Search results for "organs"
showing 10 items of 2730 documents
The human meibomian gland epithelial cell line as a model to study meibomian gland dysfunction
2016
The meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the leading cause of dry eye disease (DED) throughout the world. The investigation of MGD lacks suitable in vivo and in vitro models. In 2010 a human meibomian gland epithelial cell line (HMGEC) was established, so far the only available meibomian gland cell line. The characterization of HMGEC is of major importance to clarify its suitability for studying the meibomian gland (patho)physiology in vitro. The current culture protocol and new concepts of HMGEC culture will be compared. Hormones are believed to be a key factor in meibomian gland dysfunction thus HMGEC responsiveness to hormone stimulation is crucial to elucidate the hormonal influence on …
Drug Distribution to Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Studies on Melanin Binding, Cellular Kinetics, and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Comput…
2016
Melanin binding is known to affect the distribution and elimination of ocular drugs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the extent of drug uptake to primary retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells could be estimated based on in vitro binding studies with isolated melanin and evaluate the suitability of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in studying pigment binding in vivo with pigmented and albino rats. Binding of five compounds, basic molecules timolol, chloroquine, and nadolol and acidic molecules methotrexate and 5(6)-carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (CDCF), was studied using isolated melanin from porcine choroid-RPE at pH 5.0 and 7.4. The…
Prenatal Ambient Air Pollution, Placental Mitochondrial DNA Content, and Birth Weight in the INMA (Spain) and ENVIRONAGE (Belgium) Birth Cohorts
2016
The research leading to these results was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS-PI11/00610, FIS-PI041436, FIS-PI081151, FIS-PI042018, and FIS-PI09/02311), the European Union (EU) (FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957 and HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, 09/02647, 11/01007, 11/02591, CP11/00178, FIS-PI06/0867, and FIS-PS09/00090), the Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Valenciana, the Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT (1999SGR 00241), the Obre Social Cajastur, the Universidad de Oviedo, the Department of Health of the Basque Government (2005111093 and 2009111069),…
Femtosecond structural dynamics drives the trans/cis isomerization in photoactive yellow protein
2016
Many biological processes depend on detecting and responding to light. The response is often mediated by a structural change in a protein that begins when absorption of a photon causes isomerization of a chromophore bound to the protein. Pande et al. used x-ray pulses emitted by a free electron laser source to conduct time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography in the time range of 100 fs to 3 ms. This allowed for the real-time tracking of the trans-cis isomerization of the chromophore in photoactive yellow protein and the associated structural changes in the protein.Science, this issue p. 725A variety of organisms have evolved mechanisms to detect and respond to light, in which the re…
Ultrafast structural changes within a photosynthetic reaction centre
2021
Nature <London> / Physical science 589, 310 - 314 (2021). doi:10.1038/s41586-020-3000-7
Interactions between odorants and glutathione transferases in the human olfactory cleft
2020
AbstractXenobiotic metabolizing enzymes and other proteins, including odorant-binding proteins located in the nasal epithelium and mucus, participate in a series of processes modulating the concentration of odorants in the environment of olfactory receptors (ORs) and finely impact odor perception. These enzymes and transporters are thought to participate in odorant degradation or transport. Odorant biotransformation results in 1) changes in the odorant quantity up to their clearance and the termination of signaling and 2) the formation of new odorant stimuli (metabolites). Enzymes, such as cytochrome P450 and glutathione transferases (GSTs), have been proposed to participate in odorant clea…
Sex-Specific Genetic Effects Associated with Pigmentation, Sensitivity to Sunlight, And Melanoma in a Population of Spanish Origin
2016
Background Human pigmentation is a polygenic quantitative trait with high heritability. In addition to genetic factors, it has been shown that pigmentation can be modulated by oestrogens and androgens via up- or down-regulation of melanin synthesis. Our aim was to identify possible sex differences in pigmentation phenotype as well as in melanoma association in a melanoma case-control population of Spanish origin. Methods Five hundred and ninety-nine females (316 melanoma cases and 283 controls) and 458 males (234 melanoma cases and 224 controls) were analysed. We genotyped 363 polymorphisms (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) from 65 pigmentation gene regions. Results When samples were…
The Small Heat Shock Protein α-Crystallin B Shows Neuroprotective Properties in a Glaucoma Animal Model
2017
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to irreversible retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and is one of the main causes of blindness worldwide. The pathogenesis of glaucoma remains unclear, and novel approaches for neuroprotective treatments are urgently needed. Previous studies have revealed significant down-regulation of α-crystallin B as an initial reaction to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), followed by a clear but delayed up-regulation, suggesting that this small heat-shock protein plays a pathophysiological role in the disease. This study analyzed the neuroprotective effect of α-crystallin B in an experimental animal model of glaucoma. Significant IOP elevation induced b…
New Approach of Controlling Cardiac Alternans
2018
The alternans of the cardiac action potential duration is a pathological rhythm. It is considered to be relating to the onset of ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death. It is well known that, the predictive control is among the control methods that use the chaos to stabilize the unstable fixed point. Firstly, we show that alternans (or period-2 orbit) can be suppressed temporally by the predictive control of the periodic state of the system. Secondly, we determine an estimation of the size of a restricted attraction's basin of the unstable equilibrium point representing the unstable regular rhythm stabilized by the control. This result allows the application of predictive control…
Meta-analysis of gene-environment-wide association scans accounting for education level identifies additional loci for refractive error
2016
Myopia is the most common human eye disorder and it results from complex genetic and environmental causes. The rapidly increasing prevalence of myopia poses a major public health challenge. Here, the CREAM consortium performs a joint meta-analysis to test single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) main effects and SNP × education interaction effects on refractive error in 40,036 adults from 25 studies of European ancestry and 10,315 adults from 9 studies of Asian ancestry. In European ancestry individuals, we identify six novel loci (FAM150B-ACP1, LINC00340, FBN1, DIS3L-MAP2K1, ARID2-SNAT1 and SLC14A2) associated with refractive error. In Asian populations, three genome-wide significant loci AREG…