INTRODUCTION To evaluate the impact of the pro-inflammatory cytokine hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the regulation of glucose and lipid placental metabolism. METHODS HGF levels were quantified in amniotic fluid and placenta from control and obese women. 2-deoxy-glucose (2-DOG) uptake, glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation (FAO), fatty acid esterification, de novo fatty acid synthesis, triglycer...

OBJECTIVE To study re-association pattern of human placental eluate immunoglobulins with acid treated isologous and third party trophoblast derived placental microvesicles. DESIGN Laboratory based experimentation. SETTING Biological Sciences Department and Discipline for Reproductive Medicine University of Newcastle, Australia and the Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Kenya...

Placental alkaline phosphatase (placental ALP, PLAP) and germ-cell ALP (GCAP, also known as placental-like ALP), expressed in gonadal cancer tissues, are potential tumor markers. Four monoclonal antibodies, raised against PLAP and recognizing different epitopes, were selected to study the influence of the following variables on the accuracy of PLAP and GCAP measurement: phenotype, molecular for...

The insulin receptor from human brain cortex was purified by a combination monoclonal antibody affinity column and a wheat germ agglutinin column. This purified receptor preparation exhibited major protein bands of apparent Mr = 135,000 and 95,000, molecular weights comparable to those for the alpha and beta subunits of the purified human placental and rat liver receptors. A minor protein band ...

The mechanisms underlying reduced fetal growth in response to maternal protein restriction are not well established. Maternal levels of insulin, IGF-I, and leptin are decreased in rats fed a low protein (LP) diet. Because these hormones stimulate placental amino acid transporters in vitro, we hypothesized that maternal protein restriction inhibits placental leptin, insulin/IGF-I, and mammalian ...

Skeletal, renal, and intestinal effects of VX-2 carcinoma in rabbits were studied in relation to the pathogenesis of a hypercalcemic and hypophosphatemic state induced by the tumor. On the basis of an initial screening, alkaline phosphatase was chosen as a biochemical marker for monitoring any change in the cellular activity of bone, kidney, intestine, and liver in the carcinoma-bearing rabbits...

The TyrR protein of Escherichia coli (513 amino acid residues) is the chief transcriptional regulator of a group of genes that are essential for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and transport. The TyrR protein can function either as a repressor or as an activator. The central region of the TyrR protein (residues 207 to 425) is similar to corresponding polypeptide segments of the NtrC protein su...

The TyrR protein of Escherichia coli (513 amino acid residues) is the chief transcriptional regulator of a group of genes that are essential for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and transport. The TyrR protein can function either as a repressor or as an activator. The central region of the TyrR protein (residues 207 to 425) is similar to corresponding polypeptide segments of the NtrC protein su...

BACKGROUND Vanadium is an important environmental and industrial pollutant. It has a status of reproductive toxicant and is reported to cross placental barrier. OBJECTIVE The current study was performed to assess the therapeutic efficacy of Tiron and its combination with selenium against vanadium induced toxicity in lactating and suckling rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats were exposed to van...

A histochemical study of hydrolytic enzymes such as acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase was made on cultured brain tumor cells. Well-differentiated astrocytic cells, oligodendroglioma cells, and medulloblastoma cells showed low activities. Migrating cells and macrophage-like cells showed intense activities. Meningioma cells and schwannoma cells showed relatively intense activities at the ea...