BACKGROUND AND AIM The present study was conducted to examine the effect of activin A on activation of rat pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). METHODS PSCs were prepared from rat pancreas using collagenase digestion and centrifugation with Nycodenz gradient. Activation of PSCs was examined by determining smooth muscle actin expression with western blotting. The presence of activin A receptors i...

A transgenic mouse approach was used to examine the mechanism of principal cell-specific expression of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) within the renal collecting duct. RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry revealed that murine AQP2 was expressed in principal cells in the renal collecting duct, epithelial cells of the vas deferens, and seminiferous tubules within testis. The vas deferens expression was confirmed i...

PURPOSE Progressive rod-cone degeneration (prcd) is an autosomal recessive retinal degeneration of dogs characterized by abnormalities in lipid metabolism. It has recently been mapped to the centromeric region of canine chromosome 9, homologous to human 17q, which contains the apolipoprotein H (apoH, protein; APOH, gene) gene involved in lipid metabolism and regulation of triglycerides. The pre...

BACKGROUND Several physiological adaptations occur in the respiratory muscles in rodent models of elastase-induced emphysema. Although the contractile properties of the diaphragm are altered in a way that suggests expression of slower isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MHC), it has been difficult to demonstrate a shift in MHCs in an animal model that corresponds to the shift toward slower MHCs see...

Previous studies showed that interleukin-6 (IL-6) was expressed in human Leydig and Sertoli cells and that it inhibited sperm motility. The aim of this study was to compare the expression of IL-6, IL-6R, and GP130 in ejaculated spermatozoa between normozoospermic and asthenozoospermic men. Human spermatozoa in the semen were purified by Percoll gradient technique to separate the seminal plasma ...

BACKGROUND Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) has a significant role in primordial germ cells (PGCs) differentiation from mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC). The aim of this study is to determine the best concentration of BMP4 at a time of two days on differentiation PGCs from mESC. MATERIALS AND METHODS To differentiate PGCs, embryoid bodies (EBs) from mESCs were cultured in concentrations of...

Pseudorabies (PR) is one of the most economically important diseases in domestic pigs. Since 2010, Slovenia has been free PR pig population, but disease endemic wild boar which can pose a real threat to pigs and other animal species, including dogs. Between 2006 2020, infections with virus (PRV) were reported two pets three hunting dogs from that found have direct contact or raw pork meat. Typi...

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells are well known for their self-renewal capacity and ability to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. The aim of the study was develop a simple technique isolation mesenchymal from porcine adipose tissue morphometric characteristics cells. Methods: Porcine derived were isolated in vitro by using collagenase type II enzyme. Cell yield viability calculated tr...

SUMMARY We demonstrated enhanced hair regeneration following topical administration of N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-l-homoserine lactone (HSL) in ob/ob mice. The ob/ob mice showed delayed hair regeneration (more than 6 wk) after depilation, which rapidly induced transition to anagen in the hair cycle in wild-type mice. Vehicle and HSL solutions were applied to the depilated dorsal skin of ob/ob mice. Th...