Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed. We read with interest the article by Munot et al 1 regarding the possible causative role of anaemia in the pathogenesis of stroke in children. Several studies suggest an increased risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism in adults with infl ammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared with the general population. 2 We recently p...

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a ubiquitous enzyme, which has the pivotal role in the clinical diagnosis of many disease processes. LDH is known to catalyze the oxidative conversion of the substrate pyruvate to lactate and has been used as an infl ammatory marker. LDH is routinely present in the cytoplasm of the cell that gets released into the extracellular environment upon cellular lysis and ...

We read with great interest in a recent issue of CHEST (January 2015) the well-written article by Küpeli et al, 1 who reviewed the literature regarding the eff ects of common medications (particularly pills) on the air passages. Th ey stated that pills can aff ect the airways via local infl ammatory, obstructive, or systemic eff ects. Th ey noted that radiopaque pills can be visualized on plain...

Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD) is the most frequent canine dermatosis. It has been defi ned by the International Task Force on Canine Atopic Dermatitis ( ITFCAD) as a “genetically predisposed infl ammatory and pruritic allergic skin disease with characteristic clinical features associated with IgE antibodies most commonly directed against environmental allergens”[1]. A ITFCAD-revised nomenclatu...

Sour cherry cv. Marasca is Dalmatian cultivar from XVI century. Cultivation is limited on the north and central part of Dalmatia and on the part of the islands, where it achieves the best quality of fruit, high content of dry matter and sugar respectively, agreeable aroma and intense color. Sour cherry cv. Marasca is source of biologically active ingredients, organic and inorganic compounds, di...

background: osteoclastogenesis is coordinated by the interaction of members of the tumor necrosis factor (tnf) superfamily: receptor activator of nuclear factor-κb ligand (rankl) and osteoprotegerin (opg). the aim of this study was to compare the effect of two different types of non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (nsaids) on the rankl/opg balance during the healing of the alveolar process. ...

printing supported by . Visit Pfizer Vaccines at Stand Q.01 52s SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH 2013 395 Altered infl ammasome activity in bacterial acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) Efrossini Dima1,2, Matina Kardara2, Harilenna Giannakopoulou1, Charis Roussos2, Nikolaos Koulouris1, Nikoletta Rovina1,2. 11st Department of Pulmonary Medicine, “Sotiria” Hospital, Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece; 2...

Motoring to a signaling check-up T he Smad2 signaling protein is shuttled back to the membrane to check up on its receptor, according to Julie Batut, Michael Howell and Caroline Hill (Cancer Research UK, London). The check-ups ensure that intracellular signaling accurately refl ects the activation status of the membrane-bound receptor. Smad proteins are phosphorylated by and act downstream of T...

For the Ancient Greeks, sepsis referred to rot, decay, or putrefaction. Galen and Celsus described the signs of infl ammation as peripheral vasodilatation (rubor), fever (calor), pain (dolor), increased capillary permeability (tumor), and organ dysfunction (functio laesa). The modern concept of sepsis has focused on the human response to invading organisms. In 1991, a North American consensus c...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis are highly prevalent infl ammatory arthritides. Various conventional therapies are currently in use, and biologic therapies have also been introduced into the treatment armamentarium. Despite the remarkable effi cacy of the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, there still remains an unmet need for newer anti-TNF agen...