Craniosynostosis anomalies in twins.

This report discusses the incidence of twinning in nonsyndromic and syndromic craniosynostosis. Nonsyndromic craniosynostosis occurs in approximately 1 in 2,100 live births; the incidence of twinning in patients with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis has been reported to be higher than the rate of 2.5% of live births in the general population.

Plasmodium-infected Anopheles mosquitoes collected in Virginia and Maryland following local transmission of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Two recent outbreaks of locally acquired, mosquito-transmitted malaria in Virginia in 1998 and 2002 demonstrate the continued risk of endemic mosquito-transmitted malaria in heavily populated areas of the eastern United States. Increasing immigration, growth in global travel, and the presence of competent anopheline vectors throughout the eastern United States contribute to the increasing risk of malaria importation and transmission. On August 23 and 25, 2002, Plasmodium vivax malaria was diagnosed in 2 teenagers in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Effects of EGF and bFGF on irradiated parotid glands.

Radiotherapy is common treatment for head-and-neck cancer, during which the salivary glands are often included within the radiation field. The most common side effect of this treatment is the development of oral dryness (xerostomia). This study considers the administration of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF or FGF2) at physiological concentrations before and after irradiation in order to repair radiation-induced damage in salivary gland cells.

Inflammatory proteases in chronic otitis externa.

Objectives: Proteases are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Inhibition of these proteases has shown promise in the treatment of these skin conditions. The purpose of this study was to measure the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and human neutrophil elastase (HNE) activities in chronic otitis externa (COE) and to determine whether administration of protease inhibitors recombinant alpha 1-antitrypsin (rAAT) and ilomastat might reduce these protease activities.

Homo- and heteromeric assembly of TRPV channel subunits.

The vanilloid receptor-related TRP channels (TRPV1-6) mediate thermosensation, pain perception and epithelial Ca(2+) entry. As the specificity of TRPV channel heteromerization and determinants governing the assembly of TRPV subunits were largely elusive, we investigated the TRPV homo- and heteromultimerization. To analyze the assembly of TRPV subunits in living cells, we generated fluorescent fusion proteins or FLAG-tagged TRPV channel subunits.

Simvastatin inhibits growth factor expression and modulates profibrogenic markers in lung fibroblasts.

Simvastatin is best known for its antilipidemic action and use in cardiovascular disease due to its inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoenzymeA (HMG CoA) reductase, a key enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway. Inhibition of biological precursors in this pathway also enables pleiotrophic immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory capabilities, including modulation of growth factor expression. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and persistent myofibroblast formation are major determinants of the aggressive fibrotic disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Microarray analysis of the failure of filtering blebs in a rat model of glaucoma filtering surgery.

Purpose: To generate data concerning changes in levels of protein expression associated with wound healing and bleb failure in a rat model of glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS), and to identify factors that may play a role in this process.

Methods: Of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats, GFS was performed on 27 by introducing a silicone cannula through a scleral tunnel under a conjunctival flap, resulting in aqueous-filtering blebs that failed over 8 to 13 days. The additional nine rats were used as the nonsurgical control.

Activation of the melastatin-related cation channel TRPM3 by D-erythro-sphingosine [corrected].

TRPM3, a member of the melastatin-like transient receptor potential channel subfamily (TRPM), is predominantly expressed in human kidney and brain. TRPM3 mediates spontaneous Ca2+ entry and nonselective cation currents in transiently transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Using measurements with the Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent dye fura-2 and the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we found that D-erythro-sphingosine, a metabolite arising during the de novo synthesis of cellular sphingolipids, activated TRPM3.

Profiles of matrix metalloproteinase activity in equine tear fluid during corneal healing in 10 horses with ulcerative keratitis.

Objective: Levels of tear film matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) activity are significantly elevated in horses with ulcerative keratitis and contribute to the excessive breakdown of stromal collagen. Changes in the amount of proteolytic activity in horse tear film during corneal healing and stromal remodeling have not yet been reported, but we hypothesize they should decrease. In the present study we analyzed serial tear fluid from horses with ulcerative keratitis to identify any changes in MMP activity during corneal healing and stromal remodeling.

Husserl's theory of wholes and parts and the methodology of nursing research.

Whenever the name Edmund Husserl appears in the context of nursing research, what correctly comes to mind is the phenomenological approach to qualitative methodology. Husserl is not only considered the founder of phenomenology, but his broad concept development also contributed to the demise of positivism and inspired fruitful approaches to the social sciences. In this spirit of inspiration, it must be expressed that Husserl's theory of wholes and parts, and particularly his differentiation of parts into "pieces" and "moments", is very helpful in guiding the selection of research methods across the board in nursing science.

[Effect of temperament, effect of alcohol expectancies and peer group on amount of drinking and alcohol-related problems in adolescence].

Objective: The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the relationship between temperament (novelty seeking, harm avoidance and reward dependence), alcohol expectancies, membership in a deviant/substance-using peergroup and drinking behaviour of adolescents drawn from a general population.

Methods: 147 adolescents about 15 years of age were interviewed and completed several self-rating questionnaires. We gathered additional information by interviewing their parents.

TRPV1 acts as proton channel to induce acidification in nociceptive neurons.

The low extracellular pH of inflamed or ischemic tissues enhances painful sensations by sensitizing and activating the vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1). We report here that activation of TRPV1 results in a marked intracellular acidification in nociceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons and in a heterologous expression system. A characterization of the underlying mechanisms revealed a Ca(2+)-dependent intracellular acidification operating at neutral pH and an additional as yet unrecognized direct proton conductance through the poorly selective TRPV1 pore operating in acidic extracellular media.

Follow-up of acute pulmonary complications in cystic fibrosis by magnetic resonance imaging: a pilot study.

Unlabelled: The aim of this pilot study was to obtain information on the value of MRI in the follow-up of atelectasis and pneumonic infiltrates in cystic fibrosis (CF). Six patients aged 5-15 y were initially examined using chest X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both methods provided identical information.

Assessment of human pulmonary function using oxygen-enhanced T(1) imaging in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Indirect qualitative MRI of pulmonary function is feasible using the paramagnetic effects of oxygen physically dissolved in blood. In this study, a more quantitative oxygen-enhanced pulmonary function test based on the slope of a plot of R(1) vs. oxygen concentration-the oxygen transfer function (OTF)-was developed and tested in a pool of five healthy volunteers and five patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Differential expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinases during flow-modulated vein graft remodeling.

Objective: While shear stress closely regulates vascular remodeling, the mediators of this process have been only partially elucidated. The current study examined the role of the gelatinases in flow-mediated vein graft intimal hyperplasia. We hypothesized that matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 expression and protein levels, relative to tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2, are upregulated in a flow-dependent manner during vein graft arterialization.

Hammerhead ribozyme targeting connective tissue growth factor mRNA blocks transforming growth factor-beta mediated cell proliferation.

Purpose: Excessive scarring following trauma or surgery of cornea, conjunctiva or retina can greatly impair visual outcome. At present, no agents are clinically available that selectively reduce activity of genes that regulate fibrosis. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has been linked to fibrosis in several tissues, including cornea and conjunctiva.

Do alcohol expectancies and peer delinquency/substance use mediate the relationship between impulsivity and drinking behaviour in adolescence?

Aims: To investigate (1). whether aggressive and delinquent behaviour problems predict subsequent adolescent drinking behaviour; and (2). to what extent this association is mediated by alcohol expectancies and/or peer delinquency/substance use.

Expression analysis of the entire MMP and TIMP gene families during mouse tissue development.

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and adamalysins (ADAMs) cleave many extracellular proteins, including matrix, growth factors, and receptors. We profiled the RNA levels of every MMP, several ADAMs, and inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs and RECK) in numerous mouse tissues during development and in the uterus during pregnancy. Observations include: most secreted MMPs are expressed at low to undetectable levels in tissues, whereas membrane-bound MMPs, ADAMs and inhibitors are abundant; almost every proteinase and inhibitor is present in the uterus or placenta at some time during gestation; the mouse collagenases mColA and mColB are found exclusively in the uterus and testis; and each tissue has its unique signature of proteinase and inhibitor expression.

Involvement of CTGF in TGF-beta1-stimulation of myofibroblast differentiation and collagen matrix contraction in the presence of mechanical stress.

Purpose: This study was undertaken to investigate the role of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and fibroblast-mediated collagen matrix contraction in the presence of mechanical stress.

Methods: An in vitro three-dimensional contraction model of human corneal-fibroblast-seeded collagen lattices (FSCLs) in the presence of mechanical stress generated by attaching the lattices to the culture well was used to measure FSCL contraction. FSCLs were treated with CTGF; TGF-beta1; serum-free (SF) control medium; or TGF-beta1 plus antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to CTGF; TGF-beta1 plus scrambled-sequence oligodeoxynucleotide to CTGF; or TGF-beta antibody.

Progressively enlarging pericardial lipoma in a child.

Mediastinal lipomas are slowly growing tumours. Only very few cases have been reported in children. None of these included a rapidly enlarging lipoma.

Temporal patterns of gene expression in murine cutaneous burn wound healing.

The global changes in gene expression in injured murine skin were characterized following a second-degree scald burn. Dorsal skin was harvested from uninjured and from burned mice at 2 h and at 3 and 14 days following immersion in 65 degrees C water for 45 s. Gene expression was surveyed using an Affymetrix U74Av2 GeneChip, and patterns of gene expression were analyzed using hierarchical clustering and supervised analysis.

Expression of connective tissue growth factor after glaucoma filtration surgery in a rabbit model.

Purpose: Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) appears to play a significant role in mediating fibrosis in several tissues. To gain further understanding of the role of CTGF in the scar formation that occurs after glaucoma filtering surgery (GFS), experiments were performed in a rabbit model.

Methods: .