The Drosophila DmGluRA is required for social interaction and memory.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have well-established roles in cognition and social behavior in mammals. Whether or not these roles have been conserved throughout evolution from invertebrate species is less clear. Mammals have eight mGluRs whereas Drosophila has a single DmGluRA, which has both Gi and Gq coupled signaling activity.

Right coronary artery to left ventricular fistula associated with infective endocarditis of the mitral valve.

A 27-year-old man with bacterial endocarditis of the mitral valve and embolic episodes was bound to have a large right coronary artery fistula communicating with the left ventricle, immediately inferior to the posterior mitral annulus. The perforation of the posterior leaflet and coronary arteriovenous fistula was identified using two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography. The diagnosis was confirmed by coronary angiography, and the patient underwent a successful operation.

Designed synthesis of well-defined Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles with controlled shell thickness as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysts.

Improving the electrocatalytic activity and durability of Pt-based catalysts with low Pt content toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the main challenges in advancing the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, a designed synthesis of well-defined Pd@Pt core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) with a controlled Pt shell thickness of 0.4-1.

Comparison of 2 retrieval devices for heartworm removal in 52 dogs with heavy worm burden.

Background: For treating dogs with heavy heartworm infection, mechanical removal using various retrieval devices is useful. However, the efficacy and safety of retrieval devices have rarely been studied.

Hypothesis: Catheter-based heartworm removal using 2 retrieval devices (basket and tripod grasping forceps) is efficient and safe for treating dogs with heavy worm burden.

Activation of UTP-sensitive P2Y2 receptor induces the expression of cholinergic genes in cultured cortical neurons: a signaling cascade triggered by Ca2+ mobilization and extracellular regulated kinase phosphorylation.

ATP functions as an extracellular signaling molecule that is costored and coreleased with neurotransmitters at central and peripheral neuronal synapses. Stimulation by ATP upregulates the expression of synaptic genes in muscle-including the genes for nicotine acetylcholine receptor (α-, δ-, and ε-subunits) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-via the P2Y receptor (P2YR), but the trophic response of neurons to the activation of P2YRs is less well understood. We reported that cultured cortical neurons and the developing rat brain expressed different types of P2YRs, and among these the UTP-sensitive P2Y2R was the most abundant.

Distribution and expression of Kirre, an IgSF molecule, during postnatal development of rat cerebellum.

Immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) molecules are actively involved in cell-cell adhesion, neuronal migration, axonal guidance and synapse formation in the nervous system. Kirre, as a member of this family, has been implicated in mammalian neuronal differentiation and development. Although the distribution of rKirre (a rat homologue of Drosophila Kirre) mRNA was previously analyzed in adult rat cerebellum by in situ hybridization, the expression levels of transcript and protein were not well studied.

Chemical and biological assessment of angelica roots from different cultivated regions in a chinese herbal decoction danggui buxue tang.

Roots of Angelica sinensis (Danggui) have been used in promoting blood circulation as herbal medicine for over 2000 years in China. Another species of Angelica roots called A. gigas is being used in Korea.

Anti-inflammatory activity of edible brown alga Saccharina japonica and its constituents pheophorbide a and pheophytin a in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.

Anti-inflammatory activity of Saccharina japonica and its active components was evaluated via in vitro inhibitory activities against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. Since the methanolic extract of S.

Combining functional and structural genomics to sample the essential Burkholderia structome.

Background: The genus Burkholderia includes pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that cause melioidosis, glanders, and pulmonary infections of patients with cancer and cystic fibrosis. Drug resistance has made development of new antimicrobials critical. Many approaches to discovering new antimicrobials, such as structure-based drug design and whole cell phenotypic screens followed by lead refinement, require high-resolution structures of proteins essential to the parasite.

Fo Shou San, an ancient Chinese herbal decoction, protects endothelial function through increasing endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity.

Fo Shou San (FSS) is an ancient herbal decoction comprised of Chuanxiong Rhizoma (CR; Chuanxiong) and Angelicae Sinensis Radix (ASR; Danggui) in a ratio of 2:3. Previous studies indicate that FSS promotes blood circulation and dissipates blood stasis, thus which is being used widely to treat vascular diseases. Here, we aim to determine the cellular mechanism for the vascular benefit of FSS.

Molecular mechanism of capillarisin-mediated inhibition of MyD88/TIRAP inflammatory signaling in in vitro and in vivo experimental models.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Artemisia capillaris Thunberg (Compositae) have been used as traditional medicine as a diuretic, liver protective agent, and for amelioration of inflammatory and analgesic disorders. The present study was carried out to establish the scientific rationale for treating inflammation and to find active principles from A. capillaris.

Anti-inflammatory properties of anthraquinones and their relationship with the regulation of P-glycoprotein function and expression.

There is a growing interest in natural products that potentially have anti-inflammatory properties and inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp) function. In this report, we assessed the effects of anthraquinone derivatives from rhubarb on LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages to determine their anti-inflammatory potential.

Expression of cAMP-responsive element binding proteins (CREBs) in fast- and slow-twitch muscles: a signaling pathway to account for the synaptic expression of collagen-tailed subunit (ColQ) of acetylcholinesterase at the rat neuromuscular junction.

The gene encoding the collagen-tailed subunit (ColQ) of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) contains two distinct promoters that drive the production of two ColQ mRNAs, ColQ-1 and ColQ-1a, in slow- and fast-twitch muscles, respectively. ColQ-1a is expressed at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) in fast-twitch muscle, and this expression depends on trophic factors supplied by motor neurons signaling via a cAMP-dependent pathway in muscle. To further elucidate the molecular basis of ColQ-1a's synaptic expression, here we investigated the expression and localization of cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) at the synaptic and extra-synaptic regions of fast- and slow-twitch muscles from adult rats.

Composition-controlled PtCo alloy nanocubes with tuned electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction.

Modification of the electronic structure and lattice contraction of Pt alloy nanocatalysts through control over their morphology and composition has been a crucial issue for improving their electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. In the present work, we synthesized PtCo alloy nanocubes with controlled compositions (Pt(x)Co NCs, x = 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9) by regulating the ratio of surfactants and the amount of Co precursor to elucidate the effect of the composition of nanocatalysts on their ORR activity. Pt(x)Co NCs had a Pt-skin structure after electrochemical treatment.

Characterization of acetylcholinesterase in Hong Kong oyster (Crassostrea hongkongensis) from South China Sea.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity has been used to evaluate the exposure of mollusk bivalves to organophosphates, carbamate pesticides, and heavy metals. Crassostrea hongkongensis is a Hong Kong endemic oyster, and has a high commercial value along the coastal area of South China. The use of this species as a bio-indicator of the marine environment, and the use of AChE activity measurements in tissues of C.

Mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of umbelliferone 6-carboxylic acid isolated from Angelica decursiva.

Aims Of The Study: We recently reported the potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of umbelliferone 6-carboxylic acid (UMC) isolated from the whole plants of Angelica decursiva. In this study, we elucidated the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of UMC in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: The inhibitory effects of UMC on the production of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were evaluated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.

A standardized chinese herbal decoction, kai-xin-san, restores decreased levels of neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors in the brain of chronic stress-induced depressive rats.

Kai-xin-san (KXS), a Chinese herbal decoction being prescribed by Sun Simiao in Beiji Qianjin Yaofang about 1400 years ago, contains Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Polygalae Radix, Acori tatarinowii Rhizoma, and Poria. KXS has been used to treat stress-related psychiatric disease with the symptoms of depression and forgetfulness in ancient China until today. However, the mechanism of its antidepression action is still unknown.

HIV-1-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay responses in HIV-1-exposed uninfected partners in discordant relationships compared to those in low-risk controls.

A number of studies of highly exposed HIV-1-seronegative individuals (HESN) have found HIV-1-specific cellular responses. However, there is limited evidence that responses prevent infection or are linked to HIV-1 exposure. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from HESN in HIV-1-discordant relationships and low-risk controls in Nairobi, Kenya.

Cervicovaginal HIV-1-neutralizing immunoglobulin A detected among HIV-1-exposed seronegative female partners in HIV-1-discordant couples.

Objective: Cervicovaginal HIV-1-neutralizing immunoglobulin A (IgA) was associated with reduced HIV-1 acquisition in a cohort of commercial sex workers. We aimed to define the prevalence and correlates of HIV-1-neutralizing IgA from HIV-1-exposed seronegative (HESN) women in HIV-1-serodiscordant relationships.

Methods: HIV-1-serodiscordant couples in Nairobi were enrolled and followed quarterly up to 2 years, and women in concordant HIV-1-negative relationships were enrolled as controls.

Alantolactone suppresses inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression by down-regulating NF-κB, MAPK and AP-1 via the MyD88 signaling pathway in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells.

Several sesquiterpene lactones are the active components of several medicinal plants and have been demonstrated to perform various pharmacological functions. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of alantolactone, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the root of Aucklandia lappa, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and peritoneal macrophages.

Distance from home to study clinic and risk of follow-up interruption in a cohort of HIV-1-discordant couples in Nairobi, Kenya.

Background: Longitudinal studies of HIV-1-infected individuals or those at risk of infection are subject to missed study visits that may have negative consequences on the care of participants and can jeopardize study validity due to bias and loss of statistical power. Distance between participant residence and study clinic, as well as other socioeconomic and demographic factors, may contribute to interruptions in patient follow-up.

Methods: HIV-1-serodiscordant couples were enrolled between May 2007 and October 2009 and followed for two years in Nairobi, Kenya.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ activation ameliorates albuminuria by preventing nephrin loss and restoring podocyte integrity in type 2 diabetes.

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-δ is a ligand-activated transcription factor in regulating gene expression and is believed to play an important role in various kidney diseases including diabetic nephropathy. This study investigated the efficacy of GW610742, a highly specific agonist for PPAR-δ, for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.

Methods: Type 2 diabetic Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats were randomized into an untreated diabetic group (n = 9) and a GW610742-treated diabetic group (n= 9).

Delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-discordant couples in Kenya.

Timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is particularly important for HIV-discordant couples because viral suppression greatly reduces the risk of transmission to the uninfected partner. To identify issues and concerns related to ART initiation among HIV-discordant couples, we recruited a subset of discordant couples participating in a longitudinal study in Nairobi to participate in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions about ART. Our results suggest that partners in HIV-discordant relationships discuss starting ART, yet most are not aware that ART can decrease the risk of HIV transmission.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ agonist attenuates hepatic steatosis by anti-inflammatory mechanism.

Although peroxisome proliferator receptor (PPAR)-α and PPAR-γ agonist have been developed as chemical tools to uncover biological roles for the PPARs such as lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, PPAR-δ has not been fully investigated. In this study, we examined the effects of the PPAR-δ agonist GW0742 on fatty liver changes and inflammatory markers. We investigated the effects of PPAR-δ agonist GW0742 on fatty liver changes in OLETF rats.

Knowledge and acceptability of pap smears, self-sampling and HPV vaccination among adult women in Kenya.

Objectives: Our study aimed to assess adult women's knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, and characterize their attitudes towards potential screening and prevention strategies.

Methods: Women were participants of an HIV-discordant couples cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographic status, and sexual and medical history at baseline and on knowledge and attitudes towards Pap smears, self-sampling, and HPV vaccination at study exit.