To investigate uterine and serum Ca(++) and Mg(++) variations during the estrous cycle in the bovine, 66 genital tracts and blood samples were collected from Urmia abattoir, Urmia, Iran. The phase of the estrous cycle was determined by examination of the structures present on ovaries and uterine tonicity. Of the collected samples, 17 were pro-estrus, 12 estrus, 14 metestrus and 23 diestrus. The...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the value of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in both blood and tracheal aspirate (TA) samples that were obtained within 24 h after birth for predicting bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) development in premature infants. MATERIAL AND METHODS Premature infants, who were born before 32 weeks of gestation, weighing less than 1,500 g, and ...

BACKGROUND Although a large number of studies have investigated possible relationships among serum levels of vitamin D or cytokines with disease progress and prognosis, similar studies on self-reported symptoms are still controversial. The overall objective of this study was to look into the association between serum levels of vitamin D or cytokines with self-reported symptoms related to muscul...

Type XI collagen has been associated with tumor fibrosis and aggressiveness in patients pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The propeptide on is released into the circulation after proteolytic processing at either amino acid 253 or 511. This allows for a noninvasive biomarker approach to quantify production. We developed two ELISA-based biomarkers, targeting enzymatic cleavage sites (PRO-C...

OBJECTIVE To analyse the relation between systemic levels of pro-MMP-3, -8, and -9 matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in alpha(2) macroglobulin (alpha(2)M)/MMP complexes and the progression of joint destruction in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS 109 patients with RA of recent onset were entered into this longitudinal study. Patients were followed up for two ...

Antibodies specific for the amino- and carboxy-terminal portions of simian virus 40 large tumor (T) antigen were obtained by immunization of rabbits with synthetic peptides corresponding to these regions. The amino-terminal synthetic peptide has the sequence Ac-Met-Asp-Lys-Val-Leu-Asn-Arg-(Tyr). The tyrosine residue was introduced in order to couple the peptide to bovine serum albumin with bis-...

Enterostatins [Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-Arg (VPDPR), Val-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg (VPGPR), and Ala-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg (APGPR)] are pentapeptides derived from the NH2-terminus of procolipase after tryptic cleavage and belong to the family of gut-brain peptides. Although enterostatin-like immunoreactivities exist in blood, brain, and gut, and exogenous enterostatins decrease fat appetite and insulin secretion in rats...

BACKGROUND Serum levels of N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are elevated in patients acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recent studies showed a lower incidence of acute cor pulmonale in ARDS patients ventilated with lower tidal volumes. Consequently, serum levels of NT-proBNP may be lower in these patients. We investigated the relation between serum levels of NT-pro...