“
“High-porosity (HP) buy Selumetinib and flow-diverting (FD) stents are increasingly used to treat intracranial aneurysms. In vivo device deformations and their impact on the porosity of the segment of device lying over the aneurysm neck remain inadequately characterized.

Porosities of different braided FDs were studied in straight and 90A degrees curved glass tubes. In vivo, 11 experimental lateral wall aneurysms were treated with FD (n = 7) or HP (n = 4) stents. At 3 months, the segment of FDs and HP stents over the aneurysm neck was

analyzed, paying attention to changes in device diameter, metallic porosity, and neointimal closure of pores over the aneurysm or branch ostia. Device deformations were reproduced with benchtop experiments.

In 90A degrees curved tubes, FD porosity was higher (P = 0.025) and pore density was lower (P = 0.01) on convex compared to concave surfaces, but variations remained within 5-10 %. After in vivo deployment, AP24534 a spindle-shaped deformation of FDs occurred, with focal expansion at the level of the aneurysm neck (P = 0.004). This deformation translated into an accordion-like distribution of stent struts across the aneurysm neck, where porosity was not uniform. The midsection of the aneurysm ostium had more metal coverage

than adjacent ostial areas (P = 0.002). Mean porosity over the aneurysm neck was 78 A +/- 9.4 and 32.6 A +/- 12.1 % for HP and FD stents, respectively (P = 0.008), decreasing to 13.0 A +/- 10.1 and 1.4 A +/- 0.6 % (P = 0.022) following neointimal coverage, respectively. Spindle-shaped deformations and accordion effects were reproduced with benchtop manipulations; fluctuations in porosity and diameter changes correlated closely (R = 0.81; P = 0.005).

Alterations in porosity may occur following in vivo implantation.”
“Fc gamma Rs are involved in regulating a multitude of innate and adaptive immune responses, which makes them attractive ID-8 targets for the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. In this report, we describe a simple

method for the production of a large quantity of recombinant porcine Fc gamma RII. The extracellular domain of the porcine Fc gamma RII (poFc gamma RII) gene was constructed and cloned into the Escherichia coli expression vector pET-28a. The recombinant protein was expressed at high level in E. coil BL21 (DE3) and existed mainly as inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies were solubilized in 6 M guanidine hydrochloride and purified by Ni-chelation, and refolded by rapid dilution. After purification and renaturation, the recombinant soluble protein (rsFc gamma RII) coated on high-binding ELISA plates, showed concentration dependent binding of porcine IgG and the binding of porcine IgG to the surface bound rsFc gamma RII was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by soluble rsFc gamma RII itself.

Mutant enzymes were assayed for their ability to bind and hydrolyze substrates with various glycosyl linkages. Residues D422, E499 and E503 were candidates for the catalytic acid or catalytic base, and E499 was shown to be the catalytic base by azide rescue. F425 was shown to have a major role in substrate binding possibly mediated by aromatic ring stacking with the sugar substrate. In addition, mutation of D424 to histidine altered the substrate specificity by increasing the rate of cleavage of mixed-linkage beta-glucan and carboxymethyl-cellulose, 60- and 16-fold, respectively, over the wild-type enzyme.”
“Although

continuous positive airway pressure, oral appliances and surgical modifications of the airway are considered

as part of the routine management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, many new and unconventional therapies exist. Many of the trials using these new alternatives have been limited by insufficient data, poor trial design, Evofosfamide order small sample size, unclear inclusion criteria, lack of randomization, and lack of blinding, and on occasion are biased by retrospective design. Bariatric surgery, positional therapy, auto-titrating positive airway pressure, serotonin agents, wake promoting agents, genioglossus stimulation surgery, supplemental oxygen, CFTRinh-172 cost nasal dilators, nasal expiratory resistor devices and oropharyngeal exercises will be reviewed. As obstructive sleep apnea impacts the individual and society at large, further research is needed to explore new therapeutic treatment

options for obstructive sleep apnea. Therapeutic trials for obstructive sleep apnea must be of rigorous design to prove clinical effectiveness while taking Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase into account both patient satisfaction and cost effectiveness.”
“The cutaneous beta human papillomavirus (beta HPV) types appear to be involved in skin carcinogenesis. However, only a few beta HPVs have been investigated so far. Here, we compared the properties of E6 and E7 oncoproteins from six uncharacterized beta HPVs (14, 22, 23, 24, 36,49). Only HPV49 E6 and E7 immortalized primary human keratinocytes and efficiently deregulated the p53 and pRb pathways. Furthermore, HPV49 E6, similarly to E6 from the oncogenic HPV16, promoted p53 degradation.”
“Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolases (UCHs) are implicated in the proteolytic processing of polymeric ubiquitin. The high specificity for the recognition site makes UCHs useful enzymes for in vitro cleavage of ubiquitin fusion proteins. In this work, an active C-terminal His-tagged UCH from Drosophila melanogaster (DmUCH) was produced as a secretory form in a recombinant strain of the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. The production of recombinant DmUCH by Mut(5) strain was much higher than that by Mut(+) strain, which was confirmed by Western blot analysis. When expression was induced at pH 6.0 in a BMMY/methanol medium, the concentration of recombinant DmUCH reached 210 mg l(-1).

Interferon (IFN)-lambda 1 is a new member of the Class II cytokine family that, similar to IFN-alpha, has been shown to mediate viral immunity. In light of data supporting a role for cytokines in myeloma, we investigated the significance of IFN-lambda 1 on myeloma cell

biology. Our studies show for the first time that myeloma cells bind to soluble IFN-lambda 1, and that IFN-lambda 1 induces myeloma cell growth https://www.selleckchem.com/products/Trichostatin-A.html and protects against dexamethasone-induced cell death. Our data also show that IFN-lambda 1 induces phosphorylation of STAT1, STAT3 and Erk. Taken together, our results suggest that IFN-lambda 1 may regulate myeloma cell biology and could prove to be therapeutically important.”
“Background Smoking is a risk factor for many diseases and has been increasingly prevalent in economically developing regions of the world. We aimed to estimate the number of deaths attributable

to smoking in China.

Methods We conducted a large, prospective cohort study in a nationally representative sample of 169,871 Chinese adults who were 40 years of age or older. Investigators CB-839 molecular weight for the China National Hypertension Survey collected data on smoking and other risk factors at a baseline examination in 1991 using a standard protocol. Follow- up evaluation was conducted in 1999 and 2000, with a response rate of 93.4%. We used multivariable- adjusted relative risk, prevalence of smoking, mortality, and population size in each age group, stratified according to sex, to calculate the number of deaths attributable to smoking in 2005.

Results There was a significant, dose – response association between pack- aminophylline years smoked and death from any cause in both men and women after adjustment for multiple risk factors ( P< 0.001 for trend).

We estimated that in 2005, a total of 673,000 deaths ( 95% confidence interval [ CI], 564,700 to 781,400) were attributable to smoking in China: 538,200 ( 95% CI, 455,800 to 620,600) among men and 134,800 ( 95% CI, 108,900 to 160,800) among women. The leading causes of smoking- related deaths were as follows: cancer, 268,200 ( 95% CI, 214,500 to 321,900); cardiovascular disease, 146,200 ( 95% CI, 79,200 to 213,100); and respiratory disease, 66,800 ( 95% CI, 20,300 to 113,300).

Conclusions Our study documents that smoking is a major risk factor for mortality in China. Continued strengthening of national programs and initiatives for smoking prevention and cessation is needed to reduce smoking- related deaths in China.”
“This phase 2 study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of the combination of bortezomib, melphalan, dexamethasone and intermittent thalidomide (VMDT) and its effect on bone remodeling and angiogenesis in relapsed/refractory myeloma. Bortezomib (1.0mg/m(2)) was given on days 1, 4, 8, 11, oral melphalan (0.15 mg/kg) on days 1-4, whereas thalidomide (100mg per day) and dexamethasone (12mg/m(2)) were administered on days 1-4 and 17-20 of a 28-day cycle, for four cycles.

It has also been proposed to act as a tumor suppressor in B-cell malignancy. check details Here, we present a novel in vivo system enabling the targeted genetic manipulation of cells expressing Prdm1, the gene encoding Blimp-1. We created bacterial artificial chromosome-transgenic mice expressing the avian leukosis virus (ALV) receptor TVB, fused to monomeric red fluorescent protein, under regulation by Prdm1 transcriptional elements, and we achieved transduction of TVB-expressing lymphocytes by ALV vectors bearing a subgroup B envelope.

The system presented here incorporates a number of innovations. First, it is the first mammalian transgenic system that employs the ALV receptor Blebbistatin TVB, thus expanding the flexibility and scope of ALV-mediated gene delivery. Second, it represents the first ALV-based system that allows gene transfer and expression into in vivo-activated mature lymphocytes, a cell type that has traditionally presented formidable challenges to efficient retroviral transduction.

Third, Prdm1: TVB-mRFP transgenic animals could provide an invaluable tool for exploring the diverse roles of Blimp-1 in lineage commitment, immune regulation, and tumorigenesis.”
“Binding of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope glycoprotein (Env) to the cellular CD4 receptor and a chemokine coreceptor initiates a series of conformational changes in the Env subunits gp120 and gp41. Eventually, the trimeric gp41 folds into a six-helix bundle, thereby inducing fusion of the viral and cellular membranes. C peptides derived from the C-terminal heptad repeat (CHR) of gp41 are efficient entry inhibitors as they block the six-helix bundle formation. Previously, we developed

Amylase a membrane-anchored C peptide (maC46) expressed from a retroviral vector that also shows high activity against virus strains resistant to enfuvirtide (T-20), an antiviral C peptide approved for clinical use. Here, we present a systematic analysis of mutations in Env that confer resistance of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) to maC46. We selected an HIV-1 BaL strain with 10-fold reduced sensitivity to maC46 (BaL_C46) by passaging virus for nearly 200 days in the presence of gradually increasing concentrations of maC46. In comparison to wild-type BaL, BaL_C46 had five mutations at highly conserved positions in Env, three in gp120, one in the N-terminal heptad-repeat (NHR), and one in the CHR of gp41. No mutations were found in the NHR domain around the GIV motif that are known to cause resistance to enfuvirtide. Instead, maC46 resistance was found to depend on complementary mutations in the NHR and CHR that considerably favor binding of the mutated NHR to the mutated CHR over binding to maC46. In addition, resistance was highly dependent on mutations in gp120 that accelerated entry.

Some behavioral and pharmacological interventions show promise, especially learn more for nightmares, but there is a need for controlled trials that include valid sleep measures and are designed to identify treatment mechanisms. Our ability to treat PTSD-related sleep disturbances may be Improved by moving away from considering sleep symptoms in isolation and instead conducting integrative studies that examine sequential

or combined behavioral and/or pharmacological treatments targeting both the daytime and nighttime aspects of PTSD.

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’. Published by Elsevier Ltd.”
“Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with cognitive achievement throughout life. How does SES relate to brain development, and what are the mechanisms by which SES might exert its influence? We review studies in which behavioral, electrophysiological and neuroimaging methods have been used to characterize SES disparities in neurocognitive function. These studies indicate that SES is an important predictor of neurocognitive performance, particularly of language and executive function, and that SES differences are found in neural processing even when performance levels are equal. Implications for basic cognitive neuroscience and for understanding mTOR inhibitor and ameliorating the problems related to childhood poverty are discussed.”
“Honokiol

and magnolol are the main constituents simultaneously identified in the barks of Magnolia officinalis, which have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of mental disorders including depression. In the present study, we reported on the antidepressant-like effects of oral administration of the mixture of honokiol and magnolol in well-validated models of depression in rodents: forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST) and chronic mild stress (CMS) model. The

mixture of honokiol and magnolol significantly decreased immobility time in the mouse FST and TST, and reversed CMS-induced reduction in sucrose consumption to prevent anhedonia in rats. However, this mixture was unable to affect ambulatory or rearing behavior in the mouse open-field test. CMS induced alterations in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) L-NAME HCl and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels in various brain regions of rats. An increase in serum corticosterone concentrations and a reduction in platelet adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity were simultaneously found in the CMS rats. The mixture of honokiol and magnolol at 20 and 40 mg/kg significantly attenuated CMS-induced decreases of 5-HT levels in frontal cortex, hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens. And it markedly increased 5-HIAA levels in frontal cortex, striatum and nucleus accumbens at 40 mg/kg and in frontal cortex at 20 mg/kg in the CMS rats.

Recently, mouse and fly models have offered new insights

into the disease mechanism. There are still gaps in our understanding of how mutations in a ubiquitously expressed component of the translation machinery result in axonal neuropathy. Here, we review GW-572016 mw recent reports, weigh the evidence for and against possible mechanisms and suggest areas of focus for future work.”
“Motor imagery (MI) is a promising practice tool in neurorehabilitation. However, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), impairments in MI accuracy and temporal organization were found during clinical assessment, which may limit the benefits of MI practice. Therefore, we investigated whether the MI quality of MS patients could be optimized by means of external cueing. YAP-TEAD Inhibitor 1 price Fourteen patients with MS and 14 healthy control patients physically executed and visually imagined a goal-directed upper limb task in the presence and absence of added visual and auditory cues. MI quality was assessed by means of eye-movement registration. As main results, it was found that MS patients had significant higher eye-movement times than controls during both execution and imagery, and overestimated the to-be-imagined

movement amplitude when no external information was provided during imagery. External cues, however, decreased patients’ MI duration and increased the spatial accuracy of their imagined movements. In sum, our results indicate that MS patients imagine movements in a better way when they are provided with external cues during MI. These findings are important for developing rehabilitation strategies based on MI in patients with MS. (C) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Podocytes (glomerular visceral epithelial cells) release vesicles into urine. Podocyte vesicle-enriched fractions from normal and pathological human urine samples were prepared for proteomic analysis. An immunoadsorption method was applied and enrichment of podocyte vesicles was assessed. We identified 76 unique proteins. One protein, serum paraoxonase/arylesterase

enough 1 (PON-1), was newly identified in normal human urine sample. We confirmed this result and showed PON-1 expression in normal human kidney. These results demonstrated the potential for using the urine samples enriched in podocyte vesicles as a starting material in studies aimed at discovery of biomarkers for diseases.”
“Purpose: We determined therapeutic trends in the management of adenocarcinoma of the prostate, and in the case of intensity modulated radiation therapy we investigated whether site of service influenced those trends.

Materials and Methods: A variety of CPT codes to treat adenocarcinoma of the prostate were extracted from the Medicare Part B 5% sample for the years 2006 to 2008 inclusive.

“
“Precise and rapid detection of porcine

reproductive respiratory syndrome 4SC-202 virus (PRRSV) infection in swine farms is critical. Improvement of control procedures, such as testing incoming gilt and surveillance of seronegative herds requires more rapid and sensitive methods. However, standard serological techniques detect mainly IgG antibodies. A double recognition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DR-ELISA) was developed for detection of antibodies specific to European PRRSV. This new assay can recognize both IgM and IgG antibodies to PRSSV which might be useful for detecting in routine surveillance assays pigs that are in the very early stages of infection and missed by conventional assays detecting only IgG antibodies. DR-ELISA is based on the Enzalutamide mw double recognition

of antigen by antibody. In this study, the recombinant nucleocapsid protein (N) of PRRSV was used both as the coating and the enzyme-conjugated antigen. To evaluate the sensitivity of the assay at early stages of the infection, sera from 69 pigs infected with PRRSV were collected during successive days post infection (pi) and tested. While standard methods showed low sensitivity rates before day 14 pi, DR-ELISA detected 88.4% seropositive samples at day 7 showing greater sensitivity at early stages of the infection. Further studies were carried out to assess the efficiency of the new assay, and the results showed Baricitinib DR-ELISA to be a sensitive and accurate method for early diagnosis of EU-PRRSV infection. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by bryostatin-1 affects various functions of the central

nervous system. We explored whether bryostatin-1 influenced synaptic plasticity via a process involving PKC. Our purpose was to examine whether bryostatin-1 affected the induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in Schaffer-collateral fibers (CA1 fibers) of the hippocampus, and/or influenced the intracellular Ca2+ level of hippocampal neurons. We also determined the PKC isoforms involved in these processes. We found that bryostatin-1 strongly facilitated LTP induction, in a dose-dependent manner, upon single-theta burst stimulation (TBS). Further, intracellular Ca2+ levels also increased with increasing concentration of bryostatin-1. The facilitative effects of bryostatin-1 in terms of LTP induction and enhancement of intracellular Ca2+ levels were blocked by specific inhibitors of PKCa and PKCE, but not of PKGS. Our results suggest that bryostatin-1 is involved in neuronal functioning and facilitates induction of LTP via activation of PKC alpha and/or PKCE. (c) 2012 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

However, definition by absence is inherently underspecified and leaves open questions of how this type of memory operates, its neural basis, and how it differs from explicit, declarative memory. Drawing on a variety of studies of implicit learning that have attempted to identify

the neural correlates of implicit learning using functional neuroimaging and neuropsychology, a theory of implicit memory is presented that describes it as a form of general plasticity Caspase inhibitor within processing networks that adaptively improve function via experience. Under this model, implicit memory will not appear as a single, coherent, alternative memory system but will instead be manifested as a principle of improvement from experience based on widespread selleck chemical mechanisms of cortical plasticity. The implications of this characterization for understanding the role of implicit learning in complex cognitive processes and the effects of interactions between types of memory will be discussed for examples within

and outside the psychology laboratory. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The graft-versus-leukemia effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has shown that the immune system is capable of eradicating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This knowledge, along with the identification of the target antigens against which antileukemia immune responses are directed, has provided a strong impetus for the development of antigen-targeted immunotherapy of AML. The success of any antigen-specific immunotherapeutic strategy depends critically on the choice

of target antigen. Ideal molecules for immune targeting in AML are SSR128129E those that are: (1) leukemia-specific; (2) expressed in most leukemic blasts including leukemic stem cells; (3) important for the leukemic phenotype; (4) immunogenic; and (5) clinically effective. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview on AML-related tumor antigens and assess their applicability for immunotherapy against the five criteria outlined above. In this way, we aim to facilitate the selection of appropriate target antigens, a task that has become increasingly challenging given the large number of antigens identified and the rapid pace at which new targets are being discovered. The information provided in this review is intended to guide the rational design of future antigen-specific immunotherapy trials, which will hopefully lead to new antileukemia therapies with more selectivity and higher efficacy.”
“The lethal genetic disease cystic fibrosis is caused predominantly by in-frame deletion of phenylalanine 508 in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). F508 is located in the first nucleotide-binding domain (NBD1) of CFTR, which functions as an ATP-gated chloride channel on the cell surface. The F508del mutation blocks CFTR export to the surface due to aberrant retention in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Preoperative indications and procedural and postimplantation outcomes were collected and analyzed. Technical success and clinical success were determined as defined by the Society of Vascular Surgery reporting standards.

Results:

Patients were predominantly male (87%) with a mean age of 77 years. The interval between the original endograft implantation to Renu treatment was 43.4 +/- 18.7 months. The indications for treatment were endoleak (n = 111), migration (n = 136), or both (n = 94). Technical success was 98.0% with two cases of intraoperative conversion and one case of persistent type IA endoleak. The median follow-up for the cohort was 45.0 months (range, 0-56 months; interquartile range, 25.0 months). Overall, 32 cases had treatment failures that IWR-1 manufacturer included https://www.selleckchem.com/products/gsk621.html at least one of the following: death (n = 5), type I/III endoleak (n = 18), graft infection (n = 1), thrombosis (n = 1), aneurysm enlargement >5 mm (n = 9), rupture (n = 4), conversion (n = 9, with 7 after 30 days), and migration (n = 1). Overall, the clinical success for the entire cohort during the follow-up period was 78.8% (119/151).

Conclusions:

The postmarket registry data confirm that the Zenith Renu AAA Ancillary Graft can be used to treat endovascular repairs that failed due to proximal attachment failures. The salvage treatment with the Renu device had high technical success rate and resulted in clinical success in a majority of patients (78.8%). While failed endovascular repairs can be salvaged, a clinical failure in one of five patients still emphasizes the importance of patient and device selection during initial endovascular aneurysm

repair to ensure durable success. (J Vase Surg 2011;54:307-15.)”
“This study evaluated the Org 27569 effect of switching to quetiapine vs. risperidone continuation on sexual functioning in outpatients with risperidone-associated sexual dysfunction. Outpatients (n=42, age >= 18 years) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who experienced risperidone-associated sexual dysfunction were randomized to 6 weeks of double-blind risperidone continuation (mean dose=4.1 mg/day, S.D.=1.2) or quetiapine switch (mean dose=290.0 mg/day, S.D.=55.2) treatment. The five-item Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) assessed sexual functioning at baseline and subsequently at weeks 2, 4 and 6. A mixed-model analysis of repeated measures included gender and baseline ASEX and PANSS scores as covariates. There was no significant Treatment Group effect for ASEX total scores and ASEX sub-items, and no significant Treatment Group X Period interaction for ASEX total scores and ASEX sub-items. Treatment Group effects were not significantly different in any of the prospective weeks for ASEX total scores and ASEX sub-items.

Methods and Results: Wild-type (WT) mice and

tissue-type transglutaminase (tTG) knockout (KO) mice received the nitric oxide inhibitor N omega- nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) to induce hypertension. After 1 week, mesenteric arteries from hypertensive WT mice showed a smaller lumen diameter (-6.9 +/- 2.0%, p = 0.024) and a larger wall-to-lumen ratio (11.8 +/- 3.5%, p = 0.012) than controls, Tozasertib mouse whereas inward remodeling was absent in hypertensive tTG KO mice. After 3 weeks, the wall-to-lumen ratio was increased in WT (20.8 +/- 4.8%, p = 0.005) but less so in tTG KO mice (11.7 +/- 4.6%, p = 0.026), and wall stress was normalized in WT but not in tTG KO mice. L-NAME did not influence expression of tTG EPZ015938 supplier or an alternative transglutaminase, coagulation factor XIII (FXIII).

Suppression of FXIII by macrophage depletion was associated with increased tTG in the presence of L-NAME. L-NAME treatment decreased erythrocyte deformability in the WT mice (-15.3% at 30 dynes/cm(2), p = 0.014) but not in the tTG KO mice. Conclusion: Transglutaminases are involved in small artery inward remodeling and erythrocyte stiffening associated with nitric oxide inhibition-related hypertension.”
“A 23- year- old woman with known polycystic ovary syndrome visits her family physician. She has taken oral contraceptive pills in the past but did not tolerate them and is not currently receiving any treatment. She has three or four menstrual periods per year and is not interested in becoming pregnant now, but she will be getting married in a year. She has heard that the polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with diabetes and is concerned because both her mother and father have type 2 diabetes. Her body-mass index ( the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) is 32, her waist circumference is 38 in. ( 96.5 cm), her serum total testosterone level is elevated at 0.9 ng per milliliter ( 90 ng per deciliter, or 2.9

nmol per liter), her plasma high- density lipoprotein cholesterol level is 35 mg per deciliter ( 0.9 mmol per liter), and her triglyceride level is 190 mg per deciliter ( 2.1 mmol per liter). Her serum glucose level 2 hours after the ingestion of 75 g of dextrose is 138 mg per deciliter ( 7.7 mmol per liter). medroxyprogesterone The physician wonders whether treatment with metformin would be beneficial and refers the patient to an endocrinologist.”
“Background: The exposure of tissue factor (TF) at the site of injury or trauma is a rapid process that leads to the initiation of blood coagulation as well as homeostatic processes giving rise to vascular repair. Aims and Methods: By exposing human endothelial cells to combinations of exogenous TF and factor VIIa (FVIIa) in serum-free medium, the influence of TF concentrations on cellular proliferation and apoptosis was investigated.