Tag Archives: fibrosis
Macrophage-myofibroblast transition: a novel target for stopping kidney disease
Kidney is one of the major organs in our body for detoxification. Its failure is an important cause of patient mortality that serves as a primary disease and a lethal complication in a range of diseases such
The use of dry powder mannitol in respiratory disease
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways causing them to be hyperresponsive to a wide range of stimuli. It is a common disease both in children and adults and most asthmatics suffer from allergies and from
Clubbing in patients with fibrotic interstitial lung diseases
Many years ago Hippocrates already described clubbing. Clubbing is a deformation of the nail base resulting in a swollen and spongy convex. It is frequently seen in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). ILDs contain a variety
Excessive vascular fibrosis predicts early failure of hemodialysis fistulas
Patients with end-stage renal disease require a functional vascular access to receive hemodialysis and prolong their lives. The arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis. The AVF is surgically created by connecting a superficial
Ultrapure cells for liver research
Worldwide, hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma cause considerable human suffering and high economic burdens. Causally responsible for the accumulation of excess scar tissue within the diseased liver are hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) representing 5-8% of the
Urea is truly toxic: the empire strikes back
Urea is a metabolic waste product that accumulates in the body in the setting of chronic kidney disease. It is routinely measured on blood tests as a marker of kidney function (higher urea levels indicate lower kidney
The capillary web gets lost in diseased kidneys
Main functions of the kidney are regulating ions, pH, fluid balance and blood pressure and disposing of metabolic waste products. These functions are dependent on properly working renal blood vessels, including the smallest ones, the so called
Not remodeled left atria and mitral regurgitation: what learn from microstructure
Chronic mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most common type of heart valve disorder, frequently characterized by left atrial (LA) enlargement as a compensatory mechanism. This change in LA dimension may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF)
Non-invasive whole-body imaging of fibrosis: is it feasible?
Fibrosis is a chronic, life-shortening disease that can occur either as a consequence of genetic defects or in response to inflammation or damage. Such body systems as respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, and reproductive can be affected. Fibrosis
Dual pathways of aortic degenerative change; Calcification and Fibrosis
Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common type of valvular heart disease and its prevalence increases exponentially with age. Degenerative changes continue to be the most common pathologic causes. In terms of pathologic AS phenotypes, there are
PDGF-D – a potential novel treatment for kidney diseases with scaring
Estimates suggest that a huge number of people, more than 10% of the world-population, are suffering from chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease eventually leads to complete loss of kidney function, which is fatal if not treated
CCN proteins : A new vista for molecular medicine
The CCN family of proteins is composed of six members playing critical biological roles, both in normal and pathological conditions. The first three CCN proteins discovered were designated Cyr61, Ctgf, and Nov because of the context in
Fish gills help understand human lung disease
Persistent inflammation of the lung leads to fibrosis, a serious and poorly understood disease that causes scarring of the lungs. A poor prognosis of only approximately 3 years survival after diagnosis demonstrates the lack of understanding of
Cerium oxide nanoparticles may be of therapeutic value in chronic liver disease
What is this? We use Cerium oxide NPs (CeO2NPs) to treat cirrhosis in model rats and we observe how it has dramatic beneficial effects in reducing inflammation and allowing tissue reparation What makes nanoceria very appealing is
Osteopontin is a novel player and potential biomarker in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni
Schistosomiasis or bilharzia is a tropical disease caused by worms of the genus Schistosoma. Over 440 million people from 76 countries and territories are infected (Fig. 1). This water-based disease is considered the second most important parasitic
AZGP1, a new candidate for the treatment of chronic kidney disease
In elderly populations, chronic kidney disease is a common clinical problem associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. When the kidney is injured by, for example, low blood flow, the human body has a remarkable
Gene therapy: a promising candidate for cystic fibrosis treatment
An improved gene therapy treatment can cure mice with cystic fibrosis (CF). Cell cultures from CF patients, too, respond well to the treatment. Those are the encouraging results of a study presented by the Laboratory for Molecular
Updates on the pathophysiology of systemic sclerosis
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a heterogeneous connective tissue disease with autoimmune component, inflammation, and progressive fibrosis of conjunctive tissues of the skin and internal organs. Lung involvements are a major cause of concern as pulmonary fibrosis and
Botox injections: a “bittersweet” medicine
Despite being one of the most deadly neurotoxins known to man, Botox has become a popular cosmetic treatment for reducing facial wrinkles. Originally, Botox injections were used for reducing uncontrolled movements caused by neuromuscular disorders that impaired
Resveratrol is a potential remedy for the treatment of pancreatic fibrosis
The pancreas serves as both endocrine and exocrine glands in a human body in order to help food digestion and blood glucose regulation. In fact, more than 90% of the pancreatic mass comprises the exocrine cells which
