BACKGROUND Endothelial dysfunction is an early sign of diabetic cardiovascular disease and may contribute to progressive diabetic nephropathy (DN). There is increasing evidence that dysfunction of the endothelial tight junction is a crucial step in the development of endothelial hyperpermeability, but it is unknown whether this occurs in glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs) during the progressi...

BACKGROUND Several factors favour the development of kidney lesions. We examined the role of oxidative stress in the onset of renal alterations that occur in Zucker obese (ZO) fa/fa rats. METHODS Kidney structure, biological data, glycation parameters, advanced glycation end products (AGE), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), circulating antibodies anti-malondialdehyde (MDA)-modi...

Objective: This study investigated the Weibull parameters and 5% fracture probability of direct, indirect composites, and CAD/CAM composites. Material and Methods: Discshaped (12 mm diameter x 1 mm thick) specimens were prepared for a direct composite [Z100 (ZO), 3M-ESPE], an indirect laboratory composite [Ceramage (CM), Shofu], and two CAD/CAM composites [Lava Ultimate (LU), 3M ESPE; Vita En...

Preservatives are a major component of the ophthalmic preparations in multi-dose bottles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effect of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a common preservative used in ophthalmic preparations, on the localization and expression of zonula occludens (ZO)-1 in the rabbit corneal epithelium in vivo. BAC at 0.005%, 0.01%, or 0.02% was topically applied t...

Occludin and 18 distinct members of the claudin family are tetra-span transmembrane proteins that are localized in cell-specific tight junctions (TJs). A previous study showed that expression of chick occludin in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells raised transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and, paradoxically, increased mannitol flux. In the present study, we employed epitope tagged ...

INTRODUCTION Zonulin (ZO), a new diagnostic biomarker of intestinal permeability, was tested in newborns presenting symptoms of infection and/or inflammation of the gut or being at risk of intestinal pathology. MATERIAL AND METHODS Serum ZO was assessed in 81 newborns diagnosed with sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), rotavirus infection, and gastroschisis, also in extremely low gestatio...

The origin of crescent forming cells in human glomerulonephritis (GN) remains unknown. Some animal studies demonstrated that parietal epithelial cells of Bowman's capsule (PECs) were the main component of proliferating cells and PEC-specific tight junction protein claudin-1 was expressed in crescentic lesions. We investigated the expression of claudin-1 in human GN. Immunohistochemistry for cla...

The gastrointestinal epithelial layer forms a physical and biochemical barrier that maintains the segregation between host and intestinal microbiota. The integrity of this barrier is critical in maintaining homeostasis in the body and its dysfunction is linked to a variety of illnesses, especially inflammatory bowel disease. Gut microbes, and particularly probiotic bacteria, modulate the barrie...

A key feature of the ischemic epithelial cell phenotype is the disruption of tight junctions (TJ). In a Manin-Darby canine kidney cell model for ischemia-reperfusion/hypoxia-reoxygenation injury which employs inhibitors of glycolysis (2-deoxy-D-glucose) and oxidative phosphorylation (antimycin A), transepithelial electrical resistance, a measure of TJ integrity, dropped rapidly, correlating wel...

Proteinuria is, not only a hallmark of glomerular disease, but also a contributor to kidney injury. However, its pathogenic mechanism is still elusive. In the present study, the effects of albumin on renal tubular tight junctions and the potential molecular mechanisms of those effects were investigated. In mouse proximal tubular cells (mPTCs), albumin treatment resulted in a significant loss of...