Congenital unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction of the rat: a useful animal model for human ureteropelvic junction obstruction?

Objectives: To investigate the expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and adrenomedullin (ADM) in the renal pelvis, stenotic ureteropelvic junction, and ureter of 20 male Wistar rats with congenital unilateral ureteropelvic junction obstruction; the normal contralateral kidneys served as controls. The molecular pathophysiology of congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction is still unclear. The implication of altered peptidergic innervation is under discussion.

Apical, but not basolateral, endotoxin preincubation protects alveolar epithelial cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced loss of barrier function: the role of nitric oxide synthesis.

The influence of LPS preincubation on hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced loss of epithelial barrier function was investigated in rat alveolar epithelial type II cells (ATII). Both apical and basolateral H(2)O(2) administration caused a manyfold increase in transepithelial [(3)H]mannitol passage. Apical but not basolateral preincubation of ATII with LPS did not influence control barrier properties but fully abrogated the H(2)O(2)-induced leakage response.

Correlation of type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-I-R) and insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) messenger RNA levels in tumor cell lines from pediatric tumors of neuronal origin.

The insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) is a member of the insulin receptor family. So far no ligand has yet been discovered for this receptor type (orphan receptor). IRR, insulin receptor (IR), and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-I-R) are all tyrosine kinases.