Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a primary mediator of endocrine, autonomic and behavioral stress responses. Studies in both humans and animal models have implicated CRF in a wide-variety of psychiatric conditions including anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, sleep disorders and addiction among others. The central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), a ...

The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) systems are both implicated in stress-related behaviors and drug dependence. Although previous studies suggest that antagonism of each system blocks aspects of experimental models of drug dependence, the possible interaction between these systems at the neuronal level has not been completely examined. We used an in vitro b...

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is associated with a decrease in intestinal drug metabolism. The mechanisms remain poorly understood, but one hypothesis involves a reduction in cytochrome P450 levels. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CRF on intestinal cytochrome P450. Two groups of rats were defined, i.e., rats with CRF (induced by 5/6 nephrectomy) and control pair-fed rats. Total cyt...

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling pathways are involved in the stress response, and there is growing evidence supporting hair growth inhibition of murine hair follicle in vivo upon stress exposure. We investigated whether the blockade of CRF receptors influences the development of hair loss in CRF over-expressing (OE)-mice that display phenotypes of Cushing's syndrome and chronic s...

PURPOSE Use a proposed case-definition approach to identify the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF), demographic, clinical and psychosocial predictors of subsequent CRF, and psychosocial factors associated with concurrent CRF. PATIENTS AND METHODS Women (n = 288) undergoing adjuvant therapy for early-stage breast cancer were recruited from two outpatient clinics. Women completed a base...

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a central role in neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune, and behavioral responses to stressors. We analyzed the proximal promoters of two Xenopus laevis CRF genes and found them to be remarkably conserved with mammalian CRF genes. We found several conserved cis elements in the frog CRF genes including a cAMP response element (CRE), activator protein 1 bind...

One-time fertilization with controlled-released fertilizer (CRF) is a promising way for reducing labor cost, increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and alleviating environmental pollution in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivation. However, CRF release characteristics are related to various factors such as soil properties, temperature precipitation, further study needed developing sui...

The dorsolateral pontine inhibitory area (PIA) and medial medullary reticular formation (MMRF) have been found to mediate the muscle atonia of REM sleep. Our previous studies have shown that acetylcholine (ACh) microinjection in the PIA and in the nucleus paramedianus of the medial medulla produces muscle atonia. Glutamate microinjection in both PIA and nucleus magnocellularis (NMC) of the medi...

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)-related peptides exhibit different affinity for the receptor subtypes 1 and 2 cloned in the rat brain. We investigated, in conscious rats, the effects of intracisternal (IC) injection of CRF (rat/human) on the 5-h rate of gastric emptying of a solid nutrient meal (Purina chow and water ad libitum for 3 h) and the CRF receptor subtype involved. CRF, urotensin...

Functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are common gastrointestinal (GI) diseases; however, there is frequent overlap between FD and IBS patients. Emerging evidence links the activation of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) receptors with stress-related alterations of gastric and colonic motor function. Therefore, we investigated the effect of peripheral CRF peptide and w...