Background: It has been hypothesized in the literature that exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (50 or 60 Hz) may lead to human health effects such as childhood leukemia or brain tumors. In a previous study investigating multiple types of cells from brain and kidney of the mouse (Acta Neuropathologica 2004; 107: 257-264), we found increased unrepaired nuclear DNA single strand breaks (nDNA SSB) only in epithelial cells of the choroid plexus in the brain using autoradiographic methods after a continuous eight-week 50 Hz magnetic field (MF) exposure of adult mice with flux density of 1.5 mT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study tested the hypothesis that mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin (PS) 1 result in alterations in the amount of nuclear (n) DNA repair and nDNA damage in neurons in vivo. To this end, the relative amount of nDNA repair was measured in 8-month-old transgenic mice expressing either human mutant APP (APP751(SL) mice), human mutant PS1 (PS1(M146L) mice) or both human mutant APP and PS1 (APP751(SL)/PS1(M146L) mice) with unscheduled DNA synthesis, and the relative amount of nDNA single strand breaks (SSB) with in situ nick translation. APP751(SL)/PS1(M146L) mice showed a significantly decreased relative amount of nDNA repair in pyramidal cells in hippocampal area CA1/2 compared to APP751(SL) mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent studies (Prabakaran et al. in Mol Psychiat 9:684-697, 2004; Hanson and Gottesman in BMC Med Genet 6:7, 2005; Harris et al. in PLoS ONE 3:e3964, 2008) have suggested that microvascular abnormalities occur in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApplication of extracorporeal shockwaves (ESW) to the musculoskeletal system may induce long-term analgesia in the treatment of chronic tendinopathies of the shoulder, heel and elbow. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind this phenomenon are largely unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that long-term analgesia caused by ESW is due to selective loss of nerve fibers in peripheral nerves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFApplication of extracorporeal shockwaves to the musculoskeletal system can induce long-term analgesia in the treatment of chronic painful diseases such as calcifying tendonitis of the shoulder, tennis elbow and chronic plantar fasciitis. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are largely unknown. Recently it was shown that application of extracorporeal shockwaves to the distal femur of rabbits can lead to reduced concentration of substance P in the shockwaves' focal zone.
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