Effect of vitamin K2 on the development of stress-induced osteopenia in a growing senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 strain.

Vitamin K2 (VK2) has been used as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis, since it has been suggested to be able to reduce the frequency of fractures by improving bone quality; however, bone turnover is strictly regulated by various cytokines and hormones. In the present study, the effect of menaquinone-4 (MK-4) on bone turnover was investigated using the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 6 (SAMP6) strain. Since water-immersion restraint stress (WRS) causes a significant decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), WRS was used as the bone resorption model in the SAMP6 strain.

Does methamphetamine affect bone metabolism?

There is a close relationship between the central nervous system activity and bone metabolism. Therefore, methamphetamine (METH), which stimulates the central nervous system, is expected to affect bone turnover. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of METH in bone metabolism.

Cardiotoxicity of methamphetamine under stress conditions: comparison of single dose and long-term use.

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse continues to be a worldwide problem, damaging the myocardial tissues, as well as the brains of individual users. In addition, stressors that increase drug cravings also contribute to cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to examine the myocardial effects of METH, including METH‑stress interactions and particularly, the effect of METH RNA expression in the heart.

Alterations in bone turnover by isoflavone aglycone supplementation in relation to estrogen receptor α polymorphism.

Soybean isoflavones have structural similarity to estrogen and have attracted much attention due to their prevention of postmenopausal symptoms. It is critical for women to maintain a high bone mineral density (BMD) prior to menopause to prevent osteoporosis. In the present study, the effect of isoflavone aglycone (IA) supplementation on bone turnover was examined in relation to the estrogen receptor α (ERα) polymorphism.

The effect of CAG repeat polymorphism in the glucocorticoid receptor on stress responses of mice exposed to water-immersion restraint stress.

Exposure to stress activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is followed by an increase in production of its end product, corticosterone, considered to be the most important glucocorticoid (GC) in rodents. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling has been suggested as a potential mechanism responsible for the pathogenesis of many clinical disorders. Here, we investigated the involvement of the GR polymorphism in stress response.

Association between estrogen receptor alpha polymorphisms and equol production, and its relation to bone mass.

To investigate the relationship between estrogen receptor polymorphisms and equol production and its effect on bone turnover, 139 workers (mean age 38.3+/-11.1 years) in Japan were recruited.

Methamphetamine protects against stress-induced gastric mucosal lesions in mice.

Stress-induced gastric mucosal injury is a common clinical entity. On the other hand, abuse of methamphetamine (MA) represents a growing social problem. MA users are frequently in stressful situations.

5HTT polymorphisms are associated with job stress in Japanese workers.

Recently, the number of workers who suffer from job stress was increasing in Japan because of a prolonged recession, increasing number of elderly workers, and structural reorganization of companies. On the other hand, polymorphism associated with depression or alcoholism was detected. Relationship between job stress and these polymorphisms were investigated.

Association between serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms and depressed mood caused by job stress in Japanese workers.

To estimate the genetic factors influencing depressed mood caused by job stress, a total of 243 employees at a manufacturing company and a local hospital in Japan (mean age 40.8+/-10.3 years) were recruited with informed consent.

Paraquat-induced gene expression in rat kidney.

Paraquat, one of the most widely used herbicides, is highly toxic to humans and animals. There is much information regarding its toxic effects on the lungs, but less is known about its toxicity in other organs. Paraquat is thought to play pivotal roles in the pathophysiology of acute renal failure and the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Gene expression in rat lungs during early response to paraquat-induced oxidative stress.

Paraquat (PQ) is a well-known pneumotoxicant and provides an established model of oxidative stress. This study focused on the transcriptional response to PQ-driven oxidative stress in rat lungs during an early phase post-injection. Rats were sacrificed at 3 h and 24 h after PQ injection (i.

Changes in gene expression level for defense system enzymes against oxidative stress and glutathione level in rat administered paraquat.

The herbicide paraquat (PQ) forms reactive oxygen species during enzymatic activation. We examined the effect of PQ on the relative levels of gene expression of antioxidant enzymes and glutathione (GSH) status in lungs of rats exposed to 20 mg/kg PQ. At 16 h after PQ intake, the mRNA expression level of glutathione reductase (GR) showed the greatest increase, and those of catalase (CAT) and manganese-superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) showed more modest increases.

Early differential gene expression of rat lung after exposure to paraquat.

Paraquat (PQ), a quaternary nitrogen herbicide, is highly toxic to humans and animals. Acute poisoning and death due to PQ exposure have been reported over the past few decades. Excessive production of oxygen free radicals has been proposed to play an important role in the pulmonary pathology.

Paraquat-induced gene expression in rat lung tissues using a differential display reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Increased formation of reactive oxygen species is a cause of paraquat (PQ)-induced injury and also provides a link between the signaling pathways and transcriptional events that regulate the expression of a large number of genes. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in PQ-induced injury remain unclear. To investigate the changes in gene expression at the onset of PQ injury, we used the differential display-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Hypervariable locus of the 3'-flanking region of the neurotensin receptor gene: an effective region for personal identification in forensic practice.

We examined the complex short tandem repeat (STR) locus at the 3'-flanking region of the neurotensin receptor (NTR) gene. The polymorphism of this locus was first reported as a simple tetranucleotide repeat variation by Le et al., but it also offers a surprisingly informative variation, that permits reliable individual identification by two complementary strategies: fluorescent-labelled polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/electrophoresis and direct sequencing of the PCR products.