Both acquired and inherited genetic factors contribute to excessive alcohol consumption and the corresponding development of addiction. Here we show that the genetic deficiency in neprilysin [NEP] did not change the kinetics of alcohol degradation but led to an increase in alcohol intake in mice in a 2-bottle-free-choice paradigm after one single stress stimulus (intruder). A repetition of such...

Aminopeptidase N (APN/CD13) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP/CD10) are enzymes present in human sperm cells and involved in regulation of sperm motility of noncapacitated spermatozoa. We investigated the involvement of APN/CD13 and NEP/CD10 in motility and in kinematic parameters of human capacitated spermatozoa. Sperm cells isolated by a discontinuous Percoll gradient (40%-80%) followed up by sw...

BACKGROUND Neutrophils in unstable atherosclerotic lesions have not received much consideration, despite accumulating evidence suggesting a link between systemic inflammation and acute coronary syndromes. METHODS AND RESULTS Coronary artery segments were obtained at autopsy from 13 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI); 8 had a ruptured and 5 an eroded plaque. Patients (n=45) who ha...

OBJECTIVE Catastrophizing may be a negative predictor of pain-related outcomes. We evaluated the impact of catastrophizing upon success of first-line pharmacotherapy in the management of neuropathic pain (NeP) due to peripheral polyneuropathy. METHODS Patients with confirmed NeP with NeP Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain severity score ≥4 (0-10 scale) completed the Coping Strategies Questionnair...

Interannual variation in plant phenology can lead to major modifications in the interannual variation of net ecosystem production (NEP) and net biome production (NBP) as a result of recent climate change in croplands. Continuous measurements of carbon flux using the eddy covariance technique were conducted in two winter wheat and summer maize double-cropped croplands during 2003-2012 in Yucheng...

The plastid genome of higher plants is transcribed by two different types of RNA polymerases named nucleus encoded RNA polymerase (NEP) and plastid encoded RNA polymerase. Plastid encoded RNA polymerase is a multimeric enzyme comparable to eubacterial RNA polymerases. NEP enzymes represent a small family of monomeric phage-type RNA polymerases. Dicotyledonous plants harbor three different phage...

Toxin A (TxA) of Clostridium difficile induces acute inflammation of the intestine initiated by release of substance P (SP) and activation of the neurokinin-1 receptor. However, the mechanisms that terminate this response are unknown. We determined whether the SP-degrading enzyme neutral endopeptidase (NEP, EC 3.4.24.11) terminates TxA-induced enteritis. We used both genetic deletion and pharma...

In previous studies, we demonstrated that pulmonary neuroendocrine cell (PNEC) hyperplasia in hamsters treated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) plus 65% hyperoxia (DEN/O2) reflects predominantly neuroendocrine cell differentiation. Several peptides implicated in non-neoplastic PNEC hyperplasia are hydrolyzed by CD10/neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (CD10/NEP), an enzyme known to downregulate neurogenic...

Bombesin-like peptides (BLPs) are mitogens for bronchial epithelial cells and small cell lung carcinomas, and increase fetal lung growth and maturation in utero and in organ cultures. BLPs are hydrolyzed by the enzyme CD10/neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (CD10/NEP) which is expressed in bronchial epithelium and functions to inhibit BLP-mediated growth of small cell lung carcinomas. To determine whe...

the aim of this research was to investigate this research was to investigate the relationship between agricultural information system (ais) members' viewpoint towards organic products and their environmental in central district of boyer- ahmad county. the research population included researchers, extension agents and contact farmers of the study area and based on this population numbers, t...