Information regarding the role of cholinergic nerves in mediating vaginal smooth muscle contraction is sparse, and in vitro studies of the effects of muscarinic agonists on vaginal smooth muscle are discrepant. The goal of this study was to determine the expression of muscarinic receptors in the vaginal wall of the rat. In addition, we sought to determine the effect of the muscarinic receptor a...

Effects of acute hypoxia on intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and cell length were recorded simultaneously in proximal and distal pulmonary (PASMCs) and femoral (FASMCs) arterial smooth muscle cells. Reducing PO(2) from normoxia to severe hypoxia (PO(2) < 10 mmHg) caused small but significant decreases in length and a reversible increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in distal PASMCs and a smal...

In the present study, we examined whether the effect of endogenously produced angiotensin II on proximal tubule transport in the male Sprague-Dawley rat is regulated by acute changes in extracellular volume. We measured the magnitude of endogenous angiotensin II-mediated stimulation of transport by sequentially perfusing proximal tubules in vivo, first with an ultrafiltrate-like solution, then ...

To assess effects of smooth muscle energy state and intracellular pH (pH(i)) on pulmonary arterial tone during hypoxia, we measured ATP, phosphocreatine, P(i), and pH(i) by (31)P-NMR spectroscopy and isometric tension in phenylephrine-contracted rings of porcine proximal intrapulmonary arteries. Hypoxia caused early transient contraction followed by relaxation and late sustained contraction. En...

Oesophageal manometry revealed 'interrupted peristalsis'--proximal sequential contraction with simultaneous pressure increases in the mid-oesophagus and sequential contraction distally--and abnormally slow distal propagation of peristalsis in seven of a consecutive series of 12 patients with idiopathic diffuse oesophageal spasm (IDOS). These two abnormalities occurred together in six patients. ...

Early B cell development is characterized by large-scale Igh locus contraction prior to V(D)J recombination to facilitate a highly diverse Ig repertoire. However, an understanding of the molecular architecture that mediates locus contraction remains unclear. We have combined high-resolution chromosome conformation capture (3C) techniques with 3D DNA FISH to identify three conserved topological ...

During the developmental progression of lymphoid progenitors, antigen receptor loci are assembled from variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments. In precursor B cells, the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) locus undergoes ordered gene segment rearrangement with D H J H joining preceding V H to D H J H rearrangement. Similarly, in progenitor T lineage cells, the T cell receptor b...

During the developmental progression of lymphoid progenitors, antigen receptor loci are assembled from variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments. In precursor B cells, the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) locus undergoes ordered gene segment rearrangement with D H J H joining preceding V H to D H J H rearrangement. Similarly, in progenitor T lineage cells, the T cell receptor b...

central to vygotsky-inspired sociocultural theory (sct) is the notion of zpd seen by sla researchers as a useful framework within which l2 teaching and learning can take place. van lier (2004) argues that the zpd could be activated in diverse proximal contexts (pcs) and is not limited to the expert-novice scenario. . this study probed whether iranian efl learners' collaborative task performance...