Conclusions: Doctors communicated in ways that generally promoted optimal recruitment, Crenigacestat order indicating that trials can be embedded into clinical practice. However, parents were unclear about some details of the trial’s rationale, suggesting that recruitment to trials with complicated designs, such as those involving stratified treatments, might need enhanced explanation.”
“The aim of this study was

to examine the cytomorphological changes occurring in the buccal mucosa in patients treated with low-level 1,064-nm laser radiation. Seventeen individuals (12 males, five females) 18-24 years of age were included in the study. Low-level 1,064-nm laser radiation was applied to the right buccal mucosa near the premolar region; this therapy was repeated for 10 days. Buccal epithelial cells were collected from the right and left premolar regions of the individuals with a brush before and after therapy. The specimens collected from the left side were measured cytomorphometrically selleck compound and used for the control group. Student’s t test was used for statistical comparison of the values of the buccal epithelial cells collected from individuals; a p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. None of the patients showed any adverse reactions to the low-level 1,064-nm laser radiation

therapy during application. There was no cytogenetic damage to the therapied or non-therapied regions in the buccal mucosa cells, as determined cytomorphologically. The results suggest that MK-8931 low-level 1,064-nm laser radiation therapy has no genotoxic potential. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that low-level 1,064-nm laser radiation therapy may be used safely in dental treatments.”
“Contents

Impaired reproductive performance exhibited by the domestic sow during the late summer and early autumn months is referred to as seasonal

infertility. This study was carried out to determine whether there are changes in ovarian morphology and follicular steroidogenesis associated with season, which may be associated with seasonal infertility. Ovaries were collected in pairs from sows sourced from two farms and slaughtered 4 days after weaning during winter and summer. The mean progesterone concentration in follicular fluid (FF) collected from small follicles was lower in summer (701.3 +/- 115.54 nm) compared with winter (1235.55 +/- 164.47 nm; p < 0.001). The mean progesterone concentration in the FF of large follicles was also lower in summer (1469.2 +/- 156.51 nm) compared with winter (2470.9 +/- 169.13 nm; p < 0.001). The number of large surface antral follicles (5-8 mm in diameter) on the ovaries recovered from Farm A sows was higher during summer (17.76 +/- 0.56) than in winter (15.38 +/- 0.54; p < 0.05). Similarly, the number of small follicles (3-4 mm in diameter) on Farm A sow ovaries was higher in summer (8.46 +/- 0.66) than in winter (4.63 +/- 0.53; p < 0.001).

Low-grade inflammation induced by the metabolic syndrome, innate immunity and inflammaging are some of the more recent arguments in favor of the inflammatory theory of OA and highlighted in this review.

(C) 2012 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose of review

This paper summarizes previous research regarding how osteoarthritis varies across racial groups, including differences in prevalence and radiographic features and differences in pain and function.

Recent findings

Regarding the prevalence of osteoarthritis, prior studies indicate knee osteoarthritis may be more common in African-Americans than Caucasians in the United States, but this may vary according to gender; knee osteoarthritis is selleck inhibitor more common in Chinese than U. S. Caucasian women; hip and hand osteoarthritis are less common among Chinese individuals than U. S. Caucasians; self-reported arthritis may be less common among Hispanics than Caucasians in the United States. Racial differences in some specific radiographic features of osteoarthritis have been identified. Pain and functional limitations are greater for African-Americans than Caucasians with knee osteoarthritis, and some contributing factors

have been identified.

Summary

While some racial differences in osteoarthritis prevalence and severity have been identified, more research is needed on under-studied racial and ethnic groups and joint groups (e.g. foot, spine). Future studies should emphasize potential JNJ-26481585 price explanatory factors, such as genetic, environmental, selleck kinase inhibitor anatomical, and biomechanical features. Current findings emphasize the importance of targeting weight management and psychosocial interventions among African-Americans with knee osteoarthritis.”
“Objective: Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a single oral dose of a 1200 mg sachet of chondroitin 4&6 sulfate (CS 1200) vs three daily capsules of chondroitin 4&6 sulfate

400 mg (CS 3*400) (equivalence study) and vs placebo (superiority study) during 3 months, in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: Comparative, double-blind, randomized, multicenter study, including 353 patients of both genders over 45 years with knee OA. Minimum inclusion criteria were a Lequesne index (LI) >= 7 and pain >= 40 mm on a visual analogue scale (VAS). LI and VAS were assessed at baseline and after 1-3 months. Equivalence between CS was tested using the per-protocol procedure and superiority of CS vs placebo was tested using an intent-to-treat procedure.

Results: After 3 months of follow-up, no significant difference was demonstrated between the oral daily single dose of CS 1200 formulation and the three daily capsules of CS 400. Patients treated with CS 1200 or CS 3*400 were significantly improved compared to placebo after 3 months of follow-up in terms of LI (<0.

The P(I) gradually becomes independent of temperature below approximate to 5 K, which suggests a crossover of the escape process from thermal activation to quantum tunneling at such a high temperature. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3236666]“
“(PACE

2009; 32:1101-1104).”
“In the current study, our investigation of inhibitory compounds from the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of 95% ethanol extract of Thunberg’s Geranium (Geranium thunbergii Sieb. et Zucc.; TG) was followed by identification of the inhibitory compounds by a combination of HPLC microfractionation and an enzyme assay in a 96-well plate. Structural analyses of the active compounds were carried out using LC-MS (n) . The main compound inhibiting yeast alpha-glucosidase in this plant was tentatively identified as geraniin by LC-MS (n) . Six compounds, LDC000067 price learn more p-hydroxybenzoic acid (1) (IC50 > 362.32 mu M), brevifolin carboxylic acid (2) (IC50 > 171.23 mu M), geraniin (3)

(IC50 =4.09 mu M), ellagic acid (4) (IC50 = 63.91 mu M), kaempferol-3-O-arabinofuranosyl-7-O-rhamnopyranoside (5) (IC50 =27.70 mu M), and kaempferitrin (6) (IC50 > 86.51 mu M) were isolated from the active EtOAc-soluble fraction of TG on yeast alpha-glucosidase. However, the 6 isolated compounds were very weak inhibitory activity against mammalian alpha-glucosidase and alpha-amylase. This study suggests that the developed HPLC microfractionation with an enzyme assay system is one of the powerful tools for rapid screening and identification of enzyme inhibitors in complex extracts.”
“The total cross section has been measured for the electron induced dissociation of trimethyl (methylcyclopentadienyl) platinum (IV) [MeCpPt(IV)Me(3)], a Pt precursor often

used in focused electron beam induced processing HM781-36B price (FEBIP), for incident electron energies ranging between 3-3 keV. Measurements were performed for the precursor in the adsorbed state under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The techniques used in this study were temperature programmed desorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Two surfaces were used in these experiments, amorphous carbon overlayers containing embedded Pt atoms (a:C-Pt), formed by the electron decomposition of the Pt precursor, and atomically clean Au. The results from these three experiments revealed a comparatively low total cross section at 8 eV (4.2 +/- 0.3 x 10(-17) cm(2) on the a: C-Pt and 1.4 +/- 0.1 x 10(-17) cm(2) on the Au) that increases with increasing incident electron energy, reaching a maximum at around 150 eV (4.1 +/- 0.5 x 10(-16) cm(2) on the a:C-Pt and 2.3 +/- 0.2 x 10(-16) cm(2) on the clean Au), before decreasing at higher incident electron energies, up to 3000 eV.

Moreover, an attempt was made to quantitatively study the influence of the FK506 solubility dmso presence of C30B and its contents on the nucleation activity of PBAT in the PBAT/C30B nanocomposites. The thermal stability of PBAT decreased slightly in the nanocomposites. However, the storage modulus of PBAT apparently increased with the C30B loading increasing in the PBAT/C30B nanocomposites.

(C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 1426-1434, 2011″
“We measured the thermal and charge transport properties of perovskite-related layered structures. Strontium-Niobates, which were expressed as SrnNbnO3n+2 (n=4: Sr1.8La0.2Nb2O7, n=5: Sr5Nb5O17), to explore their thermoelectricities and thermal anisotropies. The behaviors of the thermoelectric parameters (thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient,

resistivity) were strongly anisotropic in all crystallographic axes (a, b, and c) and large anisotropy exists even in the in-plane direction of the layered structure. Especially, along the a-axis in which corner-sharing NbO6 octahedra aligned straightly, contrastive properties were observed between Sr1.8La0.2Nb2O7 and Sr5Nb5O17. For Sr1.8La0.2Nb2O7, a thermally activated charge conduction is pronounced in the temperature dependence of Seebeck coefficient and resistivity, on the other hand, it was a metallic nature for Sr5Nb5O17. In both compounds, ZT results in anisotropic due to the anisotropic properties Selleckchem HDAC inhibitor of thermoelectric parameters, Selleck S3I-201 the best performance is commonly observed in the a-axis. The respective ZT values at room temperature are 3.5 X 10(-2) and 3.6 X 10(-3). (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3510585]“
“Status epilepticus is common in infants and may have long-term consequences on the brain persisting into adulthood. Vascular ischemia is a common cause of stroke in adulthood. The extent of stroke in 15-day-old rats is larger when previously exposed to kainic

acid-induced status epilepticus. In this paper, we assess whether shortening the duration of seizures modifies subsequent susceptibility to middle cerebral artery occlusion. We administered pentobarbital 50 mg/kg to abort seizures after 1 h. Although administration of pentobarbital aborted seizures, it had no effect on volume of infarction following ischemia. This study indicates that there is dissociation between stopping status epilepticus and modifying its long-term consequences.”
“We developed a synthetic concept for the immobilization of enzymes onto monolithic supports. In addition, we elaborate on a generally applicable method for the rapid screening of the activity of such immobilized enzymes. For these purposes, we prepared monolithic acrylate-based systems by electron-beam (EB)-triggered free-radical polymerization within the confines of 200-mu m capillary columns.

(C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 2393-2399, 2011″
“We calculate the electron mobility for a metal-oxide-semiconductor system with a metallic gate, high-kappa dielectric layer, and III-V substrate, including scattering with longitudinal-optical (LO) polar-phonons of the III-V substrate and with the interfacial excitations resulting from the coupling of insulator and substrate optical modes among themselves and with substrate plasmons. In treating scattering with the substrate

LO-modes, multisubband dynamic screening is included and compared to the dielectric screening in the static limit and with the commonly used screening model obtained by defining an effective screening wave vector. The electron mobility components limited by substrate LO phonons and interfacial modes are calculated for In0.53Ga0.47As and GaAs substrates with SiO2 and HfO2 gate dielectrics. selleck chemicals CUDC-907 The mobility components limited by the LO-modes and interfacial phonons are also investigated as a function of temperature.

Scattering with surface roughness, fixed interface charge, and nonpolar-phonons is also included to judge the relative impact of each scattering mechanism in the total mobility for In0.53Ga0.47As with HfO2 gate dielectric. We show that InGaAs is affected by interfacial-phonon scattering to an extent larger than Si, lowering the expected performance, but probably not enough to question the technological relevance of InGaAs. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3500553]“
“Muscle carnitine deficiency usually results in a lipid storage myopathy, but more rarely, neuropathy occurs in this condition. We report herein a 29-year-old man with muscle carnitine deficiency who developed not only a lipid storage myopathy, but also a severe sensory neuropathy. Oral therapy with levo-carnitine (3 g per day) for 3 months produced a remarkable improvement of the

myopathy and sensory neuropathy. Six https://www.selleckchem.com/products/BKM-120.html months later, he remained in good condition under strict dietary control. This report emphasizes that severe neuropathy may occur in some patients with muscle carnitine deficiency, and highlights the need for the neurologist’s familiarity with those afflicted to achieve optimal clinical management.”
“In this work, the rheological characterization of the gel point in polymer-modified asphalts is carried out. The viscoelastic properties of polymer-modified asphalts, in which the polymer is styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene (SEBS) with grafted maleic anhydride (MAH), were measured as a function of MAH concentration. The crosslinking reaction that leads to gelation is characterized by power-law frequency-dependent loss and storage modulus (G ” and G ‘).

This result supported the use of Datura metel in selleck products phytomedicine for the treatment of asthma, cough, burns and healing of wounds in Nigeria.”
“Background: Despite advances in surgical and anesthetic techniques, lower-extremity total joint arthroplasty is associated with considerable perioperative blood loss. As predictors of perioperative blood loss and allogenic blood transfusion have not yet been well defined, the purpose of this study was to identify clinical predictors for perioperative blood loss and allogenic blood transfusion in patients undergoing total

joint arthroplasty.

Methods: From 2000 to 2008, all patients undergoing unilateral primary total hip or knee arthroplasty who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Perioperative blood loss was calculated with use of a previously validated formula. The predictors of perioperative blood loss and allogenic blood transfusion were identified Metabolism inhibitor in a multivariate analysis.

Results: Eleven thousand three hundred and seventy-three patients who underwent total joint arthroplasty, including 4769 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty and 6604

patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty, were evaluated. Multivariate analysis indicated that an increase in blood loss was associated with being male (263.59 mL in male patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty and 233.60 mL in male patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty), a Charlson Comorbidity Index of >3 (293.99 mL in patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty and 167.96 mL in patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty), and preoperative autologous blood donation (593.51 mL in patients who had undergone total hip arthroplasty and 592.30 mL in patients

who had undergone total knee arthroplasty). In patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty, regional anesthesia compared selleck chemical with general anesthesia reduced the amount of blood loss. The risk of allogenic blood transfusion increased with the amount of blood loss in the patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (odds ratio, 1.43 [95% confidence interval, 1.40 to 1.46]) and the patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (odds ratio, 1.47 [95% confidence interval, 1.42 to 1.51]), but the risk of blood transfusion increased with the Charlson Comorbidity Index only in patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (odds ratio, 3.2 [95% confidence interval, 1.99 to 5.15]). The risk of allogenic blood transfusion decreased with preoperative autologous blood donation in patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (odds ratio, 0.01 [95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.02]) and patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (odds ratio, 0.02 [95% confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.03]).

Exudation experiments showed that osmotic forces were Vorinostat manufacturer sufficient to support night-time transpiration, yet transpiration experiments and cuticle permeance data questioned the significance

of osmotic forces. During the day, 90% of water uptake was driven by a tension of about -0.15 MPa.”
“The generation of point defects in highly oriented pyrolytic boron nitride (HOPBN) after Ar+ ion bombardment in ultrahigh vacuum and subsequent exposure to air was studied by angle-resolved x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). The pristine HOPBN showed well-oriented boron nitride (BN) basal planes parallel to the surface, with a negligible amount of defects. Amorphization of the BN structure took place after Ar+ sputtering, as indicated by the broadening of the XANES spectra and significant decrease of the characteristic pi* states. Following air exposure, the XANES analysis revealed a spontaneous reorganization of the sample structure. The appearance of four hypoxia-inducible factor pathway new B1s pi* excitonic peaks indicates an oxygen decoration process of the nitrogen vacancies created by ion bombardment. A core-level shift model is presented to support this statement. This model is successfully extended to the case of oxygen substitutional

defects in hexagonal BC3 and BCxN (0 < x < 4) materials, which can be applied to any B-based sp(2)-bonded honeycomb structure. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3602996]“
“Cerebral hypometabolism and abnormal levels of amyloid beta (A beta), total (t-tau) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are established biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We examined the agreement between these biomarkers in a single center study of patients with AD of severity

extending over a wide range. Forty seven patients (MMSE 21.4 check details +/- 3.6, range 13-28 points) with incipient and probable AD underwent positron emission tomography with [F-18]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) and lumbar puncture for CSF assays of A beta(1-42), p-tau(181), and t-tau. All findings were classified as either positive or negative for AD. Statistical analyses were performed for the whole sample (n=47) and for the subgroups stratified as mild (MMSE >20 points, n=30) and moderate (MMSE <21 points, n=17) AD. In the whole patient sample, the agreement with the FDG-PET finding was 77% (chance-corrected kappa [kappa]=0.34, p=0.016) for t-tau, 68% (kappa=0.10, n.s.) for p-tau(181), and 68% (kappa=0.04, n.s.) for A beta(1-42). No significant agreement was found in the mild AD subgroup, while there was a strong agreement for t-tau (94%, kappa=0.77, p=0.001) and p-tau(181) (88%, kappa=0.60, p=0.014) in the moderate AD group. A significant agreement between the FDG-PET and CSF tau findings in patients with AD supports the view that both are markers of neurodegeneration.

3 mu m (3.8-4.9), W, 2.9 mu m (2.6-3.3), A, 10.2 mu m(2) (8.5-12.2), P, 12.4 mu m (11.3-13.9), Ac, 49% (36-60), L/W, 1.49 (1.32-1.67) and P/A, 1.22 (1.11-1.35). These median values fall within the 95th centile confidence limits given by WHO, but the confidence intervals for L and W were larger. Although these differences in head dimensions among men and after swim-up could be detected by CASMA, the small differences make it unlikely that technicians would be able to distinguish them. The values could be used as default sperm head values for the CASMA machine used here.”
“Besides

the host immune response, genetic and environmental factors play crucial NOV120101 roles in the manifestation of hepatitis B

virus (HBV) infection. “”Regulated on activation normal T-cell JQ1 mouse expressed and secreted”" factor ( RANTES) plays a vital role in CD4(+), CD8(+) T-lymphocyte and dendritic cell activation and proliferation in inflammation. Single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs) in the RANTES gene are associated with several viral and non-viral diseases. Association studies have invariably indicated a lack of association between RANTES gene SNPs and HBV infection in ethnic populations, even though RANTES gene SNPs exhibit distinct ethnic distributions. Despite the high prevalence of HBV infections in Saudi Arabia, no studies have been made concerning a possible relationship between RANTES gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to and progression of HBV infection. We examined -403G > A and -28C > G RANTES gene variants in 473 healthy controls and 484 HBV patients in ethnic Saudi populations. Significant differences were found in the genotype and allele distributions of the SNPs between the controls and

the HBV patients. Both SNPs were significantly linked to viral clearance in these subjects. Our data demonstrate for the first time in a Saudi population, a relationship GANT61 ic50 between the RANTES gene polymorphisms and the clinical course of HBV infection and underscore the importance of evaluating the genetic background of the affected individual to determine how it may affect disease progression.”
“Carotenoid development of red fleshed papaya fruit (Carica papaya L) was investigated in the course of a complete pre- and postharvest period using HPLC-DAD coupled to mass spectrometry. Esterified xanthophylls such as beta-cryptoxanthin laurate and caprate were the most abundant pigments during incipient carotenoid biosynthesis. Subsequent fruit maturation led to a gradual accumulation of carotenoids, whereas particularly beta-cryptoxanthin laurate and total lycopene contents disproportionately increased, reaching maximum contents of up to 775 and 3168 mu g/100 g of fresh weight (FW), respectively.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic https://www.selleckchem.com/products/anlotinib-al3818.html Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.”
“Background Parvovirus B19 (B19) disease is a rare cause of anemia in cancer patients and often goes unrecognized, causing delays in anticancer therapy.

Methods A retrospective review was carried out of the records of patients with multiple myeloma who underwent melphalan-based autologous stem cell transplantation (MEL-ASC ) and developed B19 infection (January 2009-December 2011). Cases were defined by the presence of

clinical and laboratory findings consistent with B19 disease in patients with repeatedly positive plasma quantitative polymerase chain reaction for parvovirus.

Results Six patients qualified as cases; 5 presented with trilineage cytopenias (chronic in 1) and 1 with anemia later progressing to pancytopenia. IVIG) resulted in clinical and hematologic response in all; however, 1 patient, whose white blood cell counts and serum hemoglobin levels improved, required splenectomy for persistent thrombocytopenia. All patients required additional IVIG for recurrent B19 disease. Although viral load at diagnosis did not correlate with

the severity of cytopenia, its decrease was associated with response during 17 of 20 evaluable episodes (P=0.02). Preemptive IVIG allowed the safe administration of mTOR inhibitor chemotherapy in 3 patients, including MEL-ASC in 1.

Conclusion Parvovirus B19 can cause severe disease in myeloma patients including ASC recipients. IVIG, although additional therapy was needed for recurrent disease. Most importantly, preemptive IVIG allowed for safe and timely administration of antineoplastic therapy in patients with ongoing B19 disease.”
“High costs and limited returns on investment have hampered progress in developing new diagnostic tests and treatments for tuberculosis

(TB). We need new biomarkers to develop assays that can rapidly, efficiently and reliably detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease, identify drug resistance and expedite drug and vaccine development. This can only be accomplished through cross-disciplinary collaborations NVP-AUY922 cell line to facilitate access to human specimens. The Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, the industry and academia experts came together in a June 2010 workshop to examine the field of TB diagnostic test development and biomarker discovery, identify areas of most urgent need and formulate strategies to address those needs.”
“BACKGROUND: The best treatment method for large tibial bone defects during revision knee replacement has not been established. The purpose of this study was to determine the initial results obtained with a unique reconstructive implant, the porous tantalum metaphyseal cone, designed as an alternative treatment for severe tibial bone loss following total knee arthroplasty.

Responses to both antagonists were suppressed in RL (F-1). Relaxation to sodium nitroprusside was increased in RO versus CO and suppressed in RL versus RO (F-1).

Conclusion: Administration of anAT(1) receptor antagonist to offspring during the suckling and juvenile period improves

the uterine vascular dysfunction in pregnancy induced by prior maternal LPD during their development. Such treatment may contribute to decreasing the transmitted risks of maternal malnutrition from offspring to the subsequent Cyclosporin A generation.”
“Purpose of review

To discuss currently available urate-lowering therapeutic options for gout in the United States and newer therapeutic initiatives in development.

Recent findings

Currently available urate-lowering drugs include allopurinol and probenecid. These drugs are effective but are often underdosed selleck products or underutilized, and caution must be taken in patients with multiple comorbidities. Newer therapeutic agents in development include febuxostat, a nonpurine analogue xanthine oxidase inhibitor, and pegloticase, a pegylated recombinant uricase.

Summary

There have been no new US Food and Drug Administration-approved

urate-lowering drugs for gout in the past 40 years. Recent advances in therapeutics promise to provide the opportunity for much needed improvement in patient outcomes in this disorder.”
“Objective Mast cells are bone marrow-derived tissue-homing leukocytes, which have traditionally been regarded as effector cells in allergic disorders, responses against parasites, and regulation

of blood flow, but a broader perspective of their functional heterogeneity, such as immunomodulation, angiogenesis, tissue repair, and remodeling after injury, is now emerging. The persistence of mast cells in connective tissues throughout the evolution of vertebrates is evidence of strong selective pressure suggesting that these cells must have multiple beneficial and important roles in normal homeostasis. While mast cells are present within the uveal tract of eutherian mammals, there is little known about their presence in the choroid of other vertebrate classes.

Animals studied Eye tissues from a range of vertebrate species buy KU-57788 (fish, amphibian, reptiles, birds, marsupials, monotreme, and eutherian mammals) were investigated. Tissues were fixed in either 2% glutaraldehyde, 2% paraformaldehyde or a mixture of both and processed for resin embedding. Semi-thin sections of the retina and choroid were cut and stained with toluidine blue.

Results and conclusions Mast cells were identified in the choroid of all classes of vertebrates investigated except sharks. Their morphology, location, and staining characteristics were remarkably similar from teleost fish through to eutherian mammals and bore close morphological resemblance to mammalian connective tissue mast cells.