bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
5-HT<sub>2A</sub> and 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> Serotonin Receptors Differentially Modulate Mouse Sexual Arousal and the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Testicular Response to the Presence of a Female
Authors: Popova Nina K. , Amstislavskaya Tamara G. 
Published: April 2003

The role of 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> and 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> subtypes of serotonergic receptors in the control of sexual behavior and plasma testosterone regulation was studied in male CBA mice exposed to a sexually receptive female separated by a transparent partition. Introduction of the receptive female induced sexual motivation and arousal in males, as evidenced by a prolonged time spent at the partition, unsuccessful attempts to step across it and a significant increase in plasma testosterone levels. Administration of 5-HT<sub>2A</sub> receptor antagonists ketanserin (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg i.p.) or cyproheptadine (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg i.p.) diminished the behavioral components and prevented the hormonal components of male sexual arousal. Administration of the selective 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> antagonist RS 102221 (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) considerably increased the time spent by males at the partition (p < 0.001) and, at the dose of 2.0 mg/kg, increased plasma testosterone levels (p < 0.01). Administration of ritanserin – a nonselective 5-HT<sub>2A/2C</sub> antagonist and, to a smaller degree, 5-HT<sub>2B</sub> antagonist – at doses of 0.1 and 0.5 mg/kg did not significantly influence male behavior and the activating effect of the presence of a female on the hypothalamo-pituitary-testicular system, although it increased resting testosterone levels (p < 0.05). The present findings suggest that 5-HT<sub>2A</sub>/5-HT<sub>2C</sub> receptors may be involved in the neural control of male sexual motivation and arousal, presumably by exerting reciprocal facilitative (5-HT<sub>2A</sub>) or suppressive (5-HT<sub>2C</sub>) influences.
The Pre-Vesalian Kidney: Gabriele Zerbi, 1445–1505
Authors: Gaspare De Santo Natale , Bisaccia Carmela , De Santo Rosa Maria , Touwaide Alain 
Published: April 2003

Gabriel Zerbi was born in Verona in 1445 and died in Dalmatia in 1505. He was professor of philosophy in Padua at the age of 22, and moved to Bologna where he became professor of medicine and philosophy. In Rome at the time of Sixtus V and Innocentius VIII, he was archiater and professor of medicine. He completed his academic career in Padua where he worked from 1494 to 1505 with a salary of 600 florins a month. A man of vast culture, a philosopher, physician and professor of medicine, he wrote many books: (1) <i>Questiones Metaphysicae;</i> (2) <i>Gerentocomia;</i> (3) <i>De Cautelis Medicorum;</i> (4) <i>Liber anatomiae corporis humani et singulorum membrorum illius;</i> (5) <i>De anatomia infantiis et porci ex traditione Cophonis,</i> and (6) <i>Libellus de preservatione corporum a passione calculosa.</i> His contribution to anatomy was superb. Through him the discipline became the basis of modern medicine. The core of this article deals with some passages of Zerbi’s chapters on the anatomy of the kidneys and bladder.
Mitomycin C-Induced Cell Death in Mouse Lens Epithelial Cells
Authors: Park Hyun-Kyung , Lee Kwang-Won , Choi Jun-Sub , Joo Choun-Ki 
Published: April 2003

The mode of action of mitomycin C (MMC)-induced cell death in lens epithelia was investigated using cell culture system. The cytotoxicity of MMC on α-TN4 mouse lens epithelial cells (LECs) was measured by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT)-based assay. To determine the type of cell death induced by MMC, we stained LECs with acridine orange and ethidium bromide, and performed TUNEL assay and electron microscopic examination. The activation of MMC was also investigated with N-acetly-<i>L</i>-cystein (NAC), a free radical scavenger, and dicumarol, an inhibitor of DT-diaphorase, to analyze one- and two-electron reduction pathways involved in the activation of MMC. MTT assay showed that 400 µg/ml of MMC decreased the cell viability of the control cells to 45%, and the cytotoxicity of MMC on α-TN4 cells was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Based on the results obtained from acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, the TUNEL assay, and transmission electron microscopic examination, we confirmed that MMC-induced cell death, at 400 µg/ml of MMC, occurs with necrosis as well as apoptotis. The treatment of cells with 2 m<i>M</i> NAC for 1 h or 20 µ<i>M</i> dicumarol for 30 min, prior to 5 min of MMC (400 µg/ml) treatment, restored the growth suppression to 76 and 80% of the control level, respectively. In addition, the cotreatment of cells with NAC and dicumarol restored cell viability to 90% of the control level. The cellular death in MMC-treated LECs showed the involvement of oxidative stress in this apoptosis accounting for 22% of the observed cell death at 400 µg/ml of MMC.
Lack of Effect of Chlorhexidine Varnish on <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> Transmission and Caries in Mothers and Children
Authors: Dasanayake A.P. , Wiener H.W. , Li Y. , Vermund S.V. , Caufield P.W. 
Published: April 2003

In a randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the effect of a 10% chlorhexidine varnish (Chlorzoin<sup>®</sup>) on the mother-child transmission of <i>Streptococcus mutans</i> and on subsequent caries experience. Chlorhexidine (n = 38) or a placebo varnish (n = 37) was applied to the dentitions of 75 mothers at a time when their first babies were about 6 months old (approximate time of first tooth emergence). Three more applications at weekly intervals and subsequent applications at 6-month intervals followed the initial application. The mother-child pairs were followed up until the child’s fourth birthday. Maternal salivary <i>S. mutans</i> levels in the treatment group remained significantly lower (p < 0.05) compared to the control group up to 12 months after the initial application. However, this intervention did not significantly alter the <i>S. mutans</i> colonization in children or the caries increment in either the mother or the child.
Isolation of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-Associated Peptide(s) in the Absence of HLA-Restricted Specific Cytolytic T Lymphocytes
Authors: Torabi-Pour N. , Nouri A.M.E. , Saffie R. , Morrow W.J.W. , Oliver R.T.D. 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background/Methods:</i> In this study, immunobead purification, dot-blot, immunocytochemical staining, and SDS-PAGE techniques in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography were used to isolate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigens and associated peptides from a bladder tumour cell line (Fen) before and after gene transfection. <i>Results:</i> The results showed that: (1) Transfection of the class I negative Fen cell line with normal β-microglobulin (β<sub>2</sub>-m) gene resulted in the restoration of missing class I antigens. (2) The intact class I antigens could be isolated from lysate of the β<sub>2</sub>-m gene transfected cells using Sepharose CNBr-W6/32 beads. (3) Dissociation of class I antigens from beads and analysis by the SDS-PAGE showed the presence of both free heavy and light chains of class I antigens. (4) More than 22 class I-associated peptides with a molecular weight of 700–3,000 daltons could be isolated from W6/32-loaded beads but only from lysate of HLA-positive Fen cell line. The data also showed that 1 × 10<sup>6</sup> of positive Fen cells contained about 200 µg total protein of which about 0.10 µg was class I and about 2 ng was class I-associated peptides. <i>Conclusions:</i> These findings demonstrated that the gene transfection approach could be used to restore missing class I antigens on an otherwise class I negative bladder tumour cell line. The results also showed the feasibility of using above techniques for isolation of HLA-associated peptides. These approaches may provide a realistic possibility for identification of putative tumour-specific peptide(s) from tumour specimens with the long-term aim to use such peptide(s) for immunotherapy in cancer patients.
Tactile Hairs on the Postcranial Body in Florida Manatees: A Mammalian Lateral Line?
Authors: Reep R.L. , Marshall C.D. , Stoll M.L. 
Published: April 2003

Previous reports have suggested that the sparsely distributed hairs found on the entire postcranial body of sirenians are all sinus type tactile hairs. This would represent a unique arrangement because no other mammal has been reported to possess tactile hairs except on restricted regions of the body, primarily the face. In order to investigate this issue further, hair counts were made systematically in three Florida manatees <i>(Trichechus manatus latirostris)</i>, and hair follicle microanatomy was studied in 110 specimens gathered from 9 animals. We found that the postcranial body possesses approximately 1500 hairs per side, and hair density decreases from dorsal to ventral. External hair length ranged from 2–9 mm, and most hairs were separated from their nearest neighbor by 20–40 mm, resulting in an independent domain of movement for each hair. All hairs exhibited the anatomical characteristics of follicle-sinus complexes typical of tactile hairs, including a dense connective tissue capsule containing an elongated circumferential blood sinus and innervation by 20–50 axons which ascend the mesenchymal sheath. We conclude that this represents a unique distributed underwater tactile system capable of conveying detailed and significant external information concerning approaching animals, water currents and possibly the presence of large stationary features of the environment. Such a system would be analogous to the lateral line in fish, and would be particularly useful in the turbid habitat frequented by Florida manatees.
Ultrapure Dialysis Fluid Lowers the Cardiovascular Morbidity in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis by Reducing Continuous Microinflammation
Authors: Lederer S.R. , Schiffl H. 
Published: April 2003

The aims of our prospective 3-year investigation were (1) to clarify whether high C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are an intermittent or a continuous phenomenon in individual hemodialysis patients and (2) to evaluate a possible relationship between ultrapure dialysis fluid associated CRP levels and an increased prevalence of atherosclerosis in a group of 60 hemodialysis patients treated either with conventional (n = 38) or on-line-produced ultrapure dialysis fluid (n = 22). Primary end points of the study were angiographically confirmed cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, or peripheral vascular events. Measurements of the CRP levels were done every 3 months using a highly sensitive assay. The CRP levels were normal (<0.5 mg/dl) in 45 patients and raised in 15 patients at the time of recruitment. In 87% of the patients with normal CRP levels, ultrapure dialysis fluid was used. The CRP levels measured at recruitment and at various time points thereafter did not differ significantly within patient groups. However, patients with increased CRP concentrations experienced significantly more vascular events as compared with patients with normal CRP levels (11 events vs. 1 event; p < 0.001). The data indicate that continuous induction of acute-phase proteins represents a nontraditional vascular risk factor contributing to the development and progression of atherosclerosis in dialysis patients. Ultrapure dialysis fluid lowers cardiovascular morbidity by preventing/reducing chronic microinflammation.
Sustained Increases in Activating Transcription Factor-2 and Activator Protein-2 in the Rat Supraoptic Nucleus during Water Deprivation
Authors: Meeker Rick B. , Fernandes Alda 
Published: April 2003

During increases in plasma osmolality, extrinsic and intrinsic stimuli converge on the neuroendocrine cells within the supraoptic nucleus (SON) and paraventricular nucleus and evoke the release of vasopressin (VP). This release is accompanied by an increase in VP synthesis, but the signal transduction pathways that coordinate these two processes are still poorly understood. Several transcription factors have been suggested to be intermediates in this process, but their expression is often transient in spite of continued VP synthesis. Transcription factor expression during chronic neuroendocrine cell stimulation has rarely been examined. In an effort to identify sustained increases, we examined the expression of several transcription factors in the SON of normal rats and rats deprived of water for 44 h. Alpha and beta isoforms of activator protein-2 (AP-2α; AP-β), activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2), the phosphorylated form of cyclic AMP response element binding protein and phospho-cJun were all expressed in the rat SON under basal conditions. Increases in AP-2α and ATF-2 were sustained throughout the SON during water deprivation, suggesting that these transcription factors could play a role in the maintenance of VP and oxytocin gene transcription in response to dehydration.
Noninvasive Monitoring of Hypertensive Breakthrough of Cerebral Autoregulation in a Patient with Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Georgiadis D. , Schwarz S. , Cencetti S. , Schwab S. 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background and Purpose:</i> We describe the first documentation of hypertensive breakthrough of cerebral autoregulation in a patient with acute stroke with transcranial Doppler sonography. <i>Case Description:</i> A 55-year-old patient with acute left hemispheric stroke was treated with moderate hypothermia. He died of transtentorial herniation 4 days after admission. Static cerebral autoregulation (sCA) of the unaffected hemisphere was evaluated 6 times during this period and always found to be intact. A bolus application of epinephrine resulted in a hypertensive episode (mean arterial pressure (MAP) 135 mm Hg); hypertensive breakthrough of cerebral autoregulation was evident when MAP exceeded approximately 110 mm Hg. Interestingly, no such breakthrough was evident during testing of sCA, even when MAP reached 120 mm Hg. <i>Conclusions:</i> Our observation suggests that (1) the pace of the MAP increase is crucial for the occurrence of a hypertensive breakthrough of the cerebral autoregulation and (2) the disturbance of cerebral autoregulation is potentially longer as previously assumed.
Actions of Farnesol and Xylitol against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>
Authors: Akiyama Hisanori , Oono Takashi , Huh W.-K. , Yamasaki Osamu , Ogawa Shigeyuki , Katsuyama Masako , Ichikawa Hideyuki , Iwatsuki Keiji 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> Heavy colonization of atopic dermatitis (AD) with <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is well documented. The isolation rate of methicillin-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> is high in strains from AD in Japan. Our objective in the present study was to investigate the actions of farnesol and xylitol against <i>S. aureus</i> for the control of AD skin lesion-colonizing <i>S. aureus.</i><i>Methods:</i> We examined the actions of farnesol on plasma coagulation and superantigenic exotoxin production by <i>S. aureus,</i> the antimicrobial activity of β-lactam antibiotics combined with farnesol at concentrations below the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the effect of xylitol on glycocalyx production. <i>Results:</i> Coagulation by <i>S. aureus</i> cells was inhibited in plasma containing farnesol at a concentration of 1/12 of the MIC (100 µg/ml) after incubation for 24 h. The production of superantigenic exotoxins by <i>S. aureus</i> cells with farnesol (100 µg/ml) was about 10 times lower than that by <i>S. aureus</i> cells alone. The MICs of ampicillin and cefdinir against <i>S. aureus </i>were reduced to ≤0.06 µg/ml in Mueller-Hinton agar plates with farnesol (100 µg/ml). We suggest that farnesol at concentrations above the MIC had a suppressive effect against <i>S. aureus </i>cells in the exponential and stationary phase and acted on the cell wall of <i>S. aureus</i> cells in both phases. <i>Conclusions:</i> Farnesol is a promising adjuvant agent against <i>S. aureus</i> skin infections treated with β-lactam antibiotics. Further, 5% xylitol inhibited glycocalyx production by <i>S. aureus</i> cells and consequently had a suppressive effect on the colonization of <i>S. aureus </i>on the horny cells of AD lesions.
Renal Proximal Tubular Metabolism of Protein-Linked Pentosidine, an Advanced Glycation End Product
Authors: Asano Manabu , Fujita Yuji , Ueda Yasuhiko , Suzuki Daisuke , Miyata Toshio , Sakai Hideto , Saito Akira 
Published: April 2003

<i>Background:</i> Pentosidine, an advanced glycation end product, accumulates in plasma proteins of uremic patients. Its fate is, however, yet to be fully understood. <i>Methods:</i> Three cell lines, JTC-12 (proximal tubular cells), MDCK (distal tubular cells), and BALB3T3 (nonrenal cells), were cultured in a double chamber system and were exposed to uremic serum, and the contents of protein-linked pentosidine derived from uremic sera were determined in each medium by HPLC assay. The presence of pentosidine in the cytoplasm of these cells was assessed by immunoperoxidase staining. <i>Results:</i> When the apical cell membrane was exposed to uremic serum (fortified in the upper chamber), the contents of protein-linked pentosidine in the upper medium decreased by up to 30% after 24- and 48-hour incubations of JTC-12 cells but not of other cells. On the other hand, the contents of protein-linked pentosidine in the lower medium did not change. By contrast, exposure of the basolateral cell membrane of the three cell lines to uremic serum (fortified in the lower chamber) did not change the contents of protein-linked pentosidine both in the upper and lower medium after a 24-hour incubation. Pentosidine was detected immunohistochemically in the cytoplasm of JTC-12 cells, but not of BALB3T3 and MDCK cells, the apical membranes of which were exposed to uremic sera for 8 h. The immunoreaction disappeared 48 h after exposure. Pentosidine was not detected in the cytoplasm of JTC-12 cells, the basolateral membranes of which were exposed to uremic sera. The relevance of the in vitro results to humans was demonstrated by immunohistochemical studies in normal human kidney tissues showing that pentosidine was identified in the proximal renal tubules. <i>Conclusion:</i> These results suggest that the proximal tubular cells play a role in the disposal of plasma pentosidine.
Protective Effect of Trimetazidine in a Model of Ischemia-Reperfusion in the Rat Retina
Authors: Mohand-Said S. , Jacquet A. , Lucien A. , Espinasse-Berrod M.A. , Frasson Correa De Silva M. , Sahel J. 
Published: April 2003

Trimetazidine is an anti-ischemic agent which is frequently prescribed as a prophylactic treatment of episodes of angina pectoris and as a symptomatic treatment of vertigo and tinnitus. It has also shown beneficial effects in models of visual dysfunction, but the mechanism(s) by which this occurs is as yet undefined. The present study was intended to evaluate the influence of trimetazidine on retinal damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion in a rat model. Retinal ischemia was induced by increasing intraocular pressure to 160 mm Hg for 60 min. Trimetazidine or buffer controls were administered 3 days before the ischemia or in the postischemic period. The degree of retinal damage was assessed after 15 and 30 days of reperfusion after the ischemic insult by histopathologic study according to Hughes’ quantification of ischemic damage. Retinal ischemia led to significant reductions in thickness and cell number, mainly in the inner retinal layers. The results from the study demonstrate that treatment with intraperitoneally injected trimetazidine conferred significant protection against retinal ischemic damage. Better results were obtained in the pretreatment group after 15 days of reperfusion. Trimetazidine protects the rat retina from pressure-induced ischemic injury and might be considered a potential therapeutic modality for combating retinal ischemia.
Effects of 17β-Estradiol and Xenoestrogens on the Neuronal Survival in an Organotypic Hippocampal Culture
Authors: Sato Kaoru , Matsuki Norio , Ohno Yasuo , Nakazawa Ken 
Published: April 2003

Xenoestrogens are man-made compounds that mimic the actions of estrogens through interactions with estrogen receptors (ERs). Although xenoestrogens have received a great deal of attention as possible causes of brain disfunctions, little information concerning the effects of xenoestrogens on the central nervous system is available. In this study, we investigated the effects of 17β-estradiol (E<sub>2</sub>) and four xenoestrogens (17α-ethynylestradiol, diethylstilbestrol, <i>p</i>-nonylphenol and bisphenol A (BPA)) on the neuronal survival using organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. When the cultured hippocampal slices were exposed to glutamate (1 m<i>M</i>, 15 min), the CA1-selective neuronal damage was induced. Pretreatment with E<sub>2</sub> and the xenoestrogens (24 h) selectively exacerbated the CA3 neuronal damage caused by glutamate. In spite of the marked difference of binding affinities to ERs, all compounds revealed maximal effects at 1 n<i>M</i>. ER antagonists, tamoxifen and ICI 182,780, did not affect responses to E<sub>2</sub> and the xenoestrogens, indicating that these effects are mediated through mechanisms other than ERs. In spite of the fact that BPA has little interaction with ERs at 1 n<i>M</i>, E<sub>2</sub> and BPA equally increased the expression of N-methyl-<i>D</i>-aspartate receptor in CA3 and upregulated the spine density of the apical portion of CA3 dendrites at 1 n<i>M</i>. These compounds also enhanced the sprouting of mossy fibers to CA3 neurons. These results suggest that exposure to E<sub>2</sub> and xenoestrogens during the developmental stage results in a marked influence on synaptogenesis and neuronal vulnerability through mechanisms other than ERs.
Effects of Prolonged Occlusion on Stratum corneum Barrier Function and Water Holding Capacity<sup>1</sup>
Authors: Fluhr J.W. , Lazzerini S. , Distante F. , Gloor M. , Berardesca E. 
Published: April 2003

<i>Purpose of the Study:</i> We aimed to evaluate whether prolonged occlusion can induce stratum corneum barrier damage, alterations in stratum corneum hydration or water-holding capacity (WHC) lasting longer than the occlusion time. <i>Materials and Methods:</i> 12 subjects were occluded on the forearm for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Two hours after occlusion removal, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin hydration were measured and a sorption-desorption test performed. <i>Results: </i>TEWL showed an increase reaching a plateau on day 2. Hydration and WHC did not show significant changes. Hygroscopicity showed the highest level on day 1, decreasing during the following days. A highly significant correlation between capacitance values and the WHC could be detected (p < 0.0001, r = 0.8206). No correlation could be detected between hygroscopicity and TEWL. <i>Conclusions:</i> Prolonged occlusion induces barrier damage without skin dryness. Occlusion also induces an increased hygroscopicity. A correlation between these two findings could not be proven.