New aryl and acylsulfonamides as state-dependent inhibitors of Na1.3 voltage-gated sodium channel.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nas) play an essential role in neurotransmission, and their dysfunction is often a cause of various neurological disorders. The Na1.3 isoform is found in the CNS and upregulated after injury in the periphery, but its role in human physiology has not yet been fully elucidated.

Subcellular dynamics and functional activity of the cleaved intracellular domain of the Na channel β1 subunit.

The voltage-gated Na channel β1 subunit, encoded by SCN1B, regulates cell surface expression and gating of α subunits and participates in cell adhesion. β1 is cleaved by α/β and γ-secretases, releasing an extracellular domain and intracellular domain (ICD), respectively. Abnormal SCN1B expression/function is linked to pathologies including epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and cancer.

Emerging roles for multifunctional ion channel auxiliary subunits in cancer.

Several superfamilies of plasma membrane channels which regulate transmembrane ion flux have also been shown to regulate a multitude of cellular processes, including proliferation and migration. Ion channels are typically multimeric complexes consisting of conducting subunits and auxiliary, non-conducting subunits. Auxiliary subunits modulate the function of conducting subunits and have putative non-conducting roles, further expanding the repertoire of cellular processes governed by ion channel complexes to processes such as transcellular adhesion and gene transcription.

Life-threatening Petersen's hernia following open Beger's procedure.

Petersen's hernia (an internal hernia between the transverse mesocolon and Roux limb following Roux-en-Y reconstruction) is well described following laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. We describe a Petersen-type hernia in a patient who had undergone complex open upper gastrointestinal surgery for chronic pancreatitis.