Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Oct 2013
Amount of elastic fibers predicts prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Elastic fibers enhance the stiffness of fibrotic tissues, but their role in the pathophysiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has not been fully examined. The aim of this study was to determine clinical significance of the amount of elastic fibers in IPF. ⋯ The amount of elastic fiber in fibrotic tissue is a prognostic indicator in patients with IPF.