PURPOSE To investigate diagnostic values of pleural fluid matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and TIMP-2 measurements in tuberculous pleurisy(TP) and malignat pleurisy (MP). METHODS The study included 24 patients with TP, 22 patients with MP and 15 patients with pleural effusion of non-tuberculous and non-malignant origin as controls. M...

PURPOSE To determine the influence of age and gender on macular sensitivity to light in healthy subjects of 4 age groups using the MP-1 microperimeter. METHODS A prospective study was carried out on 50 healthy subjects (age range: 18-60 years) divided into 4 age groups; 18-30 years, 31-40 years, 41-50 years and 51-60 years. Full-threshold microperimetry of the central 10° of retina was perfor...

We assessed the bronchodilating effect of glycopyrrolate (GP) and compared it with that of metaproterenol (MP), alone and in combination (GP+MP), in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a double-blind study, 11 patients (aged (mean +/- SD) 69 +/- 6 yrs; forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 1.2 +/- 0.4 L) with stable COPD inhaled nebulized GP 1.0 mg, MP 15 mg, ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Experimental models of osteoporosis in rabbits are useful to investigate anabolic agents because rabbits have an active Haversian remodeling and achieve skeletal maturity quickly. In this study, an experimental model of osteoporosis in rabbits induced by a combination of ovariectomy and glucocorticoid was characterized to provide a useful model for prevention and therapy ...

drought stress is considered as the most important environmental abiotic stress, affecting grain yield of crop plants especially in arid and semi arid regions. increasing and utilization of the genetic diversity can be a useful strategy in breeding for drought resistance. in this study, twenty iranian durum wheat landraces along with two check cultivars were evaluated in a randomized complete b...

BACKGROUND Parabens are preservatives commonly used in personal care products, pharmaceuticals, and foods. There is documented widespread human exposure to parabens, and some experimental data suggest that they act as estrogenic endocrine disruptors. As far as we are aware, no epidemiologic studies have assessed female reproductive health effects in relation to paraben exposure. OBJECTIVE We ...

BACKGROUND In patient with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the hyperintense area in T2-weighted imaging shows the periinfarct zone which was defined as the myocardial edema surrounding the irreversible myocardial injury (Fig 1A). Recent studies suggested that reduction of myocardial edema is a novel target to reduce irreversible injury and improve left ventricular remodeling. On the other ha...

BACKGROUND Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in cosmetics, -pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage processing. OBJECTIVES We assessed exposure to methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl parabens in a representative sample of persons >or= 6 years of age in the U.S. general population from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. METHODS We analyzed 2,548...

Circulating procoagulant microparticles (MP) are pathogenic markers of enhanced coagulability associated to a variety of disorders and released from stimulated vascular cells. When derived from endothelial cells, MP were found characteristic of thrombotic propensity in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The prothrombotic status of a patient with antiphospholipid antibodies (APL), a past h...

BACKGROUND 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) and its prodrug azathioprine (AZA) have proven efficacy in the treatment of Crohn disease (CD). The immunosuppressive properties of AZA/6-MP are mediated by the intracellular metabolism of 6-MP into its active metabolites, 6-thioguanine nucleotides (6TGN) and 6methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). Preliminary studies have suggested that the red blood cell concentratio...