Despite the fact that vessels have sparse cholinergic innervation, acetylcholine (ACh), the primary neurotransmitter of parasympathetic nervous system, has been commonly used in physiological experiments to assess vascular function. ACh is hydrolyzed by two cholinesterases (ChE), namely acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). However, little is known about these enzymes in blood vessels. The aim of the project was to characterize the expression and activity of ChE in rat aorta. As the effect of ACh on vascular tone depends on the presence of endothelium, Wistar rats were used as a model with intact endothelium and spontaneously hypertensive rats as a model of impaired endothelial function. Relative expressions of both ChE in different parts of the aorta were determined using RT-qPCR. Enzyme activities were assessed in tissue homogenates by Ellman's assay. Here we showed that both ChE are present in each part of rat aorta, while mRNA is more abundant for BChE than for AChE, irrespective of aortic compartment or genotype. Normotensive Wistar rats possess higher aortic mRNA expression and activity of BChE compared to SHR. We concluded that BChE is the dominant type of ChE in rat aorta and it might play an important role in the regulation of vascular tone., Kristína Szmicseková, Lenka Bies Piváčková, Zuzana Kiliánová, Ľubica Slobodová, Peter Křenek, Anna Hrabovská., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Magnetic resonance imaging has been used for evaluating of a brain edema in experimental animals to assess cytotoxic and vasogenic edema by the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and T2 imaging. This paper brings information about the effectiveness of methylprednisolone (MP) on experimental brain edema. A total of 24 rats were divided into three groups of 8 animals each. Rats with cytotoxic/intracellular brain edema induced by water intoxication were assigned to the group WI. These rats also served as the additional control group CG when measured before the induction of edema. A third group (WIMP) was intraperitoneally administered with methylprednisolone 100 mg/kg during water intoxication treatment. The group WI+MP was injected with methylprednisolone 50 mg/kg into the carotid artery within two hours after the water intoxication treatment. We evaluated the results in four groups. Two control groups (CG, WI) and two experimental groups (WIMP, WI+MP). Rats were subjected to MR scanning 24 h after edema induction. We observed significantly increased ADC values in group WI in both evaluated areas - cortex and hippocampus, which proved the occurrence of experimental vasogenic edema, while ADC values in groups WIMP and WI+MP were not increased, indicating that the experimental edema was not developed and thus confirming the protective effect of MP., Petr Kozler, Vít Herynek, Dana Marešová, Pablo D. Perez, Luděk Šefc, Jaroslav Pokorný., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Alkaline stress is important abiotic stress that restricts the growth and physiological activity of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). We aimed to investigate the effects of alkaline stress on alkali-tolerant SX44B and alkali-sensitive 262B sorghum inbred lines. The results showed that alkaline stress decreased the content of chlorophyll, activity of photosystem II, net photosynthetic rate, and destroyed chloroplast morphology. These changes were less pronounced in SX44B, possibly owing to its higher antioxidant enzyme activity and nonphotochemical quenching. Alkaline stress decreased water content, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance while increasing the leaf temperature, with the effect being more pronounced in 262B. A significant correlation was observed between leaf-air temperature difference (ΔT) and relative water content and gas-exchange parameters, especially in 262B. Therefore, ΔT is an effective indicator for monitoring changes in sorghum leaves under alkaline stress and evaluating the alkali tolerance of different sorghum germplasm.
The effects of exercise on mechanical hyperalgesia, joint contracture, and muscle injury resulting from immobilization are not completely understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of cyclic stretching on these parameters in a rat model of chronic post-cast pain (CPCP). Seventeen 8-week-old Wistar rats were randomly assigned to (1) control group, (2) immobilization (CPCP) group, or (3) immobilization and stretching exercise (CPCP+STR) group. In the CPCP and CPCP+STR groups, both hindlimbs of each rat were immobilized in full plantar flexion with a plaster cast for a 4-week period. In the CPCP+STR group, cyclic stretching exercise was performed 6 days/week for 2 weeks, beginning immediately after cast removal prior to reloading. Although mechanical hyperalgesia in the plantar skin and calf muscle, ankle joint contracture, and gastrocnemius muscle injury were observed in both immobilized groups, these changes were significantly less severe in the CPCP+STR group than in the CPCP group. These results clearly demonstrate the beneficial effect of cyclic stretching exercises on widespread mechanical hyperalgesia, joint contracture, and muscle injury in a rat model of CPCP., Kazuhiro Hayashi, Saori Fukuyasu-Matsuo, Takayuki Inoue, Mitsuhiro Fujiwara, Yuji Asai, Masahiro Iwata, Shigeyuki Suzuki., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH) type 1, caused by a heterozygous inactivating mutation of the gene encoding the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), is characterized by mild to moderate hypercalcemia, hypocalciuria and inappropriately normal or elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). FHH must be differentiated from primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) because parathyroidectomy is ineffective in the former. Herein, we report a 39-year-old male patient with a 13-year history of asymptomatic PTH-dependent hypercalcemia (mean calcium of 2.88 mmol/l; reference range 2.15-2.55 mmol/l) and calcium-tocreatinine clearance ratio (Ca/Cr) ranging from 0.007 to 0.0198, which is consistent with either FHH or PHPT. Although a family history of hypercalcemia was negative, and PET-CT with fluorocholine was suggestive of a parathyroid adenoma, genetic analysis of the CaSR gene identified a heterozygous inactivating mutation NM_000388.4:c.1670G>A p. (Gly557Glu) in exon 6 and a polymorphism NM_000388.4:c.1192G>A p. (Asp398Asn) in exon 4. The G557E mutation has been previously reported in a Japanese family in which all family members with the mutation had Ca/Cr below 0.01 consistent with FHH. The biochemical profile of FHH and PHPT may overlap. Our FHH patient with a G557E CaSR mutation illustrates that the differential diagnosis can be difficult in an index case with no family history, (false) positive parathyroid imaging and higher calciuria than expected for FHH. Calcium intake, vitamin D status and bone resorption might have contributed to the Ca/Cr variations over a 13-year clinical follow up. This case thus emphasizes the irreplaceable role of genetic testing of the CaSR gene when clinical evaluation is inconclusive., Kateřina Zajíčková, Marcela Dvořáková, Jitka Moravcová, Josef Včelák, David Goltzman., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nickel is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, which has various effects on reproductive endocrinology. In this study, human adrenocortical carcinoma (NCI-H295R) cell line was used as an in vitro biological model to study the effect of nickel chloride (NiCl2) on the viability and steroidogenesis. The cells were exposed to different concentrations (3.90; 7.80; 15.60; 31.20; 62.50; 125; 250 and 500 μM) of NiCl2 and compared with control group (culture medium without NiCl2). The cell viability was measured by the metabolic activity assay. Production of sexual steroid hormones was quantified by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Following 48 h culture of the cells in the presence of NiCl2 a dose-dependent depletion of progesterone release was observed even at the lower concentrations. In fact, lower levels of progesterone were detected in groups with higher doses (≥125 μM) of NiCl2 (P<0.01), which also elicited cytotoxic action. A more prominent decrease in testosterone production (P<0.01) was also noted in comparison to that of progesterone. On the other hand, the release of 17β-estradiol was substantially increased at low concentrations (3.90 to 62.50 μM) of NiCl2. The cell viability remained relatively unaltered up to 125 μM (P>0.05) and slightly decreased from 250 μM of NiCl2 (P<0.05). Our results indicate endocrine disruptive effect of NiCl2 on the release of progesterone and testosterone in the NCI-H295R cell line. Although no detrimental effect of NiCl2 (≤62.50 μM) could be found on 17β-estradiol production, its toxicity may reflect at other points of the steroidogenic pathway., Norbert Lukac, Zsolt Forgacs, Hana Duranova, Tomas Jambor, Jirina Zemanova, Peter Massanyi, Barbara Tombarkiewicz, Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Zuzana Knazicka., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In as early as 1997, the World Health Organization officially recognized obesity as a chronic disease. The current epidemic of obesity and overweightness has aroused great interest in the study of adipose tissue formation. The transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) binds to the target gene promoter regulatory sequences, acting as a key factor in regulating the differentiation of preadipocytes in the adipose tissue, and plays an important role in regulating the adipocyte metabolism. A further understanding of the structure and expression characteristics of PPARγ, in addition to its mechanisms of action in adipocyte differentiation, may be applied to control obesity and prevent obesity-related diseases. In this article, recent studies investigating the effect of regulating PPARγ on adipocyte differentiation are reviewed. In particular, the structural characteristics, expression patterns, and molecular mechanisms of PPARγ function in adipocyte differentiation are considered., Hui Wu, Xiaohua Li, Chunyan Shen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) on heart rate variability (HRV) in rabbits with intensity slightly exceeding the limits for occupations. Totally 21 New Zealand white rabbits divided into two groups were used in this double-blind study. The first group of animals without general anesthesia was subjected to HRV examination under exposure to a device generated RF EMF source (frequency 1788 MHz, intensity 160 V/m, lasting 150 min.). The second group (premedications + α chloralose mg/kg) underwent the same protocol under the exposure to the real RF EMF signal from the base stations of mobile providers (frequency range 1805 - 1870 MHz - corresponding to the downlink signal of Slovak mobile providers, 160 V/m, 150 min., respectively). Individual 5-min records were used to analyze the HRV parameters: heart rate and root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (rMSSD) for time domain analysis and spectral powers in the low (LF-VFS) and high frequency (HF-VFS) bands for frequency domain analysis. Our study revealed the increased in HRV parameters (HF-HRV, rMSSD) associated with lower heart rate indicating increased cardiac vagal control under the exposure to RF EMF in experimental methods., Jakub Misek, Marcel Veterník, Ingrid Tonhajzerova, Viera Jakusova, Ladislav Janousek, Jan Jakus., and Obsahuje bibliografii