Search results for "Endocrine System"
showing 10 items of 1530 documents
The gamma(2)-MSH peptide mediates a central analgesic effect via a GABA-ergic mechanism that is independent from activation of melanocortin receptors.
2001
Using the latency for tail-flick after thermal stimulation we have assessed the effects of alpha-, gamma(1)- and gamma(2)-MSH on nociceptive threshold in the mice. Intracisternal injections of gamma(2)-MSH induced a distinct analgesia, while gamma(1)-MSH in the same doses gave only a minor analgesia. Intracisternal alpha-MSH instead gave a short-term hyperalgesia. The effect of gamma(2)-MSH was not blocked by any of the MC(4)/MC(3)receptor antagonist HS014, naloxone or by the prior intracisternal administrations of gamma(1)-MSH. However, the gamma(2)-MSH analgesic response was completely attenuated by treating animals with the GABA(A)antagonist bicuculline. The gamma(2)-MSH analgesic effect…
Experimental Testicular Torsion: Effect on Endocrine and Exocrine Function and Contralateral Testicular Histology
1988
In order to investigate whether unilateral testicular torsion exerts a negative influence on the previously undisturbed contralateral side, exocrine and endocrine testicular function were evaluated before and two months after torsion. A rat model with 6 hours', 12 hours' or permanent extravaginal 540 degrees torsion of the right testis was used; a sham operated group of animals served as controls. Ejaculates were collected by electrostimulation; LH, FSH and testosterone serum levels were determined by radioimmunoassays. Eight weeks after torsion sperm output had decreased by half in the experimental groups, and LH levels increased significantly, whereas the other hormone levels, as well as …
Usefulness of microalbuminuria in cardiovascular risk stratification of essential hypertensive patients
2004
<i>Background/Aims:</i> To evaluate the influence of microalbuminuria (albumin excretion rate – AER) determination and echocardiography (ECHO) on cardiovascular risk stratification, initially performed according the 1999 WHO/ISH guidelines by using only routine diagnostic procedures with or without fundal examination. <i>Methods:</i> 312 essential hypertensives attending our institution were studied retrospectively. Cardiovascular risk was assessed in a semiquantitative way using four categories of absolute cardiovascular disease risk (low, medium, high and very high risk), as proposed by the 1999 WHO/ISH guidelines, on the basis of data on the average 10-year risk o…
Morphological and electrophysiological evidence for habenular influence on the guinea-pig pineal gland
1981
The central innervation of the guinea-pig pineal gland was investigated by histological and electrophysiological methods: Staining the pineal gland and the epithalamus, a double route of central innervation could be shown in the anterior part of the organ: (a) Fibres from the habenular nuclei, mainly from the lateral part, penetrate the organ via the pineal stalk. (b) Other fibres join the striae medullares and running in the habenulae reach the organ more dorsally. The fibres end in the intercellular space where they form a dense network. In 15 male guinea-pigs under urethane anesthesia, two series of unit recording experiments were performed: (a) Recordings were made from 128 units in the…
Modulatory role of acetylcholine in the rat pineal gland
1998
Abstract The function of acetylcholine (ACh) in the mammalian pineal gland is unknown. To test the hypothesis that ACh exerts a modulatory role in this organ, in the present study electrophysiogical multiunit recordings were carried out in ex-vivo rat pineal glands superfused with different drugs. It was found that ACh (10 −7 M) as well as the cholinergic agonists oxotremorine (10 −7 M) and nicotine (10 −6 M) increased the discharge rates of most of the spontaneously active units and led to burst activity in previously regularly firing cells. It is concluded that ACh may play a modulatory role in the pineal by influencing the firing of a special population of pineal cells with perhaps recep…
Peripheral, central and behavioral responses to the cuticular pheromone bouquet in Drosophila melanogaster males.
2011
International audience; Pheromonal communication is crucial with regard to mate choice in many animals including insects. Drosophila melanogaster flies produce a pheromonal bouquet with many cuticular hydrocarbons some of which diverge between the sexes and differently affect male courtship behavior. Cuticular pheromones have a relatively high weight and are thought to be -- mostly but not only -- detected by gustatory contact. However, the response of the peripheral and central gustatory systems to these substances remains poorly explored. We measured the effect induced by pheromonal cuticular mixtures on (i) the electrophysiological response of peripheral gustatory receptor neurons, (ii) …
Role of Kras Status in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving First-Line Chemotherapy plus Bevacizumab: A TTD Group Cooperative Study
2012
Background: In the MACRO study, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were randomised to first-line treatment with 6 cycles of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (XELOX) plus bevacizumab followed by either single-agent bevacizumab or XELOX plus bevacizumab until disease progression. An additional retrospective analysis was performed to define the prognostic value of tumour KRAS status on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and response rates. Methodology/Principal Findings: KRAS data (tumour KRAS status and type of mutation) were collected by questionnaire from participating centres that performed KRAS analyses. These data were then cross-referenced with efficacy da…
Clinical Significance of Rare Copy Number Variations in Epilepsy A Case-Control Survey Using Microarray-Based Comparative Genomic Hybridization
2012
Objective To perform an extensive search for genomic rearrangements by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization in patients with epilepsy. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Epilepsy centers in Italy. Patients Two hundred seventy-nine patients with unexplained epilepsy, 265 individuals with nonsyndromic mental retardation but no epilepsy, and 246 healthy control subjects were screened by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization. Main Outcomes Measures Identification of copy number variations (CNVs) and gene enrichment. Results Rare CNVs occurred in 26 patients (9.3%) and 16 healthy control subjects (6.5%) (P = .26). The CNVs identified in patients were larger (P = …
Risk Profiles and Penetrance Estimations in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2A Caused by Germline RET Mutations Located in Exon 10
2010
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 is characterized by germline mutations in RET. For exon 10, comprehensive molecular and corresponding phenotypic data are scarce. The International RET Exon 10 Consortium, comprising 27 centers from 15 countries, analyzed patients with RET exon 10 mutations for clinical-risk profiles. Presentation, age-dependent penetrance, and stage at presentation of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma, and hyperparathyroidism were studied. A total of 340 subjects from 103 families, age 4-86, were registered. There were 21 distinct single nucleotide germline mutations located in codons 609 (45 subjects), 611 (50), 618 (94), and 620 (151). MTC was present…
The Insulin Receptor Substrate 1 (Irs1) in Intestinal Epithelial Differentiation and in Colorectal Cancer
2012
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with lifestyle factors that affect insulin/IGF signaling, of which the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) is a key transducer. We investigated expression, localization and pathologic correlations of IRS1 in cancer-uninvolved colonic epithelium, primary CRCs with paired liver metastases and in vitro polarizing Caco2 and HT29 cells. IRS1 mRNA and protein resulted higher, relative to paired mucosa, in adenomas of familial adenomatous polyposis patients and in CRCs that overexpressed c-MYC, ß-catenin, InsRß, and IGF1R. Analysis of IRS1 immunostaining in 24 cases of primary CRC with paired colonic epithelium and hepatic metastasis showed that staining inten…