Sepsis is a severe catabolic condition. The loss of skeletal muscle protein mass is characterized by enhanced release of the amino acids glutamine and arginine, which (in)directly affects interorgan arginine and the related nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. To establish whether changes in muscle amino acid and protein kinetics are regulated by NO synthesized by nitric oxide synthase-2 or -3 (NOS2 or...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Conflicting data have been reported on the association between tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -308G>A and nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) +894G>T polymorphisms and migraine. We performed a meta-analysis of case-control studies to evaluate whether the TNF -308G>A and NOS3 +894G>T polymorphisms confer genetic susceptibility to migraine. METHOD We performed an updated meta-a...

In humans, septal defects are among the most prevalent congenital heart diseases, but their cellular and molecular origins are not fully understood. We report that transcription factor Tbx5 is present in a subpopulation of endocardial cells and that its deletion therein results in fully penetrant, dose-dependent atrial septal defects in mice. Increased apoptosis of endocardial cells lacking Tbx...

Objectives. This study compared the effects of rosuvastatin on left ventricular infarct size in mice following permanent coronary occlusion versus 60 minutes ischemia/24 hours reperfusion and evaluated the effects of rosuvastatin on potential beneficial mechanisms of infarct size reduction including neutrophil accumulation, NO synthase expression and stem cell mobilization following ischemia an...

The only well confirmed genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the possession of apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele. As it contributes to 40-70% of AD cases, a large proportion of genetic variance may be determined by additional loci. Our aim was to estimate how reported genetic factors (APOE, NOS3, MTHFR) interact to increase the risk for AD and combine them with env...

Purpose The molecular mechanisms controlling aqueous humor (AQH) outflow and IOP need much further definition. The mouse is a powerful system for characterizing the mechanistic basis of AQH outflow. To enhance outflow studies in mice, we developed a perfusion system that is based on human anterior chamber perfusion culture systems. Our mouse system permits previously impractical experiments. ...

UNLABELLED After subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), large cerebral arteries are prone to vasospasm. Using a rat model of SAH, we examined whether cortical microvessels demonstrate vasomotor changes that may make them prone to spasm and whether endothelial dysfunction may account for any observed changes. Two days after percutaneous catheterization into the cisterna magna, 0.3 mL of autologous blood...

Background and Purpose—Silent white matter lesions (WMLs) may represent early target organ damage of the brain in patients with hypertension. Because these lesions may have a genetic background, we assessed the associations between polymorphisms of the renin-angiotensin system and the endothelial NO synthase (NOS3) genes and silent WMLs. Methods—Ninety-three hypertensive individuals were studie...

Endothelial NOS (NOS3) has a potential role in the prevention of neuronal injury in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Thus, we aimed to explore the association between NOS3 gene polymorphisms and HIE susceptibility and symptoms in a Chinese Han population. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NOS3 gene, rs1800783, rs1800779, and rs2070744, were detected in 226 children with ...