The antihypertensive influence of fish oil is controversial, and the mechanisms remain unclear. Because the inverse relation between fish oil and hypertension appears to be partially dependent on the degree of hypertension, we tested the hypothesis that fish oil would elicit more dramatic reductions in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in prehypertensive ...

BACKGROUND A link between primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and autoimmune disorders has been postulated. To investigate this relation, we performed immunofluorescent antinuclear antibody tests (ANA) and serological human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, B, C, DR, and DQ typing on two groups of Caucasian children with unexplained pulmonary hypertension (PHT) and their parents. METHODS AND RESULT...

We aimed to investigate the toxicity of carbon monoxide (CO) in rats with right ventricle (RV) remodeling induced by hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (PHT). A group of Wistar rats was exposed to 3-wk hypobaric hypoxia (H). A second group was exposed to 50 ppm CO for 1 wk (CO). A third group was exposed to chronic hypoxia including 50 ppm CO during the third week (H+CO). These groups were compared...

Because nitric oxide (NO) regulates cardiac and vessel contraction, we compared the expression and activity of the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and caveolin, which tonically inhibits eNOS in normal and hypertrophic cardiomyopathic hearts. NOS activity (L-[(3)H]citrulline formation), eNOS immunostaining, and caveolin abundance were measured in heart tissue of 23 mongrel dogs before and at 3 an...

Ocean acidification (OA), caused by the dissolution of increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in seawater, is projected to cause significant changes to marine ecology and biogeochemistry. Potential impacts on the microbially driven cycling of nitrogen are of particular concern. Specifically, under seawater pH levels approximating future OA scenarios, rates of ammonia oxid...

Background/Aims Non-selective beta blockers (NSBBs) are currently the only accepted regimen for preventing portal hypertension (PHT)-related complications. However, the effect of NSBBs is insufficient in many cases. Bacterial translocation (BT) is one of the aggravating factors of PHT in cirrhosis; therefore, selective intestinal decontamination by rifaximin is a possible therapeutic option for...

Phosphorus (P) is a vital nutrient for plant growth and development, and is absorbed in cells with the help of membrane-spanning inorganic phosphate transporter (Pht) protein. Symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) also helps in transporting P from the soil to plant and Pht proteins play an important role in it. To understand this phenomenon in Finger Mille plant, we have cloned four Pht gen...

The use of antiepileptic drugs during human gestation probably increases the risk of causing CNS disorders in later life. In brain, granule cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) and cerebellum are still developing in the last trimester of human gestation and a similar development is taking place during the mouse perinatal period. We treated newborn C57BL/6 mice orally with 35 mg/kg phenytoin (PHT) da...

Despite recent advances in understanding the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind the thalassemia intermedia (TI) phenotype, data on the effects of treatment are deficient. To provide such data, we evaluated 584 TI patients for the associations between patient and disease characteristics, treatment received, and the rate of complications. The most common disease-related complications were osteopo...

Placenta growth factor (PlGF) is released by immature erythrocytes and is elevated in sickle cell disease (SCD). Previous data generated in vitro suggest that PlGF may play a role in the pathophysiology of SCD-associated pulmonary hypertension (PHT) by inducing the release of the vasoconstrictor, endothelin-1. In this cross-sectional study of 74 patients with SCD, we confirm that PlGF is signif...