Search results for "Calcium"
showing 10 items of 1740 documents
Occurrence and regional distribution of calcareous concretions in the rat pineal gland.
1978
Serial sections of 90 Sprague-Dawley rat brains with the pineal in situ were scanned to determine the occurrence and regional distribution of calcareous concretions within the pineal gland and its surrounding leptomeningeal tissue. In 90% of the cases examined concretions were found in varying number and appearance, predominantly lying in the dorsal region of the pineal gland and in the distal portion of the pineal stalk. Discussing the hypothesis advanced by Lukaszyk and Reiter (1975) that the origin of pineal concretions may be related to a neurosecretory process involving a pineal carrier protein, called neuroepiphysin, it is thought that, in view of the intra- and extra-pineal occurrenc…
Induced hyperactivity in boar spermatozoa and its evaluation by computer-assisted sperm analysis.
2004
Hyperactivity, a form of sperm motility characterized by vigorous flagellar movements, has been proposed as essential for fertilization in mammals. The objective of the present study was to establish a method for inducing hyperactivityin vitroin boar spermatozoa and to define threshold values to differentiate between hyperactive and non-hyperactive spermatozoa by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) as a prerequisite for analyzing the energy metabolism during hyperactivity. In TALP-HEPES medium, non-frozen boar spermatozoa were stimulated to hyperactivity by 50 μmol l−1Ca2+within 15 min at 37 °C if 5 μmol l−1of the Ca2+ionophore A23187 was present. If 25% seminal plasma was present, boar…
Germline deletion of Cetn1 causes infertility in male mice
2013
Centrins are calmodulin-like Ca2+-binding proteins that can be found in all ciliated eukaryotic cells from yeast to mammals. Expressed in male germ cells and photoreceptors, centrin 1 (CETN1) resides in the photoreceptor transition zone and connecting cilium. To identify its function in mammals, we deleted Cetn1 by homologous recombination. Cetn1−/− mice were viable and showed no sign of retina degeneration suggesting that CETN1 is nonessential for photoreceptor ciliogenesis or structural maintenance. Phototransduction components localized normally to the Cetn1−/− photoreceptor outer segments, and loss of CETN1 had no effect on light-induced translocation of transducin to the inner segment.…
Photoperiodic regulation of cold tolerance and expression levels of regucalcin gene in Drosophila montana
2011
Temperature-induced plasticity of cold tolerance has been reported in many insect species, but cold tolerance can also be affected by changes in day (or night) length. In the present study we elucidate the direct and indirect effects of photoperiod on the cold tolerance of females of two Drosophila montana strains--one which possesses a robust photoperiodic diapause and another which does not. In the diapause-strain the time needed for recovery from chill coma showed a positive correlation with day length, but diapause itself played only a minor role in photoperiodic acclimation. The strain that was not able to enter to diapause as a response to day length also lacked photoperiodic cold acc…
Increased contraction to noradrenaline by vasopressin in human renal arteries
2002
Arginine vasopressin (AVP) not only acts directly on blood vessels through vasopressin V1 receptor stimulation but also may modulate adrenergic-mediated responses in animal experiments. The aim of the present study was to assess whether subpressor concentrations of AVP could contribute to an abnormal adrenergic contractile response of human renal arteries.Renal artery rings were obtained from 27 patients undergoing nephrectomy. The rings were suspended in organ bath chambers for isometric recording of tension.AVP (10(-10) mol/l) and the vasopressin V1 receptor agonist [Phe2, Orn8]-vasotocin (10(-10) mol/l) produced a leftward shift of the concentration-response curve to noradrenaline (half-…
Differences in the nitric oxide/soluble guanylyl cyclase signalling pathway in the myocardium of neonatal and adult rats
2000
Abstract The effects of a nitric oxide-donor, S -nitroso- N -acetylpenicillamine, and a direct activator of soluble guanylyl cyclase, 3-(5′-hydroxymethyl-2′-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1), on force of contraction ( F c ) and L-type Ca 2+ currents ( I Ca(L) ) were investigated in myocardial preparations from neonatal and adult rats. Since hearts from adult and neonatal animals contained 160 and 47 mg/100 g wet weight myoglobin, respectively, its possible interaction with both drugs was also investigated. Both S -nitroso- N -acetylpenicillamine (100 μM) and YC-1 (30 μM) were ineffective in myocardial preparations from adult rats but reduced the magnitude of I Ca(L) and F c in preparations fr…
Antagonism of calcium by zinc in guinea-pig isolated taenia caeci and trachealis muscle
1989
1 In guinea-pig isolated taenia caeci and trachealis bathed in a K+-rich, Ca2+-free medium, CaCl2 (0.01-10 mM) produced a concentration-dependent contraction. Zn2+ (0.01-1 mM), Cd2+ (0.01-1 mM), verapamil (0.01-100 microM) and trifluoperazine (1-100 microM) were effective antagonists of CaCl2-induced responses. 2 Zn2+ and Cd2+ in concentrations from 0.01 to 1 mM were without effect on the tone of taenia and trachea in normal Tris solution. Conversely, Zn2+ and Cd2+, in concentrations of 1 mM, caused contraction of these tissues in a K+-rich, Ca2+-free medium. Zn2+ (1 mM)-induced contractions of taenia and trachea were completely inhibited by verapamil (10 microM). 3 In taenia and trachea sk…
Effects of alkylxanthines on contractility of diaphragm fibres isolated from normal and sensitized guinea-pigs.
1993
Abstract This study investigates the effects of alkylxanthines on twitch tension generated by electrical stimulation (supramaximal pulses, 0·2 ms duration, 1 Hz) of diaphragm muscle fibres isolated from normal and actively-sensitized guinea-pigs. Caffeine, theophylline and theobromine increased, in a concentration-dependent manner (50–500 μm), twitch tension in normal and sensitized diaphragm. Caffeine (500 μm) enhanced contractility to a greater extent than theophylline or theobromine. Twitch potentiation by caffeine (500 μm) was significantly greater in sensitized diaphragm. Verapamil (0·1–100 μm) did not alter twitch contractions in the absence or presence of alkylxanthines in normal or …
Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and bone mass in adolescents.
2005
This article provides a review of the evidence identifying the factors related to vitamin D status in adolescents. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency based on 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] of <25 nmol/L ranges from 0 to 32% depending on the season measured and the latitude of the population assessed. The factors that have been reported to affect serum 25(OH)D in adolescents include ethnicity, gender, puberty stage, parathyroid hormone (PTH), dietary vitamin D intake, and sun exposure. Vitamin D supplementation studies are limited to small populations and with supplementation focused on winter months when sunlight may be inadequate. The effects of vitamin D status and supplementation on …
Preliminary Findings: 25(OH)D Levels and PTH Are Indicators of Rapid Bone Accrual in Pubertal Children
2007
The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of serum levels of 25(OH)D and PTH on the accumulation of whole body bone mass in a cohort of children.This was a longitudinal study (1.98 +/- 0.07 y) of sixty-nine children (89% Caucasian, 44% male) enrolled in a calcium supplementation trial. Bone area, bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) of the whole body and radius were assessed using a QDR 2000 (Hologic, Inc) dual energy x-ray absorptiometer. Serum PTH and 25(OH)D were measured using radioimmunoassays.Vitamin D stores were inversely related gain in bone area (p0.002), BMC (p0.002) BMD (p0.027), as well as to PTH levels (p0.0001). Compared to those with adequate vitamin D sto…