Pathogen recognition and binding are crucial functions of innate immunity. It has been observed that the short pentraxin superfamily including C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P component are pathogen pattern recognition receptors (PRR) in the plasma. We isolated and characterized a novel and distinctive pentraxin from the plasma of horseshoe crab, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, hencef...

Proteinuria is a characteristic of chronic kidney disease and also a causative factor that promotes the disease progression, in part, via activation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS). (Pro)renin receptor (PRR), a newly discovered component of the RAS, binds renin and (pro)renin to promote angiotensin I generation. The present study was performed to test the role of soluble PRR (s...

(Pro)renin receptor (PRR) expression is upregulated in diabetes. We hypothesized that PRR contributes to podocyte injury via activation of Wnt-β-catenin-snail signaling pathway. Mouse podocytes were cultured in normal (5 mM) or high (25 mM) D-glucose for 3 days. Compared to normal glucose, high glucose significantly decreased mRNA and protein expressions of podocin and nephrin, and increased mR...

High glucose reduces autophagy and enhances apoptosis of podocytes. Previously, we reported that high glucose induced podocyte injury through upregulation of the (pro)renin receptor (PRR). We hypothesized that increasing PRR reduces autophagy and increases apoptosis of mouse podocytes exposed to high glucose via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Mouse podocytes were cultured in...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) mediates cardiac and renal fibrosis. Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a proliferative fibromatosis affecting the hands. This study investigated the expression of the RAS in DD. METHODS 3,3-Diaminobenzidine (DAB) and immunofluorescent immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for (pro)renin receptor (PRR), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensin II receptor 1 (A...

Neurons in the parietal reach region (PRR) have been implicated in the sensory-to-motor transformation required for reaching toward visually defined targets. The neurons in each cortical hemisphere might be specifically involved in planning movements of just one limb, or the PRR might code reach endpoints generically, independent of which limb will actually move. Previous work has shown that th...

We previously reported that binding of prorenin to the (pro)renin receptor (PRR) plays a major role in brain angiotensin II formation and the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Here, we designed and developed an antagonistic peptide, PRO20, to block prorenin binding to the PRR. Fluorescently labeled PRO20 bound to both mouse and human brain tissues with dissoci...

The localization and regulation of (pro)renin receptor (PRR) expression in kidney collecting duct cells are not well established. We hypothesized that low salt (LS) contributes to the regulation of PRR expression in these cells via the GSK-3β-NFAT5-sirtuin1 (SIRT-1) signaling pathway. Mouse inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD) cells were treated with NaCl at 130 (normal salt; NS), 63 (LS), o...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Pulsed shortwave diathermy (PSWD) is a form of therapy commonly used to enhance tissue repair and reduce pain. It is normally considered to be an athermal form of treatment; however, there is some evidence to suggest that thermal effects can arise with adequate dosage. The purpose of this study was to determine the pulse repetition rate (PRR) required to generate a 'possi...

BACKGROUND The American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is the first nationally validated, risk-adjusted, outcomes-based program to measure and compare the quality of surgical care across North America. Participation in this program may provide an opportunity to reduce the incidence of adverse events related to surgery. STUDY DESIGN A systematic revi...