In this issue of Circulation, Parikh and colleagues1 present an elegant study that lies at the intersection of 2 recent major developments in cardiovascular research—the recognition of the role of microRNAs in normal and abnormal cardiovascular biology, and the introduction of computational systems biology approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of cardiovascular disease. This work provides conv...

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are growth-promoting natural products found at low levels in pollen, seeds, and young vegetative tissues throughout the plant kingdom. Detailed studies of BR biosynthesis and metabolism, coupled with the recent identification of BR-insensitive and BR-deficient mutants, has greatly expanded our view of steroids as signals controlling plant growth and development. This revi...

It is not the purpose of this short review to pro vide another ghost, but rather to point to certain experimental results which suggest that there may be a degree of similarity in the actions of certain of the heterogeneous group of agents which possess unequivocal temporary anticancer activity in ex perimental animals. There is as yet little convincing evidence re garding the mechanisms by whi...

Neurochemical transmission is a fundamental element of brain organisation that has been relatively unexplored in the living human brain. Continuing advances in radionuclide imaging, particularly positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPET), mean that elements of neurochemical transmission can now be directly measured in vivo. With these techniques convincing a...

Many decades of research have produced a significant amount of data showing increased oxidative stress in asthma and indicating a potential role for oxidants in the pathogenesis of the disease, particularly during exacerbations. Putatively relevant pro-oxidative mechanisms have also been identified. Currently available asthma drugs are generally effective for the treatment of the disease, but t...

The presence of a tricarboxylic acid cycle in Penicillium chry8ogenum, as yet, has not been demonstrated conclusively. Ajl (1951) stated that of the mechanisms proposed for oxidation of the 2 carbon fragment in mold metabolism, the evidence for a tricarboxylic acid cycle is the least convincing. This paper presents a study of some of the enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in cell-free prep...

There has been much interest in the mechanisms by which calcium may attenuate weight gain or accelerate body fat loss. This review focuses on postprandial energy metabolism and indicates that dietary calcium increases whole body fat oxidation after single and multiple meals. There is, as yet, no conclusive evidence for a greater diet induced thermogenesis, an increased lipolysis or suppression ...

The site of neurological damage causing paralysis after electrical trauma remains to be clarified. A patient is described who developed a flaccid tetraplegia after a high voltage electrical injury. The findings on initial examination and neurophysiological investigation showed a very severe generalised sensory-motor polyneuropathy. His subsequent follow up over 60 months showed a remarkable deg...

Left atrial (LA) structural and functional remodeling reflects a spectrum of pathophysiological changes that have occurred in response to specific stressors. These changes include alterations at the levels of ionic channels, cellular energy balance, neurohormonal expression, inflammatory response, and physiologic adaptations. There is convincing evidence demonstrating an important pathophysiolo...

The population of elderly individuals has increased significantly over the past century and is predicted to rise even more rapidly in the future. Ageing is a major risk factor for many diseases such as neurodegenerative disease, diabetes and cancer. This highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms involved in the ageing process. One plausible mechanism for ageing is accumulation o...