Most of the anticancer agents cannot be efficiently delivered into the brain tumor because of the existence of blood-brain tumor barrier (BTB). The objective of this study was to explore the effect of microbubble-enhanced diagnostic ultrasound (MEUS) on the BTB permeability and the possible mechanism. Glioma-bearing rats were randomized into three groups as follows: the microbubble-enhanced con...

BACKGROUND Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and reactive oxygen species are implicated in inflammation, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and atherosclerosis. The role of ion channels has not been previously explored. METHODS AND RESULTS K+ currents and membrane potential were recorded in endothelial cells by voltage- and current-clamp techniques. H2O2 elicited both hyperpolarization and depolarization of...

The role of NO in the regulation of the mechanical properties of conduit arteries is controversial in humans, and the involvement of an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), acting through calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels, has never been investigated at this level in vivo. We assessed in healthy volunteers, after oral administration of aspirin (500 mg), the effect of loca...

The vasodilator response to bradykinin (BK) appears to be mediated by a number of different endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRFs). The EDRFs mediating the response depend on the species and vascular bed studied. The mechanism by which BK dilates the hindlimb vascular bed was investigated in the anesthetized rat. BK produced dose-dependent increases hindlimb blood flow. The NOS antagonist...

Two polysaccharides, named KCA and KCW, were extracted from Kjellmaniella crassifolia using dilute hydrochloric acid and water, respectively. Composition analysis showed that these polysaccharides predominantly consisted of fucose, with galactose, mannose and glucuronic acid as minor components. After degradation and partial desulfation, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was pe...

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) control cell cycle progression through timely coordinated phosphorylation events. Two kinesin-like proteins that interact with CDKA;1 were identified and designated KCA1 and KCA2. They are 81% identical and have a similar three-partite domain organization. The N-terminal domain contains an ATP and microtubule-binding site typical for kinesin motors. A green fluor...

mdma generally known as ecstasy, have deleterious effects on the serotonergic neurotransmitter system. recent findings suggest that the liver and brain are major target organs of mdma-related toxicities. although most research is being dynamically performed on brain, however, the molecular mechanisms by which mdma elicits adverse effects in both organs are poorly undrestood.the present study wa...

background 3-4methylenedioxymethamphetamine (mdma) is a synthetic and psychoactive drug, which is known popularly as ecstasy and has toxic effects on human organs. objectives considering the potential toxic interaction, this study was performed to quantify the expression of bax and bcl2 genes in mdma-induced hepatotoxicity on rat liver. subsequently, we evaluated pentoxifylline as a possible pr...

rapid detection and differentiation of infectious bronchitis virus (ibv) involved in the disease outbreak is very important for controlling disease and developing new vaccines. in the present study, three regions of the genome of ibv vaccine and field isolates including s1 gene, gene 3 and nucleocapsid (n) gene along with 3' untranslated region (3' utr) were amplified and subjected to restricti...