Aging Affects K7 Channels and Perivascular Adipose Tissue-Mediated Vascular Tone.

Aging is an independent risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality. However, detailed mechanisms linking aging to cardiovascular disease are unclear. We studied the aging effects on the role of perivascular adipose tissue and downstream vasoconstriction targets, voltage-dependent K7 channels, and their pharmacological modulators (flupirtine, retigabine, QO58, and QO58-lysine) in a murine model.

Impact of an In-Hospital Endocarditis Team and a State-Wide Endocarditis Network on Perioperative Outcomes.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) requires multidisciplinary management. We established an endocarditis team within our hospital in 2011 and a state-wide endocarditis network with referring hospitals in 2015. We aimed to investigate their impact on perioperative outcomes.

eSPC: an online data-analysis platform for molecular biophysics.

All biological processes rely on the formation of protein-ligand, protein-peptide and protein-protein complexes. Studying the affinity, kinetics and thermodynamics of binding between these pairs is critical for understanding basic cellular mechanisms. Many different technologies have been designed for probing interactions between biomolecules, each based on measuring different signals (fluorescence, heat, thermophoresis, scattering and interference, among others).

[Changes in metabolic parameters and glomerular filtration rate in patients with morbid obesity after bariatric surgery].

Aim: To study the effect of weight loss in the short term after bariatric surgery (BO) on metabolic parameters and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with morbid obesity.

Materials And Methods: We studied 40 adult (over 18 years) patients with morbid obesity who underwent bariatric surgery. Metabolic indices and calculated GFR according to the CKD-EPI formula in patients before and after bariatric surgery were compared.

Nephrological aspects of surgical weight correction in morbid obesity.

Obesity, including morbid obesity, is a growing worldwide problem. The adverse effect of obesity on the kidneys is associated with the development of comorbid conditions, such as insulin resistance (IR), metabolic syndrome (MS), diabetes mellitus (DM), arterial hypertension (AH), which are the recognized risk factors of chronic kidney disease (СKD). Obesity also causes direct kidney damage with the development of non-immune focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

The Use of Intercessory Prayer to Reduce Disruptive Behaviors of Patients With Dementia: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

A prospective longitudinal design was used to identify the feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of 12 weeks of intercessory prayer to reduce the disruptive behaviors of six late-stage dementia patients. One group of Catholic nuns offered the Lord's Prayer for assigned patients twice a day. Intercessory prayer for the entire subject group was also offered, by a second group of nuns, via a Latria (modality) called "Perpetual Adoration.

Room temperature crystal structure of the fast switching M159T mutant of the fluorescent protein dronpa.

The fluorescent protein Dronpa undergoes reversible photoswitching reactions between the bright "on" and dark "off" states via photoisomerization and proton transfer reactions. We report the room temperature crystal structure of the fast switching Met159Thr mutant of Dronpa at 2.0-Å resolution in the bright on state.

Association of titin and myosin heavy chain in developing skeletal muscle.

To understand molecular interactions that organize developing myofibrils, we examined the biosynthesis and interaction of titin and myosin heavy chain in cultures of developing muscle. Use of pulse-labeling, immunoprecipitation, and a reversible cross-linking procedure demonstrates that within minutes of synthesis, titin and myosin heavy chain can be chemically cross-linked into very large, detergent-resistant complexes retaining many features of intact myotubes. These complexes, predominantly of titin and myosin, occur very early in myofibrillogenesis as well as later.

Triiodothyronine-induced accumulations of malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase, and their mRNAs are blocked by protein kinase inhibitors. Transcription is the affected step.

Addition of triiodothyronine (T3) to chick-embryo hepatocytes in culture causes increased accumulations of malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and their mRNAs. H-8 and other protein kinase inhibitors inhibited the T3-induced accumulations of these lipogenic enzymes and their mRNAs but had no effect on the activities of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and isocitrate dehydrogenase, enzymes not induced by T3 in chick-embryo hepatocytes. H-8 also had no effect on the activities of malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase in hepatocytes not treated with T3.

Biosynthesis of titin in cultured skeletal muscle cells.

Although significant progress has been made regarding the structure and function of titin, little data exist on the biosynthesis of this large protein in developing muscle. Using pulse-labeling with [35S]methionine and immunoprecipitation with an anti-titin mAb, we have examined the biosynthesis of titin in synchronized cultures of skeletal muscle cells derived from day 12 chicken embryos. We find that: (a) titin synthesis increases greater than 4-fold during the first week in culture and during this same time period, synthesis of muscle-specific myosin heavy chain increases greater than 12-fold; (b) newly synthesized titin has a t1/2 of approximately 70 h; (c) titin is resistant to extraction with Triton X-100 both during and immediately after its synthesis.