Purpose: The aim of this study was to study long-term effects of esophageal atresia based on data from the world's largest parent support group.
Methods: A questionnaire was completed by 128 former patients, now aged 10 to 34 years (median, 14 years), who were all members of the support group.
Results: Postoperative bougienage was performed in 70% of patients.
Clin Microbiol Infect
October 2000
Elevation of external [K(+)] potentiates outward K(+) current through several voltage-gated K(+) channels. This increase in current magnitude is paradoxical in that it occurs despite a significant decrease in driving force. We have investigated the mechanisms involved in K(+)-dependent current potentiation in the Kv2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the Kv2.1 potassium channel, binding of K(+) to a high-affinity site associated with the selectivity filter modulates channel sensitivity to external TEA. In channels carrying Na(+) current, K(+) interacts with the TEA modulation site at concentrations =30 microM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe key technique in proteome analysis is high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) electrophoretic separation of proteins from biological samples. This method combines isoelectric focusing (IEF) and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Derivatization of protein carbonyls with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) and subsequent anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) immunoblotting is widely used for the detection of oxidatively modified proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCompr Psychiatry
November 1999
There is a high comorbidity between eating disorders and substance dependence. The sequence of illness may indicate differences in the underlying pathology and could reflect different etiologies and treatment. The present study subjects were 218 inpatients and outpatients with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa binge-purge type (AN-BP), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder NOS (ED-NOS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe voltage-gated K+ channel, Kv2.1, conducts Na+ in the absence of K+. External tetraethylammonium (TEAo) blocks K+ currents through Kv2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurophysiol
April 1999
Both physiological and pathological neuronal events, many of which elevate intracellular [Ca2+], can produce changes in intracellular pH of between 0.15 and 0.5 U, between pH 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe selectivity filter in voltage-gated K+ channels is formed at the interface of the pore loops (S5-S6 loop) from four channel subunits. Whereas most K+ channels are essentially impermeable to Na+, the Kv2.1 K+ channel conducts Na+ relatively well in the absence of K+ and selects for K+ over Na+ at least partially by an affinity-based competition mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent studies have suggested that regular use of beta2-agonists has adverse effects on asthma control, due to the cross-talk between cAMP responsive element binding proteins (CREB) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between GR and CREB on cytoplasmic protein level with a gel mobility shift assay and to determine the effect of this interaction on mRNA levels by Northern blot analysis. After exposing human bronchial epithelial cells for 1 hr to either 1 microM terbutaline or budesonide, more binding of CREB and GR, respectively, was observed to their responsive elements in DNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlucocorticoids (gcs) are known to be effective in the treatment of asthma. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), however, no beneficial effects are demonstrated in most patients. Hypothetically, this may be explained by an overexpressed beta-glucocorticoid receptor (GR) compared to the alpha-GR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiophys J
January 1999
Voltage-gated K+ channels exhibit a slow inactivation process, which becomes an important influence on the rate of action potential repolarization during prolonged or repetitive depolarization. During slow inactivation, the outer mouth of the permeation pathway undergoes a conformational change. We report here that during the slow inactivation process, the channel progresses through at least three permeation states; from the initial open state that is highly selective for K+, the channel enters a state that is less permeable to K+ and more permeable to Na+, and then proceeds to a state that is non-conducting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Muscle Res Cell Motil
October 1998
The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence and autoregulation of both glucocorticoid receptor mRNAs in rat gastrocnemius muscle. The expression of both receptor forms was studied 1, 4 or 12 hours after intra-tracheal instillation of a high dose (100 micrograms) of budesonide; muscular expression was compared with glucocorticoid receptor expression in lung tissue. After Northern blot analysis, hybridization was performed with glucocorticoid receptor, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase probes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith prolonged or repetitive activation, voltage-gated K+ channels undergo a slow (C-type) inactivation mechanism, which decreases current flow through the channel. Previous observations suggest that C-type inactivation results from a localized constriction in the outer mouth of the channel pore and that the rate of inactivation is controlled by the-rate at which K+ leaves an unidentified binding site in the pore. We have functionally identified two K+ binding sites in the conduction pathway of a chimeric K+ channel that conducts Na+ in the absence of K+.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVoltage-gated potassium (K+) channels are multi-ion pores. Recent studies suggest that, similar to calcium channels, competition between ionic species for intrapore binding sites may contribute to ionic selectivity in at least some K+ channels. Molecular studies suggest that a putative constricted region of the pore, which is presumably the site of selectivity, may be as short as one ionic diameter in length.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe CAG repeat number on Huntington's disease (HD) chromosomes accounts for about 60% of the variance in the age at onset of HD. However, distinct familial factors may also influence the age at onset. HD is associated with loss of medium-sized GABA-ergic striatal output neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Gen Physiol
June 1997
L-type Ca2+ channels select for Ca2+ over sodium Na+ by an affinity-based mechanism. The prevailing model of Ca2+ channel permeation describes a multi-ion pore that requires pore occupancy by at least two Ca2+ ions to generate a Ca2+ current. At [Ca2+] < 1 microM, Ca2+ channels conduct Na+.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRiboflavin synthase was purified by a factor of about 1,500 from cell extract of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. The enzyme had a specific activity of about 2,700 nmol mg(-1) h(-1) at 65 degrees C, which is relatively low compared to those of riboflavin synthases of eubacteria and yeast. Amino acid sequences obtained after proteolytic cleavage had no similarity with known riboflavin synthases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Respir Crit Care Med
March 1997
Despite the central role bronchial epithelial cells play in asthmatic reactions, and the widespread use of inhaled corticosteroids in asthma, no information is available on the effect of glucocorticoids on glucocorticoid- receptor (GR) gene expression. In this study, the effect of budesonide on alpha- and beta-GR gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells was investigated in vitro and in vivo. A bronchial epithelial cell line was exposed in vitro to budesonide, and a dose- and time-dependent synchronous downregulation of alpha- and beta-GR mRNA was observed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelf-reactive B cells from tolerant double-transgenic (Dbl-Tg) mice coexpressing hen egg lysozyme (HEL) and rearranged anti-HEL immunoglobulin genes have a relatively short life span when compared to normal B cells, irrespective of whether they are exposed to antigen in multivalent membrane-bound form (mHEL-Dbl-Tg mice) or soluble form (sHEL-Dbl-Tg mice). The factors responsible for determining the fate of these B cells after encounter with self-antigen were investigated using a cell-tracking technique in which anti-HEL Ig-Tg spleen cells were labeled with the intracellular dye 5-carboxyfluorescein diacetate-succinimidyl ester (CFSE) and injected either into non-Tg recipients or a variety of HEL-Tg hosts. In non-Tg recipients, HEL-binding B cells persisted in the circulation and could be detected in the follicles of the spleen for at least 5 d.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRenal tubular acidosis (type I) is characterized by alterations that lead to disturbed acidification in the tubule. As a result of these alterations, the excretion of uromucoid (formed in the distal tubule), citrate and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) is considerably reduced. There have been numerous investigations on changes in urine pH, citrate and calcium, but few, if any studies on the excretion of uromucoid and GAG.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis single-dose, double-blind, parallel-group, single-site study compared ibuprofen lysine 400 mg with acetaminophen 1000 mg and placebo in 240 patients with moderate-to-severe postoperative dental pain. The relative onset of analgesic response, overall analgesic efficacy, duration of effect, and safety were assessed over a 6-hour postdose period. Analgesic efficacy was assessed by patient self-rating of pain intensity, pain relief, time to meaningful pain relief, need for additional analgesic medication, and patient global evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPermeation selectivity was studied in two human potassium channels, Kv2.1 and Kv1.5, expressed in a mouse cell line.
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