The long-term two-bottle choice test is commonly used as a simple screen to examine the acceptance of taste solutions by rodents. As part of an investigation of factors influencing the sensitivity of the two-bottle choice test, we determined the extent to which test duration influenced test sensitivity. C57BL6/J and 129X1/SvJ mice received four series of eight two-bottle tests, with each test l...

Renal tubular cell apoptosis is a significant component of obstruction-induced renal injury, and it results in a progressive loss in renal parenchymal mass during renal obstruction. Although IL-18 is an important mediator of inflammatory renal disease and renal fibrosis, its role in obstruction-induced renal tubular cell apoptosis remains unclear. To study this, male C57BL6 wild-type mice and C...

We describe a new, simple immobilization protocol designed to induce muscle atrophy in lower hindlimb muscles in mice. Hindlimbs of C57BL6 mice were unilaterally immobilized for 7 days. Morphological analysis revealed that immobilization resulted in a significant reduction in muscle fiber size in both the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and tibialis anterior (TA). By contrast, no significant ch...

Amperometric studies have indicated that substance P as well as NMDA stimulates release of NO in rat aortic rings. These data have been confirmed by functional observations of vaso-relaxant action of NMDA within noradrenaline pre-contracted aortic rings, supporting the presence of NMDA receptor in rat aortic rings. It is known that the enzyme endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) mediates vasodilatati...

Studies of atrial electrophysiology (EP) in rodents are challenging, and available data are sparse. Herein, we utilized a novel type of bipolar electrode to evaluate the atrial EP of rodents through small lateral thoracotomy. In anesthetized rats and mice, we attached two bipolar electrodes to the right atrium and a third to the right ventricle. This standard setup enabled high-resolution EP st...

In a newly developed conceptual model of stressful social decision-making, the Stress-Alternatives Model (SAM; used for the 1st time in mice) elicits two types of response: escape or remain submissively. Daily (4d) aggressive social interaction in a neutral arena between a C57BL6/N test mouse and a larger, novel aggressive CD1 mouse, begin after an audible tone (conditioned stimulus; CS). Altho...