Mast cells (MCS) are not simple trouble makers in immediate allergic hypersensitivity, but play various important biological roles in host defense as well as tissue remodeling after infl ammation such as wound healing and fi brosis. Since heterogeneity exists in human MCS, human skin type MCS should be used for dermatological research. A large number of pure human skin type MCS which satisfy al...

Background Neurofibroma consists of abundant extracellular matrix and many types of cells, including Schwann cells (SCs), mast cells (MCs), fibroblasts and endothelial cells. As SCs have been found to be the cell of origin for neurofibroma, how MCs may migrate into the tumor has not been fully clarified. Given that chemokine receptor CCR3 is found predominantly expressed by differentiated MCs, ...

The differentiation of the vegetative or unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) from the minimally conscious state (MCS) is an important clinical issue. The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) declines when consciousness is lost, and may reveal the residual cognitive function of these patients. However, no quantitative comparisons of cerebral glucose metabolism in VS/UWS and MCS hav...

Mast cells (MCs) have been identified in various tumors; however, the role of these cells in tumorigenesis remains controversial. Here, we quantified MCs in human and murine malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) and evaluated the fate and function of these cells in MPE development. Evaluation of murine MPE-competent lung and colon adenocarcinomas revealed that these tumors actively attract and sub...

OBJECTIVE To establish consensus recommendations among health care specialties for defining and establishing diagnostic criteria for the minimally conscious state (MCS). BACKGROUND There is a subgroup of patients with severe alteration in consciousness who do not meet diagnostic criteria for coma or the vegetative state (VS). These patients demonstrate inconsistent but discernible evidence of...

The advantage of Monte Carlo simulations is attributed to the flexibility of their implementation. In spite of their prevalence in finance, we address their efficiency and accuracy in option pricing from the perspective of variance reduction and price convergence. We demonstrate that increasing the number of paths in simulations will increase computational efficiency. Moreover, using a t-test, ...

We study the problem of minimal triangulation of graphs. One of the first algorithms to solve this problem was Lex M, which was presented in 1976. A new algorithm, and a simplification of Lex M called MCS-M, was presented in 2002. In this paper we compare these two algorithms and show that they produce the same set of triangulations, answering an open question mentioned by the authors of MCS-M.

The relationship between mast cells (MCs) and pregnancy is a controversially discussed topic. The presence and quantitative distribution of MCs in the reproductive tract was confirmed in different species. A phase-dependent oscillation of MCs during the hormonal regulated estrous cycle was suggested and on this basis, MCs were assumed to play a positive role in implantation because of their abi...

Mast cells (MCs) participate in all stages of skin healing and one of their mediators is the Annexin A1 protein (AnxA1), linked to inflammation, proliferation, migration and apoptosis processes, but not studied in thermal burns yet. Therefore, our objectives were to evaluate the behavior of MCs and AnxA1 in a second degree burn model, treated or not with silver sulfadiazine 1% (SDP 1%) and asso...

BACKGROUND Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), and fibromyalgia (FM) commonly co-occur. Some propose that CFS, MCS, and FM are manifestations of the same illness based on high rates of co-occurrence and overlapping diagnostic criteria. This study seeks to differentiate these diagnoses by comparing individuals with one or more illness on functioning, psychiatric ...