Endostatin and Thrombospondin-1 levels are increased in the sera of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Chronic urticaria (CU) is a common disease characterized by recurrent itchy wheals and/or angioedema for more than 6 weeks. Increased levels of the pro-angiogenic mediator vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been described in skin disorders, such as chronic urticaria (CU), psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Up to now, no data on the role of VEGF endogenous inhibitors Endostatin (ES) and Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in CU are available.

Avian influenza A virus monitoring in wild birds in Bavaria: occurrence and heterogeneity of H5 and N1 encoding genes.

To define avian influenza virus prevalence in wild birds in Bavaria, 12,930 tracheal, cloacal swabs or tissue samples from various waterfowl species were screened between January 2006 and December 2007. In 291 (2.3%) birds, genomes of influenza A viruses were detected by reverse transcription real-time PCR (rRT-PCR) targeting the matrix protein genes.

[Surveillance of wild birds for avian influenza A virus (AIV) in Bavaria in the years 2007 and 2008].

A monitoring programme has been initiated in Bavaria to continuously control wild birds for the presence of avian Influenza A virus (AIV) and to monitor the possible occurrence and accumulation of notifiable AIV subtypes as an early-warning system. In addition information about the regional, seasonal and species-specific distribution of AIV could be obtained. Between July 2007 and December 2008 samples from 5864 wild birds of twelve different zoological orders had been collected (cloacal- and tracheal swab samples, droppings, and organs) and analysed.

Intimal hyperplasia of the infant parasellar carotid artery: a potential developmental factor in atherosclerosis and SIDS.

Intimal cushions that project into the lumen of arteries are precursors of atherosclerotic plaque formation. The "carotid siphon, " although frequently affected by atherosclerosis, was never analyzed for the occurrence of neonatal intimal hyperplasia. This study provides a topographic and morphometric analysis of intimal cushions in the parasellar internal carotid artery (pICA) of the human infant.