Nesfatin-1 is an 82 amino acid peptide that suppresses food intake after intracerebroventricular injection. Nesfatin-1 and its precursor NUCB2 were identified by subtraction cloning in cell lines of both neuronal and adipocytic origin. This provides a strong basis for studies to determine how peripherally derived nesfatin-1 permeates the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to participate in its CNS actio...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of neuronal nitric oxide synthase on the striated urethral sphincter and the urinary bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS A coaxial catheter was implanted in the proximal urethra and another one in the bladder of female rats, which were anesthetized with subcutaneous injection of urethane. The urethral pressure with saline continuous infusion and bladder isovolumetr...

OBJECTIVE Xenin, a 25-amino acid peptide, was initially isolated from human gastric mucosa. Plasma levels of xenin rise after a meal in humans, and administration of xenin inhibits feeding in rats and chicks. However, little is known about the mechanism by which xenin regulates food intake. Signaling pathways including leptin and melanocortins play a pivotal role in the regulation of energy bal...

Bacterial infection causes fever, an adaptive but potentially self-destructive response, in the host. Also activated are counterregulatory systems such as the pituitary-adrenal axis. Antipyretic roles have also been postulated for certain endogenous central neuropeptides, including the melanocortins (alpha-MSH-related peptides). To test the hypothesis that endogenous central melanocortins have ...

BACKGROUND Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a clinical entity that is associated with poor outcome. We determined the effectiveness of amantadine in reducing surgery-induced cognitive impairment and the role of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in this effect. METHODS Four-month old male Fischer 344 rats were subjected to right carotid exposure under intravenous anesthe...