[Hypoxic preconditioning modifies the activity of pro- and antioxidant systems in rat hippocampus].

The effects of repetitive mild hypobaric hypoxic preconditioning upon pro- and antioxidant systems in rat hippocampus were studied. It was found that three-trial preconditioning by mild hypobaric hypoxia (360 mm Hg, 2 h) induced moderate oxidative stress immediately after the last preconditioning trial. In addition, it down-regualted the levels of peptide antioxidants (Trx-1, Trx-2, Cu,Zn-SOD) and several lipid peroxidation products 24 h later.

Amniotic membrane reduces wound size in early stages of the healing process.

Objective: To investigate the effects of dispase de-epithelialised, glycerol cryopreserved amniotic membrane (AM) on full-thickness skin defects, using a rat model.

Method: Skin defects of 15 mm diameter were surgically created and measured on the scalps of 53 male rats. Animals were divided into two groups and followed for 0, 3, 7, 14 or 21 days.

Genes involved in systemic and arterial bed dependent atherosclerosis--Tampere Vascular study.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a complex disease with hundreds of genes influencing its progression. In addition, the phenotype of the disease varies significantly depending on the arterial bed.

Methodology/principal Findings: We characterized the genes generally involved in human advanced atherosclerotic (AHA type V-VI) plaques in carotid and femoral arteries as well as aortas from 24 subjects of Tampere Vascular study and compared the results to non-atherosclerotic internal thoracic arteries (n=6) using genome-wide expression array and QRT-PCR.

Threefold exposure to moderate hypobaric hypoxia decreases the expression of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in some regions of rat hippocampus.

The effect of moderate hypobaric hypoxia on the expression of a peptide antioxidant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in rat hippocampal neurons was evaluated in an immunocytochemical study. The expression of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase decreased significantly in the dorsal hippocampus (CA1 and CA2) and tended to decrease in ventral regions (CA3 and dentate gyrus) by the 24th hour after 3-fold exposure to hypoxia.

Taurine protects cerebellar neurons of the external granular layer against ethanol-induced apoptosis in 7-day-old mice.

Acute alcohol administration is harmful especially for the developing nervous system, where it induces massive apoptotic neurodegeneration leading to alcohol-related disorders of newborn infants. Neuroprotection against ethanol-induced apoptosis may save neurons and reduce the consequences of maternal alcohol consumption. Previously we have shown that taurine protects immature cerebellar neurons in the internal granular layer of cerebellum from ethanol-induced apoptosis.

Selective breeding for endurance running capacity affects cognitive but not motor learning in rats.

The ability to utilize oxygen has been shown to affect a wide variety of physiological factors often considered beneficial for survival. As the ability to learn can be seen as one of the core factors of survival in mammals, we studied whether selective breeding for endurance running, an indication of aerobic capacity, also has an effect on learning. Rats selectively bred over 23 generations for their ability to perform forced treadmill running were trained in an appetitively motivated discrimination-reversal classical conditioning task, an alternating T-maze task followed by a rule change (from a shift-win to stay-win rule) and motor learning task.

[Changes in Mn-superoxide dismutase expression in rat hippocampus induced by single and triple exposure to moderate hypobaric hypoxia].

The purpose of this work was to study the dynamics of expression of mitochondrial Mn-dependent superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) 3 and 24 hours after single and triple exposure to mild hypoxia. The investigation was conducted in 18 male Wistar rats using immunocytochemical method. It was shown that in various hippocampal areas the effects of single and triple hypoxia exposure on the Mn-SOD expression could be different or largely similar.

One- and three-time mild hypobaric hypoxia modifies expression of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 in hippocampus of rat.

Our previous study demonstrated that preconditioning by 3-times repetitive mild hypoxia significantly augmented expression of mitochondrial thioredoxin-2 (Trx-2) at 3 h after subsequent acute severe hypoxia in rat hippocampus. However, it was unclear whether this augmentation was due to build up of Trx-2 by mild hypoxia before severe hypoxia or by modification of reaction to severe hypoxia itself. To answer on this question we study the expression level during and after preconditioning without subsequent severe hypoxia.

A disintegrin and metalloprotease -8 and -15 and susceptibility for ascending aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND. Dilatation of the ascending aorta (AA) is affected by extra-cellular matrix modifications and inflammation. A disintegrin and metalloproteases (ADAMs) may reveal differences between AA and ascending aortic dissection (AD).

Common variation in the ADAM8 gene affects serum sADAM8 concentrations and the risk of myocardial infarction in two independent cohorts.

Objective: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2995300 in the metalloproteinase-disintegrin gene ADAM8 has been shown to affect the areas of complicated coronary plaques and the risk of fatal myocardial infarction (MI) in men. This study was set up to further investigate the role of ADAM8 in MI.

Aim: To investigate the possible association of the ADAM8 SNPs rs2995300 and rs2275725 with ADAM8 mRNA levels, serum soluble ADAM8 (sADAM8) concentrations, and MI risk.

Carbonic anhydrases II and XII are up-regulated in osteoclast-like cells in advanced human atherosclerotic plaques-Tampere Vascular Study.

Background And Aims: Carbonic anhydrases (CA) play a central role in osteoclast function and bone remodeling by catalyzing the formation of bicarbonate and proton from carbon dioxide. According to previous histochemical studies, advanced atherosclerotic plaques share similarities with bone. However, whether CAs are expressed in plaques is not known.

Postnatal ontogeny of the glucocorticoid receptor in the hippocampus.

Corticosteroid hormones are important intrinsic factors that not only mediate the response to stress but also largely contribute to the main physiological processes. The biological actions of these steroids involve, first of all, the activation of specific receptors, namely mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. These two receptor types govern a flexible and well-balanced mechanism that leads to the often opposing changes in the cell.

Spatial and temporal expression pattern of germ layer markers during human embryonic stem cell differentiation in embryoid bodies.

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation in embryoid bodies (EBs) provides a valuable tool to study the interplay of different germ layers and their influence on cell differentiation. The gene expression of the developing EBs has been shown in many studies, but the protein expression and the spatial composition of different germ layers in human EBs have not been systematically studied. The aim of the present work was to study the temporal and spatial organisation of germ layers based on the expression of mesoderm (Brachyury T), endoderm (AFP) and ectoderm (SOX1) markers during the early stages of differentiation in eight hESC lines.

Activation of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-induced tryptophan degradation in advanced atherosclerotic plaques: Tampere vascular study.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) or IDO-induced tryptophan degradation-dependent pathways, which may lead to suppression of T cells and possible protection against atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: Expression of IDO and IDO-related pathway components was analyzed in advanced human atherosclerotic plaques (n = 24) and in non-atherosclerotic arteries (n = 6). Up-regulation of IDO and genes related to the IDO pathway was found to be pronounced in atherosclerotic plaques.

ADAM-9, ADAM-15, and ADAM-17 are upregulated in macrophages in advanced human atherosclerotic plaques in aorta and carotid and femoral arteries--Tampere vascular study.

Background And Aims: The expression of disintegrin and metalloprotease ADAM-9, ADAM-15, and ADAM-17 has been associated with cell-cell, cell-platelet, and cell-matrix interactions and inflammation. They are possibly implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: Whole-genome expression array and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis confirmed that ADAM-9, ADAM-15, and ADAM-17 are upregulated in advanced human atherosclerotic lesions in samples from carotid, aortic, and femoral territories compared to samples from internal thoracic artery (ITA) free of atherosclerotic plaques.

Taurine protects immature cerebellar granullar neurons against acute alcohol administration.

Acute ethanol administration causes extensive apoptosis throughout the nervous system. We studied the protective effect of taurine on alcohol-induced apoptosis in the cerebellum of developing mice. Taurine rescued a part of immature neurons by markedly reducing caspase-3 immunoreactivity and the number of TUNEL-positive cells in most cerebellar lobules.

E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF31 cooperates with DAX-1 in transcriptional repression of steroidogenesis.

Genetic and experimental evidence points to a critical involvement of the atypical mammalian orphan receptor DAX-1 in reproductive development and steroidogenesis. Unlike conventional nuclear receptors, DAX-1 appears not to function as a DNA-bound transcription factor. Instead, it has acquired the capability to act as a transcriptional corepressor of steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1).

Substantial variation in the cardiac differentiation of human embryonic stem cell lines derived and propagated under the same conditions--a comparison of multiple cell lines.

Aim: The differentiation efficiencies of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines differ from each other. To assess this in more detail we studied the cardiac differentiation of eight hESC lines derived in the same laboratory.

Results: Substantial variation in growth and in the ability to form beating areas was seen between the different hESC lines; line HS346 gave the best efficiency (9.

Thioredoxin-1 expression levels in rat hippocampal neurons in moderate hypobaric hypoxia.

Previous studies have demonstrated that preconditioning (PC) with three sessions of moderate hypoxia significantly increases the expression of the antioxidant protein thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) in the rat hippocampus by 3 h after subsequent acute severe hypoxia as compared with non-preconditioned animals. However, it remained unclear whether this increase in Trx-1 accumulation during PC is induced before severe hypoxia or is a modification of the response to severe hypoxia. This question was addressed in the present investigation using experiments on 12 adult male Wistar rats with studies of Trx-1 expression after PC without subsequent severe hypoxia.