Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays an important role in the development and progression of CHF. Many of the important functions of Ang II are mediated by the Ang II type 1 receptor (AT(1)R), including the increase in sympathetic nerve activity in CHF. However, the central regulation of the AT(1)R in the setting of CH...

Both glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and its recently discovered congener, neurturin (NTN), have been shown to exert neuroprotective effects on lesioned nigral dopamine (DA) neurons when administered at the level of the substantia nigra. In the present study, we have explored the relative in vivo potency of these two neurotrophic factors using two alternative routes of admini...

OBJECTIVE We have previously found that chronic hypoxia inhibited thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) mRNA expression in rat paraventricular nucleus (PVN). This study presented the effects of hypoxia on TRH secretion in rat hypothalamus, and the norepinephrine (NE) involvement in the modulation of TRH secretion during acute hypoxia exposure. SETTING AND DESIGN Hypoxia was simulated at altitud...

Repeated mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) may lead to serious neurological consequences, especially if re-injury occurs within the period of increased cerebral vulnerability (ICV) triggered by the initial insult. MRI and blood proteomics might provide objective measures of pathophysiological changes in mTBI, and indicate when the brain is no longer in a state of ICV. This study assessed beh...

INTRODUCTION It is generally assumed that intracranial volume (ICV) remains constant after peaking in early adulthood. Thus ICV is used as a 'proxy' for original brain size when trying to estimate brain atrophy in older people in neuroimaging studies. However, physiological changes in the skull, such as thickening of the frontal inner table, are relatively common in older age and will reduce IC...

Hypertension induced by chronic administration of angiotensin II (AngII) is exacerbated by high-salt intake. Previous studies have demonstrated that this salt-sensitive component is due to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, suggesting an interaction of plasma AngII with sodium-sensitive regions of the brain. This study tested the hypothesis that the salt-sensitive component o...

Intracerebroventricular (icv) infusion of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) was previously found to produce a long-lasting, dose-dependent (0.1-1.0 microgram) increase in the amplitude of the acoustic startle reflex. The present study sought to determine where in the CNS CRF acts to increase startle. Intracisternal infusion of CRF (0.1-1.0 microgram) increased startle with a time course and ...

This study was designed to determine the roles of the sympathetic nervous system, adrenal medulla, and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in mediating pressor and plasma activity (PRA) responses to intraventricularly (ICV) administered prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in conscious rats. The ICV PGE2 elevated blood pressure and caused increases in PRA, plasma AVP, and plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine. The p...

To evaluate the impact of influenza C (ICV) infection in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), all of the children consecutively seen during 4 influenza seasons with respiratory symptoms and radiographically confirmed CAP were prospectively evaluated. ICV was identified in the respiratory secretions of five of 391 patients (1·3%). In children with ICV-associated CAP, clinical data w...

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether brain AT1 receptor stimulation contributes as a hypertensive mechanism to deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Methods: 1) Acute injection: Losartan (1 mg/4 uL) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) was injected into the lateral cerebral ventricle (icv) of conscious control uninephrectomized Wistar rats or rats...