OBJECTIVE Postconditioning (PostC) maneuvers allow post-ischemic accumulation of autacoids, which trigger protection. We tested if PostC-triggering includes bradykinin (BK) B2 receptor activation and its downstream pathway. METHODS AND RESULTS Isolated rat hearts underwent 30 min ischemia and 120 min reperfusion. Infarct size was evaluated using nitro-blue tetrazolium staining. In Control hea...

van Welie I, du Lac S. Bidirectional control of BK channel open probability by CAMKII and PKC in medial vestibular nucleus neurons. J Neurophysiol 105: 1651–1659, 2011. First published February 9, 2011; doi:10.1152/jn.00058.2011.—Large conductance K (BK) channels are a key determinant of neuronal excitability. Medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons regulate eye movements to ensure image stabil...

The Ca(2+)/voltage-gated K(+) large conductance (BK) channel β1 subunit is particularly abundant in vascular smooth muscle. By determining their phenotype, BK β1 allows the BK channels to reduce myogenic tone, facilitating vasodilation. The endogenous steroid lithocholic acid (LCA) dilates cerebral arteries via BK channel activation, which requires recognition by a BK β1 site that includes Thr1...

Puerarin is the main isoflavone found in Pueraria lobata (Willd) Ohwi, which has been used in therapy for various cardiovascular diseases. The present study examined the effects of puerarin on the large-conductance voltage- and Ca2+-activated potassium (BK(Ca)) channel and on rat thoracic aortas. BK(Ca) channels encoded with either alpha (BK-alpha) or alpha/beta subunits (BK-alpha+beta1) were h...

AIMS In aortic stenosis (AS), adverse remodelling of the valves may depend on altered local regulation of pro- and antifibrotic systems. We have recently shown that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), which generates profibrotic angiotensin II and inactivates antifibrotic bradykinin (BK), is upregulated in stenotic aortic valves. Here, we analyse the expression of neutral endopeptidase (NEP), ...

BACKGROUND Polyomavirus BK is a major cause of nephropathy in immunosuppressed transplanted patients. Non-invasive diagnostic protocols such as molecular detection of polyomavirus BK replication are a useful strategy to predict BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN). OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of polyomavirus BK infection among kidney transplant patients suspected to have BKVAN. ...

BACKGROUND Although early monitoring of BK virus infection in renal transplant patients has led to improved outcomes over the past decade, it remains unclear whether monitoring for viremia is the best screening tool for BK virus nephropathy (BKVN). METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 368 renal transplant recipients who had a minimum of 18 months of posttransp...

This paper solves a class of combinatorial games consisting of one-pile counter pickup games for which the maximum number of counters that can be removed on each successive move equals f(t), where t is the previous move size and f is an arbitrary function. The purpose of this paper is to solve a class of combinatorial games consisting of one-pile counter pickup games for which the maximum numbe...

BK large conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium channels respond to elevations in intracellular calcium and membrane potential depolarization, braking excitability of smooth muscle. BK channels are thought to have a particularly prominent role in urinary bladder smooth muscle function and therefore are candidate targets for overactive bladder therapy. To address the role of the BK...

Broussonetia kazinoki Siebold. (B. kazinoki) has long been used in the manufacture of paper in Asian countries. Although B. kazinoki leaves (BK) have been employed in dermatological therapy, use of BK has not been tested in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Using Nc/Nga mice, which are genetically predisposed to develop AD-like skin lesions, we confirmed the efficacy of BK in AD treatment. ...