BACKGROUND Vitamin D is involved in brain physiology and lower-extremity function. We investigated spectroscopy in a cohort of older adults to explore the hypothesis that lower vitamin D status was associated with impaired neuronal function in caudal primary motor cortex (cPMC) measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging. METHODS Twenty Caucasian community-dwellers (mean±stand...

The glutamatergic system is a key point in pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Sarcosine (N-methylglycine) is an exogenous amino acid that acts as a glycine transporter inhibitor. It modulates glutamatergic transmission by increasing glycine concentration around NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptors. In patients with schizophrenia, the function of the glutamatergic system in the prefrontal cortex is...

BACKGROUND The proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HMRS) is a non-invasive diagnostic method that allows for an assessment of the metabolite concentration in tissues. The sources of the strongest resonance signals within the brain are N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), choline (Cho), myoinositol (mI) and water. The aim of our study was to analyse the ratios of metabolite signals within...

We propose an improved method to measure urinary D-glucaric acid (GA), which might be of value as an indirect index of the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP). This method was about 20 times more sensitive than existing methods. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range 5.5-66 ng ml(-1) for GA, with the effective molar absorptivity at 533 nm and the relative standard deviation being 9.1 x ...

The stimulatory effect of the extract of Portulaca oleracea (P. olerace) on β-adrenoceptor of tracheal smooth muscle was examined. To examine β-adrenoceptor stimulatory effect, concentration response curve to isoprenaline was obtained in pre-contracted tracheal smooth muscle in the presence of three concentrations of aqueous-ethanolic extract, propranolol and saline. Values of EC50 (the effecti...

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurologic disorder that is not completely understood; its fundamental physiological mechanisms and chemical effects remain somewhat unclear. Among these uncertainties, we can highlight information about the concentrations of brain metabolites, which have been widely discussed. Concentration differences in affected, compared to healthy, individuals could lead to t...

The stimulatory effect of the extract of Portulaca oleracea (P. olerace) on β-adrenoceptor of tracheal smooth muscle was examined. To examine β-adrenoceptor stimulatory effect, concentration response curve to isoprenaline was obtained in pre-contracted tracheal smooth muscle in the presence of three concentrations of aqueous-ethanolic extract, propranolol and saline. Values of EC50 (the effecti...

As a carcinogenic pollutant, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in the ambient air has serious influences on public health. Due to its instability and difficulty chemical analysis, few studies have been conducted regional concentration level of environmental Cr(VI), especially China. The pollution levels Cr(VI) PM2.5 were determined two sampling sites Beijing Qingdao from September December 2020. con...

Ultraselective and sensitive detection of xylene and toluene with minimum interferences of other indoor air pollutants such as benzene, ethanol, and formaldehyde is achieved using NiO hierarchical nanostructures doped with Cr. Pure and 1.15-2.56 at% Cr-doped NiO flower-like hierarchical nanostructures assembled from nanosheets are prepared by a simple solvothermal reaction and their gas sensing...