HAS-1 genetic polymorphism in sporadic abdominal aortic aneurysm

The hyaluronan synthase 1 (HAS-1) gene encodes a plasma membrane protein that synthesizes hyaluronan (HA), an extracellular matrix molecule. Accumulating evidence emphasizes the relevance of HA metabolism in an increasing number of processes of clinical interest, including abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The existence of aberrant splicing variants of the HAS-1 gene could partly explain the altered extracellular matrix architecture and influence various biological functions, resulting in progressive arterial wall failure in the development of AAA. In the present study, we assessed the hypothesis that HAS-1 genetic 833A/G polymorphism could be associated with the risk of AAA by performing a case-control association study, involving AAA patients and healthy matched donors

The WEBT campaign on the BL Lac object PG 1553+113 in 2013: An analysis of the enigmatic synchrotron emission

ISSN:0035-8711ISSN:1365-2966ISSN:1365-871

The Extracellular Matrix of the Lung: The Forgotten Friend!

The extracellular matrix represents the three-dimensional scaffold of the alveolar wall, which is composed of a layer of epithelial and endothelial cells, their basement membrane, and a thin layer of interstitial space lying between the capillary endothelium and the alveolar epithelium [1]. In the segment where the epithelial and endothelial basement membranes are not fused, the interstitium is composed of cells, a macromolecular fibrous component, and the fluid phase of the extracellular matrix, functioning as a three dimensional mechanical scaffold characterized by a fibrous mesh consisting mainly of collagen types I and III, which provides tensile strength, and elastin conveying an elastic recoil [2, 3]. The three-dimensional fiber mesh is filled with other macromolecules, mainly glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are the major components of the non-fibrillar compartment of the interstitium [4]. In the lung, the extracellular matrix plays several roles, providing: a) mechanical ten sile and compressive strength and elasticity; b) a low mechanical tissue compliance, thus contributing to the maintenance of normal interstitial fluid dynamics [5]; c) low resistive pathway for effective gas exchange [2]; d) control of cell behavior by binding of growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, and interaction with cell-surface receptors [6]

CMS physics technical design report: Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

This report presents the capabilities of the CMS experiment to explore the rich heavy-ion physics programme offered by the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The collisions of lead nuclei at energies ,will probe quark and gluon matter at unprecedented values of energy density. The prime goal of this research is to study the fundamental theory of the strong interaction - Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) - in extreme conditions of temperature, density and parton momentum fraction (low-x). This report covers in detail the potential of CMS to carry out a series of representative Pb-Pb measurements. These include "bulk" observables, (charged hadron multiplicity, low pT inclusive hadron identified spectra and elliptic flow) which provide information on the collective properties of the system, as well as perturbative probes such as quarkonia, heavy-quarks, jets and high pT hadrons which yield "tomographic" information of the hottest and densest phases of the reaction.0info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe