Lower-extremity veins have efficient wall structure and function and competent valves that permit upward movement of deoxygenated blood toward the heart against hydrostatic venous pressure. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in maintaining vein wall structure and function. MMPs are zinc-binding endopeptidases secreted as inactive pro-MMPs by fibroblasts, vascular smooth mus...

Abstract This paper presents the stability-evaluation outcomes of a multimachine power system (MMPS) connected with large-scale hybrid wind farm (WF) and photovoltaic (PV) or wind/PV (HWPF) energy-storage (HESS) consisting vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) supercapacitor (SC). A probability scheme is used to determine rated proposed HESS, where capacities VRFB-ESS SC-ESS are designed effective...

Wound healing is a dynamic and complex biological process involving highly organised overlapping phases, including coagulation, inflammation, epithelialisation, matrix deposition, angiogenesis, proliferation, cellular remodelling and wound contraction (Clark, 1985; Mast and Schultz, 1996). For completion of each stage of wound healing, complex interactions must occur between various biological ...

BACKGROUND Enhanced activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been reported to have a pathogenic role in several diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders, and seems also to play a part in certain autoimmune diseases. OBJECTIVE To examine whether enhanced MMP activity may also have a role in the pathogenesis of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG). METHODS In a study group of 15 ...

OBJECTIVE To assess possible differences in the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, and their inhibitors, the tissue inhibitors of MMPs, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, in follicular fluid (FF) of women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and of normally ovulating women. DESIGN Prospective study. METHODS MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity was analyzed by gelatin zymography...

Recent studies suggest that mast cell-derived neutral proteases can activate matrix-degrading metalloproteinases (MMPs). We have investigated the role of the mast cell proteases tryptase and chymase in the activation of MMPs in human carotid endarterectomy specimens (atherosclerotic, n=32) and postmortem carotid arteries (control, n=17). In vitro degranulation of mast cells in atherosclerotic c...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a large family (>20) of cation-dependent proteinases believed to be important modulators of normal human lung development and potentially harmful mediators of lung damage. Little is known about MMP production and secretion by the lung during childhood or how alterations in MMP levels may be involved in lung damage. We examined endotracheal aspirates from chi...

Background: Enhanced activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) has been reported to have a pathogenic role in several diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders, and seems also to play a part in certain autoimmune diseases. Objective: To examine whether enhanced MMP activity may also have a role in the pathogenesis of Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG). Methods: In a study group of 15 p...

The matrix metalloproteinase family of enzymes is comprised of critically important extracellular proteases whose activity has been implicated in a number of key normal and pathological processes. The latter include growth, progression and metastasis as well as dysregulated angiogenesis that is associated with these events. The MMPs are secreted by all types of cells, and they also carve throug...

Infertility as a vital process in human reproduction involves many couples worldwide. Although many genetic causes of infertility are known, the genetic basis of infertility in men is largely unknown. Therefore, the identification of genetic biomarkers in this field is important and genetic polymorphisms in key genes of the spermatogenesis pathway can be valuable biomarkers in this field. Gene'...