LPA-induced expression of CCN2 in muscular fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs): Unraveling cellular communication networks.

Cellular Communication Network Factor 2, CCN2, is a profibrotic cytokine implicated in physiological and pathological processes in mammals. The expression of CCN2 is markedly increased in dystrophic muscles. Interestingly, diminishing CCN2 genetically or inhibiting its function improves the phenotypes of chronic muscular fibrosis in rodent models.

Impact of Distractors on Sustained Attention and Inhibition in Children With ADHD.

Objective: This study examines the impact of visual and auditory distractors on attention and inhibition in children with and without ADHD.

Method: The study used the MOXO d-CPT child version. The sample consisted of 208 children aged 8 to 12 years, including 64 with ADHD and 144 controls.

Fertility preservation in pregnant cancer patients after first-trimester abortion: a new challenge with possible solutions.

Fertility preservation in pregnant women recently diagnosed with cancer can be a challenge. Raised levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (Beta-hCG) and progesterone in this population of patients may pose a problem for the prompt initiation of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) due to a potential negative feedback of these hormones on folliculogenesis; however, it is not feasible to wait for negativization of serum beta-hCG levels before starting controlled ovarian stimulation. In literature, very few cases have been reported regarding the preservation of fertility in pregnant women recently diagnosed with cancer.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: phosphodiesterase-5 and Arginase inhibitors prevent pulmonary vascular hypoplasia in rat lungs.

Background: Severe pulmonary hypoplasia related to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) continues to be a potentially fatal condition despite advanced postnatal management strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the antenatal sildenafil and 2(S)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid (ABH-Arginase inhibitor) on lung volume, pulmonary vascular development, and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in a Nitrofen-induced CDH rat model.

Methods: Nitrofen-induced CDH rat model was used.

Effects of enriched-potassium diet on cardiorespiratory outcomes in experimental non-ischemic chronic heart failure.

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a global health problem. Increased sympathetic outflow, cardiac arrhythmogenesis and irregular breathing patterns have all been associated with poor outcomes in CHF. Several studies showed that activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) play a key role in CHF pathophysiology.

Dietary Potassium Downregulates Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme, Renin, and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2.

Background: The importance of dietary potassium in health and disease has been underestimated compared with that placed on dietary sodium. Larger effort has been made on reduction of sodium intake and less on the adequate dietary potassium intake, although natural food contains much more potassium than sodium. The benefits of a potassium-rich diet are known, however, the mechanism by which it exerts its preventive action, remains to be elucidated.

A comparison of local-global visuospatial processing in autism spectrum disorder, nonverbal learning disability, ADHD and typical development.

Background: Research on visuospatial functioning has revealed cognitive challenges for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), nonverbal learning disability (NLD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These disorders are characterized by some overlapping symptoms, making their diagnosis a challenge.

Aims: The study aims to clarify the role of visuospatial abilities in their neuropsychological profiles by investigating different visuospatial domains and their interplay with the local-global processing.

Canonical Wnt Signaling Modulates the Expression of Pre- and Postsynaptic Components in Different Temporal Patterns.

Wnt ligands play critical roles in neuronal development, synapse formation, synaptic activity, and plasticity. Synaptic plasticity requires molecular remodeling of synapses, implying the expression of key synaptic components. Some studies have linked Wnt signaling activity to changes in synaptic protein levels.

Potassium Intake Prevents the Induction of the Renin-Angiotensin System and Increases Medullary ACE2 and COX-2 in the Kidneys of Angiotensin II-Dependent Hypertensive Rats.

In angiotensin II (Ang II)-dependent hypertensive rats there is an increased expression of proximal tubule angiotensinogen (AGT), collecting duct renin and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), which contributes to intratubular Ang II formation. Ang II acts on Ang II type 1 receptors promoting sodium retention and vasoconstriction. However concurrently, the ACE2-Ang-(1-7) axis and the expression of kallikrein and medullary prostaglandins counteract the effects of Ang II, promoting natriuresis and vasodilation.

Fetal Programming of Renal Dysfunction and High Blood Pressure by Chronodisruption.

Adverse prenatal conditions are known to impose significant trade-offs impinging on health and disease balance during adult life. Among several deleterious factors associated with complicated pregnancy, alteration of the gestational photoperiod remains largely unknown. Previously, we reported that prenatal manipulation of the photoperiod has adverse effects on the mother, fetus, and adult offspring; including cardiac hypertrophy.

Training RAN or reading? A telerehabilitation study on developmental dyslexia.

Rehabilitation procedures recommended for developmental dyslexia (DD) are still not fully defined, and only few studies directly compare different types of training. This study compared a training (Reading Trainer) working on the reading impairment with one (Run the RAN) working on the rapid automatized naming (RAN) impairment, one of the main cognitive deficits associated with DD. Two groups of DD children (N = 45) equivalent for age, sex, full IQ, and reading speed were trained either by Reading Trainer (n = 21) or by Run the RAN (n = 24); both trainings required an intensive home exercise, lasting 3 months.

Denervation-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis is mediated by CTGF/CCN2 independently of TGF-β.

Muscular fibrosis is caused by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) that replaces functional tissue, and it is a feature of several myopathies and neuropathies. Knowledge of the biology and regulation of pro-fibrotic factors is critical for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Upon unilateral sciatic nerve transection, we observed accumulation of ECM proteins such as collagen and fibronectin in the denervated hindlimb, together with increased levels of the profibrotic factors transforming growth factor type β (TGF-β) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2).

The lost children: The underdiagnosis of dyslexia in Italy. A cross-sectional national study.

Background: Developmental dyslexia is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders affecting children, but prevalence data on this condition are poor. The objective of the present study is to determine the prevalence of dyslexia in Italy in an unselected school population, using clearly defined diagnostic criteria and methods.

Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in nine Italian Regions: two located in Northern Italy (Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto), three in Central Italy (Marche, Lazio and Umbria) and four in Southern Italy (Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia and Sardegna).

Imbalance in Renal Vasoactive Enzymes Induced by Mild Hypoxia: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Increases While Neutral Endopeptidase Decreases.

Chronic hypoxia has been postulated as one of the mechanisms involved in salt-sensitive hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidneys have a critical role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure through vasoactive systems, such as the renin-angiotensin and the kallikrein-kinin systems, with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and kallikrein being two of the main enzymes that produce angiotensin II and bradykinin, respectively. Neutral endopeptidase 24.

Bradykinin Stimulates Renal Na and K Excretion by Inhibiting the K Channel (Kir4.1) in the Distal Convoluted Tubule.

Stimulation of BK2R (bradykinin [BK] B2 receptor) has been shown to increase renal Na excretion. The aim of the present study is to explore the role of BK2R in regulating Kir4.1 and NCC (NaCl cotransporter) in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT).

Long-Term, Fructose-Induced Metabolic Syndrome-Like Condition Is Associated with Higher Metabolism, Reduced Synaptic Plasticity and Cognitive Impairment in Octodon degus.

There has been a progressive increase in the incidence of fructose-induced metabolic disorders, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, novel evidence reported negative effects of high-fructose diets in brain function. This study was designed to evaluate for the first time the effects of long-term fructose consumption (LT-FC) on the normal ageing process in a long-lived animal model rodent, Octodon degus or degu.

Blockade of Bradykinin receptors worsens the dystrophic phenotype of mdx mice: differential effects for B1 and B2 receptors.

The Kallikrein Kinin System (KKS) is a vasoactive peptide system with known functions in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, renal function and blood pressure. The main effector peptide of KKS is Bradykinin (BK). This ligand has two receptors: a constitutive B2 receptor (B2R), which has been suggested to have anti-fibrotic effects in renal and cardiac models of fibrosis; and the inducible B1 receptor (B1R), whose expression is induced by damage and inflammation.

Personalized treatment with immunoadsorption and intravenous immunoglobulin in a case of severe Rh alloimmunization during pregnancy unresponsive to plasma - exchange.

Introduction: Despite prophylaxis, a small proportion of RhD-negative women may develop anti-D antibodies after a sensitizing event occurring during pregnancy or delivery of a D-positive baby. Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) is the treatment of choice in case of fetal anemia, but it cannot be performed early during pregnancy. Combined treatment with therapeutic plasma-exchange (TPE) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can avoid or delay IUT.

Corrigendum to "-Catenin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Contributes to Renal Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/726012.].

The increased potassium intake improves cognitive performance and attenuates histopathological markers in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by hallmarks that include an accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), inflammation, oxidative stress and synaptic dysfunction, which lead to a decrease in cognitive function. To date, the onset and progression of AD have been associated with pathologies such as hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension, a disease with a high incidence worldwide, is characterized by a chronic increase in blood pressure.

Fructose consumption reduces hippocampal synaptic plasticity underlying cognitive performance.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global epidemic, which involves a spectrum of metabolic disorders comprising diabetes and obesity. The impact of MetS on the brain is becoming to be a concern, however, the poor understanding of mechanisms involved has limited the development of therapeutic strategies. We induced a MetS-like condition by exposing mice to fructose feeding for 7weeks.

β-Catenin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Contributes to Renal Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats.

The mechanism of hypertension-induced renal fibrosis is not well understood, although it is established that high levels of angiotensin II contribute to the effect. Since β-catenin signal transduction participates in fibrotic processes, we evaluated the contribution of β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway in hypertension-induced renal fibrosis. Two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats were treated with lisinopril (10 mg/kg/day for four weeks) or with pyrvinium pamoate (Wnt signaling inhibitor, single dose of 60 ug/kg, every 3 days for 2 weeks).

P2C-Type ATPases and Their Regulation.

P2C-type ATPases are a subfamily of P-type ATPases comprising Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and H(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase is ubiquitously expressed and has been implicated in several neurological diseases, whereas H(+)/K(+)-ATPase is found principally in the colon, stomach, and kidney. Both ATPases have two subunits, α and β, but Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase also has a regulatory subunit called FXYD, which has an important role in cancer.

Angiotensin II increases fibronectin and collagen I through the β-catenin-dependent signaling in mouse collecting duct cells.

The contribution of angiotensin II (ANG II) to renal and tubular fibrosis has been widely reported. Recent studies have shown that collecting duct cells can undergo mesenchymal transition suggesting that collecting duct cells are involved in interstitial fibrosis. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an essential role in development, organogenesis, and tissue homeostasis; however, the dysregulation of this pathway has been linked to fibrosis.