Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is abnormal in the prediabetic state. This study was conducted to determine effects of chronic rosiglitazone (RSG), an insulin sensitizer, on BRS in prediabetic hyperglycemic (PDH) rats induced by nicotinamide and streptozotocin. The fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels were 5.6-6.9 and 7.8-11.0 mmol/l, respectively. Rats were treated with RSG or saline for...

Daily administration of electroconvulsive shock (ECS) to rats for 10 days increased the content of [Met5]enkephalin in the hypothalamus and the striatum by 64% and 45%, respectively. The effect of ECS on the relative abundance of mRNA coding for the enkephalin precursor preproenkephalin was investigated. Analysis by cell-free translation of polyadenylylated RNA and immunoprecipitation of prepro...

A dramatic example of neuronal and physiological plasticity in adult mammals occurs during the transition from a non-maternal to a maternal, lactating state. In this study, we compared gene expression within a large continuous region of the CNS involved in maternal behaviors (hypothalamus, preoptic regions, and nucleus accumbens) between lactating (L) (postpartum Day 7) and randomly cycling vir...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to evaluate maternal levels of leptin and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in pregnancy complicated with hypertension and to assess the role of cytokines in predicting the risk of cesarean section. MATERIAL/METHODS This was a cohort study with a prospective follow-up. After proportional sampling procedure, the study included the follow-up of 40 women with hypert...

Secretory granules of chromaffin cells contain with catecholamines several antimicrobial peptides, which are secreted in the extracellular medium following exocytosis. In this report we decided to focus on three active peptides Chromofungin (chromogranin A 47-66), Enkelytin (proenkephalin-A 209-237 and Ubifungin (ubiquitin 65-76). Using confocal laser microscopy we have shown that Chromofungin ...

We present a quantitative description of the molecular species composition of the major phospholipid classes in bloodstream and procyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei. Phospholipid classes were resolved by 2-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Diradylglycerols were released from individual phospholipid classes by phospholipases C, converted into benzoate derivatives and separated into diacyl,...

Imaginal discs of Drosophila provide an excellent system with which to study morphogenesis, pattern formation and cell proliferation in an epithelium. Discs are sac-like in structure and are composed of two epithelial layers: an upper peripodial epithelium and lower disc proper. Although development of the disc proper has been studied extensively in terms of cell proliferation, cell signaling m...

Proenkephalin (PE) derived-peptides are thought to be generated predominantly through endoproteolytic cleavage by prohormone convertases 1 and 2 (PC1 and PC2). In order to compare cleavage site preferences of these convertases, we studied the processing of recombinant wild-type rat PE and of two mutant PEs by recombinant purified mouse PC1 and PC2. Western blot analyses of timed digestions show...

A series of seven BODIPYs functionalized with ortho-carborane groups at the 8(meso) or 3/5(α) position were synthesized and characterized by NMR, HRMS, HPLC, and in the cases of 2b and 5b, by X-ray analysis. The BODIPYs exhibited low dark toxicity and phototoxicity toward human glioma T98G cells, and their cellular uptake varied significantly, with 5b accumulating the most and 7 the least. All ...

As a result of a multi-year survey, we recognize three Pentapedilum species, including a new species, from Iriomote Island, Japan. Polypedilum (Pentapedilum) acristylum sp. nov. is described as adult male, and compared with the closest P. (Pe.) nodosum Johannsen, 1932. Pentapedilum iriodeeum Sasa et Suzuki, 2000 is treated as a junior synonym of P. (Tripodura) tananense Sasa et Hasegawa, 1988. ...