Search results for "animal studies"
showing 10 items of 74 documents
Antipredatory function of head shape for vipers and their mimics.
2011
Most research into the adaptive significance of warning signals has focused on the colouration and patterns of prey animals. However, behaviour, odour and body shape can also have signal functions and thereby reduce predators' willingness to attack defended prey. European vipers all have a distinctive triangular head shape; and they are all venomous. Several non-venomous snakes, including the subfamily Natricinae, commonly flatten their heads (also known as head triangulation) when disturbed. The adaptive significance of this potential behavioural mimicry has never been investigated. We experimentally tested if the triangular head shape typical of vipers offers protection against predation.…
Dose Responsive Effects of Subcutaneous Pentosan Polysulfate Injection in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VI Rats and Comparison to Oral Treatment
2014
Background We previously demonstrated the benefits of daily, oral pentosan polysulfate (PPS) treatment in a rat model of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VI. Herein we compare these effects to once weekly, subcutaneous (s.c.) injection. The bioavailability of injected PPS is greater than oral, suggesting better delivery to difficult tissues such as bone and cartilage. Injected PPS also effectively treats osteoarthritis in animals, and has shown success in osteoarthritis patients. Methodology/principal findings One-month-old MPS VI rats were given once weekly s.c. injections of PPS (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg, human equivalent dose (HED)), or daily oral PPS (4 mg/kg HED) for 6 months. Serum inflammato…
Current state of critically ill patients sedation with volatile anesthetics. Its role in renal and hepatic toxicity
2013
Summary The anesthetic-conserving device (AnaConDa™) facilitated, from a technical viewpoint, the routine use of volatile anesthetics in intensive care patients using ICU ventilators. To date, its use is currently time-limited by clinicians due to the potential renal and hepatic toxicity associated with the production of plasma fluoride after its metabolism, despite its advantages. We reviewed the available human and animal studies literature examining the use of volatile anesthetics as sedative agents and its role in renal and/or hepatic toxicity. We have very few studies concerning the prolonged administration of sevoflurane through the AnaConDa™ and its effect on renal and hepatic functi…
No evidence for efficacy of intrathecal verapamil in the treatment of tonic-clonic status epilepticus
1992
In two patients with refractory generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, 15 mg of the calcium antagonist verapamil was given by suboccipital intrathecal administration. During a 2–6-h observation period, seizure frequency did not decrease. However, in one patient, verapamil induced severe hypotension. Subsequent thiopental anesthesia suppressed convulsions immediately. Our results indicate that, in contradistinction to animal studies with different administration techniques, intrathecal administration of verapamil does not produce any anticonvulsant effect in humans.
Da vicino, da lontano. L’antropologia di Milan Kundera
2017
Questo saggio è una riflessione sul concetto di prossimità e distanza in Lévi-Strauss e Milan Kundera. Intenzionalmente, comparo un antropologo della cultura e uno scrittore di letteratura al fine di proporre una prospettiva decentrante sull’antropologia e sulla letteratura, oltre che su me stesso e sul potenziale lettore. La comparazione mi consente inoltre di mettere meglio a fuoco su alcune questioni – soltanto in apparenza distanti, ma in effetti molto vicine – quali l’esilio e la migrazione, l’uso alimentare degli animali e l’affezione che sviluppiamo per loro, l’esistenza intesa come fieldwork, la traduzione delle culture e l’ontological turn, lo straniamento e l’andirivieni concettua…
CiliaCarta: An integrated and validated compendium of ciliary genes
2019
The cilium is an essential organelle at the surface of mammalian cells whose dysfunction causes a wide range of genetic diseases collectively called ciliopathies. The current rate at which new ciliopathy genes are identified suggests that many ciliary components remain undiscovered. We generated and rigorously analyzed genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and evolutionary data and systematically integrated these using Bayesian statistics into a predictive score for ciliary function. This resulted in 285 candidate ciliary genes. We generated independent experimental evidence of ciliary associations for 24 out of 36 analyzed candidate proteins using multiple cell and animal model systems (mouse…
Atorvastatin treatment increases plasma bilirubin but not HMOX1 expression in stable angina patients.
2015
In vitro and animal studies indicate that statins increase heme oxygenase-1 gene (HMOX1) expression, which then, presumably, increases plasma bilirubin concentration. However, clinical confirmation that statins concomitantly increase HMOX1 expression and plasma bilirubin concentration is lacking. We hypothesized that in patients with stable angina atorvastatin therapy (20 mg/day for 10 weeks) concomitantly increases total bilirubin concentration and HMOX1 expression, as assessed non-invasively by plasma analysis.In 44 patients with stable angina plasma concentrations of total bilirubin, HMOX1 mRNA and HMOX1 protein were measured before and after the statin treatment, as well as plasma conce…
CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors and Aggression
2016
Abstract The relation between the use of cannabis and violent behavior is controversial, partly owing to the complexity of the concept of aggression and variability among the studies performed. The primary psychoactive compound of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, acts on G-protein-coupled receptors such as the cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor, the most important of the endocannabinoid system. Although historically suspected of instigating aggressive behaviors, the findings of research about cannabis use in humans are mixed. While cannabis intoxication seems to reduce the likelihood of violence, mounting evidence associates withdrawal with an increase in aggression. Acute or chronic canna…
Molecular signatures of silencing suppression degeneracy from a complex RNA virus
2021
As genomic architectures become more complex, they begin to accumulate degenerate and redundant elements. However, analyses of the molecular mechanisms underlying these genetic architecture features remain scarce, especially in compact but sufficiently complex genomes. In the present study, we followed a proteomic approach together with a computational network analysis to reveal molecular signatures of protein function degeneracy from a plant virus (as virus-host protein-protein interactions). We employed affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry to detect several host factors interacting with two proteins of Citrus tristeza virus (p20 and p25) that are known to function as RNA sil…
Coincident airway exposure to low-potency allergen and cytomegalovirus sensitizes for allergic airway disease by viral activation of migratory dendri…
2019
Despite a broad cell-type tropism, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an evidentially pulmonary pathogen. Predilection for the lungs is of medical relevance in immunocompromised recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation, in whom interstitial CMV pneumonia is a frequent and, if left untreated, fatal clinical manifestation of human CMV infection. A conceivable contribution of CMV to airway diseases of other etiology is an issue that so far attracted little medical attention. As the route of primary CMV infection upon host-to-host transmission in early childhood involves airway mucosa, coincidence of CMV airway infection and exposure to airborne environmental antigens is almost unavoidable. For i…