Search results for "CELLULAR"
showing 10 items of 6449 documents
Impact of serotonin 2C receptor null mutation on physiology and behavior associated with nigrostriatal dopamine pathway function.
2009
The impact of serotonergic neurotransmission on brain dopaminergic pathways has substantial relevance to many neuropsychiatric disorders. A particularly prominent role has been ascribed to the inhibitory effects of serotonin 2C receptor (5-HT2CR) activation on physiology and behavior mediated by the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, particularly in the terminal region of the nucleus accumbens. The influence of this receptor subtype on functions mediated by the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway is less clear. Here we report that a null mutation eliminating expression of 5-HT2CRs produces marked alterations in the activity and functional output of this pathway. 5-HT2CR mutant mice displayed i…
Genetically determined hypercholesterolaemia results into premature leucocyte telomere length shortening and reduced haematopoietic precursors
2020
Abstract Aims Leucocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening is a marker of cellular senescence and associates with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). A number of cardiovascular risk factors affect LTL, but the correlation between elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) and shorter LTL is debated: in small cohorts including subjects with a clinical diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). We assessed the relationship between LDL-C and LTL in subjects with genetic familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) compared to those with clinically diagnosed, but not genetically confirmed FH (CD-FH), and normocholesterolaemic subjects. Methods and results LTL was measured in mononuclear cells-d…
SIUMB guidelines and recommendations for the correct use of ultrasound in the management of patients with focal liver disease
2019
The present document describes the SIUMB (Italian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology) guidelines for the use of ultrasound in the management of focal liver disease. The aim of the paper is to provide a clinical practice guideline for Italian physicians who are approaching the ultrasound study of a focal liver lesion. In particular, these guidelines provide simple indications, recommendations and general practice advices for the correct use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in this scenario. They represent the SIUMB position of the ultrasound role in the diagnostic flow charts of the principal focal liver lesions, and are in agreement with other, previously published national…
Matrix metalloproteinases in metabolic syndrome.
2011
Metabolic syndrome is commonly accompanied by an elevated cardiovascular risk with high morbidity and mortality. The alterations of the arterial vasculature begin with endothelial dysfunction and lead to micro- and macrovascular complications. The remodeling of the endothelial basal membrane, that promotes erosion and thrombosis, has a multifactorial pathogenesis that includes leukocyte activation, increased oxidative stress and also an altered matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression. MMPs are endopeptidases which degrade extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, gelatins, fibronectin and laminin. They can be secreted by several cells within the vascular wall, but macrophages are…
Secretory effect of azodisalicylate (azodisal sodium) on the short circuited mucosa of the rat ileum in vitro.
1988
Azodisalicylate (ADS) is one of the newly developed substitutes of sulphasalazine consisting of two molecules of 5-amino-salicylic acid. Azodisalicylate caused diarrhoea in some patients, apparently caused by an antiabsorptive secretagogue action of this compound. The mechanism of this was studied in the short circuited isolated mucosa of the rat ileum. Mucosal addition of ADS increased the potential difference (PD) and short circuit current (Isc) at a concentration of 1.3.10(-4) mol/l (4 mg/dl) with maximal effects at 1.3.10(-3) mol/l (40 mg/dl). Epithelial resistance was only slightly decreased at the higher concentrations of 40 and 100 mg/dl. Serosal ADS had no effect on electrical param…
Model-specific effects of bumetanide on epileptiform activity in the in-vitro intact hippocampus of the newborn mouse.
2007
The immature brain has a higher susceptibility to develop seizures, which often respond poorly to classical pharmacological treatment. It has been recently suggested that bumetanide, which blocks Na(+)-dependent K(+)-Cl(-)-cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1) and thus attenuates depolarizing GABAergic responses, could soothe epileptiform activity in immature nervous systems. To evaluate whether bumetanide consistently attenuates epileptiform activity, we investigated the effect of 10 microM bumetanide in five different in-vitro epilepsy models using field potential recordings in the CA3 region of intact mouse hippocampal preparations at postnatal day 4-7. Bumetanide reduced amplitude and frequen…
Physical activity - an important preanalytical variable
2014
The concentration of several biochemical and hematological biomarkers is strongly influenced by a number of preanalytical variables. Several lines of evidence attest that short, middle, and long-term exercise, as well as the relative intensity of physical effort (from mild to strenuous), may influence a broad array of laboratory variables. The amount of extracellular release and clearance from blood of most of these biomarkers is markedly influenced by the biological characteristics of the molecule(s), level of training, type, intensity and duration of exercise, and time of recovery after training. It is hence noteworthy that test results that fall outside the conventional reference ranges …
Expression of differentiation antigens and growth-related genes in normal kidney, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, and renal cell carcin…
1992
Cellular differentiation and mRNA levels of genes involved in kidney growth were investigated in normal kidney cells, cyst-lining epithelial cells of polycystic kidney disease, and renal carcinoma cells (RCC). All cells comparatively studied exhibited an antigenic phenotype of proximal tubular cells as shown by the expression of a panel of brush border membrane enzymes and kidney-associated cell surface antigens. The epithelial developmental antigen Exo-1 was expressed in 50% to 80% of cyst-lining epithelia in polycystic kidney tissue and in 20% to 30% of polycystic kidney cells cultured in vitro. Normal kidney cells and RCC were negative under identical culture conditions. The expression o…
Activity-dependent endogenous taurine release facilitates excitatory neurotransmission in the neocortical marginal zone of neonatal rats.
2014
In the developing cerebral cortex, the marginal zone (MZ), consisting of early-generated neurons such as Cajal-Retzius cells, plays an important role in cell migration and lamination. There is accumulating evidence of widespread excitatory neurotransmission mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the MZ. Cajal-Retzius cells express not only GABAA receptors but also α2/β subunits of glycine receptors, and exhibit glycine receptor-mediated depolarization due to high [Cl(-)]i. However, the physiological roles of glycine receptors and their endogenous agonists during neurotransmission in the MZ are yet to be elucidated. To address this question, we performed optical imaging from the MZ using …
Increased susceptibility to lipid peroxidation in skeletal muscles of dystrophic hamsters.
1989
The results showed that the total content of lipids, which could be peroxidized with Fe(2 +)/ascorbate stimulation in vitro, was 45.4% and 53.7% higher than normal in the dystrophic hamster muscle at the age of 1 and 3 months, respectively. Correspondingly, the susceptibility to lipid peroxidation (stimulated by ADP-chelated iron at 37 degrees C) was 38.6-74.3% higher in dystrophic muscles. The increases were not related to necrotic lesions and inflammation observed. The activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase, thioredoxin reductase and catalase were increased in dystrophic muscles but those of superoxide dismutases and glutathione peroxidase were unaffected.