Search results for "adenosine"
showing 10 items of 542 documents
Frontotemporal dementia: the post-tau era.
2006
As scientists have begun to decipher the molecular genetic bases of hereditary frontotemporal dementia (FTD), it has become clear that the biology of these human neurodegenerative diseases has a complexity not previously suspected. FTD has been found to be linked to several chromosomal loci including those in chromosome 9, chromosome 17, and chromosome 3. The article by Guyant-Marechal et al. in this issue of Neurology reports the clinical, pathologic, and molecular characteristics of a form of FTD associated with inclusion body myopathy and Paget disease of the bone observed in members of two families and expands our knowledge on genetically determined FTD.1 The disorder is associated with…
Compound heterozygosity in the SPG4 gene causes hereditary spastic paraplegia
2008
The SPG4 gene is frequently mutated in autosomal dominant form of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). We report that the compound heterozygous sequence variants S44L, a known polymorphism, and c.1687G>A, a novel mutation in SPG4 cause a severe form of HSP in a patient. The family members carrying solely c.1687G>A mutation are asymptomatic for HSP. The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed that the c.1687G>A mutation is a splice site mutation and causes skipping of the exon 15 of spastin. Furthermore, quantification of RT-PCR products by sequencing and quantification of allele-specific expression by pyrosequencing assay revealed that c.1687G>A is a leaky…
Changes in microregional perfusion, oxygenation, ATP and lactate distribution in subcutaneous rat tumours upon water-filtered IR-A hyperthermia
1995
The effect of hyperthermia on microcirculatory and metabolic parameters in s.c. DS-sarcomas of different sizes on the hind foot dorsum of SD-rats was investigated. Hyperthermia was carried out using a novel water-filtered, infrared-A radiation technique. Heating was performed at a rate of 0.5 degrees C/min until 44 degrees C was achieved in the tumour centre, which was maintained for 60 min. Using a multichannel laser Doppler flowmeter, red blood cell flux could be assessed continuously and at several sites within the tumour tissue simultaneously. Substantial inter-site variations in laser Doppler flux (LDF) were observed during hyperthermia which were independent of tumour size, site of me…
Functional role of cholinoceptors and purinoceptors in human isolated atrial and ventricular heart muscle
1989
1. The effects of cholinergic and purinergic stimulation on action potential, force of contraction and 86Rb efflux were investigated in human atrial and ventricular heart muscle. 2. In atrial heart muscle, carbachol and (-)-N6-(R-phenyl-isopropyl)-adenosine (R-PIA) and 5'-(N-ethyl)-carboxamido-adenosine (NECA) evoked transient decreases of action potential duration and force of contraction; the steady-state effects on force of contraction were virtually identical to control values. In the presence of propranolol, steady-state values after carbachol, R-PIA or NECA amounted to about 50% of control values. 3. In ventricular heart muscle, carbachol, NECA and R-PIA did not significantly affect t…
Metabolic pathways of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B): analysis of phase I metabolism with hepatocytes of six species including human
2004
Abstract 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) is a psychoactive designer drug of abuse that is sold under the street names “Venus”, “Bromo”, “Erox”, “XTC” or “Nexus”. Concern has been raised because only little is known about its toxicity and metabolism in humans. In the present study we incubated 2C-B with human, monkey, dog, rabbit, rat and mouse hepatocytes to identify the metabolites formed and to determine possible toxic effects as evidenced by an ATP assay. Our data allow construction of the main metabolic pathways of 2C-B. Oxidative deamination results in the 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethanol (BDMPE) and 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylacetic acid (BDMPAA) metabolites. Additio…
Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species are obligatory signals for glucose-induced insulin secretion.
2009
OBJECTIVE—Insulin secretion involves complex events in which the mitochondria play a pivotal role in the generation of signals that couple glucose detection to insulin secretion. Studies on the mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generally focus on chronic nutrient exposure. Here, we investigate whether transient mitochondrial ROS production linked to glucose-induced increased respiration might act as a signal for monitoring insulin secretion. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—ROS production in response to glucose was investigated in freshly isolated rat islets. ROS effects were studied using a pharmacological approach and calcium imaging. RESULTS—Transient glucose increase …
The Major Conformational IgE-binding Epitopes of Hevein (Hev b6.02) Are Identified by a Novel Chimera-based Allergen Epitope Mapping Strategy
2002
A novel approach to localize and reconstruct conformational IgE-binding epitope regions of hevein (Hev b6.02), a major natural rubber latex allergen, is described. An antimicrobial protein (AMP) from the amaranth Amaranthus caudatus was used as an immunologically non-IgE-binding adaptor molecule to which terminal or central parts of hevein were fused. Hevein and AMP share a structurally identical core region but have different N-terminal and C-terminal regions. Only 1 of 16 hevein-allergic patients showed weak IgE binding to purified native or recombinant AMP. Chimeric AMP with the hevein N terminus was recognized by IgE from 14 (88%) patients, and chimeric AMP with the hevein C terminus wa…
Nitrergic and purinergic interplay in inhibitory transmission in rat gastric fundus.
2007
Summary 1 This study was undertaken to analyse the involvement of ATP in non-adrenergic non- cholinergic (NANC) relaxation and possible interplay between nitrergic and purinergic systems in rat gastric fundus. 2 Experiments were performed in vitro on strips of longitudinal muscle from rat gastric fundus, recording the mechanical activity as changes in isometric force. In addition, NO release induced by different experimental conditions was assayed. 3 Under NANC conditions in serotonin-precontracted strips, electrical field stimulation (EFS) elicited a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive relaxation accompanied by nitric oxide (NO) release. This effect was antagonized by pretreatment with the NO …
The nicardipine-isoprenaline interaction in human and guinea-pig isolated airways
1994
Summary— The effects of the dihydropyridine calcium antagonist nicardipine on the concentration-response curves of relaxant compounds acting through the adenylate-cyclase/cAMP system (isoprenaline, forskolin, adenosine and theophylline) or by the cGMP pathway (sodium nitroprusside) were studied on human isolated bronchus and guinea-pig isolated trachea. These effects were compared with those of nifedipine (a dihydropyridine derivative) and theophylline (a non-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor). Nicardipine, in the range of 0.01 to 1 μM, significantly potentiated the relaxant effects of isoprenaline, forskolin, adenosine and theophylline, whereas the effects of sodium nitroprusside were …
Involvement of cyclic guanosine monophosphosphate (cGMP) and cytosolic guanylate cyclase in the regulation of synaptic ribbon numbers in rat pineal g…
1992
In the rat pineal gland N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and synaptic ribbon (SR) numbers display a circadian rhythm. It is well-known that NAT activity is regulated by adrenergic mechanisms involving cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) as a second messenger. However, the mechanism involved in the regulation of SR numbers has not been established so far. In the present in vitro study, we have investigated the effects of 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (8-bromo-cGMP), a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) analog, and stimulation of guanylate cyclase on SR numbers. Incubation with 8-bromo-cGMP increased SR numbers in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further, stimulation of the …