The innervation pattern and the vasomotor response of the potential transmitters in the porcine pial veins were investigated morphologically and pharmacologically. The porcine pial veins were more densely innervated by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)- and neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive (I) fibers than were calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-I, choline acetyltransferase-I, Substance P...

Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic fungus that causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in 5-10% of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis is characterized by a lymphohistiocytic infiltrate, accumulation of encapsulated forms of C. neoformans, and varying degrees of glial reaction. Little is known about the contribution of endogenous cent...

Augmentation of superoxide levels has been linked to impaired relaxation in hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolaemia. Purified endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) generates superoxide under limited availability of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)). Thus alterations in endothelial BH(4) levels have been postulated to stimulate superoxide production from eNOS. This possibility was ...

A protease was purified from Bacteroides gingivalis ATCC 33277 culture fluid by sequential procedures including ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and isoelectric focusing. The enzyme was active against benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide, carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanyl-L-valyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide azoalbumin, azocasein, azocoll, and p-tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester. Th...

We performed Ussing chamber experiments on cultured human bronchial epithelial cells to look for the presence of electrogenic dibasic amino acid transport. Apical but not basolaterall-arginine (10-1,000 μM) increased the short-circuit current. Maximal effect and EC50 were ∼3.5 μA/cm2 and 80 μM, respectively, in cells from normal subjects and cystic fibrosis patients. The involvement of nitric o...

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in large number of pathologies ad in normal physiological function of the brain. The aim of this study was to recognize the effect of Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester mHC1 (NAME) and L-Arginine Ethyl Ester.HC1 (ARGININE) on reactivity of the central DA Dg receptor to agonist (Quinpirole) in rats. For this reason we have been used specific behavioural procedure...

The influence of nitric oxide (NO) on hypnotic activity of diazepam, chlordiazepoxide and clonazepam was studied in mice. Administration of both non-selective NO synthase inhibitors: N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG) and selective NO synthase inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) resulted in significant increase in the duration of diazepam-, chlordiazepoxid...

Atropine has been used to block cholinergic neurotransmission in basic research. Large doses of atropine cause vasodilation of the blood vessels in the skin. This effect is apparently unconnected with the antimuscarinic activity of atropine and seems to be due to a direct action on the blood vessels. It has been suggested that atropine blocks muscarinic receptors at low doses and it induces th...

Naming latency experiments in which monosyllabic items are read aloud are based on the assumption that the vocal response is not initiated until the phonology of the entire syllable has been computed. Recently, this assumption has been challenged by A. H. Kawamoto, C. T. Kello, R. Jones, and K. Bame (1998), who argued instead that the reading-aloud response begins as soon as the initial phoneme...