invade the connective tissue. There is increasing evidence that chemokines have a pivotal role in the dissemination and establishment of melanoma metastasis.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 is transcriptionally activated by all-trans-retinoic acid in human epidermal keratinocytes.

Retinoids are regulators of keratinocyte differentiation in the epidermis and important therapeutics in dermatology. The formation of the most active retinoid, all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) by oxidation of retinal is catalyzed by aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDH), of which ALDH1A3 has been shown to be most efficient. Here we investigated the expression of ALDH1A3 in epidermal cultures.

Renal phosphate handling in human--what can we learn from hereditary hypophosphataemias?

Background: Renal reabsorption of inorganic phosphate is critical for the maintenance of phosphate homeostasis. The sodium dependent phosphate cotransporters NaPi-IIa and NaPi-IIc have been identified to fulfill this task at the brush border membrane of proximal tubule cells. Various factors including dietary phosphate intake, parathyroid hormone, or the so called phosphatonins such as FGF23 have been shown to regulate activity of these transporters.