Specific immunohistochemical staining for NMDA receptor NR2A/B subunits was found in the outer root sheath layer of rat sinus hair (whisker) follicle. Co-localization with CK 20 confirmed that Merkel cells were stained. The NR2A/B staining seen on Merkel cells was pericellular. In addition it appeared that NF70-positive staining was in close proximity to, but did not colocalise with NR2A/B immu...

BACKGROUND Oxaliplatin is a key drug in the treatment of colorectal cancer, but it causes severe peripheral neuropathy. We previously reported that oxaliplatin (4 mg/kg, i.p., twice a week) induces mechanical allodynia in the late phase in rats, and that spinal NR2B-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are involved in the oxaliplatin-induced mechanical allodynia. In the present stud...

OBJECTIVES To examine the public health impact of mass vaccination with live attenuated human rotavirus vaccine (RIX4414) in a birth cohort in India, and to estimate the cost effectiveness and affordability of such a programme. DESIGN Decision analytical Markov model encompassing all direct medical costs. Infection risk and severity depended on age, number of previous infections, and vaccinat...

The present study characterizes the involvement of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptors (NMDARs) in mediating thermal hyperalgesia induced by activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Intrathecal administration of the mGluR1/5 agonist (S)-3,5-DHPG [(S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine] to mice resulted in significant hyperalgesia as assessed by the tail immersion test. The pr...

When nitric oxide (NO) binds to heme proteins, it exerts a repulsive trans effect on the proximal ligand, resulting in weakening or rupture of the proximal ligand-iron bond. The general question of whether NO binding generates a five-coordinate complex with proximal ligand release is important for the function of enzymes such as guanylate cyclase. This question can be addressed by studying NO b...

A conserved histidine serves as the axial ligand to the Mg of bacteriochlorophylls in the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) and many other photosynthetic systems. The histidine axial ligands to each and both bacteriochlorophylls of the special-pair primary electron donor of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC have been replaced with glycine to create a cavity. In each case, RCs assemble and a norm...

The NMDA receptor and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are involved in central sensitization and synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord. To determine whether the spinal cord BDNF contributes to the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain by activation of the dorsal horn NR2B-containing NMDA (NMDA-2B) receptors, this study was designed to investigate if alterations in BDNF an...

N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) activity regulates the net number of -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors (AMPAR) at the cell surface by modulating the balance between AMPAR membrane insertion and endocytosis. In this study, we addressed the role of NMDAR subtypes and of NMDAR-mediated Ca influx in the NMDAR-induced endocytosis of GluR2-containing AM...

A compelling genetic basis for the excess burden of nondiabetic kidney disease in blacks has been provided.APOL1 kidney risk variants account for approximately 70% of the African ancestry disparity in the progression of a rather wide spectrum of etiologies of nondiabetic CKD. The discovery was enabled by combining population genetics and evolutionary medicine approaches, which have been the sub...

Software product line engineering is a paradigm for low-cost development of many individual but similar software products from a common software platform. For example, in automotive industry a software product line (SPL) of a software system for a luxury vehicle comprises typically more than hundreds of thousands variants. Testing can be used to ensure that the functionality of each single prod...