Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major complication of diabetes, and causes pathological changes in retina blood vessels, as the most common cause of vision loss. Extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) is the newest discovered member in the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) family, and recent evidence demonstrates an essential role of ERK5 signaling in the angiogenesis. However, w...

We report a novel animal model of islet transplantation that distinguishes recurrence of autoimmunity from allograft rejection. In this study, diabetes-resistant (DR) BB rats, less than 1% of which develop spontaneous diabetes, were made hyperglycemic by either a single injection of streptozocin (STZ) or in vivo immune elimination of a regulatory T-lymphocyte subset that expresses the RT6 alloa...

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is a major promoter of diabetic nephropathy. While TGF-beta1 is the most abundant renal isoform, types 2 and 3 are present as well and have identical in vitro effects. Whole kidney extracts were studied 2 weeks after induction of streptozocin diabetes and in control rats. Mean glomerular area was 25% greater in the diabetic animals. TGF-beta1 showed a ...

Neuroendocrine tumors are a rare and heterogeneous group of tumors with a variety of primary origins and variable aggressiveness. Platinum-based chemotherapy has been the cornerstone of treatment for the poorly differentiated tumors. However, well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors are quite chemoresistant and therapy options are limited. Octreotide analogs and tyrosine kinase inhibitors are ...

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common complications associated with type I and II diabetes mellitus. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, and recent evidence has demonstrated that they are involved in the process of the epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the present study, the potential functions of lncRNA...

For unknown reasons, non-specific stimulation of the maternal immune system in pregnant mice has what appears to be a broad-spectrum efficacy for reducing birth defects. Immune stimulation by diverse procedures has proven effective, including footpad injection with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), intraperitoneal (IP) injection with inert particles to activate resident macrophages, IP injectio...

The morphologic status of corneal innervation was studied in rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes. Animals were killed at 1, 4, 16, and 36 weeks. Corneal innervation was studied by light and electron microscopy using nonspecific cholinesterase reaction, gold chloride impregnation, and plastic-embedded sections. Increased irregularity in the periodicity of nerve fiber beading was observed in ...