BACKGROUND The metabolic syndrome is associated with increased angiotensin II activity, induction of a proinflammatory and oxidative state, and endothelial dysfunction. We evaluated the ability of irbesartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, and lipoic acid, an antioxidant, to affect endothelial function and inflammation in patients with the metabolic syndrome. METHODS AND RESULTS We randomiz...

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, a major rate-limiting enzyme for fatty acid synthesis, is subject to acute regulation by both allosteric modulation and covalent enzyme phosphorylation. Because citrate activation of the enzyme in vitro requires citrate concentrations far in excess of intracellular levels, we have attempted to identify other ligands which might mediate carboxylase activity. Heated liver ...

PURPOSE To examine the effect of two retinoids, all-trans-retinoic acid (tretinoin) and all-trans-9-(4-methoxy-2,3,6- trimethylphenyl)-3,7-dimethyl- 2,4,6,8-nonatetraenoic acid (acitretin) on the production of plasminogen activators and plasminogen activator inhibitors by human retinal pigment epithelial cells in culture. METHODS Cultures of human retinal pigment epithelial cells were incubat...

Nowadays, the most common ways to dispose of acid tars and paper production waste are burial or incineration, but it is ecologically economically expedient use such in building materials. A new variant filler aggregate—wastepaper sludge ash (paper waste) a chemical activator for aggregates—acid tar (oil-refining industry proposed. Elemental mineralogical compositions wastepaper comparison with ...

Simultaneous treatment of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) leads to strikingly synergistic stimulation of mitogenesis. The purpose of this study was to explore potential sites for signal integration mediating synergism, focusing on extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and transcription factors involved in prolifera...

In previous studies we have shown that the activation of bovine heart cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase by purified protein activator is completely dependent on the presence of Ca2+ and that the protein activator Ca2+ complex is probably the true activator for the enzyme (Teo, T.S. and Wang, J.H. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 5930-5955). More recent studies have led us to believe that the mechan...

Tissue plasminogen activator binds to endothelial cells via the calcium-regulated phospholipid-binding protein annexin II, an interaction that is inhibited by the prothrombotic amino acid homocysteine. We sought to identify the tissue plasminogen activator binding domain of annexin II and to determine the mechanism of its modulation by homocysteine. Tissue plasminogen activator binding to immob...

In this study, we examined the effects of various plasminogen activators on arachidonic acid release and prostacyclin biosynthesis in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells and bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Prostacyclin was the major product formed from arachidonic acid in aortic smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. When intact cells were incubated with streptokinase, one of...

The anticancer effects of retinoids are mainly mediated by two classes of nuclear receptors, the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), which are encoded by three distinct genes (a, b, and g). Recent studies have demonstrated that RARb plays a critical role in mediating anticancer effects of retinoids. However, how RARb exerts its potent anticancer effects remains large...