ITGAM and mesothelioma: Compared to control rats, increased proportions of monocytic CD11b/cintHis48high cells were noted in animals injected with CNT-7 (Fig. 1b-c), short CNT-7 or asbestos (Fig. 1 c and Additional file 1: Figure S1 H), and the extent of their accumulation was associated with the ability of the fibers to induce mesotheliomas over the 12 months observation period (Fig. 1a).