Lanthanum was previously reported to potentiate the GABA-induced chloride currents reversibly by acting at a distinct site on the GABAA receptor-channel complex (Ma and Narahashi, 1993). We now report that all other lanthanides tested enhanced the GABA responses with greater efficiencies and produced inward currents by themselves. The rank order of efficacies of lanthanides to potentiate the GA...

The mechanism by which complement fragment C5a elevates intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) levels in two cell types, a monocytic cell line, U937, and neutrophils, has been investigated by the use of fluorometric and radiometric techniques. In U937 cells the influx of extracellular Ca2+ can be distinguished from the release of intracellular Ca2+ stores in terms of dose-responsiveness to C5a and sensit...

This study examines whether the salivary duct cells of the cockroach Periplaneta americana can be stimulated by the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. We have carried out digital Ca2+-imaging experiments using the Ca2+-sensitive dye fura-2 and conventional intracellular recordings from isolated salivary glands. Dopamine evokes a slow, almost tonic, and reversible dose-dependent elevation...

Viscosity, electrical conductivity and deposit weight were determined for Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) Mg2+-, Y3+-, La3+- and Ce4+-doped alumina's ethanolic suspensions prepared at dopant concentration between 350 to 1350 ppm. The concentration of XCly (X, y were: Mg, 2; Y, 3; Ce, 3 and La, 3, respectively) the charging salt, is also found to be a critical factor to control the viscosity. I...

Abstract: The PZT-based ceramics with a composition of Pb1.1-xLax (Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3, were prepared by conventional mixed oxide followed by mechanical alloying and sol-gel methods in which x was chosen in the range of 0.02–0.06. The samples were calcined in the range of 450 °C - 750 °C for 4h. The physical and electrical properties of the samples were determined as a function of the calcinati...

Ca2+ binding is essential for the biological functions of calmodulin (CaM) as a trigger/sensor protein to regulate many biological processes in the Ca2+ -signaling cascade. A challenge in understanding the mechanism of Ca2+ signaling is to obtain site-specific information about the Ca2+ binding properties of individual Ca2+ -binding sites of EF-hand proteins, especially for CaM. In this paper, ...

Cat isolated hearts were perfused via the aorta with normothermic arterial blood from donor cats. After 1 hr of equilibration, dl-propranolol (1.9 mg/kg), atenolol (1.65 mg/kg), or physiological saline solution was infused via the aortic cannula. The hearts were made globally ischemic for 1 hr and reperfused for 1 hr. Hearts given saline but not made ischemic, and hearts from blood-donor cats s...