Is circulation level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 correlated with disease severity in tuberculosis patients?
We suppose that the elevation of serum MMP-9 levels in patients with tuberculosis is affected by the augmentation of synthesis and/or secretion of this enzyme by inflammatory cells in response to M. tuberculosis infection. The observed association between the serum MMP-9 level and the extent of radiological change suggests that the quantification of the serum level of this enzyme may constitute a supplementary test in pulmonary tuberculosis diagnostics.
This study shows for the first time that PAR-2 expression is enhanced in human coronary atherosclerotic lesions, and suggests that PAR-2 dependent cellular trafficking may be one of the regulatory signalling responses to vascular injury. Further pharmacological studies will establish whether modulation (and in which direction) of PAR-2 represents a possible therapeutic target for controlling the vascular response to injury.