Endothelium-dependent relaxation of the aorta was assessed in JCR:LA-corpulent rats, which are hyperphagous, hyperlipidemic, hyperinsulinemic, and obese and spontaneously develop atherosclerotic disease and myocardial lesions. The findings in corpulent rats (6 months of age) were compared with those in age-and sex-matched lean rats. Aortic rings were prepared and mounted in Krebs-Henseleit buff...

BACKGROUND The role of platelet activating factor (PAF) in asthma remains controversial. The priming effect of PAF on leukotriene B4 (LTB4) release, 5-lipoxygenase activity, and intracellular calcium levels in asthmatic neutrophils was examined. METHODS LTB4 and other lipoxygenase metabolites in neutrophils obtained from 17 asthmatic patients and 15 control subjects were measured by reverse p...

Macrophages remove deteriorating cells (those undergoing apoptosis and oxidation) via poly-N-acetyllactosaminyl chains on CD43 caps, a major cell-surface glycoprotein. Unusually high intracellular calcium levels are also deteriorating for cells and tissue. Here we artificially elevated calcium levels in cells and examined the mechanism by which this elevation was resolved by macrophages. Result...

background:   objective: in this study, we supplemented a chemically defined medium with different combinations of selenium, calcium and calcium ionophore concentrations to obtain the best rate of human oocytes maturation, survival, and fertilization.   materials and methods: as an experimental study, three combinations of [selenium (5 μg/ml), calcium (5 μg/ml) and calcium ionophore (1 μg/ml)],...