Background: Human mast cells (MCs) are long-lived tissue-resident immune cells characterised by granules containing the proteases chymase and/or tryptase. Their phenotype is modulated by their tissue microenvironment. The human uterus has an outer muscular layer (the myometrium) surrounding the endometrium, both of which play an important role in supporting a pregnancy. The endometrium is a sex...

BACKGROUND Hyperproliferation of glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) is a major pathological characteristic in the early stage of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We have previously confirmed that forkhead transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) was significantly downregulated in both the renal cortex of DN rats and MCs cultured under high-glucose (HG) conditions, but the effects and mechanisms of FoxO1 involve...

The present study was performed to investigate whether transient receptor potential (TRPC)6 participated in Ca(2+) signaling of glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) and expression of this protein was altered in diabetes. Western blots and real-time PCR were used to evaluate the expression level of TRPC6 protein and mRNA, respectively. Cell-attached patch-clamp and fura-2 fluorescence measurements w...

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of and risk factors for self-reported symptoms suggestive of multiple chemical sensitivities/idiopathic environmental intolerance (MCS/IEI) in Persian Gulf War (PGW) veterans from Iowa and a comparison group of PGW-era military personnel. METHODS A population-based sample of Iowa military personnel was surveyed using a cross-sectional telephone interview. St...

Medullary carcinoma (MC) of the colorectum is a relatively new histological type of adenocarcinoma characterized by poor glandular differentiation and intraepithelial lymphocytic infiltrate. To date, there has been no epidemiological study of this rare tumor type, which has now been incorporated as a separate entity in the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of colorectal cancers. We...

performing a probabilistic study rather than a determinist one is a relatively easy way to quantify the uncertainty in an engineering design. due to the complexity and poor accuracy of the statistical moment methods, the monte carlo simulation (mcs) method is wildly used in an engineering design. in this work, an mcs-based reliability analysis was carried out for the stability of the chain pill...

The magnetic structure and geomagnetic response of 73 magnetic clouds (MC) observed by the WIND and ACE satellites in solar cycle 23 are examined. The results have been compared with the surveys from the previous solar cycles. The preselected candidate MC events were investigated using the minimum variance analysis to determine if they have a flux-rope structure and to obtain the estimation for...

NoiseBear is a wireless malleable controller designed for, and in participation with, physically and cognitively disabled children. The aim of the project was to produce a musical controller that was robust, and flexible enough to be used in a wide range of interactive scenarios in participatory design workshops. NoiseBear demonstrates an open ended system for designing wireless malleable contr...

The increasing occurrence of hepatotoxic cyanobacterial blooms in fresh waters is one of the most serious risks to human health in the 21 century. Therefore, proper management of waters contaminated with cyanobacteria requires elaboration of the appropriate methods to remove cyanobacterial hepatotoxins-microcystins (MCs) from the environment. Many chemical and physical procedures have been prop...