It is also seen that the theory converges to physically correct solutions in the cases of infinite and zero shear stiffness; while the first corresponds the case of Euler Bernoulli

sandwich beam, the second corresponds the case where the sandwich effect is lost and the bending is carried out purely by the bending of the faces. The paper also gives explicit expression for the couple stress stiffness in terms of unit cell dimensions and materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“This research examines the applicability Birinapant chemical structure of the Theory of Planned Behavior in predicting supportive behaviors by parents and adult siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability. Participants were 67 parents and 63 siblings whose immediate relatives with intellectual disability resided in two institutional care www.selleckchem.com/products/MLN-2238.html facilities. Three aspects of supportive assistance behavior were evaluated: home visits, visits to the institution, and the relationship with the caregiving staff. Findings indicated that subjective norms held by siblings and parents predicted the frequency of home visits. Perceived behavioral control predicted the frequency of contact between siblings and staff. Thus, the applicability of the theory with respect to supportive behavior by the parents and siblings of immediate relatives with intellectual disability was partly substantiated by our findings. The findings are discussed with respect to the applicability

of Theory of Planned Behavior.”
“Reinforcement is the process by which increased reproductive isolation between incipient species

evolves due to selection against maladaptive BEZ235 concentration hybrids or costly hybrid mating. Reinforcement is predicted to create a pattern of greater prezygotic reproductive isolation in regions where the two species co-occur, sympatry, than in allopatry. Although most research on reinforcement focuses on understanding the evolutionary forces acting in sympatry, here we consider what prevents the alleles conferring greater reproductive isolation from spreading into allopatry. We investigate flower color divergence in the wildflower Phlox drummondii, which is caused by reinforcement in the regions sympatric with its congener Phlox cuspidata. Specifically, we performed common garden field experiments and pollinator observations to estimate selection acting on flower color variation in allopatry. We combine our estimates of maternal and paternal fitness using simulations and predict how flower color alleles migrating from sympatry will evolve in allopatry. Our results suggest that strong pollinator preference for the ancestral flower color in allopatry can maintain divergence between allopatric and sympatric populations.”
“The separation of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a powerful anthropogenic greenhouse gas, was investigated using membrane technology. Permeation measurements in commercial polysulfone (PSf) hollow fiber membranes were performed using single gases (i.e.

Patients undergoing IST received either equine ALG or ATG in combination with steroids and cyclosporine. Primary engraftment was seen in 25 children (83.3%), with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) in 5 (16.6%). The day 100 transplant-related mortality (TRM) was 30% and at a median follow up of 36 months (range: 6-197), the overall and disease-free survival is 70%. Among children who received IST, 60 children received ALG while 10 received ATGAM. Responses were seen in 27 children (43.5%), which was complete (CR) in 12 and partial (PR) in 15. At a median follow up of 38 months (range: 1-84), the overall survival is 37.1%, with 81.4% survival among

responders and < 10% survival among non-responders. HSCT would be the treatment of choice in children with severe aplastic anemia who have a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched related donor and Dibutyryl-cAMP is superior to IST in this series from

India.</.”
“Magnetic properties and microstructures of L1(1) (Co50-xCux)Pt-50 films sputter-deposited at 350 degrees C on MgO(111) substrates are reported. The addition of Cu significantly improves the alignment of c-axis and chemical ordering. Perpendicular coercivity (H-c perpendicular to) also increases markedly from 0.1 to 1.9 kOe while in-plane coercivity declines from 0.5 to 0.07 kOe for the 20 nm thick films at x = 26. Similar phenomena are observed with larger effects for the 50 nm thick films. The coercive mechanism is attributed to domain-wall pinning

produced by the compositional Selleckchem Ruboxistaurin segregation of nanoscaled nonmagnetic Cu-rich and magnetic Co-rich regions within a coherent L1(1) crystal domain. Therefore, an intermediate value of H-c perpendicular to can be obtained from this hardening mechanism when further microstructure modifications are enforced, which largely increases the potential for the use in spintronic devices or patterned media. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3520662]“
“We produced microfibrillated cellulose P005091 molecular weight by passing carboxymethylated sulfite-softwood-dissolving pulp with a relatively low hemicellulose content (4.5%) through a high-shear homogenizer. The resulting gel was subjected to as many as three additional homogenization steps and then used to prepare solvent-cast films. The optical, mechanical, and oxygen-barrier properties of these films were determined. A reduction in the quantity and appearance of large fiber fragments and fiber aggregates in the films as a function of increasing homogenization was illustrated with optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Film opacity decreased with increasing homogenization, and the use of three additional homogenization steps after initial gel production resulted in highly transparent films.

(C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3042236]“
“Incretin-based therapies represent one of the

most promising options in type 2 diabetes treatment owing to their good effectiveness with low risk of hypoglycemia and no weight gain. Other numerous potential beneficial effects of incretin-based therapies FK228 clinical trial have been suggested based mostly on experimental and small clinical studies including its beta-cell-and vasculo-protective actions. One of the recently emerged interesting features of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors is its possible protective effect on the diabetic kidney disease. Here, we review the renal effects of DPP-4 inhibitors with special focus on its influence on the onset and progression of microalbuminuria, as presence of microalbuminuria represents an important early sign of kidney damage and is also associated with increased risk of hypoglycemia and cardiovascular complications. Mechanisms underlying possible nephroprotective properties of DPP-4 inhibitors Selleckchem OSI-744 include reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation and improvement of endothelial dysfunction. Effects of DPP-4 inhibitors may be both glucagon-like

peptide-1 (GLP-1) dependent and independent. Ongoing prospective studies focused on the nephroprotective effects of DPP-4 inhibitors will further clarify its possible role in the prevention/attenuation of diabetic kidney disease beyond its glucose lowering properties.”
“Microvascular free tissue transfer has GDC-0068 PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitor become an integral part of head and neck reconstruction. The role for it has widened in this era of organ preservation and surgical salvage. There are many reports on the influence of radiotherapy on the success of microvascular head and neck reconstruction,

though there is a paucity of reports studying its effect after chemoradiotherapy. This article reviews the existing evidence regarding the influence of prior radiotherapy on microvascular free tissue transfer and sets a platform for further studies in the current setting of organ preservation with chemoradiotherapy and surgical salvage. Laboratory studies on animals, though demonstrating considerable tissue damage, could not find any influence of radiotherapy on the patency of the anastomosed vessels. Flap failure is reported to be more common after preoperative radiotherapy, but majority of the studies could not demonstrate a significant difference due to the lack of statistical power owing to the very high success rate of microvascular free flap surgery. Operative complications increased as the time between radiotherapy and surgery increased. There are very few reports on the outcome of free flap reconstruction after the organ preservation regimens of chemoradiotherapy. Such outcome studies would be coming forth in the near future.

The region treated was also found to be a significant predictive factor. Smoking, topical anesthesia, severity of local side effects induced by the laser treatment, and phototype were not associated with significant modification of dermal thickness after laser treatment.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report on the use of high-resolution ultrasound imaging to assess the efficacy IPI-145 Angiogenesis inhibitor of fractional laser operating with standard parameters. Increase in dermal thickness was evidenced, possibly explained by collagen neosynthesis or conformational changes in the extracellular matrix component, increasing dermal hydration, although there was no modification of SENEB thickness, suggesting

that the skin retains the sequelae of ageing. The treatment appeared to be more effective in younger patients, probably because their fibroblasts are more prone to synthesizing collagen. Thinner skins were more effectively treated than thicker skins because they could be stimulated throughout their thickness with the treatment parameters used.

Deka, France, paid an honorarium for this study to Dr. Naouri.”
“Two new steroidal saponins were isolated from the fruits

of Tribulus terrestris. Their structures were assigned by spectroscopic analysis and colour reaction as 26-O–D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-5-furostane-12-one-3,22,26-triol-3-O–D-glucopyranosyl(14)–D-galactopyranoside buy LB-100 (1); 26-O–D-glucopyranosyl-25(R)-5-furostan-12-one-3,22,26-triol-3-O–L-rhamnopyranosyl-(12)-O-[-D-glucopyranosyl-(14)]–D-galactopyranoside (2).”
“Background : The aim of this study was to confirm the usefulness of cervicovaginal smears in the screening of squamous cell neoplasms of the

uterine cervix by comparative analysis between the cytologic diagnosis of cervicovaginal smears and the histologic diagnosis of tissue specimens. Methods : We selected 743 patients who had both cervicovaginal smears and histologic evaluations of the uterine cervix by colposcopic biopsy, conization, learn more or hysterectomy at the Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center between January 2005 and December 2007. Results : The accuracy rate of cervicovaginal smears and histologic diagnoses was 93.0% (691/743) and showed a high correspondence (kappa value, 0.770, p-value, 0.000). The false-negative and false-positive rates were 0.5% (6/484) and 17.8% (46/259), respectively. The sampling and interpretation errors were identified in four and two cases of six false-negative cases and 29 and 17 cases of 46 false-positive cases, respectively. In screening high grade squamous cell neoplasms, there were no false-negative cases and only one false-positive case which resulted from sampling error. The false-negative rate of cervicovaginal smears and the false-positive rate in high-grade squamous cell neoplsams were very low.

Clozapine provides effective treatments for schizophrenia but its usage is limited because of life-threatening agranulocytosis. A recent high impact VX-809 study showed the necessity of moving clozapine to a first line drug, thus identifying the biomarkers for drug-induced agranulocytosis has become important. Here we report a methodology

termed as antithesis chemical-protein interactome (CPI), which utilizes the docking method to mimic the differences in the drug-protein interactions across a panel of human proteins. Using this method, we identified HSPA1A, a known susceptibility gene for CIA, to be the off-target of clozapine. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of HSPA1A-related genes (off-target associated systems) was also found to be differentially expressed in clozapine treated leukemia cell line. Apart from identifying the CIA causal genes we identified several novel candidate genes which could be responsible for agranulocytosis. Proteins related to reactive oxygen clearance system, such as oxidoreductases and glutathione metabolite enzymes, were significantly enriched in the PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor 3 antithesis CPI. This methodology conducted a multi-dimensional analysis of drugs’ perturbation to the biological system, investigating both the off-targets and the associated off-systems to explore the

molecular basis of an adverse event or the new uses for old drugs.”
“Prevotella bivia is associated with pelvic inflammatory disease. A 77-year-old selleck chemicals man developed a rapidly growing chest wall abscess due to P. bivia within days. He underwent surgical resection of the infected area; his postoperative course was uneventful. This is the first case of chest wall abscess due to P. bivia infection. Its correct diagnosis cannot be underestimated because fulminant infections can occur in aged or immunocompromised patients if treated incorrectly. Prompt, appropriate surgical management, and antibiotic therapy affect treatment outcome.”
“Identification of the radicals was performed for the standard reaction mixtures,

which contained 4.3 mM oleic acid, 25 mu M riboflavin, 1 mM FeSO4(NH4)(2)SO4, 10 mM cholic acid, 40 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and 0.1 M alpha-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-N-tert-butylnitrone under the UVA irradiation (365 nm), using an electron spin resonance, an high performance liquid chromatography-electron spin resonance and an high performance liquid chromatography-electron spin resonance-mass spectrometry. The electron spin resonance and high performance liquid chromatography-electron spin resonance measurements of the standard reaction mixtures showed prominent signals (alpha(N) = 1.58 mT and alpha(H)beta = 0.26 mT) and peaks 1 and 3 (retention times, 37.0 min and 49.0 min). Since the peak 3 was not observed for the standard reaction mixture without oleic acid, the radical of the peak 3 seems to be derived from oleic acid.

This event creates the inflammatory compartment that recruits effector and effector memory CD4 and CD8 T cells, both cognate and noncognate, and macrophage precursors. Cognate T cells cross the donor microcirculation to enter the interstitium but spare the microcirculation. Local inflammation triggers dedifferentiation of the adjacent epithelium (e.g. loss of transporters and expression of embryonic genes) rather than cell death, via mechanisms that do not require known T-cell

cytotoxic mechanisms or direct contact of T MK2206 cells with the epithelium. Local epithelial changes trigger a response of the entire nephron and a second wave of dedifferentiation. The dedifferentiated epithelium is unable to exclude T cells, which enter to produce tubulitis lesions. Thus TCMR is a cognate C188-9 molecular weight recognition-based process that creates local inflammation and epithelial dedifferentiation, stereotyped nephron responses, and tubulitis, and if untreated causes irreversible nephron loss.”
“Background and aims: Nut intake has been inversely related to body mass index (BMI) in prospective studies. We examined dietary determinants of adiposity in an elderly Mediterranean population with customarily high nut consumption.

Methods and results: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 847 subjects (56% women, mean age 67 years, BMI 29.7 kg/m(2)) at high cardiovascular

risk recruited into the PREDIMED GSK1210151A price study. Food consumption was evaluated by a validated semi-quantitative questionnaire, energy expenditure

in physical activity by the Minnesota Leisure Time Activity questionnaire, and anthropometric variables by standard measurements. Nut intake decreased across quintiles of both BMI and waist circumference (P-trend <0.005; both). Alcohol ingestion was inversely related to BMI (P-trend = 0.020) and directly to waist (P-trend = 0.011), while meat intake was directly associated with waist circumference (P-trend = 0.018). In fully adjusted multivariable models, independent dietary associations of BMI were the intake of nuts inversely (P = 0.002) and that of meat and meat products directly (P = 0.042). For waist circumference, independent dietary associations were intake of nuts (P = 0.002) and vegetables (P = 0.040), both inversely, and intake of meat and meat products directly (P = 0.009). From the regression coefficients, it was predicted that BMI and waist circumference decreased by 0.78 kg/m(2) and 2.1 cm, respectively, for each serving of 30 g of nuts. Results were similar in men and women.

Conclusion: Nut consumption was inversely associated with adiposity independently of other lifestyle variables. It remains to be explored whether residual confounding related to a healthier lifestyle of nut eaters might in part explain these results. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

We extend our report of the first 200 consecutive living donor solitary kidney transplantations under alemtuzumab pretreatment with tacrolimus monotherapy and subsequent spaced weaning to 3 years of follow-up. We focused especially on the causes of recipient death and graft loss, and the characteristics of rejection. The actuarial 1-, Tozasertib cell line 2- and 3-year patient and graft survivals were 99.0% and 98.0%, 96.4% and 90.8% and 93.3% and 86.3%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of acute cellular rejection (ACR) at the following months was 2% <= 6, 9.0% <= 12, 16.5% <= 18, 19.5% <= 24, 23.5% <= 30, 24.0% <= 36 and 25% <= 42. The mean serum creatinine (mg/dL) and glomerular

filtration rate (mL/min/1.73 m(2)) at 1 and 3 years were 1.4 learn more +/- 0.6 and 58.7 +/- 21.6 and 1.5 +/- 0.7 and 54.9 +/- 20.9, respectively. Fifty (25%) recipients had a total of 89 episodes of ACR. About 88.7% of ACR episodes were Banff 1, and of those, 82% were steroid-sensitive. Nine (4.5%) recipients had antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). About 76.5% were weaned but only 46% are currently on spaced dose (qod or less) tacrolimus monotherapy, and 94.4% remained steroid-free from the time of transplantation. Infectious

complications were uncommon. This experience suggests the 3-year efficacy of this approach.”
“Atherothrombosis, atherosclerosis and their thrombotic complications have become epidemic. Both an elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level and a decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level are associated with the increased incidence of atherothrombosis. Reducing LDL using statins has been shown to provide very effective therapy for both primary and secondary prevention. Nevertheless, despite statin treatment, a large percentage Sapanisertib cost of patients

continues to experience cardiovascular events. Therapies aimed at increasing HDL have been investigated for several decades, with promising results. However, because statin treatment was not standardized in earlier trials, it has been difficult to draw clear conclusions. Recent advances in both animal studies and clinical trials indicate that increasing the HDL level could result in additional benefits to those achieved by reducing LDL levels using statins. Intravenous infusion of various HDL preparations appears to lead to the accelerated regression and stabilization of atheromatous plaque, and could provide a novel approach to treatment in high-risk patients. This review describes the biological rationale underlying the use of treatments that increase HDL and discusses the potential benefits of such treatment.”
“This study reports on the formulation of doxycycline HCL in an ion activated in situ gelling delivery system and its implications for the treatment of periodontal disease. The system is based on the use of alginate as the gelling agent and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as a viscosity enhancing agent.

Steroids PXD101 manufacturer were prescribed in 61% of the patients and had no significant side effects; steroid use was associated with a trend towards a lower median CD4 cell count at 12 months of ART compared to the others (230 vs. 322 cells/mm(3)), despite no baseline differences.

CONCLUSION: TB-IRIS outcome was

favourable regardless of the therapeutic strategics employed. Although steroids were widely used and well-tolerated, an initial wait-and-see attitude in the case of non-severe IRIS remains an interesting strategy to be evaluated.”
“Background: Both N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) and depressive symptoms independently predict cardiac events in heart failure (HF) patients. However, the relationship among NT-pro BNP, depressive symptoms, and cardiac event is unknown.

Methods and Results: Blood was drawn to measure NT-pro BNP and depressive High Content Screening symptoms were measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) among 210 patients with HF. Data about cardiac event-free survival were collected for the average follow-up period of 397 days. Cox proportional hazards

regression with survival curves were used to determine the relationship of NT-pro BNP and depressive symptoms to cardiac event-free survival. Higher NT-pro-BNP confers greater risk of cardiac events among those with depressive symptoms than those without depressive symptoms (P for the interaction = .029). Patients with NT-pro BNP >581 pg/mL and total PHQ-9 score had a 5.5 times higher risk for cardiac events compared with patients with NT-pro BNP <= 581 pg/mL and total PHQ-9 score < 10 (P = .001).

Conclusions: The prognostic association of NT-pro BNP with cardiac event-free survival in patients with HF differed by the presence of depressive symptoms. Monitoring and treatment

of depressive symptoms may be important for improving cardiac event-free survival in patients with HE check details (J Cardiac Fail 2010:16:572-578)”
“BACKGROUND: We describe the presentation and outcome of care among patients with tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection from a prospective observational cohort in Uganda.

METHODS: We analysed basic demographics, CD4+ counts, time of initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), clinical and haematological parameters and outcome of care of 386 patients enrolled between February 2007 and March 2010.

RESULTS: At presentation, 56.7% of the patients were sputum-positive, 89.9% had new TB infection, 62.7% had wasting, 78.7% were anaemic, 72.1% had a CD4+ count of <200 cells/mm(3), 20.2% had pneumonia, 50.3% had oral thrush and 1.3% had Kaposi’s sarcoma. Patients developing TB within 3 months of starting ART were less likely to have wasting, to be anaemic or to have a CD4+ count of <100 cells/mm(3). The cure, default and death rates were respectively 54.3%, 24% and 16%. At 8 months, 53 (13.7%) were confirmed dead, 119 (30.8%) were lost to follow-up, 28 (7.

Methods: The study included 38 patients with idiopathic CTS, confirmed by electroneurographic (ENG) examination. All patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: group L (18 www.selleckchem.com/products/hmpl-504-azd6094-volitinib.html patients) treated with LLLT and group M (20 patients) with PMF therapy. Clinical assessment, including day and night pain, the presence

of paresthesia, functional tests (Phalen, Tinel, armband tests) and pain severity according to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was conducted before treatment, after the first series of 10 sessions, after a two-week break, after the second series of 10 sessions and six months after the last series.

Results: After LLLT a significant reduction of day and night pain was observed at each stage of treatment and 6 months after the last series (p<0.05). However, in group M, a significant reduction of both day and night pain was demonstrated only after the second series (p<0.05). A reduction of the incidence of Phalen’s symptoms were noticed in both groups, however, only in group

L the improvement was significant (p<0.05). In groups L and M a significant reduction of pain intensity was observed at every stage of treatment (p<0.05).

Conclusions: Although after LLL as well as PMF therapy clinical improvement was observed, the most significant differences were registered after the second series and persisted for up to 6 months in both groups.”
“Objective: To study the mTOR inhibitor effect of 17 beta-estradiol (E2) and the superficial zone (SFZ) on cell death and proteoglycan degradation in articular cartilage after a single injurious compression in vitro.

Method: Cartilage explants from the femoropatellar groove of 2 year old cows with or without the SFZ were cultured serum-free with physiological concentrations of E2 and injured by an unconfined single load compression (strain 50%, velocity 2 mm/s). After 96 h cell death was measured histomorphometrically

(nuclear blebbing (NB) and TUNEL staining) and release of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) by DMMB assay.

Results: Injurious compression increased significantly the number of cells with NB and TUNEL staining and release of GAG. Physiological concentrations of E2 prevented the injury-related cell death and reduced the GAG release significantly in a receptor-mediated manner (shown by co-stimulation Copanlisib order with the antiestrogen fulvestrant/faslodex/ICI-182,780). The presence of the SFZ did not alter the NB response to either the mechanical injury or E2, but reduced the overall release of GAG significantly.

Conclusion: E2 prevents injury-related cell death and GAG release, and might be useful for the development of treatment options for either cartilage-related sports injuries or osteoarthritis (OA). The SFZ does not seem to play an important role in (1) the E2-related tissue response and (2) the mechanicallyinduced cell death in deeper regions of the explants and GAG release.

(C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122: 1898-1904, 2011″
“We study the role of the structure of antiferromagnetic polycrystalline metallic films in determining the magnetic properties of an exchange-coupled amorphous ferromagnetic layer. The bilayers are sputter-deposited, highly textured 111 Ir(22)Mn(78) and Co(65.5)Fe(14.5)B(20) thin films. We focus on structural characterization of Ir(22)Mn(78) as a function of layer thickness in the range having the strongest influence over the exchange-bias field and training effect. We have used transmission electron microscopy to characterize defects in the form

of interface steps and roughness, interdiffusion, twin-and grain-boundaries. Such defects can result in uncompensated magnetic spins in the antiferromagnet, which then contribute to exchange-bias. These experimental results form the basis of a general model,

www.selleckchem.com/products/ly2835219.html which uses finite element micromagnetic simulations. The model incorporates the experimental structural parameters of the bilayer by implementing a surface integral technique that allows numerical calculations to solve the transition from an amorphous to a granular structure. As a result, a detailed calculation of the underlying magnetic structure within the selleckchem antiferromagnetic material is achieved. These calculations are in good agreement with micromagnetic imaging using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy and the macro-magnetic properties of these bilayers. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3559261]“
“Early detection of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) is essential as it leads to substantial morbidity and mortality irrespective of its etiology. The aim of our study was to determine whether noninvasive biochemical and/or echocardiographic indices can predict the presence

of PH in these patients. We prospectively studied 66 patients (mean age of 57.7 +/- 12.1 years, 63 women) with SSc without clinical manifestations of heart failure. All patients selleck underwent standard and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Plasma N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels were also measured. In 24 (36%) patients, the diagnosis of PH was established by echocardiography (systolic pulmonary artery pressure value a parts per thousand yen40 mmHg). Left atrial (LA) volume, NT-proBNP, ADMA, ratio of early transmitral filling velocity to early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus (mitral E/E (m)), and right ventricular myocardial performance index (MPI) were univariate predictors of PH. In multivariate analysis, NT-proBNP, LA volume, and right ventricular MPI were independent predictors of PH in SSc patients. LA volume and NT-proBNP may be useful noninvasive markers for the prediction of elevated pulmonary artery pressure in patients with SSc.