Podocyte injury is associated with progression of many renal diseases, including diabetic nephropathy. In this study we examined whether aldose reductase (AR), the enzyme implicated in diabetic complications in different tissues, is modulated by high glucose and osmolarity in podocyte cells. AR mRNA, protein expression, and activity were measured in mouse podocytes cultured in both normal and h...

A rise in osmotic concentration (osmolarity) activates the transcription factor Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells 5 (NFAT5, also known as Tonicity-responsive Enhancer Binding Protein, TonEBP). This is part of a regulatory mechanism of cells adjusting to environments of high osmolarity. Under physiological conditions these are particularly important in the kidney. Activation of NFAT5 results i...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the evidence in the peer-reviewed literature regarding the use of tear osmolarity as a physiological marker to diagnose, grade severity, and track therapeutic response in dry eye disease (DED). In addition, to review the evidence for the role of tear osmolarity in the pathophysiology of DED and ocular surface disease. METHODS A literature review of all publications after...

INTRODUCTION In situ osmolarity of cartilage tissue is estimated to be 350-450 mOsm [1-2]. In joint injury and arthritis, breakdown of tissue macromolecules and increasing water content is estimated to result in a hypotonic environment (~300 mOsm), which can also be measured from the synovial fluid [3-4]. Many studies have investigated the influence of extracellular osmolarity on chondrocytes, ...

Immunoporation is a novel method of cell transfection based upon the use of a new type of beads, Immunofect beads, that can be targeted to make holes in different types of cells depending on the type of bead used. It is known that the efficiency of transfection of cells by some techniques can be affected by the presence of serum and another important factor that appears to affect transfection e...

A comparative study was performed to determine the effects of pH, osmolarity, and human urine on the transcription of several fim genes, as well as the overall expression of type 1 pili. Several fim-lacZYA fusions were constructed on single-copy plasmids to test a range of pHs and a range of osmolarities. Growth in acidic medium slightly reduced expression from all of the fim promoters (fimA, f...