Mechanical Properties and Simulated Aging of Silicone Maxillofacial Elastomers: Advancements in the Past 45 Years.

Purpose: To identify and discuss the findings of publications on mechanical behavior of maxillofacial prosthetic materials published since 1969.

Methods: Original experimental articles reporting on mechanical properties of maxillofacial prosthetic materials were included. A two-stage search of the literature, electronic and hand search, identified relevant published studies up to May 2015.

Impact of extracorporeal photopheresis on skin scores and quality of life in patients with steroid-refractory chronic GVHD.

There are few prospective studies evaluating the role of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in chronic GVHD (cGVHD) and only occasional reports of the effect of ECP on patients' quality of life (QoL). We report a single-centre prospective study of patients undergoing fortnightly ECP for moderate or severe cGVHD. Response was assessed after 6 months of treatment using NIH scoring criteria and reduction in immunosuppression.

Role of oxidative stress in cardiac remodelling after myocardial infarction.

Recovery from myocardial infarction is associated with a series of alterations in heart structure and function, collectively known as cardiac remodelling, which play a major role in the subsequent development of heart failure. Early remodelling involves infarct scar formation in the ischaemic zone whereas subsequent ventricular remodelling affects mainly the viable non-infarcted myocardium with especially profound alterations in the extracellular matrix. There is growing evidence for a role of oxidative stress and redox signalling in the processes underlying cardiac remodelling.

Nitric oxide and myocardial function in heart failure: friend or foe?

There is good evidence that nitric oxide has important autocrine/paracrine effects in the myocardium, serving to optimise and fine tune cardiac function

Role of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase in the contractile response to exogenous nitric oxide in rat cardiac myocytes.

Nitric oxide (NO) can directly modulate cardiac contractility by accelerating relaxation and reducing diastolic tone. The intracellular mechanisms underlying these contractile effects are poorly understood. Here we investigate the role of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) in the contractile response to exogenous NO in rat ventricular myocytes.

Differential NADPH- versus NADH-dependent superoxide production by phagocyte-type endothelial cell NADPH oxidase.

Objective: A poorly characterized phagocyte-type NADPH oxidase, which is reportedly NADH- rather than NADPH-dependent, is a major source of endothelial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We investigated the molecular nature of this oxidase and the characteristics of NADPH- versus NADH-dependent O(2)(-) production in endothelial cells of three different species.

Methods: NADPH oxidase expression in human, bovine and porcine endothelial cells was studied by RT-PCR and immunoblotting.

Divergent biological actions of coronary endothelial nitric oxide during progression of cardiac hypertrophy.

Coronary endothelial NO synthase expression and NO bioactivity were investigated at sequential stages during the progression of left ventricular hypertrophy. Male guinea pigs underwent abdominal aortic banding or sham operation. Left ventricular contractile function was quantified in isolated ejecting hearts.