In this work, we used the eel (Anguilla anguilla) as an animal model to test the hypothesis of Barr et al. (2013a,b) about the putative role of the epidermal mucosa as a phage enrichment layer. To this end, we analyzed the microbial content of the skin mucus of wild and farmed eels by using a metagenomic approach. We found a great abundance of replicating phage genomes (concatemers) in all the ...

Cigarette smoking is associated with peptic ulcer diseases. Smokers have lower levels of salivary epidermal growth factor (EGF) than nonsmokers. We investigated whether reduction of EGF is involved in the delay of gastric ulcer healing by cigarette smoking. Rats with acetic acid-induced ulcers were exposed to cigarette smoke (0, 2, or 4% vol/vol) 1 day after ulcer induction. EGF level was eleva...

Bacterial infections of the lung are known to induce inflammatory responses, which lead to mucus hypersecretion. Moreover, mucin synthesis in the airways has been reported to be regulated by neutrophilic inflammation-induced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and its activation. Furthermore, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), especially MMP-9, have been reported to promote the tr...

Background: Seaweeds contain significant quantities of lipids, protein, vitamins and minerals. Aquavac Ergosan contains 1% alginic acid extracted from two brown seaweeds, Laminaria digitata and Ascophyllum nodosum. Both in vivo and in-vitro researches have mainly been focused on the effect of Ergosan on fish growth, survival rate, reproductive performance and innate immunity in blood and epider...

Background: Seaweeds contain significant quantities of lipids, protein, vitamins and minerals. Aquavac Ergosan contains 1% alginic acid extracted from two brown seaweeds, Laminaria digitata and Ascophyllum nodosum. Both in vivo and in-vitro researches have mainly been focused on the effect of Ergosan on fish growth, survival rate, reproductive performance and innate immunity in blood and epider...

BACKGROUND A common pathological feature of chronic inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is mucus hypersecretion. MUC5AC is the predominant mucin gene expressed in healthy airways and is increased in asthmatic and COPD patients. Recent clinical trials indicate that phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) inhibitors may have therapeutic value for C...

Mucus hypersecretion with elevated MUC5B mucin production is a pathologic feature in many airway diseases associated with oxidative stress. In the present work, we evaluated MUC5B expression in airways and in primary cultures of normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells, as well as the mechanisms involved in its regulation. We found that oxidative stress generated by cigarette smoke or rea...