Testosterone is considered a potent anabolic agent in skeletal muscle with well-established role adolescent growth and development males. However, the of testosterone regulation mass function throughout lifespan has yet to be fully established. While some studies suggest that important for maintenance mass, an understanding this hormone plays young, adult, old males normal low serum levels lack...

Blood brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and neuroinflammation are key events in ischemic stroke morbidity and mortality. The present study investigated the effects of mast cell deficiency and stabilization on BBB breakdown and neutrophil infiltration in mice after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo). Adult male C57BL6/J wild type (WT) and mast cell-deficient (C57BL6/J Kit(Wsh/Wsh) (W...

Microalgae from the freshwater basins and seas are a valuable source of broad-spectrum biologically active substances that can affect cells immune system their functional state. Cytokines involved in all vital processes proceeding living (proliferation, maturation, differentiation, apoptosis/ necrosis). A study was performed order to assess effects standard food formula for experimental animals...

Mice deficient for the mouse telomerase RNA (mTR-/-) and lacking telomerase activity can only be bred for approximately six generations due to decreased male and female fertility and to an increased embryonic lethality associated with a neural tube closure defect. Although late generation mTR-/- mice show defects in the hematopoietic system, they are viable to adulthood, only showing a decrease...

Visceral adipose tissue (AT) inflammation is linked to the complications of obesity, including insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes. Recent data from our lab showed that germline deficiency in STAT4 reduces inflammation and improves IR in obese mice. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of selective STAT4 deficiency in subsets of hematopoietic cells to IR and AT ...

Coccidioides posadasii causes coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, in the endemic regions of the Southwestern United States. The susceptibility to C. posadasii infection has been attributed to a decreased Th1 cellular response. APCs, especially dendritic cells (DCs), play an important role in the activation of Th1 response. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of a DC-based vaccine again...

Adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ADSC) potentially differentiate into various cell types similar to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSC). Unlike BMSC, ADSC can be harvested easily and repeatedly. However, the advantages of ADSC for cell transplantation in liver disease remain unclear. To investigate this, we developed a novel culture system for ADSC, as well as effective me...

METHODS. Retinal oxygenation response ( PO2) was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and either carbogen or 100% oxygen inhalation challenge in C57BL/6J control (C) mice. Retinal PO2 during carbogen breathing was also measured in PKC knockout (C57BL6-Prkcb1; [KO]), 4 month C57BL/6J diabetic (D), and 4-month diabetic PKC KO (D KO) mice. Retinal PKC protein expression was a...

Background Oxidative stress (OS), the production of free oxygen radicals caused by for instance renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), results in age associated diseases and accelerated aging. We have shown that preoperative fasting in young-lean C57BL6 male mice protects against renal IRI [1]. Since human patients are usually older and suffer from (co)morbidities, we investigated the effects...