An 89-year-old man with advanced renal failure, polymyalgia rheumatica and a past history of tuberculosis was admitted with a high fever. Erythema and swelling appeared in the femoral region. Since the cellulitis failed to respond to antibiotic therapy, a skin biopsy was performed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: PD-L1 (also B7-H1) and PD-L2 (also B7-DC) are ligands for programmed death-1 (PD-1), which is a member of the CD28/B7 superfamily of costimulatory molecules and plays an inhibitory role on the periphery. Impaired regulation of this system may cause disruption to self-tolerance leading to autoimmunity; however, the role of these molecules in the liver is unknown. Therefore, we examined the expression of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 in the liver in autoimmune liver diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteraction of the envelope glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with a cellular receptor(s) is thought to be essential for the initial steps of HCV infection. However, the mechanisms of HCV infection remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine the features of HCV that enable efficient entry of the virus into human hepatocytes.
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