Search results for " molecule"
showing 10 items of 1523 documents
Alterations in the expression of PSA-NCAM and synaptic proteins in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of psychiatric disorder patients.
2012
Alterations in the structure and physiology of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) have been found in different psychiatric disorders and some of them involve inhibitory networks, especially in schizophrenia and major depression. Changes in the structure of these networks may be mediated by the polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM), a molecule related to neuronal structural plasticity, expressed in the PFC exclusively by interneurons. Different studies have found that PSA-NCAM expression in the hippocampus and the amygdala is altered in schizophrenia, major depression and animal models of these disorders, in parallel to changes in the expression of molecules related to inhibitory …
Menopause and ovariectomy cause a low grade of systemic inflammation that may be prevented by chronic treatment with low doses of estrogen or losarta…
2009
Abstract The incidence of cardiovascular diseases in premenopausal women is lower than in men or postmenopausal women. This study reports the discovery of a low grade of systemic inflammation, including monocyte adhesion to arterial endothelium, elicited by menopause or estrogen depletion. Chronic treatment with low dose of 17-β-estradiol or inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system reduced this inflammation. Using an in vitro flow chamber system with human arterial and venous endothelial cells, we found that leukocytes from healthy postmenopausal women were more adhesive to the arterial endothelium than those from premenopausal women regardless of the stimulus used on endothelial cells. I…
Semaphorin and plexin gene expression is altered in the prefrontal cortex of schizophrenia patients with and without auditory hallucinations
2015
Auditory hallucinations (AH) are clinical hallmarks of schizophrenia, however little is known about molecular genetics of these symptoms. In this study, gene expression profiling of postmortem brain samples from prefrontal cortex of schizophrenic patients without AH (SNA), patients with AH (SA) and control subjects were compared. Genome-wide expression analysis was conducted using samples of three individuals of each group and the Affymetrix GeneChip Human-Gene 1.0 ST-Array. This analysis identified the Axon Guidance pathway as one of the most differentially expressed network among SNA, SA and CNT. To confirm the transcriptome results, mRNA level quantification of seventeen genes involved i…
A novel L1CAM mutation in a fetus detected by prenatal diagnosis
2010
X-linked hydrocephalus is due to mutations in the L1 neuronal cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) gene. L1 protein plays a key role in neurite outgrowth, axonal guidance, and pathfinding during the development of the nervous system. We report on a familial case diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonographic examination, with cerebellar hypoplasia, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and the bilateral overlapping of the second and third fingers of the hand. Sequencing of the L1CAM gene showed a novel missense mutation in exon 14: transition of a guanine to cytosine at position 1777 (c.1777G > C), which led to an amino acid change of alanine to proline at position 593 (Ala593Pro) in the sixth immunoglobulin …
C-reactive protein and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 are stronger predictors of oxidant stress than blood pressure in established hypertension
2007
Oxidant stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in cardiovascular diseases. Our aim was to test oxidative stress, as 8-iso-prostaglandin F2alpha (8-iso-PGF2alpha), and its relationship with inflammation markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), and endothelial activation assayed as soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 in essential hypertension.In 216 essential hypertensive patients and 55 healthy control individuals, plasma levels of high-sensitivity CRP and TNFalpha, 8-iso-PGF2alpha, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were measured in basal conditions. Moreover, basal and 24-h ambulatory blood p…
Metformin modulates human leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions and proinflammatory cytokines in polycystic ovary syndrome patients
2015
Abstract Objective We aim to assess the effect of metformin treatment on metabolic parameters, endothelial function and inflammatory markers in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) subjects. Methods The study population consisted of 40 reproductive-age women with PCOS, who underwent treatment with metformin during a 12-week period, and their corresponding matched controls (n = 44). We evaluated endocrinological parameters, adhesion molecules (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and E-selectin) and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)) in serum. In addition, interactions between human umbili…
Induction of oxidative stress and human leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions in polycystic ovary syndrome patients with insulin resistance.
2011
Insulin resistance is a feature of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is related to mitochondrial and endothelial function.We tested whether hyperandrogenic insulin-resistant women with PCOS, who have an increased risk of vascular disease, display impaired leukocyte-endothelium interactions, and mitochondrial dysfunction.This was a prospective controlled study conducted in an academic medical center.The study population consisted of 43 lean reproductive-age women with PCOS and 39 controls subjects.We evaluated anthropometric and metabolic parameters, adhesion molecules, and interactions between leukocytes and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Mitochondrial function was studied by as…
Tif1γ regulates the TGF-β1 receptor and promotes physiological aging of hematopoietic stem cells.
2014
The hematopoietic system declines with age. Myeloid-biased differentiation and increased incidence of myeloid malignancies feature aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but the mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Here, we report that 4-mo-old mice deleted for transcription intermediary factor 1γ (Tif1γ) in HSCs developed an accelerated aging phenotype. To reinforce this result, we also show that Tif1γ is down-regulated in HSCs during aging in 20-mo-old wild-type mice. We established that Tif1γ controls TGF-β1 receptor (Tgfbr1) turnover. Compared with young HSCs, Tif1γ(-/-) and old HSCs are more sensitive to TGF-β signaling. Importantly, we identified two populations of HSCs specifical…
Electronic excitations of 1,4-disilyl-substituted 1,4-disilabicycloalkanes: a MS-CASPT2 study of the influence of cage size.
2007
We present a multistate complete active space second-order perturbation theory computational study aimed to predict the low-lying electronic excitations of four compounds that can be viewed as two disilane units connected through alkane bridges in a bicyclic cage. The analysis has focused on 1,4-disilyl-1,4-disilabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (1a), 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-disilabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (1b), 1,4-disilyl-1,4-disilabicyclo[2.1.1]hexane (2a), and 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,4-disilabicyclo[2.1.1]hexane (2b). The aim has been to find out the nature of the lowest excitations with significant oscillator strengths and to investigate how the cage size affects the excitation energies and the…
Supramolecular Aggregates in Vacuum: Positively Mono-Charged Sodium Alkanesulfonate Clusters
2010
The formation and structural features of positively mono-charged aggregates of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sodium methane—(MetS), butane—(ButS) and octane—(OctS) sulfonate molecules in the gas phase have been investigated by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, energy-resolved mass spectrometry and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental results show that the center-of-mass collision energy required to dissociate 50% of these mono-charged aggregates scantly depends on the length of the alkyl chain as well as on the aggregation number. This, together with the large predominance of mono-charged species in the mass spectra, was rationalized i…