The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii produces the plant hormone abscisic acid, but it is unclear if phytohormones are produced by the malaria parasite Plasmodium spp., the most important parasite of this phylum. Here, we report detection of salicylic acid, an immune-related phytohormone of land plants, in P. berghei ANKA and T. gondii cell lysates. However, addition of salicylic acid to ...

Several studies indicate that estrogen may enhance the effects of mechanical loading on bone mineral density in elderly women. This stimulating effect of estrogen could be due to increased sensitivity of bone cells to mechanical stress in the presence of estrogen. The present study was performed to determine whether 17beta-estradiol (E2) enhances mechanical stress-induced prostaglandin producti...

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), especially cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) selective inhibitors, are among the most widely used drugs to treat pain and inflammation. However, clinical trials have revealed that these inhibitors predisposed patients to a significantly increased cardiovascular risk, consisting of thrombosis, hypertension, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and sudden ca...

BACKGROUND The functional and molecular alterations of nerve growth factor (NGF) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its receptors were studied in bladder and urine in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Diabetes mellitus was induced with a single dose of 45 mg/kg STZ Intraperitoneally (i.p) in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Continuous cystometrogram were perfo...

Destructive osteoarthritis is characterised by rapidly progressive joint destruction associated with intra-articular deposition of hydroxyapatite crystals. The possible role of such crystals in the pathogenesis of this condition was investigated by testing the ability of hydroxyapatite crystals to stimulate the production of bone resorbing activity from mouse peritoneal macrophages. Urate cryst...