This study examined the effects of D2-like dopamine receptor activation on Na+-K+-ATPase activity while apical-to-basal, ouabain-sensitive, amphotericin B-induced increases in short-circuit current and basolateral K+ (I(K)) currents in opossum kidney cells were measured. The inhibitory effect of dopamin on Na+-K+-ATPase activity was completely abolished by either D1- or D2-like receptor antagon...

The nature of NO- and COX-independent endothelial hyperpolarization (EDH) is not fully understood but activation of small- and intermittent-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (SKCa and IKCa) is important. Previous studies have suggested that the significance of IKCa depends on [Ca(2+)]out. Also it has been suggested that K(+) is important through localized [K(+)]out signaling causing ac...

This paper presents a new attack on keyboards. The attack consists in depositing on each keyboard key a small ionic salt quantity (e.g. some NaCl on key 0, some KCl on key 1, LiCl on key 2, SrCl2 on key 3, BaCl2 on key 4, CaCl2 on key 5...). As the user enters his PIN, salts get mixed and leave the keyboard in a state that leaks secret information. Nicely enough, evaluating the entropy loss due...

Pioglitazone is a widely used anti-type 2 diabetic drug. Beside its insulin-sensitizing effects, pioglitazone exerts preventive roles against ischemic heart disease. Since one possible explanation is anti-hypertensive action, we examined effects of pioglitazone on contractility of isolated blood vessel. Endothelium-intact [End (+)] or -removed [End (-)] rat aorta is isolated and isometric tensi...

The uptake of [3H]choline from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) side of the rat neonatal choroid plexus was characterized in primary cultures of the choroidal epithelium grown on solid supports. Cell-to-medium concentration ratios were ∼5 at 1 min and as high as 70 at 30 min. Apical choline uptake was facilitated; the K m was ∼50 μM. Several organic cations (e.g., hemicholinium-3 and N 1-methylnic...

The thrombin receptor, protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1), has wide tissue distribution and is involved in many physiological functions. Because thrombin is in the intestinal lumen and mucosa during inflammation, we sought to determine PAR-1 expression and function in human intestinal epithelial cells. RT-PCR showed PAR-1 mRNA expression in SCBN cells, a nontransformed duodenal epithelial ce...

Lappaconitine (LA), isolated from Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai, was characterized as analgesic principle by our laboratory. The analgesic effect of ip LA 6 mg/kg as measured in the rat tail-flick test was reduced by icv CaCl2 or MgCl2 0.1 or 1 mumol/rat. BaCl2 was inactive. The analgesic action induced by LA was potentiated by ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA, 0.2 mumol/rat icv) but not by...

Cortical neural activities lead to changes in the cerebral blood flow (CBF), which involves astrocytic control of cerebrovascular tone. However, the manner in which astrocytic activity specifically leads to vasodilation or vasoconstriction is difficult to determine. Here, cortical astrocytes genetically expressing a light-sensitive cation channel, channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), were transcranially ...

Barium (Ba) with CAS number 513-77-9 and atomic number 56 is a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. It has a high chemical reactivity and is never found in nature as a free element. It is highly toxic upon acute and chronic exposures (Bhoelan et al., 2014). Barium has been tested for its toxicity in different studies (Llugany et al., 2000; Langdon, 1994; Akinfieva and Gerasimova, 1984). ...

Transcranial focused ultrasound (US) has been demonstrated to stimulate neurons in animals and humans, but the mechanism of this effect is unknown. It has been hypothesized that US, a mechanical stimulus, may mediate cellular discharge by activating mechanosensitive ion channels embedded within cellular membranes. To test this hypothesis, we expressed potassium and sodium mechanosensitive ion c...