Tumor stroma and growth factors provide a survival environment to tumor cells and can modulate their chemoresistance by dysregulating several signal pathways. In this study, we fabricated a three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic chip using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to investigate the impact of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) from cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) on the Met/PI3K/AKT activation,...

BACKGROUND Tumor-stroma reaction is associated with activation of fibroblasts. Nemosis is a novel type of fibroblast activation. It leads to an increased production of growth factors and proinflammatory and proteolytic proteins, while at the same time cytoskeletal proteins are degraded. Here we used paired normal skin fibroblasts and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and primary and recurrent...

OBJECTIVE In chronic atrial fibrillation (cAF) the potassium current IK,ACh develops agonist-independent constitutive activity. We hypothesized that abnormal phosphorylation-dependent regulation underlies the constitutive IK,ACh activity. METHODS We used voltage-clamp technique and biochemical assays to study IK,ACh regulation in atrial appendages from 61 sinus rhythm (SR), 11 paroxysmal AF (...

Coronary artery fistulae (CAF) represent the most frequent congenital anomalies influencing hemodynamic parameters of coronary arteries. Determining the optimal management of symptomatic patients with CAF still remains a challenging problem, and has been traditionally considered as an indication for cardiac surgery. The use of transcatheter coil embolization for CAF has emerged as a less invasi...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether I(Na) and I(CaL) are altered in function/density in right atrial (RA) cells from dogs with chronic atrial fibrillation (cAF dogs, episodes lasting at least 6 days) and whether the changes that occur differ from those in dogs with nonsustained or brief episodes of fibrillation (nAF dogs). METHODS Using whole cell voltage clamp, sodium and calcium current density ...

BACKGROUND Patients with acute myocardial infarction are at high risk for acute kidney injury. Novel biomarkers that can predict acute kidney injury in AMI may allow timely interventions. C-terminal fragment of agrin (CAF), a proteoglycan of the glomerular and tubular basement membrane, have been recently associated with rapid renal function deterioration and proximal tubular dysfunction. It is...

PURPOSE To evaluate autologous platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and autogenous connective tissue graft (CTG) in gingival recession defects in conjunction with coronally advanced flap (CAF) using a microsurgical technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty-five Class I and II recession defects were randomly equally (n = 15) divided into three groups: Group I sites treated with CAF with PRF, Group II sites...

The yeast transcriptional adapter Gcn5p serves as a histone acetyltransferase, directly linking chromatin modification to transcriptional regulation. Two human homologs of Gcn5p have been reported previously, hsGCN5 and hsP/CAF (p300/CREB binding protein [CBP]-associated factor). While hsGCN5 was predicted to be close to the size of the yeast acetyltransferase, hsP/CAF contained an additional 3...

Caffeine (CAF) ingestion may enhance endurance exercise by lowering perceived exertion (RPE) and muscle pain. However, exercise in the heat may be detrimental to performance by increasing RPE and pain. The purpose of this study was to examine if caffeine affects pain and related perceptual responses differently in cool and hot ambient conditions. Eleven male cyclists (mean ± SD; age, 25 ± 6 yea...