Long-term effect of norepinephrine on iodide uptake in FRTL-5 cells

The sympathetic nervous system plays a role in the regulation of thyroid function. In FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells, norepinephrine (NE) acutely depresses intracellular I- by increasing I- efflux. The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of NE on iodide transport after a longer time period. NE inhibited the ability of thyrotropin (TSH) to induce iodide uptake by FRTL-5 cells after 48 or 72 hours, but not after 24 hours. The effect of NE was more evident with increasing concentrations of TSH. NE did not modify the rate of I- efflux. Inhibition was associated with a decrease in the Vmax and no change in the Km for iodide influx. To determine if this was a generalized effect of NE on thyroid cell membrane, the uptake of alpha-aminoisobutyric acid (a nonmetabolizable aminoacid) and of 2-deoxyglucose was measured. NE did not inhibit TSH stimulation of the uptake of the two compounds. NE inhibited the action of dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) on iodide uptake in a similar manner to TSH, but did not alter the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels increased by TSH. The effects of different adrenoreceptor agonists and antagonists demonstrated that norepinephrine acts through an alpha1-adrenergic receptor.     

The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) does not produce discriminative stimulus effects similar to ethanol

Three key aspects of Florence Nightingale remarkable life are examine. First, the influence during her formative years: the education and guidance provided by her father, the resistance by her family when she decided to become a nurse; and the rejection by Nightingale of the societal expectations of a woman in the Victorian era. Secondly, her professional life is examined, in particular how she appears to have been viewed by certain members of society, and how it turn she viewed them. It is anticipated that her position as an early feminist will be postulated and illuminated. Thirdly, an analysis of her personal and professional life indicates a way forward for the nursing profession.     

The First Professional Degree: A Historic Opportunity

Historically, ASCE has worked to develop civil engineering (CE) education to ensure that the profession is continuously strengthened. Based on recent events, ASCE is poised to lead CE education into the twenty-first century. Of specific interest in this regard is the recent support shown by the Board of Direction for the master's as the first professional degree (FPD) for CE practice. To understand the ramifications of the board's policy statement, it is necessary to grasp the evolution of the FPD concept as well as undergraduate engineering curricular reform in general. Examining the shape of past debate opens a window onto the board's historic policy statement, which in turn helps illuminate the future course of action. Moreover, the writers contend that significant educational reform is necessary for CE to confront the changing, competitive global marketplace. Accordingly, three possible models to implement the FPD are explored: (1) Current master's degree programs; (2) 150-credit hour requirement used by accountancy; and (3) professional school.     

Fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery imaging: first experience with a 3D version in epilepsy

Breast reconstruction has been the subject of many controversies. It now seems generally agreed however that the operation has no deleterious influence on the follow up of breast cancer patients and that it has favorable psychologic effects. Breast reconstruction can be performed either by using prostheses or analogous tissues. These two different modalities have each their own advantages and limitations. Deep knowledge of the techniques and their indications allows to select the most appropriate approach in the individual patient and, thus, to improve long term results.     

Scorpion toxins: tools for studying K+ channels

Over the last period of time, a large number of scorpion toxins have been characterized. These peptidyl inhibitors of K+ channels have been very useful as probes for determining the molecular architecture of these channels, for purifying channels from native tissue and determining their subunit composition, for developing the pharmacology of K+ channels, and for determining the physiologic role that K+ channels play in target tissues. The large knowledge that we have developed regarding K+ channel function would not have been possible without the discovery of these peptidyl inhibitors. It is expected that as more novel peptides are discovered, our understanding of K+ channel structure and function will be further enhanced.     

Organization of direct hippocampal efferent projections to the cerebral cortex of the rhesus monkey: projections from CA1, prosubiculum, and subiculum to the temporal lobe

This study investigates direct hippocampal efferent projections to the temporal lobe of the rhesus monkey. Tritiated amino acid injections were placed into the hippocampal formation to identify terminal fields, and complementary fluorescent retrograde tracer injections were placed into the cortex to identify the cells of origin. Tritiated amino acid injections into CA1, prosubicular, or subicular subfields produced anterograde label over parts of the parahippocampal gyrus and temporal pole. Injections of fluorescent retrograde tracers demonstrated that these projections originate from longitudinal strips of neurons that occupy part of the CA1 subfield as well as from strips of neurons in adjacent prosubicular and subicular subfields. Thus, an injection into area TH of the posterior parahippocampal gyrus labeled neurons in a longitudinal strip of proximal CA1 (i.e., near CA2) as well as a strip in the subiculum; injections into areas TF, TL, 35, or Pro labeled neurons in a longitudinal strip of distal CA1 (i.e., near the prosubiculum) as well as one in the prosubiculum; and an injection into area TFO labeled neurons in a longitudinal strip in the middle of CA1. These strips of neurons extended longitudinally throughout the entire rostrocaudal length of the hippocampus. These results demonstrate that, in the monkey, CA1 projections to cortex arise topographically from longitudinally oriented strips of neurons that occupy only a part of the transverse extent of CA1 but that cover most of the anteroposterior extent of the hippocampus. Thus, in the monkey, CA1 is not a single uniform entity and may have a unique role as a source of direct hippocampal projections to the cerebral cortex.     

Growth factor regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins (IGFBP) and preadipocyte differentiation in porcine stromal-vascular cell cultures

The influence of anti-IGF-1 and anti-transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) neutralizing antibodies on preadipocyte differentiation and secretion of IGFBPs was examined in serum free porcine stromal-vascular cultures. Cultures were stained for morphological analysis and conditioned media were collected for: TGF-beta determination by ELISA, IGF-1 by RIA, and IGFBP analysis by ligand blotting. After 6 d of treatment, anti-TGF-beta increased fat proportions by 2.7 fold compared to controls. Anti-IGF-1 decreased fat cell proportions by 14-fold. Anti-TGF-beta increased concentrations of IGF-1 5.8-fold and IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 by 8- and 7-fold in conditioned media whereas IGFBP-4 decreased 5-fold. Anti-IGF-1 increased concentrations of IGFBP-2 and 3 by 9- and 35-fold, respectively. TGF-beta increased concentrations of IGFBP-1, 2 and 3 by 3-fold, 18-fold and 3-fold, respectively, after 9 d in culture (6 d of treatment). There was no change in TGF-beta levels in anti-IGF-1 treated cultures compared to controls. Control antibodies and negative controls had no effect. These results provide evidence that endogenously produced IGF-1 and TGF-beta has a major influence on preadipocyte differentiation in serum free media by modulating IGFBP production/secretion.     

Disposition of the bromosulfophthalein-glutathione conjugate in the isolated perfused rat kidney

Renal elimination of the bromosulfophthalein-glutathione conjugate (BSP-GSH) after its i.v. administration in the rat in vivo is negligible. In our study we wanted to establish whether the high albumin-binding of BSP-GSH constitutes the major restrictive factor toward the urinary excretion of the compound. The renal disposition of BSP-GSH was studied in the isolated rat kidney during perfusions with or without albumin in the perfusate. The urinary clearance of BSP-GSH in the absence of albumin was very low (< 60 microliters/min) as compared to the inulin clearance (approximately 300 microliters/min). This indicates that albumin-binding is not the major reason for the low urinary clearance of BSP-GSH. Addition of albumin to the perfusate further decreased the urinary excretion by 60%. BSP-GSH is metabolized by the kidney into two major metabolites: the cysteinylglycine conjugate and the di-glutathione conjugate. Both metabolites appear in perfusate, which suggests that BSP-GSH undergoes tubular (re-)uptake. The di-glutathione conjugate is further metabolized to the di-cysteinylglycine conjugate. The di-glutathione conjugate and the di-cysteinylglycine conjugate are the major urinary components and the urinary elimination of BSP-GSH may depend on their formation. Inhibition of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity with acivicin largely prevented the degradation to the cysteinylglycine and dicysteinylglycine conjugates of BSP. The total rate of urinary excretion, however, was only slightly lowered by acivicin. Apparently, cleavage of the gamma-glutamyl moiety is not relevant for the total urinary elimination of BSP-GSH.