0 vs 2.1 vessels/mm(2); P = .61) or in the fibrous cap (52% of the patients in both groups; P = .95). Neovascularization of the plaque shoulder regions was observed in 52% of the diabetic patients and in 26% of the nondiabetic patients (P = .028). VEGF-stained areas were similar in the two patient groups (0.4% and 0.2% of shoulder area; P = .61). Patients with diabetes had more VEGFR-2 (1.0% vs 0.2% of shoulder area;

P < .016) and less CD68 staining (0.4% vs 3.6% of shoulder area; P < .008). Time from clinical event to surgery was positively associated with neovascularization of the plaque shoulder regions (<= 90 days, 18% of patients; >90 days, 50% of patients; P = .002), independently of diabetes status.

Conclusions: Diabetes was associated with increased vascularization of the shoulder regions in patients with this website symptomatic carotid atherosclerotic see more plaques. This was accompanied by increased expression of VEGFR-2.

The increased vascularization of the plaque shoulder regions may help explain why patients with diabetes are at increased risk of atherosclerotic complications. (J Vase Surg 2011;54:1324-31.)”
“Axons have evolved to acquire myelination, enabling denser packing and speedier transmission. Although myelin is considered a passive insulator, recent reports suggest a more dynamic role. Axons, in turn, are endowed with neurotransmitter release and uptake systems along their trunks. Based on these observations, I argue that there may exist a new type of chemical synapse between axon and myelin, one that supports activity-dependent communication between the two. This raises intriguing possibilities

of dynamic fine-tuning of the myelin sheath even in adulthood, efficient recruitment of resources for myelin maintenance and bi-directional signaling, whereby the axon informs its myelinating cell of its metabolic needs proportionally to the electrical traffic it is transmitting. This would also have implications for de- and dysmyelinating diseases should this axo-myelinic synapse become dysfunctional.”
“Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a successful pathogen largely due to its ability selleck to persist in humans while evading the host immune system. Rv2557 and Rv2558 are two uncharacterized proteins which have been found to be present in the human granuloma along with other important proteins like isocitrate lyase and nitric oxide reductase which are necessary for long-term persistence. The two proteins are up-regulated in in vitro carbon-starvation conditions designed to mimic the latent stage. Genes corresponding to Rv2557 and Rv2558 are found only in Mycobacterium sp. so far and share high sequence identity of 65.4% at the protein level. In the present study we have cloned and purified the proteins as part of a long-term goal to understand their functional roles and importance to the pathogen. We have probed for their biophysical properties.