Streptococcus pneumoniae stabilizes tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA through a pathway dependent on p38 MAPK but independent of Toll-like receptors.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human pathogenic bacteria and a major cause of severe invasive diseases, including pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. Infections with S. pneumoniae evoke a strong inflammatory response, which plays a major role in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal disease.

M-mode echocardiography in aortic stenosis. Clinical correlates and prognostic significance after valve replacement.

To relate preoperative findings at M-mode echocardiography to preoperative clinical and haemodynamic status and to identify possible echocardiographic risk factors for mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR), 250 patients with AVR for aortic stenosis (AS) were studied. In follow-up averaging 3.2 years there were 22 early (< 30 days) and 23 late deaths.

Analytical evaluation of high energy phosphate determination by high performance liquid chromatography in myocardial tissue.

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an established method for the determination of myocardial high energy phosphates (HEP). Quantification of HEP compounds in small tissue specimens obtained by endomyocardial biopsy technique requires maximal sensitivity without impairment of precision. Employing isocratic ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC, high sensitivity and precision were obtained by running analyses for adenonucleotides and creatine compounds separately at detection wavelengths of 254 and 210 nm, respectively.