Cellular and molecular neurobiology
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Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. · Sep 2009
Spinal cord transection significantly influences nNOS-IR in neuronal circuitry that underlies the tail-flick reflex activity.
Spinal cord transection interrupts supraspinal input and leads to the development of prominent spasticity. In this study, we investigated the effect of rat spinal cord transection performed at low thoracic level on changes in (i) neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity (nNOS-IR), and (ii) the level of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) protein in the neuronal circuitry that underlies tail-flick reflex. ⋯ These data indicate that transection of the spinal cord significantly influences nNOS-IR in neuronal circuitry that underlies the tail-flick reflex activity.
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Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. · Sep 2009
Serum neuron specific enolase and malondialdehyde in patients after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Sudden cardiac arrest (CA) is a leading cause of death in Europe. The victims of CA need immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Patients resuscitated due to CA have high mortality rate. Prognostic evaluation based on clinical observation is uncertain and would benefit from the use of biochemical markers of hypoxic brain damage. Multiple factors of brain origin can be measured in blood. ⋯ Estimation serum concentrations of NSE but not MDA seems to be a predictor of fate of patients after CA. The exact nature of oxidative stress can only be resolved by further studies.
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Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. · Jul 2009
Differential regulation of CuZnSOD expression in rat brain by acute and/or chronic stress.
Neuroendocrine stress (NES) causes increase of glucocorticoids and alters physiological levels of reactive oxygen species production in cells, which might involve modifications in the antioxidant defense system. We investigated the hypothesis that acute, chronic, or combined stress alters copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) expression pattern at both, mRNA and subcellular protein level in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats and that there may be a relationship between stress-induced corticosterone and CuZnSOD expression. The most effective stress model which led to the most pronounced changes in CuZnSOD expression patterns was also investigated. ⋯ Chronic isolation compromises CuZnSOD protein expression, which may lead to the inefficient defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS). The stress-triggered CuZnSOD protein expression was not correlated by the corresponding mRNA. The results suggest that different stress models exert a different degree of influence on mRNA and protein level of CuZnSOD in both brain structures as well as serum corticosterone.
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Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. · Mar 2009
Dynamic alterations of cerebral pial microcirculation during experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The study aimed to investigate the involvement of cerebral microcirculation turbulence after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Wistar rats were divided into non-SAH and SAH groups. Autologous arterial hemolysate was injected into rat's cisterna magna to induce SAH. ⋯ Decreased flow velocity of venules was found from 5 to 90 min after induction of SAH. Spasm of the basilar artery and increased brain malondialdehyde were also found after SAH. We concluded that cerebral microcirculation turbulence plays an important role in the development of secondary cerebral ischemia following SAH.
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Cell. Mol. Neurobiol. · Nov 2008
Formation of neuromuscular junctions and synthesis of sensory neuropeptides in the co-cultures of dorsal root ganglion and cardiac myocytes.
The interactions between primary sensory neurons and cardiac myocytes are still unclear. In the present study, the co-culture model of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) explant and cardiac myocytes was used to characterize the morphological relationship between primary sensory nerve endings and cardiac myocytes and to investigate whether cardiac myocytes could induce substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) synthesis in DRG neurons and release from DRG neurons in the neuromuscular co-cultures. ⋯ The results implicated that the morphological relationship between sensory nerve terminal and cardiac myocyte is much more close in vitro than it is in vivo. Cardiac myocytes may induce sensory neuropeptide synthesis and capsaicin-evoked neuropeptide release in neuromuscular co-cultures. Further experiment needs to be performed about the significance of neuropeptide synthesis and capsaicin-evoked neuropeptide release induced by target cardiac myocytes.