The G protein-coupled receptor GPR54, and its peptide ligand kisspeptin (Kp), are crucial for the induction and maintenance of mammalian reproductive function. GPR54 is expressed by GnRH neurons and is directly activated by Kp to stimulate GnRH release. We hypothesized that Kp may be able to act at the GnRH nerve terminals located in the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) region. To test this hypoth...

The kynurenine pathway (KP) is the principle route of catabolism of the essential amino acid tryptophan, leading to the production of several neuroactive and immunoregulatory metabolites. Alterations in the KP have been implicated in various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, immunological disorders, and many other diseased states. Although the role of the KP in the skin has been ...

Regulatory and functional aspects of the kynurenine (K) pathway (KP) of tryptophan (Trp) degradation are reviewed. The KP accounts for ~95% of dietary Trp degradation, of which 90% is attributed to the hepatic KP. During immune activation, the minor extrahepatic KP plays a more active role. The KP is rate-limited by its first enzyme, Trp 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), in liver and indoleamine 2,3-dioxy...

A new procedure called ‘source generation’ is applied to the pfaffianized KP equation. As a result, the pfaffianized-KP equation with self-consistent sources (ESCS) is obtained. This coupled system cannot only be reduced to the pfaffianized KP equation, but also reduced to the KP equation with self-consistent sources (KPESCS). So the pfaffianized-KP ESCS can be viewed as a pfaffian version of t...

Ownership Transfer Protocols for RFID allow transferring the rights over a tag from a current owner to a new owner in a secure and private way. Recently, Kapoor and Piramuthu have proposed two schemes which solve most of the security weaknesses detected in previously published protocols. However, this paper reviews this work and points out that such schemes still present some practical and secu...

An understanding of the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal reservoir of KPC carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) is important to prevent its emergence. We used a mouse model to examine the effect of antibiotic treatment on the establishment and elimination of intestinal colonization with KPC-Kp. Mice (10 per group) received subcutaneous antibiotics daily for 8 days. On da...

BACKGROUND The incidence, progression and related risk factors for recent-onset knee pain (KP) remain uncertain. This study aims to examine the natural history of KP including incidence and progression and to identify possible phenotypes and their associated risk factors. METHODS A prospective community-based cohort of men and women aged 40 years or over within the East Midlands region (UK) w...

BACKGROUND The study of corneal endothelium, by specular microscopy, in patients with anterior uveitis has largely been restricted to observations on the endothelial cells. In this prospective study "keratic precipitates" (KP) in different types of uveitis were examined in different stages of the disease process and the endothelial changes occurring in the vicinity of the KP were evaluated in c...

Kisspeptin (KP)- and neurokinin B (NKB)- synthesizing neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus play a pivotal role in the regulation of pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. Unlike in rodents and sheep, the homologous KP and NKB neurons in the human infundibular region rarely express dynorphin- but often exhibit Substance P (SP) immunoreactivity, indicating remarkable sp...

BACKGROUND The Koebner phenomenon (KP) is a common entity observed in dermatological disorders. The reported incidence of KP in vitiligo varies widely. Although the KP is frequently observed in patients with viltiligo, the associated factors with KP has not been established yet. OBJECTIVE The aim is to estimate the prevalence of KP in vitiligo patients and to investigate the associated factor...