pH recovery from a proton load in rat cardiomyocytes: effects of chronic exercise.

The ability of cardiomyocytes to recover from a proton load was examined in the hearts of exercise-trained and sedentary control rats in CO/[Formula: see text]-free media. Acidosis was created by the NHCl prepulse technique, and intracellular pH (pH) was determined using fluorescence microscopy on carboxy-SNARF-1 AM-loaded isolated cardiomyocytes. CO-independent pH buffering capacity (β) was measured by incrementally reducing the extracellular NHCl concentration in steps of 50% from 20 to 1.

A new way of targeting to treat nerve injury.

Although neurons within the peripheral nervous system have a remarkable ability to repair themselves after injury, neurons within the central nervous system do not spontaneously regenerate. This problem has remained recalcitrant despite a century of research on the reaction of axons to injury. The balance between inhibitory cues present in the environment and the intrinsic growth capacity of the injured neuron determines the extent of axonal regeneration following injury.

A new way of targeting to treat coronary artery disease.

Atherosclerosis is a complex disease process in which genetic, lipid, cellular and immunological factors combine to determine the location, severity and timing of lesion development and clinical events. It has been demonstrated, however, that inflammation governs atherosclerosis during the course of development of atherosclerosis. It has also been demonstrated that regulation of the inflammatory reaction (e.

Cancer therapy using tumor-associated antigens to reduce side effects.

Tumor-associated antigens recently have become very popular in cancer therapy. They can be targeted to reduce side effects of traditional cancer therapy. In this review, ten promising tumor-associated antigens are being discussed in detail.

Priority setting in the provincial health services authority: survey of key decision makers.

Background: In recent years, decision makers in Canada and elsewhere have expressed a desire for more explicit, evidence-based approaches to priority setting. To achieve this aim within health care organizations, knowledge of both the organizational context and stakeholder attitudes towards priority setting are required. The current work adds to a limited yet growing body of international literature describing priority setting practices in health organizations.

Externalizing and attentional behaviors in children of depressed mothers treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant during pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate attentional and activity behaviors in 4-year-olds following prenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure.

Design: Prospective cohort design.

Setting: Tertiary care center.

Priority setting in the Provincial Health Services Authority: case study for the 2005/06 planning cycle.

Introduction: Building on a survey of key decision-makers within the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia, a process for prioritizing new service options within this organization for the 2005/06 budget cycle was developed and implemented by senior managers and researchers at the University of British Columbia.

Methods: A case study approach was taken in which development and implementation of the prioritization process was documented and feedback was obtained from decision-makers to evaluate the activity. Information from the literature was also used to identify areas for improvement.

Wild-type huntingtin protects neurons from excitotoxicity.

Huntingtin is a caspase substrate, and loss of normal huntingtin function resulting from caspase-mediated proteolysis may play a role in the pathogenesis of Huntington disease. Here we tested the hypothesis that increasing huntingtin levels protect striatal neurons from NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity. Cultured striatal neurons from yeast artificial chromosome (YAC)18 transgenic mice over-expressing full-length wild-type huntingtin were dramatically protected from apoptosis and caspase-3 activation compared with cultured striatal neurons from non-transgenic FVB/N littermates and YAC72 mice expressing mutant human huntingtin.

The role of developmental factors in predicting young children's use of a self-report scale for pain.

Accurate pain assessment is the foundation for effective pain management in children. At present, there is no clear consensus regarding the age at which young children are able to appropriately use self-report scales for pain. This study examined young children's ability to use the Faces Pain Scale-Revised; (FPS-R; [Hicks CL, von Baeyer CL, Spafford PA, van Korlaar I, Goodenough B.

Akt-mediated YB-1 phosphorylation activates translation of silent mRNA species.

YB-1 is a broad-specificity RNA-binding protein that is involved in regulation of mRNA transcription, splicing, translation, and stability. In both germinal and somatic cells, YB-1 and related proteins are major components of translationally inactive messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) and are mainly responsible for storage of mRNAs in a silent state. However, mechanisms regulating the repressor activity of YB-1 are not well understood.

Selective degeneration and nuclear localization of mutant huntingtin in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is an adult onset neurodegenerative disorder that predominantly affects the striatum and cortex despite ubiquitous expression of mutant huntingtin (htt). Here we demonstrate that this pattern of selective degeneration is present in the YAC128 mouse model of HD. At 12 months, YAC128 mice show significant atrophy in the striatum, globus pallidus and cortex with relative sparing of the hippocampus and cerebellum (striatum: -10.

Body movements: an important additional factor in discriminating pain from stress in preterm infants.

Objectives: To describe developmentally appropriate, specific body movements and other biobehavioral responses of preterm infants to a group of routine care giving tasks (Clustered Care), and to compare responses to acute pain with those of Clustered Care.

Methods: In a randomized design, 54 preterm infants were assessed at 32 weeks gestational age during 3 phases of blood collection (Baseline, Lance/squeeze, Recovery) and of diaper changing, measuring abdominal girth and axillary temperature, and mouth care (Baseline, Clustered Care, Recovery) in a neonatal intensive care unit. The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program and 1 facial action from the Neonatal Facial Coding System, Brow Bulge, were coded from separate continuous bedside video recordings.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of ESSIAC and Flor-Essence.

Essiac (ES) and Flor-Essence (FE) are two herbal teas widely taken by North American cancer patients during chemo- and radiation-therapy. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of these two herbal teas were assessed in this study. Cell-free Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay shows that at 1/5 dilution, ES and FE have hydroxyl radical scavenging activity equivalent to 10.

In vitro studies of the dry fruit of Chinese fan palm Livistona chinensis.

The hot water extract of the dry fruit of Chinese fan palm Livistona chinensis R Br. (LC) has been used in folklore medicine in Southern China for treating various tumors. Our in vitro study showed that the ethanolic extract (LCET) and the hot water extract (LCWE) of LC inhibited HL60 cell growth, with 50% inhibition (IC(50)) estimated at a 1/50 dilution for both preparations.

The association of skewed X chromosome inactivation with aneuploidy in humans.

Recently, we reported that skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI) was more common in women who had experienced a trisomic pregnancy as compared to control women. Rather than an overall shift in the distribution of skewing there appears to only be an excess of extreme (= 95%) skewing. Further analysis of our data reveals that the increase in skewed XCI is dependent on which chromosome is involved in the trisomy and how many trisomies the woman has experienced, although sample sizes in each group are small.

Celecoxib analogues disrupt Akt signaling, which is commonly activated in primary breast tumours.

Introduction: Phosphorylated Akt (P-Akt) is an attractive molecular target because it contributes to the development of breast cancer and confers resistance to conventional therapies. Akt also serves as a signalling intermediate for receptors such as human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2, which is overexpressed in 30% of breast cancers; therefore, inhibitors to this pathway are being sought. New celecoxib analogues reportedly inhibit P-Akt in prostate cancer cells.

Ethyl-EPA treatment improves motor dysfunction, but not neurodegeneration in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by selective degeneration in the striatum. There are currently no treatments that can prevent the progressive decline of motor and cognitive function in HD. In parallel with a human clinical trial, we examined the efficacy of ethyl-EPA treatment in the YAC128 mouse model of HD.

The X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein enhances survival of murine islet allografts.

Allotransplantation of pancreatic islets represents a promising approach to treat type 1 diabetes. Destruction of beta-cells in islet allografts involves multiple immune mechanisms that lead to activation of caspases and apoptotic cell death. The X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) inhibits apoptosis induced by a variety of triggers, primarily by preventing the activation of caspases.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa: role in the pathogenesis of the CF lung lesion.

Lung disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF), with P. aeruginosa the main pulmonary infectious agent. Although CF patients can become infected with other microorganisms (such as Burkholderia cepacia complex, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and atypical mycobacteria), P.

Therapy with both magnesium sulfate and nifedipine does not increase the risk of serious magnesium-related maternal side effects in women with preeclampsia.

Objective: Does the use of nifedipine and magnesium sulfate together increase serious magnesium-related effects?

Study Design: This was a retrospective chart review of women who were admitted to BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre (1997-2001) and were given intravenous magnesium sulfate for preeclampsia. Serious magnesium-related effects were compared among 162 cases who received magnesium sulfate and contemporaneous nifedipine and 215 control subjects who received magnesium sulfate and either another antihypertensive (n=32 women) or no antihypertensive (n=183 women) medication. Chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test, or the Student t test was used for data comparison between cases and each control group.

Pathological aggression in "fierce" mice corrected by human nuclear receptor 2E1.

"Fierce" mice, homozygous for the deletion of nuclear receptor 2E1 (NR2E1), show abnormal brain-eye development and pathological aggression. To evaluate functional equivalency between mouse and human NR2E1, we generated mice transgenic for a genomic clone spanning the human NR2E1 locus and bred these animals to fierce mice deleted for the corresponding mouse gene. In fierce mutants carrying human NR2E1, structural brain defects were eliminated and eye abnormalities ameliorated.

Gonadotropins upregulate the epidermal growth factor receptor through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase in human ovarian surface epithelial cells.

Gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) have been implicated as probable risk factors in epithelial ovarian carcinomas, most of which are derived from ovarian surface epithelium (OSE). Since epidermal growth factor (EGF) increases the growth of ovarian surface epithelial cells, we determined the effect of gonadotropins on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). We investigated the basal levels of EGFR mRNA and protein, and the mechanisms involved in the regulation of EGFR at the transcriptional and translational levels by FSH and LH.

In Vitro culture studies of FlorEssence on human tumor cell lines.

FlorEssence (FE) is an herbal tea widely used by patients to treat chronic conditions in North America, particularly cancer patients during chemo- and radiation therapy. Although individual components of FE have antioxidant, antiestrogenic, immunostimulant and antitumor properties, in vitro evidence of anticancer activity for the herbal tea itself is still lacking. We studied the antiproliferative effect of FE on MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer, and Jurkat and K562 leukemia cell lines.

ETV6-NTRK3: a chimeric protein tyrosine kinase with transformation activity in multiple cell lineages.

The ETV6-NTRK3 (TEL-TRKC) gene fusion was discovered by breakpoint analysis of the t(12;15)(p13;q25) translocation associated with congenital fibrosarcoma, a pediatric soft tissue malignancy. ETV6-NTRK3 (EN) encodes the sterile alpha motif oligomerization domain of the ETV6 (TEL) transcription factor linked to the protein tyrosine kinase domain of the neurotrophin-3 receptor NTRK3 (TRKC). The EN chimeric oncoprotein links to multiple signaling cascades including Ras-MAP kinase and PI3K-AKT through the IRS-1 adapter protein.