Improved myocardial perfusion in chronic diabetic mice by the up-regulation of pLKB1 and AMPK signaling.

Previous studies related impaired myocardial microcirculation in diabetes to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the effect of up-regulating pAMPK-pAKT signaling on coronary microvascular reactivity in the isolated heart of diabetic mice. We measured coronary resistance in wild-type and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated mice, during perfusion pressure changes.

Serum albumin fragmentation in end-stage renal disease patients--a pilot study.

Background: The goal of this study was to detect modification in the expression of plasma proteins and/or post-translational modifications of their structure in patients with end stage renal disease.

Methods: Serum samples from 19 adult patients treated by maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) were analyzed in comparison to sera from six healthy controls using sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). Spots of interest were identified by mass spectrometry analysis.

The L-4F mimetic peptide prevents insulin resistance through increased levels of HO-1, pAMPK, and pAKT in obese mice.

We examined mechanisms by which L-4F reduces obesity and diabetes in obese (ob) diabetic mice. We hypothesized that L-4F reduces adiposity via increased pAMPK, pAKT, HO-1, and increased insulin receptor phosphorylation in ob mice. Obese and lean mice were divided into five groups: lean, lean-L-4F-treated, ob, ob-L-4F-treated, and ob-L-4F-LY294002.

Effects of the incubation in vitro with sorbents on serum proteomic pattern and cytokine concentration in cancer patients during chemotherapy--preliminary results.

Introduction: Cancer and treatment by chemotherapy often produce abnormalities in endogenous cytokine, chemokine, and inflammatory mediator production. Sorbent-based adsorption therapies have been used to remove cytokines in diverse human diseases.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy on serum proteomic pattern and cytokine concentration, and to evaluate the ex vivo feasibility of using sorbents to remove cytokines, chemokines and other proteins in adult cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with fluorouracil or carboplatin-taxane combinations.