The transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cell 5 (NFAT5) is activated by the stress of hypertonicity (e.g., high NaCl). Increased expression of NFAT5 target genes causes accumulation of protective organic osmolytes and heat shock proteins. Under normotonic conditions (∼300 mosmol/kgH(2)O), NFAT5 is distributed between the nucleus and cytoplasm, hypertonicity causes it to translocat...

The activity of amino acid transport system A (Oxender and Christensen, 1963) is regulated in a variety of different ways, the best studied being the increases of its activity caused by starving cells of amino acids or by exposing them to hypertonicity (for review see McGivan and Pastor-Anglada, 1994). Recently, López-Fontanals et al. (2003) reported in the Journal of General Physiology that hy...

Media made hyperosmotic with sucrose increase the frequency of spontaneously released quanta of transmitter, or miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials (MEPSPs). In calcium-free medium, depolarization with high potassium reduces the MEPSP frequency, presumably due to calcium efflux in the reversed gradient condition. This effect of depolarization is blocked by cobalt, supporting the above ...

A 2760 g female infant was born at term to a gravida 6 para 5 mother after a normal pregnancy with no history of exposure to alcohol , teratogens , or ionizing radiation. Abnormal findings on physical examination were slight hypertonicity , respiratory distress in room air, and microcephaly (head circumference < -3 SD). The hard palate was intact. The anterior and posterior fontanelles were sma...