The peripheral nervous system and the immune system were shown to have neurohumoral interactions. This study extends observations that demonstrated neuronal modulation of spontaneous interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion in the spleen by norepinephrine (NE) and β-endorphin. Spontaneous IL-6 secretion in vivo was markedly reduced by removal of macrophages with the clodronate technique. Furthermore, spo...

isolation of rat islets of langerhans was carried out by using collagenase and the destruction of exocrine tissue was performed through the injection of hanks' solution into the common bile duct. the identification of the islets was done by techniques including the use of a stereomicroscope against a black background. vital staining was done by an injection of neutral red solution through ...

Subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS) is a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormality characterized by autonomous cortisol secretion in patients with no typical signs or symptoms of Cushing syndrome. SCS patients may have adverse metabolic and cardiovascular effects due to slight, but continuous glucocorticoid secretion. Glucocorticoids also affect behavior, mood, neural activity, and a numbe...

Six independent secretion-defective mutations were found that result in failure to release protein from the membrane into the periplasmic space of Salmonella typhimurium after removal of the signal peptide. The mutant protein is found in a membrane-bound form accessible to trypsin added to intact spheroplasts. The phenotype of these mutations supports the existence in general of an intermediate...

HCO(3)(-) secretion has long been recognized in the mammalian colon, but it has not been well characterized. Although most studies of colonic HCO(3)(-) secretion have revealed evidence of lumen Cl(-) dependence, suggesting a role for apical membrane Cl(-)/HCO(3)(-) exchange, direct examination of HCO(3)(-) secretion in isolated crypt from rat distal colon did not identify Cl(-)-dependent HCO(3)...

Cevimeline and pilocarpine are muscarinic agonists used clinically to treat dry mouth. In this study, we explored fluid secretion from mouse submandibular glands to determine the mechanism of cevimeline, pilocarpine, and an experimentally used agent carbachol. Cevimeline evoked almost the same amount of secretion at concentrations from 30 μM to 1 mM. Pilocarpine also induced secretion at a conc...

Rat hepatic lipase is a glycoprotein bearing two N-linked oligosaccharide chains. The importance of glycosylation in the secretion of hepatic lipase was studied using freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Various inhibitors of oligosaccharide synthesis and processing were used at concentrations that selectively interfere with protein glycosylation. Secretion of hepatic lipase activity was abolished...

Introduction Phaeochromocytoma may occasionally induce hypercalcaemia. Case reports of correction of hypercalcaemia by surgical removal of the phaeochromocytoma indicate the importance of humoral mechanisms (Swinton, Clerkin and Flint, 1972; Kukreja et al., 1973). Kukreja et al. (1973) noted a pre-operative elevation of serum immuno-reactive parathyroid hormone (i-PTH) implying that hypercalcae...

IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine produced by APC that critically regulates cell-mediated immunity. Because of its crucial function during immune responses, IL-12 production is stringently regulated, in part through transcriptional control of its p35 subunit, which requires the differentiative effects of IFN-gamma for expression. To determine whether post-transcriptional aspects of IL-12 produc...