bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Persistent left superior vena cava: a case report and review of literature
Authors: Goyal Sandeep K , Punnam Sujeeth R , Verma Gita , Ruberg Frederick L 
Published: October 2008

Abstract
Persistent left superior vena cava is rare but important congenital vascular anomaly. It results when the left superior cardinal vein caudal to the innominate vein fails to regress. It is most commonly observed in isolation but can be associated with other cardiovascular abnormalities including atrial septal defect, bicuspid aortic valve, coarctation of aorta, coronary sinus ostial atresia, and cor triatriatum. The presence of PLSVC can render access to the right side of heart challenging via the left subclavian approach, which is a common site of access utilized when placing pacemakers and Swan-Ganz catheters. Incidental notation of a dilated coronary sinus on echocardiography should raise the suspicion of PLSVC. The diagnosis should be confirmed by saline contrast echocardiography.
Adenocarcinoma of the third portion of the duodenum in a man with CREST syndrome
Authors: Anastasopoulos Georgios , Marinis Athanasios , Konstantinidis Christos , Theodosopoulos Theodosios , Fragulidis Georgios , Vassiliou Ioannis 
Published: October 2008

Abstract

Background
CREST (Calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, Esophageal dysmotility, Sclerodactyly and Telangiectasias) syndrome has been rarely associated with other malignancies (lung, esophagus).This is the first report of a primary adenocarcinoma of the third portion of the duodenum in a patient with CREST syndrome.

Case presentation
A 54-year-old male patient with CREST syndrome presented with colicky postprandial pain of the upper abdomen, diminished food uptake and a 6-Kg-body weight loss during the previous 2 months. An ulcerative lesion in the third portion of the duodenum was revealed during duodenoscopy, with a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma on biopsy specimen histology. The patient underwent a partial pancreatoduodenectomy. No adjuvant therapy was instituted and follow-up is negative for local recurrence or metastases 21 months postoperatively.

Conclusion
CREST syndrome has been associated with colon cancer, gastric polyps, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndrome and Crohn's disease; however, this is the first report of a primary adenocarcinoma of the duodenum in a patient with CREST syndrome. However, any etiologic relationship remains to be further investigated.
Competitive Inhibition of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1c1-Mediated Thyroxine Transport by the Fenamate Class of Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs
Authors: Westholm Daniel E. , Stenehjem David D. , Rumbley Jon N. , Drewes Lester R. , Anderson Grant W. 
Published: October 2008

Organic anion transporting polypeptide (Oatp) 1c1 is a high-affinity T4 transporter with narrow substrate specificity expressed at the blood-brain barrier. A transport model using cells overexpressing Oatp1c1 was created to identify novel Oatp1c1 substrates and inhibitors. Rat Oatp1c1 was cloned and stably expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Oatp1c1-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells transported 125I-labeled T4 in a time-dependent manner that was completely abolished in the presence of excess unlabeled T4. Next, various compounds, including inhibitors of thyroid hormone uptake, were screened for inhibitory effects on Oatp1c1-mediated T4 uptake. Phenytoin (64%), indocyanine green (17%), fenamic acid (68%), diclofenac (51%), and meclofenamic acid (33%) all reduced T4 uptake by Oatp1c1 when assayed at concentrations of 10 μM. Dose-response assays for the fenamic acids, iopanoic acid, indocyanine green, and phenytoin revealed IC50 values for Oatp1c1 T4 uptake below or near the blood plasma levels after therapeutic doses. Further kinetic assays and reciprocal plot analyses demonstrated that the fenamic acid diclofenac inhibited in a competitive manner. Finally, microvessels were isolated from adult rat brain and assessed for T4 uptake. Ten micromolar of fenamate concentrations inhibited T4 microvessel uptake with a similar hierarchical inhibition profile [fenamic acid (43%), diclofenac (78%), and meclofenamic acid (85%)], as observed for Oatp1c1 transfected cells. Oatp1c1 is expressed luminally and abluminally in the blood-brain barrier endothelial cell, and exhibits bidirectional transport capabilities. Together, these data suggest that Oatp1c1 transports fenamates into, and perhaps across, brain barrier cells.
The fenamate class of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is transported by organic anion transporting polypeptides and competitively inhibits thyroxine transport in brain microvessels.
Transcription of Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein in the Rodent Ovary and Placenta: Alternative Modes of Cyclic Adenosine 3′, 5′-Monophosphate Dependent and Independent Regulation
Authors: Yivgi-Ohana Natalie , Sher Noa , Melamed-Book Naomi , Eimerl Sarah , Koler Moriah , Manna Pulak R. , Stocco Douglas M. , Orly Joseph 
Published: October 2008

Steroid hormone synthesis is a vital function of the adrenal cortex, serves a critical role in gonadal function, and maintains pregnancy if normally executed in the placenta. The substrate for the synthesis of all steroid hormones is cholesterol, and its conversion to the first steroid, pregnenolone, by the cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (CYP11A1) enzyme complex takes place in the inner mitochondrial membranes. Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) facilitates the rate-limiting transfer of cholesterol from the outer mitochondrial membrane to CYP11A1 located in the inner organelle membranes. The current study explored the mechanisms controlling transcription of the Star gene in primary cell cultures of mouse placental trophoblast giant cells and rat ovarian granulosa cells examined throughout the course of their functional differentiation. Our findings show that the cis-elements required for Star transcription in the rodent placenta and the ovary are centered in a relatively small proximal region of the promoter. In placental trophoblast giant cells, cAMP is required for activation of the Star promoter, and the cis-elements mediating a maximal response were defined as cAMP response element 2 and GATA. EMSA studies show that placental cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-1 and activating transcription factor-2 (ATF2) bind to a −81/−78 sequence, whereas GATA-2 binds to a −66/−61 sequence. In comparison, patterns of Star regulation in the ovary suggested tissue-specific and developmental controlled modes of Star transcription. During the follicular phase, FSH/cAMP induced CREB-1 dependent activity, whereas upon luteinization STAR expression becomes cAMP and CREB independent, a functional shift conferred by FOS-related antigen-2 displacement of CREB-1 binding, and the appearance of a new requirement for CCAAT enhancer-binding protein β and steroidogenic factor 1 that bind to upstream elements (−117/−95). These findings suggest that during evolution, the promoters of the Star gene acquired nonconsensus sequence elements enabling expression of a single gene in different organs, or allowing dynamic temporal changes corresponding to progressing phases of differentiation in a given cell type.Proximal cis-elements in the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (Star) promoter allow versatile transcriptional regulation in tissue-specific manners and differentiation-dependent patterns of STAR expression in rodent ovary and placenta.
Protein Feeding Promotes Redistribution of Endogenous Glucose Production to the Kidney and Potentiates Its Suppression by Insulin
Authors: Pillot Bruno , Soty Maud , Gautier-Stein Amandine , Zitoun Carine , Mithieux Gilles 
Published: October 2008

The aim of this study was to assess in rats the effect of protein feeding on the: 1) distribution of endogenous glucose production (EGP) among gluconeogenic organs, and 2) repercussion on the insulin sensitivity of glucose metabolism. We used gene expression analyses, a combination of glucose tracer dilution and arteriovenous balance to quantify specific organ release, and hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps to assess EGP and glucose uptake. Protein feeding promoted a dramatic induction of the main regulatory gluconeogenic genes (glucose-6 phosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) in the kidney, but not in the liver. As a consequence, the kidney glucose release was markedly increased, compared with rats fed a normal starch diet. Protein feeding ameliorated the suppression of EGP by insulin and the sparing of glycogen storage in the liver but had no effect on glucose uptake. Combined with the previously reported induction of gluconeogenesis in the small intestine, the present work strongly suggests that a redistribution of glucose production among gluconeogenic organs might occur upon protein feeding. This phenomenon is in keeping with the improvement of insulin sensitivity of EGP, most likely involving the hepatic site. These data shed a new light on the improvement of glucose tolerance, previously observed upon increasing the amount of protein in the diet, in type 2 diabetic patients.Protein feeding increases kidney gluconeogenesis without increasing global endogenous glucose production, and improves insulin suppression of the latter, likely at the hepatic site.
Deletion of the G Protein-Coupled Receptor 30 Impairs Glucose Tolerance, Reduces Bone Growth, Increases Blood Pressure, and Eliminates Estradiol-Stimulated Insulin Release in Female Mice
Authors: Mårtensson Ulrika E. A. , Salehi S. Albert , Windahl Sara , Gomez Maria F. , Swärd Karl , Daszkiewicz-Nilsson Joanna , Wendt Anna , Andersson Niklas , Hellstrand Per , Grände Per-Olof , Owman Christer , Rosen Clifford J. , Adamo Martin L. , Lundquist Ingmar , Rorsman Patrik , Nilsson Bengt-Olof , Ohlsson Claes , Olde Björn , Leeb-Lundberg L. M. Fredrik 
Published: October 2008

In vitro studies suggest that the G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 30 is a functional estrogen receptor. However, the physiological role of GPR30 in vivo is unknown, and it remains to be determined whether GPR30 is an estrogen receptor also in vivo. To this end, we studied the effects of disrupting the GPR30 gene in female and male mice. Female GPR30(−/−) mice had hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance, reduced body growth, increased blood pressure, and reduced serum IGF-I levels. The reduced growth correlated with a proportional decrease in skeletal development. The elevated blood pressure was associated with an increased vascular resistance manifested as an increased media to lumen ratio of the resistance arteries. The hyperglycemia and impaired glucose tolerance in vivo were associated with decreased insulin expression and release in vivo and in vitro in isolated pancreatic islets. GPR30 is expressed in islets, and GPR30 deletion abolished estradiol-stimulated insulin release both in vivo in ovariectomized adult mice and in vitro in isolated islets. Our findings show that GPR30 is important for several metabolic functions in female mice, including estradiol-stimulated insulin release.
The G protein-coupled receptor GPR30 maintains normal bone growth, glucose homeostasis, and blood pressure, and mediates estradiol-stimulated insulin release in female mice.
Mutant Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein, Devoid of the Nuclear Localization Signal, Markedly Inhibits Arterial Smooth Muscle Cell Cycle and Neointima Formation by Coordinate Up-Regulation of p15Ink4b and p27kip1
Authors: Fiaschi-Taesch Nathalie , Sicari Brian , Ubriani Kiran , Cozar-Castellano Irene , Takane Karen K. , Stewart Andrew F. 
Published: October 2008

Arterial expression of PTH-related protein is markedly induced by angioplasty. PTH-related protein contains a nuclear localization signal (NLS). PTH-related protein mutants lacking the NLS (ΔNLS-PTH-related protein) are potent inhibitors of arterial vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation in vitro. This is of clinical relevance because adenoviral delivery of ΔNLS-PTH-related protein at angioplasty completely inhibits arterial restenosis in rats. In this study we explored the cellular mechanisms through which ΔNLS-PTH-related protein arrests the cell cycle. In vivo, adenoviral delivery of ΔNLS-PTH-related protein at angioplasty markedly inhibited VSMC proliferation as compared with angioplastied carotids infected with control adenovirus (Ad.LacZ). In vitro, ΔNLS-PTH-related protein overexpression was associated with a decrease in phospho-pRb, and a G0/G1 arrest. This pRb underphosphorylation was associated with stable levels of cdks 2, 4, and 6, the D and E cyclins, p16, p18, p19, and p21, but was associated with a dramatic decrease in cdk-2 and cdk4 kinase activities. Cyclin A was reduced, but restoring cyclin A adenovirally to normal did not promote cell cycle progression in ΔNLS-PTH-related protein VSMC. More importantly, p15INK4 and p27kip1, two critical inhibitors of the G1/S progression, were markedly increased. Normalization of both p15INK4b and p27kip1 by small interfering RNA knockdown normalized cell cycle progression. These data indicate that the changes in p15INK4b and p27kip1 fully account for the marked cell cycle slowing induced by ΔNLS-PTH-related protein in VSMCs. Finally, ΔNLS-PTH-related protein is able to induce p15INK4 and p27kip1 expression when delivered adenovirally to primary murine VSMCs. These studies provide a mechanistic understanding of ΔNLS-PTH-related protein actions, and suggest that ΔNLS-PTH-related protein may have particular efficacy for the prevention of arterial restenosis.
This study provides the mechanistic underpinnings for understanding how Δ-NLS-PTHrP functions, and suggests that Δ-NLS-PTHrP may have particular efficacy for the prevention of arterial re-stenosis.
A Functional Leptin System Is Essential for Sodium Tungstate Antiobesity Action
Authors: Canals Ignasi , Carmona María C. , Amigó Marta , Barbera Albert , Bortolozzi Analía , Artigas Francesc , Gomis Ramon 
Published: October 2008

Sodium tungstate is a novel agent in the treatment of obesity. In diet-induced obese rats, it is able to reduce body weight gain by increasing energy expenditure. This study evaluated the role of leptin, a key regulator of energy homeostasis, in the tungstate antiobesity effect. Leptin receptor-deficient Zucker fa/fa rats and leptin-deficient ob/ob mice were treated with tungstate. In lean animals, tungstate administration reduced body weight gain and food intake and increased energy expenditure. However, in animals with deficiencies in the leptin system, treatment did not modify these parameters. In ob/ob mice in which leptin deficiency was restored through adipose tissue transplantation, treatment restored the tungstate-induced body weight gain and food intake reduction as well as energy expenditure increase. Furthermore, in animals in which tungstate administration increased energy expenditure, changes in the expression of key genes involved in brown adipose tissue thermogenesis were detected. Finally, the gene expression of the hypothalamic neuropeptides, Npy, Agrp, and Cart, involved in the leptin regulation of energy homeostasis, was also modified by tungstate in a leptin-dependent manner. In summary, the results indicate that the effectiveness of tungstate in reducing body weight gain is completely dependent on a functional leptin system.
Anti-obesity activity of tungstate is due to an increase in thermogenesis and a reduction in food intake and depends entirely on a functional leptin system.
N-Type Ca2+-Channels in Murine Pancreatic β-Cells Are Inhibited by an Exclusive Coupling with Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 1
Authors: Smith Paul A. 
Published: October 2008

Somatostatin (SRIF) is a well-established inhibitor of insulin secretion, an effect in part mediated by a direct inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+-channels. However, the identity of the somatostatin receptor subtypes (SSTRs) and voltage-operated Ca2+-channels involved in this process are unknown. Whole-cell perforated patch-clamp methods were applied to the murine pancreatic β-cell line, MIN6, to explore the molecular pharmacology of this problem. SRIF-14 inhibited voltage-gated Ca2+ currents (ICa2+) by 19 ± 3% (n=24) with a pEC50 = 9.05 (95% confidence limits 9–9.1). This action was mimicked solely by 100 nm CH-275, a selective agonist at the somatostatin type 1 receptor (SSTR1), but not by 100 nm BIM-23027, L-362855, or NNC-269100; agonists selective for the other four SSTRs known to exist in MIN6. The inhibition of ICa2+ produced by SRIF and CH-275 was insensitive to pertussis toxin but was reversed by a prepulse to +100 mV. The inhibition of ICa2+ by SRIF-14 was unaffected by 20 μm nifedipine, an inhibitor of L-type Ca2+ channels. Application of the specific N-type Ca2+ channel (Cav2.2) inhibitor ω-conotoxin GV1A at 100 nm mimicked, and as a consequence abolished, the inhibitory effect of SRIF-14 on ICa2+. SRIF selectively inhibits N-type Ca2+-channels in murine pancreatic β-cells via exclusive coupling with SSTR1. These findings help explain how SSTR1 activation can inhibit insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells and suggest a possible new therapeutic lead for treatment of hyperinsulinemia.In pancreatic β-cells, somatostatin selectively inhibits N-type, but not other, Ca2+-channels via a direct and exclusive coupling with somatostatin receptor subtype 1.
Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ in Key Neuronal Subsets Regulating Glucose Metabolism and Energy Homeostasis
Authors: Sarruf David A. , Yu Fang , Nguyen Hong T. , Williams Diana L. , Printz Richard L. , Niswender Kevin D. , Schwartz Michael W. 
Published: October 2008

In addition to increasing insulin sensitivity and adipogenesis, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists cause weight gain and hyperphagia. Given the central role of the brain in the control of energy homeostasis, we sought to determine whether PPARγ is expressed in key brain areas involved in metabolic regulation. Using immunohistochemistry, PPARγ distribution and its colocalization with neuron-specific protein markers were investigated in rat and mouse brain sections spanning the hypothalamus, the ventral tegmental area, and the nucleus tractus solitarius. In several brain areas, nuclear PPARγ immunoreactivity was detected in cells that costained for neuronal nuclei, a neuronal marker. In the hypothalamus, PPARγ immunoreactivity was observed in a majority of neurons in the arcuate (including both agouti related protein and α-MSH containing cells) and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei and was also present in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, the lateral hypothalamic area, and tyrosine hydroxylase-containing neurons in the ventral tegmental area but was not expressed in the nucleus tractus solitarius. To validate and extend these histochemical findings, we generated mice with neuron-specific PPARγ deletion using nestin cre-LoxP technology. Compared with littermate controls, neuron-specific PPARγ knockout mice exhibited dramatic reductions of both hypothalamic PPARγ mRNA levels and PPARγ immunoreactivity but showed no differences in food intake or body weight over a 4-wk study period. We conclude that: 1) PPARγ mRNA and protein are expressed in the hypothalamus, 2) neurons are the predominant source of PPARγ in the central nervous system, although it is likely expressed by nonneuronal cell types as well, and 3) arcuate nucleus neurons that control energy homeostasis and glucose metabolism are among those in which PPARγ is expressed.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, a key regulator of adipogenesis and insulin sensitivity in peripheral tissues, is also expressed in neurons involved in body weight control.
Repeated Ferret Odor Exposure Induces Different Temporal Patterns of Same-Stressor Habituation and Novel-Stressor Sensitization in Both Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity and Forebrain c-fos Expression in the Rat
Authors: Weinberg Marc S. , Bhatt Aadra P. , Girotti Milena , Masini Cher V. , Day Heidi E. W. , Campeau Serge , Spencer Robert L. 
Published: October 2008

Repeated exposure to a moderately intense stressor typically produces attenuation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response (habituation) on re-presentation of the same stressor; however, if a novel stressor is presented to the same animals, the HPA axis response may be augmented (sensitization). The extent to which this adaptation is also evident within neural activity patterns is unknown. This study tested whether repeated ferret odor (FO) exposure, a moderately intense psychological stressor for rats, leads to both same-stressor habituation and novel-stressor sensitization of the HPA axis response and neuronal activity as determined by immediate early gene induction (c-fos mRNA). Rats were presented with FO in their home cages for 30 min a day for up to 2 wk and subsequently challenged with FO or restraint. Rats displayed HPA axis activity habituation and widespread habituation of c-fos mRNA expression (in situ hybridization) throughout the brain in as few as three repeated presentations of FO. However, repeated FO exposure led to a more gradual development of sensitized HPA-axis and c-fos mRNA responses to restraint that were not fully evident until after 14 d of prior FO exposure. The sensitized response was evident in many of the same brain regions that displayed habituation, including primary sensory cortices and the prefrontal cortex. The shared spatial expression but distinct temporal development of habituation and sensitization neural response patterns suggests two independent processes with opposing influences across overlapping brain systems.Repeated exposure of rats to ferret odor leads to rapid development of stimulus-specific habituation and slower development of novel-stressor sensitization of forebrain and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.
Promotion of β-Cell Differentiation in Pancreatic Precursor Cells by Adult Islet Cells
Authors: Chen Wei , Begum Salma , Opare-Addo Lynn , Garyu Justin , Gibson Thomas F. , Bothwell Alfred L. M. , Papaioannou Virginia E. , Herold Kevan C. 
Published: October 2008

It is thought that differentiation of β-cell precursors into mature cells is largely autonomous, but under certain conditions differentiation can be modified by external factors. The factors that modify β-cell differentiation have not been identified. In this study, we tested whether adult islet cells can affect the differentiation process in mouse and human pancreatic anlage cells. We assessed β-cell proliferation and differentiation in mouse and human pancreatic anlage cells cocultured with adult islet cells or βTC3 cells using cellular, molecular, and immunohistochemical methods. Differentiation of murine anlage cells into β-cells was induced by mature islet cells. It was specific for β-cells and not a general feature of endodermal derived cells. β-Cell differentiation required cell-cell contact. The induced cells acquired features of mature β-cells including increased expression of β-cell transcription factors and surface expression of receptor for stromal cell-derived factor 1 and glucose transporter-2 (GLUT-2). They secreted insulin in response to glucose and could correct hyperglycemia in vivo when cotransplanted with vascular cells. Human pancreatic anlage cells responded in a similar manner and showed increased expression of pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 and v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A and increased production of proinsulin when cocultured with adult islets. We conclude that mature β-cells can modify the differentiation of precursor cells and suggest a mechanism whereby changes in differentiation of β-cells can be affected by other β-cells.Mature β cells affect differentiation of pancreatic anlage cells into functional β cells. The differentiated cells respond to glucose and ameliorate diabetes.