Wnt-1, a putative signaling molecule, is required before the 7 somite stage (E8.5) for the development of midbrain structures in the mouse. We show here that Wnt-1 is also needed for the formation of a boundary between the mesencephalic and metencephalic domains of the neural tube. In embryos homozygous for the Wnt-1sw allele, mesencephalic and metencephalic markers fail to segregate and the es...

Neural crest cells of vertebrate embryos disperse on distinct pathways and produce different derivatives in specific embryonic locations. In the trunk of avian embryos, crest-derived cells that initially migrate on the lateral pathway, between epidermal ectoderm and somite, produce melanocytes but no neuronal derivatives. Although we found that melanocyte precursors are specified before they di...

The development of the vertebrate nervous system depends upon striking a balance between differentiating neurons and neural progenitors in the early embryo. Our findings suggest that the homeodomain-containing gene Xdbx regulates this balance by maintaining neural progenitor populations within specific regions of the neuroectoderm. In posterior regions of the Xenopus embryo, Xdbx is expressed i...

Objective: Assessment of functional recovery of neural stem cells (NSCs) and (-)-deprenyl, in a contusive spinal cord injury model in rats. Materials and Methods: A total of 24 female Sprague Dawley rats were randomly, but equally (n=6), allocated into the following groups: control, sham, NSC graft and NSC graft + (-)-deprenyl. All animals were laminectomized at the T13 level. Contusion was per...

Background: Delayed graft function is a main complication after deceased donor kidney transplantation that adversely affects graft outcome. Difficulties in prediction and early detection of delayed graft function have hindered the ability to perform proper therapeutic interventions. We investigated whether measuring urinary interleukin 18 and neutrophi...

abstract background: keratoconus is a bilateral corneal disease, which one way to cure it is to transplant. the transplantation may be rejected by recipient's immune system, which leads to failure of the graft. this study aimed to analysis the factors affecting bilateral corneal graft rejection based on copula function. methods: a sample of bilateral graft rejection times was assessed. since co...

Background: Peripheral vascular injury associated with lower limb trauma is a well-known emergency. The experience for the management of popliteal artery trauma have mainly come from managing the traumas of military personnels during Iran-Iraq war. The present study compared the effects of two currently-used surgical techniques in the management of popliteal trauma, namley femoropopliteal bypas...

Lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery have opened a new therapeutic era for patients with advanced emphysema. In addition to providing impressive clinical benefits, they have helped us better understand how the chest wall and respiratory muscles adapt to chronic hyperinflation. This article reviews the effects of these procedures on respiratory muscle and chest wall function. I...