About 12% of human genetic disorders involve premature termination codons (PTCs). Aminoglycoside antibiotics have been proposed for restoring full-length proteins by readthrough of PTC. To assess the efficiency of readthrough, we selected homozygous and compound heterozygous skin fibroblasts from xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) patients with different PTCs in the XPC DNA repair gene. XP patients hav...

The aim of the study was to estimate the functional contribution of the arterial inflow pathways to the pelvic circulation during walking in patients with stage 2 lower extremity arterial disease. Transcutaneous oxygen pressure (Ptc(O(2))) changes during exercise can be used to estimate the severity of regional blood flow impairment while walking. Seventy patients with stable lower limb claudic...

BACKGROUND The Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted proteins is involved in a number of developmental processes as well as in cancer. Genetic and biochemical data suggest that the Sonic hedgehog (Shh) receptor is composed of at least two proteins: the tumor suppressor protein Patched (Ptc) and the seven-transmembrane protein Smoothened (Smo). RESULTS Using a biochemical assay for activation of th...

BACKGROUND High plasma levels of procalcitonin (PCT) are typically seen in children with severe bacterial infection, particularly in cases of septic shock or bacteremia. Similarly, pancreatic stone protein (PSP) is associated with inflammation, infection, and other disease-related stimuli. However, the prognostic value of PSP in critically ill pediatric patients is unknown. This study investiga...

PURPOSE The aims of the current study were to explore plasma lncRNAs as a novel biomarker panel for the diagnosis of non-131I-avid lung metastases of PTC and to investigate the plasma lncRNA expression levels associated with survival in PTC patients with lung metastases. METHODS The expression of lncRNAs was examined using an lncRNA microarray chip. The lncRNAs with the most significant diffe...

In the present study, we investigated whether bisphenol A (BPA) levels and excessive iodine intake were associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and nodular goiter (NG). We determined total BPA concentrations (TBC) in paired serum and urine samples, and urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) in urine samples collected from PTC patients, NG patients, and healthy individuals, then compared ...

BACKGROUND Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is frequently accompanied by lymphocytic thyroiditis (LT). Some reports claim that Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the clinical form of LT) enhances the likelihood of PTC; however, others suggest that LT has antitumor activity. This study was aimed to find out the relationship between the patterns of helper T cell (Th) cytokines in thyroid tissue of PTC wit...

The functional and morphologic changes occurring in the peritubular capillaries (PTC) of the kidney during the progression of renal disease are not yet completely understood. In this study, the features of PTC disruption observed in a rat anti-glomerular basement membrane-induced glomerulonephritis (GN) model were characterized. Contributions to the progression of the disease made by other inte...

Characterization of different alleles of the Hedgehog receptor patched (ptc) indicates that they can be grouped into several classes. Most mutations result in complete loss of Ptc function. However, missense mutations located within the putative sterol-sensing domain (SSD) or C terminus of ptc encode antimorphic proteins that are unable to repress Smo activity and inhibit wild-type Ptc from doi...

The membrane protein Patched (Ptc) is a key regulator of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in development and is mutated in human tumors. Ptc opposes Hh-induced gene transcription and sequesters Hh protein. To dissect these functions, we tested partially deleted forms of Ptc in Drosophila. Deletion of either half of Ptc abolishes all function while coexpression of the halves restores nearly full activity...