Maladaptive activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been shown to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critical signals for many of the nonhemodynamic effects of angiotensin II (ANG II). We have demonstrated that ANG II increases mesangial and cortical cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and activity via NADPH oxidase...

BACKGROUND The economic consequences of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) have been simulated using models. We examined the individual-level association between ETS exposure and medical costs among Japanese nonsmoking women. METHODS This population-based cohort study enrolled women aged 40 to 79 years living in a rural community. ETS exposure in homes at baseline was assessed with a self-admi...

AIM Urinary ethyl glucuronide (EtG), ethyl sulfate (EtS), and the ratio between 5-hydroxytryptophol-glucuronide and 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (GTOL/5-HIAA) are all suggested as biomarkers for recent alcohol ingestion with longer detection times than measurement of ethanol itself. The aim of this controlled study was to compare the sensitivities and detection times of EtG, EtS, and GTOL/5-HI...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine if children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) via parental smoking (ETS+) developed more respiratory symptoms resulting in longer recovery times following surgical outpatient procedures compared with children of nonsmoking parents (ETS-). METHODS One hundred and forty six children (4.9 +/- 3 years) undergoing inguinal hernia repair w...

Marked neovascularization and vascular endothelial proliferation are characteristic features of malignant gliomas. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an angiogenic protein secreted by glioma cells, appears to play a crucial role for induction of neoangiogenesis. The VEGF receptors fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (Flt-1)/VEGFR-1 and kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR)/ VEGFR-2 are ...

This study identified ethyl sulfate (EtS) in human urine and compared the excretion characteristics of EtS with that of ethanol and ethyl glucuronide (EtG). Urine samples were collected from healthy subjects after a single ethanol dose, and also selected from routine clinical samples. Simultaneous analysis of EtS and EtG was performed by direct electrospray liquid chromatography-mass spectromet...

BACKGROUND Despite the need for a reduction in levels of childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) being a recognised public health goal, the delivery of ETS preventive care in child health service settings remains a largely unstudied area. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of ETS preventive care in child health services; differences in the provision of car...

The Ewing family of tumors are poorly differentiated pediatric solid tumors arising in bone and soft tissues from an unknown cell of origin. Ewing tumors are molecularly defined by in-frame genomic fusions that combine EWS with one of several ETS genes, most commonly FLI-1. We considered pluripotent marrow-derived stromal cells a likely candidate for the origin of Ewing tumors and assessed the ...

ETS transcription factors are commonly deregulated in cancer by chromosomal translocation, overexpression or post-translational modification to induce gene expression programs essential in tumorigenicity. Targeted destruction of these proteins may have therapeutic impact. Here we report that Ets-1 destruction is regulated by the deubiquitinating enzyme, Usp9x, and has major impact on the tumori...

The Ets family of eukaryotic transcription factors is based around the conserved Ets DNA-binding domain. Although their DNA-binding selectivity is biochemically and structurally well characterized, structures of homodimeric and ternary complexes point to Ets domains functioning as versatile protein-interaction modules. In the present paper, we review the progress made over the last decade to el...