We investigated the role(s) of monoamine oxidases (MAOs) on the altered 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin)-induced tension development of the isolated umbilical artery of preeclamptic pregnancy of ...Chinese women. An enhanced 5-HT-induced tension development of the umbilical artery of preeclamptic pregnancy was observed when compared with that of normal pregnancy. The enhanced component of 5-HT-induced tension development was eradicated by clorgyline (a MAO-A inhibitor). Blockade of eNOS (endothelial isoform nitric oxide synthase) (
N
ω-nitro-
l-arginine methyl ester), 5-HT transporter (citalopram), 5-HT receptor subtypes (5HT
2B, SB 204741; 5-HT
2C, RS 102221; 5-HT
7, SB 269970), and endothelium denudation of the umbilical artery of normal pregnancy mimicked the enhanced 5-HT-induced tension development as observed in the preeclamptic tissues. In contrast, no apparent changes in 5-HT-induced tension development of the umbilical artery of preeclamptic pregnancy were observed with the same pharmacological manipulations. A decreased protein expression levels of MAO-A and eNOS (no iNOS and MAO-B expression was detected) and no change in caveolin-1 and 5-HT transporter expression were demonstrated in the umbilical artery (endothelium intact) lysate of preeclamptic pregnancy, compared to that of the umbilical artery of normal pregnancy. Thus, in the umbilical artery of preeclamptic pregnancy, a decrease of MAO-A and eNOS protein expression levels are probably associated with, or responsible for, the exaggerated 5-HT-induced tension development.
Occlusion of the celiac, superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric artery has been studied in 46 patients treated by operation. The condition was acute and was caused by embolic obstruction of the ...superior mesenteric artery in four cardiac patients and detachment of the inferior mesenteric artery in two patients during removal of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms. The condition was chronic and involved two or all three of the vessels in 40 patient. Embolic obstruction caused severe abdominal pain but few physical signs early in the process,, but the picture of an acute abdomen indicating bowel gangrene developed in a few hours. Ischemia from inferior mesenteric detachment was observed at operation. Patients with chronic obstruction had abdominal pain, weight loss, and diarrhea. Patients with embolic obstruction were treated successfully by embolectomy, and patients developing intraoperative sigmoid ischemia were treated by reattachment of inferior mesenteric arteries to aortic graft. Various procedures were employed in patients with chronic multiple obstruction. However, graft bypass using Dacron tubing was preferable because of its simplicity and because the frequently (48%) associated occlusive disease and aneurysm of the distal aorta were treated at the same time. Confining operation to the abdomen significantly reduced the magnitude of operation and eliminated risks in this age group. Of the 46 patients, 91% survived and were relieved of their symptoms despite associated disease. The 5-year survival rate in this group of patients was 62%.
This paper demonstrates the application of projection photolithography, using a standard commercial microscope, for the generation of masters for soft lithography. The procedure is rapid and ...convenient and produces features smaller in size (as small as 0.6 μm) than those available from other methods of rapid prototyping, albeit over a limited area (∼4 × 104 μm2 per exposure). A transparency photomask (prepared using high-resolution printing) is inserted into the light path of the microscope and projected through the microscope objective onto a photoresist-coated substrate. Features on the order of 1 μm can be produced routinely over the area of sharp focus (a circle of radius r ≅ 100 μm with a 100× objective) by this method without modification or precise calibration of the microscope. The microscope platform also provides two other useful functions, both characteristic of commercial steppers: step-and-repeat exposures and pattern alignment. The developed photoresist is used as a master for the fabrication of stamps and replica molds for soft lithography. These elements are used in demonstrations of fabrication of microstructures with feature sizes in the range from 1 to 10 μm. Although the technique is limited in the area it can produce in a single exposure, it can fabricate many kinds of structures useful in chemistry, biology, and materials science.
The Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS) package on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission to Mercury is composed of two sensors, the ...Energetic Particle Spectrometer (EPS) and the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS). EPS measures the energy, angular, and compositional distributions of the high-energy components of the in situ electrons (>20 keV) and ions (<5 keV/nucleon), while FIPS measures the energy, angular, and compositional distributions of the low-energy components of the ion distributions (>50 eV/charge to 20 keV/charge). Both EPS and FIPS have very small footprints, and their combined mass (~3 kg) is significantly lower than that of comparable instruments.
Inorganic phosphate (Pi) plays a key role in diverse physiological functions. Recently, considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the function and regulation of the brain-specific ...sodium-dependent inorganic phosphate transporter 1 (NPT1), which is found to exist principally in cerebrum and cerebellum. The potential importance of Pi as a novel signaling molecule and the poor prognosis of diverse neurodegenerative diseases that involve brain-specific NPT1 have prompted us to define the pathways by which Pi affects mouse brain growth. A high phosphate diet caused an increase in serum Pi accompanied by a decrease in calcium, and a decrease in body weight coupled with a decreased relative weight of cerebellum. A high phosphate diet caused a significant increase in protein expression of NPT1, both in cerebrum and cerebellum. Additionally, the high phosphate diet increased Homo sapiens v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (Akt) phosphorylation at Ser473 in cerebrum and cerebellum, whereas suppression of Akt phosphorylation at Thr308 was observed only in cerebellum. Selective suppression of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-binding protein (eIF4E-BP1) in cerebrum was induced by high levels of Pi, which induced cap-dependent and cap-independent protein translation in cerebrum and cerebellum, respectively. Phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) in comparison with that of ERK2 was significantly reduced in both cerebrum and cerebellum. High levels of Pi reduced protein expressions of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cyclin D1 in cerebrum and cerebellum. In conclusion, the results indicate that high dietary Pi can perturb normal brain growth, possibly through Akt-ERK signaling in developing mice.
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