We aimed to study the mechanisms and the significance of the influence exerted by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) on the pineal melatonin production. Pineal melatonin and other indoles were determined by HPLC with electrochemical detection after angiotensin AT1-receptor blockade with Losartan in vivo or in cultured glands. N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity was radiometricaly measured. To te...

BACKGROUND The mechanism of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PA-SMC) hyperplasia in idiopathic pulmonary artery hypertension (iPH) may involve both an inherent characteristic of PA-SMCs and abnormal control by external stimuli. We investigated the role of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (P-ECs) in controlling PA-SMC growth. METHODS AND RESULTS Serum-free medium of quiescent P-EC...

BACKGROUND Central nervous system (CNS) serotonergic activity correlates inversely with human aggressive behavior, and individual differences in aggressive disposition are at least partially heritable. This study was conducted to evaluate the possible association between measures of antagonistic behavior and an intronic polymorphism of the gene coding for tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-...

Heterotrimeric G proteins regulate a vast array of cellular functions via specific intracellular effectors. Accumulating pharmacological and biochemical studies implicate Gβ subunits as signaling molecules interacting directly with a wide range of effectors to modulate downstream cellular responses, in addition to their role in regulating Gα subunit activities. However, the native biological ro...

The term “Total petroleum hydrocarbons” (TPH) is used to describe a complex mixture of petroleum-based hydrocarbons primarily derived from crude oil. Those compounds are considered as persistent organic pollutants in the terrestrial environment. A wide array amendments increasingly for remediation TPH-contaminated soils. Organic not only supply source carbon and nutrients but also add exogenous...

In this study, biochar (BC) was prepared from bagasse and then successfully loaded with nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) to produce BC-supported nZVI, termed nZVI@BC. Satisfactory results were obtained using a nZVI@BC-activated persulfate (PS), nZVI@BC/PS, remediate total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)-contaminated water. The effects of three influencing factors—the dosage nZVI@BC, DnZVI@BC, the ...

Abstract Various human activities have led to multiple contamination of natural water systems. The present study investigated the effect a novel multifunctional biochar treat nutrients, oil, and harmful algae in water. Specifically, magnesium (Mg) biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RL) were incorporated into biochar, including Mg-biochar, RL-biochar, Mg-RL-biochar. Their adsorption efficiency on phosph...