European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2009
Targeting of mTOR is associated with decreased growth and decreased VEGF expression in acute myeloid leukaemia cells.
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has recently been implicated in leukaemic cell growth, tumour-associated angiogenesis and expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We examined whether mTOR plays a role as regulator of growth and VEGF-expression in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Three mTOR-targeting drugs, rapamycin, everolimus (RAD001) and CCI-779, were applied. The effects of these drugs on growth, survival, apoptosis and VEGF expression in primary AML cells and various AML cell lines were examined. ⋯ mTOR-targeting drugs exert antileukaemic effects on AML cells in vitro through multiple actions, including direct inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis and suppression of VEGF. Based on this study and other studies, mTOR can be regarded as a potential drug target in AML.
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Infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) leads to the initiation of innate immune responses with increased antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expression in the gastric epithelium. This study aimed to determine the expression of the novel peptides beta-defensin 4 (hBD-4) and RNase 7 in infectious and non-infectious gastritis. Furthermore, pattern recognition receptors and mechanisms of regulation were characterized. ⋯ hBD-4 may play a significant role in H. pylori associated gastritis. Inconsistent expression of RNase 7 does not support a pivotal role for this peptide in response to infection with H. pylori.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Jan 2009
Measurement of nasal nitric oxide: evaluation of six different sampling methods.
Specific guidelines are developed for the measurement of bronchial FE(NO), however, nasal nitric oxide (nNO) measurement is not standardised yet, resulting in divergent nNO values. This study compares six different sampling methods for nNO as described in the literature, to analyse their outcome and short term and long term reproducibility. ⋯ Different methods result in different levels and reproducibility of nNO. In regard to this, methods of humming and breath holding are recommended for standardised measurement of nasal NO.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2008
Comparative StudyBiocompatibility of haemodialysis membranes determined by gene expression of human leucocytes: a crossover study.
Biocompatibility of haemodialysis membranes is the most important quality criteria to enable long-term dialysis without major harmful effects. This study sought to evaluate the differences of genomic signatures derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients undergoing haemodialysis treatment using two different dialyser membranes: one semi-synthetic and one full-synthetic membrane. ⋯ The over-representation of genes belonging to immunity/defence, signal transduction, and apoptosis as found with semi-synthetic membranes suggests that full-synthetic membranes are more biocompatible than semi-synthetic membranes.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2008
The prognostic relevance of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and PCNA/VEGF expression in patients with Wilms' tumour.
Wilms' tumour is the most frequent renal tumour in children. Based on the SIOP strategy, children with Wilms' tumour may benefit from preoperative chemotherapy, but few publications address the effect of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on patients with Wilms' tumours. The aims of this study were to investigate the prognostic relevance of preoperative TACE followed by tumour resection, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in patients with Wilms' tumours. ⋯ Patients with Wilms' tumours benefited from preoperative TACE treatment. PCNA expression was significantly lower in patients in the TACE group than those in the control group. There was no significant difference on VEGF expression between the patients in TACE and control groups.