The tau deposits found in neurodegenerative diseases are classified based on their isoforms, that is, 3-repeat (3R) tau and 4-repeat (4R) tau. These isoforms are distinguishable using the antibodies RD3 and RD4, respectively, and Gallyas (Gal) and Campbell-Switzer (CS) silver staining methods, respectively. Tau is also deposited in cerebral infarcts. To characterize the tau profile in these les...

The aim of this study was to obtain the genotype and gene frequency from parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and then assess the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of genotype frequency of the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) III exon of the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene. The genotypes of the III exon of 48 bp VNTR repeats of the DRD4 gene were determined by ...

Tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, some cases of frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal degeneration and progressive supranuclear palsy, are characterized by aggregates of the microtubule-associated protein tau, which are linked to neuronal death and disease development and can be caused by mutations in the MAPT gene. Six tau isoforms are present in the adult human brain and they differ b...

Central melanocortin signaling plays an important role in regulation of energy homeostasis by leptin and insulin. We investigated the interaction between leptin, insulin, and melanocortin-4 receptors (MC-4Rs) in the control of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in mice. We compared the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of leptin, insulin, MC-3/4R agonist (MTII), and c...

BACKGROUND The mechanisms by which viruses cause asthma exacerbations are not precisely known. Previously, we showed that, in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and -challenged mice with allergic airway inflammation, rhinovirus (RV) infection increases type 2 cytokine production from alternatively-activated (M2) airway macrophages, enhancing eosinophilic inflammation and airways hyperresponsiveness. In...

We used T cell-antigen-presenting cell (APC) combinations from two pairs of recombinant mouse strains, B10.A(4R)-B10.A(2R) and B10.S(7R)-B10.S(9R) (abbreviated 4R, 2R, 7R, 9R, respectively), which differ from each other only in the nonexpression vs. expression of cell-surface E molecules, to study the mechanism of the Ir gene-controlled (E-restricted) response to the terpolymer poly(glu51lys34t...

4-Methylaminorex is a stimulant drug of abuse that exists as four stereoisomers: cis-4R,5S, cis-4S,5R, trans-4S,5S, and trans-4R,5R. These isomers have previously been shown to differ markedly in various respects. In the present study we assessed the effects of the isomers of 4-methylaminorex (2.5, 5.0, and 10 mg/kg i.p.) on extracellular dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels in the nu...

The requirement for IL-4 to promote differentiation of naive CD4(+) T cells into T(h)2 effector cell populations was established by classical in vitro studies. More recent in vivo data, however, indicate that signaling through the IL-4R is not essential for acquisition of the T(h)2 phenotype. In order to reconcile these seemingly contradictory conclusions, we have taken advantage of the ability...

A reaction of methyl (4R,5R)-4,5-epoxy-2(E)-hexenoate 1 with N-benzylmethylamine gave a diastereomerically pure methyl (4R,5R)-4,5-epoxy-(3S)-N-benzylmethylamino hexanoate 6 and methyl (4S,5R)-4-N-benzyl-methylamino-5-hydroxy-2(E)-hexenoate 7. The former was chemoenzymatically converted to (-)-osmundalactone 11, which is an aglycone of osmundalin. On the other hand, the directly conjugated addi...

The chemical investigation of the organic extract of Canistrocarpus cervicornis, collected at Drunken Man's Cay at Port Royal, Jamaica, has led to the isolation of two new dolastane diterpenes 4R-acetoxy-8S,9S-epoxy-14S-hydroxy-7-oxodolastane (1) and 4R-hydroxy-8S,9S-epoxy-14S-hydroxy-7-oxodolastane (2) and the previously isolated dolastane (4R,9S,14S)-4,9,14-trihydroxydolast-1(15),7-diene (3) ...