Characteristics and functions of {alpha}-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptors expressed in mouse pancreatic {alpha}-cells.

Pancreatic islet cells use neurotransmitters such as l-glutamate to regulate hormone secretion. We determined which cell types in mouse pancreatic islets express ionotropic glutamate receptor channels (iGluRs) and describe the detailed biophysical properties and physiological roles of these receptors. Currents through iGluRs and the resulting membrane depolarization were measured with patch-clamp methods.

A sex-specific role for androgens in angiogenesis.

Mounting evidence suggests that in men, serum levels of testosterone are negatively correlated to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We studied the role of androgens in angiogenesis, a process critical in cardiovascular repair/regeneration, in males and females. Androgen exposure augmented key angiogenic events in vitro.

14-3-3 mediated regulation of the tumor suppressor protein, RASSF1A.

Death receptor-dependent apoptosis is an important mechanism of growth control. It has been demonstrated that Ras association domain family protein 1A (RASSF1A) is a tumor suppressor protein involved in death receptor-dependent apoptosis. However, it is unclear how RASSF1A-mediated cell death is initiated.

Kummell's disease: delayed post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the vertebral body.

Delayed post-traumatic osteonecrosis, also known by its eponym Kummell's disease, is a rarely reported clinical entity that likely occurs with higher frequency than recognized. We highlight a case of a 75-year-old female household ambulator who presented with significant thoracolumbar pain and delayed T12 collapse after a ground-level fall. The patient had sustained a trivial fall at home 4 months prior to this presentation and had been hospitalized in our institution at that time for a general medical workup.

Retrospective study on immediate functional loading of edentulous maxillas and mandibles with 690 implants, up to 71 months of follow-up.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to describe immediate functional loading of completely edentulous maxillas and mandibles by fixed provisional prostheses and to compare cumulative survival rates between maxillas and mandibles. Contributing factors including implant diameter, system, configuration, type of abutment connections, position of implants, and insertion torque values were investigated.

Patients And Methods: From August 2001 to March 2007, 111 patients treated at the Associated Brånemark Osseointegration Center, Hong Kong, who received immediate functional loading of implants by fixed completely edentulous provisional prostheses were reviewed.

Efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the management of neck pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo or active-treatment controlled trials.

Background: Neck pain is a common and costly condition for which pharmacological management has limited evidence of efficacy and side-effects. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a relatively uncommon, non-invasive treatment for neck pain, in which non-thermal laser irradiation is applied to sites of pain. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials to assess the efficacy of LLLT in neck pain.

GBV-C/hepatitis G virus infection and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a case control study.

We investigated whether there was an association between GBV-C viremia and the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in 553 NHL cases and 438 controls from British Columbia, Canada. Cases were aged 20-79, diagnosed between March 2000 and February 2004, and resident in Greater Vancouver or Victoria. Cases and controls were tested for GBV-C RNA by RT-PCR and positive samples were genotyped.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus 16 and 18 neutralizing antibodies in prenatal women in British Columbia.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 and 18 neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers were measured in 1,020 prenatal women in British Columbia aged 15 to 39. HPV 16 and 18 NAbs were detected in 183/1,020 (17.9%) and 97/1,020 (9.

Evidence for a novel human-specific xeno-auto-antibody response against vascular endothelium.

Humans are genetically unable to synthesize the common mammalian sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc). However, Neu5Gc can be metabolically incorporated and covalently expressed on cultured human cell surfaces. Meanwhile, humans express varying and sometimes high titers of polyclonal anti-Neu5Gc antibodies.

Comparison of two resorbable membrane systems in bone regeneration after removal of wisdom teeth: a randomized-controlled clinical pilot study.

Objectives: To compare the performance and safety of Inion GTR(TM) Biodegradable Membrane System and Geistlich resorbable bilayer Bio-Gide((R)) membrane in human bone regeneration.

Material And Methods: In a multicenter, split blind, comparative, randomized, prospective, pilot study 15 patients have been randomized at surgery whether to be treated either with Inion GTR(TM) Biodegradable Membrane System on one and Geistlich resorbable bilayer Bio-Gide((R)) membrane on the other side or vice versa after surgical removal of both fully impacted wisdom teeth. During the follow-up visits at week 1, 2 and 6 and at months 3 and 6 the general state, the wound, eventual adverse events and the medication of the patients were assessed.

The kinetics and acoustics of fingering and note transitions on the flute.

Motion of the keys was measured in a transverse flute while beginner, amateur, and professional flutists played a range of exercises. The time taken for a key to open or close was typically 10 ms when pushed by a finger or 16 ms when moved by a spring. Because the opening and closing of keys will never be exactly simultaneous, transitions between notes that involve the movement of multiple fingers can occur via several possible pathways with different intermediate fingerings.

Selective labeling of retinal ganglion cells with calcium indicators by retrograde loading in vitro.

Here we present a retrograde loading technique that makes it possible for the first time to rapidly load a calcium indicator in the majority of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in salamander retina, and then to observe physiological activity of these dye-loaded cells. Dextran-conjugated calcium indicator, dissolved in water, was applied to the optic nerve stump. Following dye loading, the isolated retina was mounted on a microelectrode array to demonstrate that electrical activity and calcium activity were preserved, as the retina responded to electrical stimuli.

Ezrin mediates tethering of the gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter GAT1 to actin filaments via a C-terminal PDZ-interacting domain.

A high density of neurotransmitter transporters on axons and presynaptic boutons is required for the efficient clearance of neurotransmitters from the synapse. Therefore, regulators of transporter trafficking (insertion, retrieval, and confinement) can play an important role in maintaining the transporter density necessary for effective function. We determined the interactions that confine GAT1 at the membrane by investigating the lateral mobility of GAT1-yellow fluorescent protein-8 (YFP8) expressed in neuroblastoma 2a cells.

Cytopathology and exocrine dysfunction induced in ex vivo rabbit lacrimal gland acinar cell models by chronic exposure to histamine or serotonin.

Purpose: Lacrimal immunohistopathology has diverse clinical presentations, suggesting that inflammatory mediators exert diverse influences. Chronic exposure to agonistic acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies has been studied previously; the present work addressed mediators that signal through other G protein-coupled receptors.

Methods: Acinus-like structures and reconstituted acinar epithelial monolayers from rabbit lacrimal glands were exposed to varying concentrations of histamine or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) for 20 hours.

NMR strategy for unraveling structures of bioactive sponge-derived oxy-polyhalogenated diphenyl ethers.

The overexpression of the Mcl-1 protein in cancerous cells results in the sequestering of Bak, a key component in the regulation of normal cell apoptosis. Our investigation of the ability of marine-derived small-molecule natural products to inhibit this protein-protein interaction led to the isolation of several bioactive oxy-polyhalogenated diphenyl ethers. A semipure extract, previously obtained from Dysidea (Lamellodysidea) herbacea and preserved in our repository, along with an untouched Dysidea granulosa marine sponge afforded 13 distinct oxy-polyhalogenated diphenyl ethers.

On the malleability of ideology: motivated construals of color blindness.

The authors propose that the content of certain sociopolitical ideologies can be shaped by individuals in ways that satisfy their social motivations. This notion was tested in the context of color-blind ideology. Color blindness, when construed as a principle of distributive justice, is an egalitarian stance concerned with reducing discrepancies between groups' outcomes; as a principle of procedural justice, however, color blindness can function as a legitimizing ideology that entrenches existing inequalities.

Fluorescent cargo proteins in peptidergic endocrine cells: cell type determines secretion kinetics at exocytosis.

Fluorescent fusion proteins are an important tool for the study of vesicle trafficking and exocytosis, especially when combined with newer types of microscopy. We previously reported that the design of a vesicle-targeted fluorescent fusion construct strongly influences the kinetics of fluorescence change at exocytosis. In the present study we demonstrate that the cell in which a construct is expressed also affects the kinetics of fluorescence change at exocytosis.

Mechanisms and functional significance of inhibition of neuronal T-type calcium channels by isoflurane.

Previous data have indicated that T-type calcium channels (low-voltage activated T-channels) are potently inhibited by volatile anesthetics. Although the interactions of T-channels with a number of anesthetics have been described, the mechanisms by which these agents modulate channel activity, and the functional consequences of such interactions, are not well studied. Here, we used patch-clamp recordings to explore the actions of a prototypical volatile anesthetic, isoflurane (Iso), on recombinant human Ca(V)3.

Complexin II plays a positive role in Ca2+-triggered exocytosis by facilitating vesicle priming.

SNARE-mediated exocytosis is a multistage process central to synaptic transmission and hormone release. Complexins (CPXs) are small proteins that bind very rapidly and with a high affinity to the SNARE core complex, where they have been proposed recently to inhibit exocytosis by clamping the complex and inhibiting membrane fusion. However, several other studies also suggest that CPXs are positive regulators of neurotransmitter release.

Blinding techniques in randomized controlled trials of laser therapy: an overview and possible solution.

Low-level laser therapy has evidence accumulating about its effectiveness in a variety of medical conditions. We reviewed 51 double blind randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of laser treatment. Analysis revealed 58% of trials showed benefit of laser over placebo.

Probing surface charge potentials of clay basal planes and edges by direct force measurements.

The dispersion and gelation of clay suspensions have major impact on a number of industries, such as ceramic and composite materials processing, paper making, cement production, and consumer product formulation. To fundamentally understand controlling mechanisms of clay dispersion and gelation, it is necessary to study anisotropic surface charge properties and colloidal interactions of clay particles. In this study, a colloidal probe technique was employed to study the interaction forces between a silica probe and clay basal plane/edge surfaces.

Mouse adrenal chromaffin cell isolation.

Adrenal medullary chromaffin cell culture systems are extremely useful for the study of excitation-secretion coupling in an in vitro setting. This protocol illustrates the method used to dissect the adrenals and then isolate the medullary region by stripping away the adrenal cortex. The digestion of the medulla into single chromaffin cells is then demonstrated.

Decreased striatal dopamine release underlies increased expression of long-term synaptic potentiation at corticostriatal synapses 24 h after 3-nitropropionic-acid-induced chemical hypoxia.

The striatum is particularly sensitive to the irreversible inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP). In the present study, we examined early changes in behavior and dopamine and glutamate synaptic physiology created by a single systemic injection of 3-NP in Fischer 344 rats. Hindlimb dystonia was seen 2 h after 3-NP injections, and rats performed poorly on balance beam and rotarod motor tests 24 h later.