Unilateral explants of rat adrenal medullas grown in the anterior chamber of the eye contained very low phenylethanolamine-Nmethyl transferase (PNMT) activity. When animals were treated with dexamethasone for 7 days, PNMT activity rose more than 10-fold. These findings suggest that the increase in PNMT activity produced by glucocorticoids does not require an intact adrenal innervation. (Endocri...

The inhibitory effect of sodium selenite on biliary secretion of methyl mercury was examined in rats. The biliary secretion of methyl mercury in rat treated with 1 mumol/kg of methyl mercury was significantly decreased by administration of selenite at doses of 0.05 mumol/kg or higher. In rats given 10 mumol/kg of methyl mercury, marked depression of biliary secretion of mercury was observed whe...

Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) is an enzyme involved in the degradation of dopamine. The most commonly examined polymorphism within the COMT gene is Val108/158Met polymorphism, which results in three to fourfold difference in COMT enzyme activity. It is particularely important in prefrontal cortex, since COMT activity is the most important regulator of the prefrontal dopamine function. Gi...

OBJECTIVE We conducted a comprehensive study to investigate the role of GSTM1, GSTTI and GSTP1 genetic variation involved in transport pathways in response to chemotherapy and clinical outcome of osteosarcoma. METHODS A total of 146 patients were included in our study between January 2008 and December 2009. All the patients were followed up to death or January 2012. Genotyping of GSTM1, GSTT1...