In Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Alpha-Synuclein Increases and Marks Peri-Neural Infiltration.

α-Synuclein (α-syn) is a protein involved in neuronal degeneration. However, the family of synucleins has recently been demonstrated to be involved in the mechanisms of oncogenesis by selectively accelerating cellular processes leading to cancer. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal human cancers, with a specifically high neurotropism.

mTOR Modulates Methamphetamine-Induced Toxicity through Cell Clearing Systems.

Methamphetamine (METH) is abused worldwide, and it represents a threat for public health. METH exposure induces a variety of detrimental effects. In fact, METH produces a number of oxidative species, which lead to lipid peroxidation, protein misfolding, and nuclear damage.

Chronic alcohol administration causes expression of calprotectin and RAGE altering the distribution of zinc ions in mouse testis.

Several studies reported that chronic alcohol consumption alters the intestinal mucosa barrier, and subsequent entrance of endotoxins into the bloodstream. In many tissues endotoxin exposure causes the expression of calprotectin (CP) and the receptor for advanced glycation -end products (RAGE). In this study we investigated whether chronic alcohol administration causes expression of CP and RAGE in mouse testis.

Expression of 3-nitrotyrosine, a marker for peroxynitrite, in nasal polyps of nonatopic patients.

Background: Several works have reported that nitric oxide and free oxygen radicals are up-regulated in nasal polyposis. This study aimed to assess the distribution of peroxynitrite in nasal polyps from nonatopic patients. Occurrence of peroxynitrite also was analyzed in relation with eosinophil infiltration and epithelial alterations.

Curcumin protects Leydig cells of mice from damage induced by chronic alcohol administration.

Background: It is known that alcohol consumption inhibits testosterone production and causes testicular atrophy. Curcumin is a phytochemical characterized by anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It was also observed that curcumin protects the liver, pancreas, and nervous system from the toxic effects of alcohol consumption.

MPTP-induced Parkinsonism is associated with damage to Leydig cells and testosterone loss.

Genital dysfunction and testosterone deficiency occur frequently in Parkinson's disease and represent a typical non-motor symptom of the disorder. Despite that, to our knowledge no study investigated whether at experimental level this can be reproduced with classic Parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxins. In this study we evaluated the effects produced in the testis following administration of the Parkinsonism-inducing neurotoxin 1-methyl, 4-phenyl, 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in mice.

Immunohistochemical localization of 3-nitrotyrosine in the nasal respiratory mucosa of patients with vasomotor rhinitis.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that, in the nasal respiratory mucosa of patients with vasomotor rhinitis, oxidative stress following peroxynitrite formation is confined to the respiratory epithelium. This suggests that the role of peroxynitrite in vasomotor rhinitis differs from its role in other diseases of the respiratory tract. The results of this study also support the concept that different pathogenetic mechanisms are probably involved in vasomotor rhinitis.

Ultrastructure of testicular macrophages in aging mice.

Testicular macrophages of aging mice were studied by TEM. Testicular macrophages retained with Leydig cells the close morphological relationships observed in the adult young animals, but digitations were not found. Lipofuscin granules like those of the Leydig cells from aging mice were observed in the cytoplasm.

Ultrastructural and ultracytochemical study of the human nasal respiratory epithelium in vasomotor rhinitis.

Objectives: Several pieces of evidence have suggested that nitric oxide (NO) fulfills important functions in the respiratory mucosa, under both normal and pathological conditions. This study was performed to investigate the role of NO in the nasal respiratory epithelium of patients affected by vasomotor rhinitis. The structure and ultrastructure of the epithelium were also examined.

Ultrastructural and ultracytochemical study of the middle ear epithelium in the chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus.

The fine structure of the epithelium lining the tympanic cavity of the chicken was studied by TEM and SEM. In addition, the distribution of nonspecific esterase activity in the epithelium was investigated by TEM. Ultrastructural study revealed the presence of disk-like apical protrusions of the epithelial cells, previously not observed in other cell types.

ETA receptor-mediated Ca2+ mobilisation in H9c2 cardiac cells.

Expression and pharmacological properties of endothelin receptors (ETRs) were investigated in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. The mechanism of receptor-mediated modulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) was examined by measuring fluorescence increase of Fluo-3-loaded cells with flow cytometry. Binding assays showed that [125I]endothelin-1 (ET-1) bound to a single class of high affinity binding sites in cardiomyoblast membranes.

Endothelial cell binding by systemic lupus antibodies: functional properties and relationship with anti-DNA activity.

Anti-DNA antibodies and anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) are often detected in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Anti-DNA antibodies can also bind the membrane of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), but little is known about the presence of AECA in the population of immunoglobulins from SLE sera that do not bind DNA. The aim of this study is to analyse the ability of anti-DNA and non-anti-DNA antibodies from SLE sera to bind endothelial cell antigens and to investigate their pathogenic potential.