Targeting glutamate uptake to treat alcohol use disorders.

Alcoholism is a serious public health concern that is characterized by the development of tolerance to alcohol's effects, increased consumption, loss of control over drinking and the development of physical dependence. This cycle is often times punctuated by periods of abstinence, craving and relapse. The development of tolerance and the expression of withdrawal effects, which manifest as dependence, have been to a great extent attributed to neuroadaptations within the mesocorticolimbic and extended amygdala systems.

Dopaminergic signaling within the primary cilia in the renovascular system.

Activation of dopamine receptor type-5 (DR5) has been known to reduce systemic blood pressure, most likely by increasing renal vasodilation and enhancing natriuresis in the kidney. However, the mechanism of DR5 in natriuresis and vasodilation was not clearly known. We have previously shown that DR5 is localized to primary cilia of proximal renal epithelial and vascular endothelial cells.

Atypical centrioles during sexual reproduction.

Centrioles are conserved, self-replicating, microtubule-based, 9-fold symmetric subcellular organelles that are essential for proper cell division and function. Most cells have two centrioles and maintaining this number of centrioles is important for animal development and physiology. However, how animals gain their first two centrioles during reproduction is only partially understood.

The 5-HT7 receptor as a potential target for treating drug and alcohol abuse.

Alcohol and drug abuse take a large toll on society and affected individuals. However, very few effective treatments are currently available to treat alcohol and drug addiction. Basic and clinical research has begun to provide some insights into the underlying neurobiological systems involved in the addiction process.

Aphonia and epiglottitis in neonate with concomitant MRSA skin infection.

We report an unusual case of a neonate with aphonia due to epiglottitis with a concomitant methicillin-resistant S taphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection of the genitalia and associated septic emboli to the groin area and mouth. We postulate that the MRSA infection caused a transient bacteremia that seeded the epiglottis, likely causing the epiglottitis. In the evaluation of a neonate with aphonia, while the two primary differentials to consider are vocal cord paralysis and laryngeal web, among other considerations is epiglottitis (supraglottitis).

Effects of MS-153 on chronic ethanol consumption and GLT1 modulation of glutamate levels in male alcohol-preferring rats.

We have recently shown that upregulation of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT1) in the brain is associated in part with reduction in ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring (P) male rats. In this study, we investigated the effects of a synthetic compound, (R)-(-)-5-methyl-1-nicotinoyl-2-pyrazoline (MS-153), known to activate GLT1 on ethanol consumption as well as GLT1 expression and certain signaling pathways in P rats. P rats were given 24-h concurrent access to 15 and 30% ethanol, water and food for 5 weeks.

Renal cell carcinoma mimicking IgG4-related pseudotumor in autoimmune pancreatitis.

Context: Autoimmune pancreatitis is classified into two distinct clinical profiles.

Case Report: Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is considered to be a manifestation of a novel clinicopathological entity called IgG4 related sclerosing disease, diagnosed using the Mayo Clinic HISORt criteria. Extra-pancreatic manifestations can include involvement of bile ducts, salivary gland, lung nodules, thyroiditis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, renal masses, and retroperitoneal fibrosis.

Hyponatremia after desmopressin (DDAVP) use in pediatric patients with bleeding disorders undergoing surgeries.

Desmopressin (DDAVP) 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin is used in patients with bleeding disorders, including mild factor VIII deficiency, types 1 and 2 von Willebrand disease, and platelet function defects, undergoing surgeries to help control bleeding. We conducted a retrospective chart review of bleeding disorder patients undergoing inpatient surgery at Toledo Children's Hospital, OH, from 2005 to 2009. Our study population included 107 patients aged 2 to 19 years with platelet function defects and von Willebrand disease.

Roles of dopamine receptor on chemosensory and mechanosensory primary cilia in renal epithelial cells.

Dopamine plays a number of important physiological roles. However, activation of dopamine receptor type-5 (DR5) and its effect in renal epithelial cells have not been studied. Here, we show for the first time that DR5 is localized to primary cilia of LLCPK kidney cells.

Dynamic relationships between microbial biomass, respiration, inorganic nutrients and enzyme activities: informing enzyme-based decomposition models.

We re-examined data from a recent litter decay study to determine if additional insights could be gained to inform decomposition modeling. Rinkes et al. (2013) conducted 14-day laboratory incubations of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) or white oak (Quercus alba) leaves, mixed with sand (0.

Degree of Handedness, but not Direction, is a Systematic Predictor of Cognitive Performance.

A growing body of evidence is reviewed showing that degree of handedness (consistent versus inconsistent) is a more powerful and appropriate way to classify handedness than the traditional one based on direction (right versus left). Experimental studies from the domains of episodic memory retrieval, belief updating/cognitive flexibility, risk perception, and more are described. These results suggest that inconsistent handedness is associated with increased interhemispheric interaction and increased access to processes localized to the right cerebral hemisphere.

Local release of properdin in the cellular microenvironment: role in pattern recognition and amplification of the alternative pathway of complement.

Properdin, the only positive regulatory protein of the complement system, acts as both a stabilizer of the alternative pathway (AP) convertases and as a selective pattern recognition molecule of certain microorganisms and host cells (i.e., apoptotic/necrotic cells) by serving as a platform for de novo C3b,Bb assembly.

Calcium alginate nanoparticles synthesized through a novel interfacial cross-linking method as a potential protein drug delivery system.

The goal of this research work was to develop a novel technique to synthesize calcium alginate nanoparticles using pharmaceutically relevant microemulsions. Stable microemulsion-based reactors were prepared using aqueous sodium alginate, aqueous calcium chloride, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS), and isopropyl myristate. The reactor microemulsions were characterized via conductivity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiments.

Pathological role of fractalkine/CX3CL1 in rheumatic diseases: a unique chemokine with multiple functions.

Understanding rheumatic diseases from the perspective of chemokine biology has shaped and will continue to shape our approach for targeted drug design. Among different kinds of chemokines, fractalkine/CX3CL1 has been found to play an important role in inflammation, portraying unique functional, and structural characteristics. This review summarizes the emerging role of fractalkine/CX3CL1 from a functional and clinical perspective and provides evidence to validate it as a potential therapeutic target in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, as well as diseases related to vascular inflammation.

A Comparative Study of Embedded and Anesthetized Zebrafish in vivo on Myocardiac Calcium Oscillation and Heart Muscle Contraction.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been used as a model for studying vertebrate development in the cardiovascular system. In order to monitor heart contraction and cytosolic calcium oscillations, fish were either embedded in methylcellulose or anesthetized with tricaine. Using high-resolution differential interference contrast and calcium imaging microscopy, we here show that dopamine and verapamil alter calcium signaling and muscle contraction in anesthetized zebrafish, but not in embedded zebrafish.

INTERACTIONS OF 1-METHYLADENINE AND THE SURFACE OF STARFISH OOCYTE.

Three metabolic inhibitors, mycostatin, concanavalin A (Con A) and cytochalasin B (CB) were used to study the interactions between l-methyladenine (1-MA) and the starfish oocyte surface leading to germinal vesicle breakdown (GVB). Mycostatin and Con A had no obvious effects on GVB. CB did not inhibit, but did delay GVB.