Improving predictive asthma algorithms with modelled environment data for Scotland: an observational cohort study protocol.

Introduction: Asthma has a considerable, but potentially, avoidable burden on many populations globally. Scotland has some of the poorest health outcomes from asthma. Although ambient pollution, weather changes and sociodemographic factors have been associated with asthma attacks, it remains unclear whether modelled environment data and geospatial information can improve population-based asthma predictive algorithms.

Prorenin receptor in distal nephron segments of 2-kidney, 1-clip goldblatt hypertensive rats.

Background: The prorenin receptor (PRR) is expressed in the kidneys and has been localized to mesangial cells, renal arterioles, and distal nephron segments. By binding renin or prorenin, this receptor increases renin catalytic activity and activates prorenin. The renin gene is expressed by the principal cells of collecting ducts and is enhanced in angiotensin II (AngII)-dependent hypertension and in both kidneys of 2-kidney, 1-clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertensive rats.

Enhancement of renin and prorenin receptor in collecting duct of Cyp1a1-Ren2 rats may contribute to development and progression of malignant hypertension.

To determine whether in the transgenic rat model [TGR(Cyp1a1Ren2)] with inducible ANG II-dependent malignant hypertension changes in the activation of intrarenal renin-angiotensin system may contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension, we examined the gene expression of angiotensinogen (AGT) in renal cortical tissues and renin and prorenin receptor [(P)RR] in the collecting duct (CD) of the kidneys from Cyp1a1Ren2 rats (n = 6) fed a normal diet containing 0.3% indole-3-carbinol (I3C) for 10 days and noninduced rats maintained on a normal diet (0.6% NaCl diet; n = 6).