Synthetic cannabinoids may be adulterated with potent vitamin K antagonists, which should be considered if a patient presents with unexplained coagulopathy, widespread bleeding, and a history of synthetic cannabinoid use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute, unintentional drug-related poisonings lead to an estimated 418,313 ED visits in 2014, according to the latest statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While most of these were opiate-related poisonings, anticoagulant rodenticides were the most common cause of rodenticide-related poisoning in the United States. Many clinical syndromes and treatment algorithms have been described for patients with anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe E-cadherin/β-catenin complex is a structural component of adherens-type junctions in epithelial cells. Moreover, β-catenin acts as an intracellular signaling molecule that can influence the expression of a variety of genes that regulate apoptosis and cell cycle control. Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental toxicant that causes renal dysfunction and disrupts cadherin-dependent cell-cell adhesion in various types of epithelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOsteocalcin (OC) is a major noncollagenous bone matrix protein and an osteoblast marker whose expression is limited to mature osteoblasts during the late differentiation stage. In previous studies we have shown osteosarcomas to lose p53 function with a corresponding loss of osteocalcin gene expression. Introduction of wild type p53 resulted in re expression of the osteocalcin gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tumor-suppressor p53 is a transcription factor that regulates a number of genes in the process of cell-cycle inhibition, apoptosis, and DNA damage. Recent studies have revealed a crucial role for p53 in bone remodeling. In our previous studies we have shown that p53 is an important regulator of osteoblast differentiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between the tumor suppressor gene p53 and the nuclear signaling protein beta-catenin during bone differentiation. Cross talk between p53 and beta-catenin pathways has been demonstrated and is important during tumorigenesis and DNA damage, where deregulation of beta catenin activates p53. In this study, we used estrogen treatment of osteoblasts as a paradigm to study the relationship between the two proteins during osteoblast differentiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have previously shown p53 to have a specific role in osteoblast differentiation by its ability to regulate expression of certain bone specific proteins. In this study, we show mineralized matrix formation in vivo to be directly related to the presence of wild type p53 in osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells. In order to further understand the importance of p53 in differentiation, we investigated the relationship between p53 and Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) (BMP 1, 2, 3A, 3B (GDF-10), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8A and 8B) during osteoblast differentiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe targeted disruption of cartilage link protein gene (Crtl1) in homozygous mice resulted in a severe chondrodysplasia and perinatal lethality. This raised the question of whether the abnormalities seen in Crtl1 null mice are all caused by the absence of link protein in cartilage or whether the deficiency of the protein in other tissues and organs contributed to the phenotype. To address this question we have generated transgenic mice overexpressing cartilage link protein under the control of a cartilage-specific promoter, and then these transgenic mice were used for a genetic rescue of abnormalities in Crtl1 null mice.
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