The effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agonists selective for NPY Y1 and Y2 receptors were studied on contraction and Ca2+ currents in arterial smooth muscle. In isolated arterioles from the guinea pig small intestine, small brief constrictions were evoked by depolarising the arteriolar smooth muscle using high K+ solution applied from a micropipette. The constrictions were reduced in amplitud...

Isoniazid is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat tuberculosis. Its administration is associated with a high incidence of hepatotoxicity. The aim of this study was to establish the protective effects of taurine against cytotoxicity induced by isoniazid and its suspected toxic metabolite hydrazine in isolated rat hepatocytes by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, lipid per...

Glucose induces insulin release from pancreatic β-cells by stimulating ATP synthesis, membrane depolarisation and Ca(2+) influx. As well as activating ATP-consuming processes, cytosolic Ca(2+) increases may also potentiate mitochondrial ATP synthesis. Until recently, the ability to study the role of mitochondrial Ca(2+) transport in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion has been hindered by the ...

We have space here to give only the briefest outline of the processes we are trying to model; the interested reader should consult one of the standard textS2. The heart consists of four chambers: two atria and two ventricles . Electrically, however, the two atria can be considered as one, and we shall refer only to the atrium ; likewise for the two ventricles. In essence the function of the car...

In vertebrate retinal rods, rhodopsin undergoes a conformational change upon absorption of a quantum of light. The primary photoprocess is followed by a transient depolarisation of the outer receptor membrane. It is generally accepted that the depolarisation is due to the closing of Na’channels [l-4]. As the rhodopsin containing inner discs and the plasma membrane of the retinal rods seem to be...

The phase image generated by radionuclide angiocardiography illustrates the regional timing of ventricular wall motion. In this study the phase image was used to investigate the patterns of ventricular contraction in 103 subjects with either normal hearts or a conduction abnormality. In 38 normal subjects the right ventricle contracted on average 7 ms after the left, and the last region to cont...

Glutamate is established as the most important excitatory transmitter in the brain. The transmitter status of aspartate is debated. There is evidence that aspartate is released from nerve terminals by exocytosis. However, release through excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) could be an alternative mechanism. We further investigated this by use of light and quantitative electron microscopi...

A new and general procedure is described for a detailed analysis of time-resolved fluorescence depolarisation data in the presence of electronic energy migration. An isotropic ensemble of bifluorophoric molecules (D(1)-R-D(2)) has been studied to demonstrate its utility. Intramolecular donor-donor energy migration occurs between the two donor groups (D), which are covalently connected to a rigi...