SIGNIFICANCE: Abnormalities or irregularities in the cornea, whether it is from scarring an ectatic disease like keratoconus can significantly affect vision. Correcting such eyes with rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses help regularize cornea and improve However, some aberrations persist despite wearing best RGP lens correction. PURPOSE: This investigation looks into improving by designing a customized mask on plane. The image quality of keratoconic be improved blocking light rays that...

Understanding the underlying factors that led to maternal deaths through a death review (MDR) throws light on causes, characteristics and circumstances of death. We reviewed report implementation MDR in India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal Sri Lanka, capturing experiences initiatives, follow-up actions lessons learnet. Overall, while findings from MDRs have been used design or change policies strategies for improvement services provided, there are still challenges scaling up these particularly...

Fructose feeding in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats results a mild hypertension and glucose intolerance. Although the mechanism of this intolerance is not completely understood, role for renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been proposed. In current study our aim was to test hypothesis that intervention RAS with gene therapy approach would be effective preventing development animal model.Five-day-old SD were administered either an empty retroviral vector (LNSV) or containing AT1 receptor...

Enhanced serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) activity contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular disease. This study evaluated SGK1 modulation in smooth muscle cells by adipokine resistin aortic tissue a murine model diet-induced obesity (DIO).Modulation was assessed human (HAoSMC) vitro quantitative RT-PCR Western blot analyses. To induce lean or obese phenotype, mice were fed 10 kcal% low-fat 60 high-fat diet, respectively, for 8 weeks. Upon completion, plasma harvested...

Class II invariant chain peptide (CLIP) expression has been demonstrated to play a pivotal role in the regulation of B cell function after nonspecific polyclonal expansion. Several studies have shown vitamin D3 helps regulate immune response. We hypothesized that activated suppresses CLIP on B-cells activation or priming C57BL/6 mice with CpG. This study showed actively reduced and decreased number CLIP(+) B-lymphocytes dose formulation dependent fashion. Flow cytometry was used analyze...

Obesity is a public health crisis, and its prevalence disproportionately affects African Americans in the United States. Dysregulation of organelle calcium homeostasis associated with obesity. The mitochondrial uniporter (MCU) complex primarily responsible for homeostasis. multifactorial disease which genetic underpinnings such as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may contribute to progression. objective this study was identify variations MCU anthropometric measurements obesity All Us...

Abstract Purpose The goal was to use SyntEyes modelling estimate the allowable alignment error of wavefront‐guided rigid contact lens corrections for a range normal and keratoconic eye aberration structures keep objectively measured visual image quality at or above average levels well‐corrected eyes. Secondary purposes included determining required radial order correction, whether increased further constrained how constraints vary with keratoconus severity. Methods Building on previous work,...

Gene profiling data coupled with adducin polymorphism studies led us to hypothesize that decreased expression of this cytosolic protein in the brain could be a key event central control hypertension. Thus, our objectives present study were (1) determine which subunit gene demonstrates altered hypothalamus and brainstem (two cardioregulatory-relevant areas) two genetic strains hypertensive rats (2) analyze role adducins neurotransmission at cellular level. All three subunits (alpha, beta,...

Previously we observed that rab3 GTPases modulate both the secretion of catecholamines from PC12 neuroendocrine cells and steady-state accumulation exogenous norepinephrine (NE) into these (Weber, E., Jilling, T., Kirk, K. L. (1996)J. Biol. Chem. 271, 6963–6971). Here addressed mechanisms by which monomeric stimulate NE uptake including their effects on kinetics, sites action (secretory granule membrane versus plasma membrane), involvement rab3-interacting proteins in this process. We rab3B...

Objectives: Obesity, characterized by an excess of adipose tissue, is important risk factor for the development metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. In obesity, poor health partly due to glucose intolerance, a condition in which whole-body regulation impaired. Adipose tissue endocrine organ central optimal and its expansion excessive fat intake induces dysfunction. The molecular mechanisms that promote dysfunction obesity are not fully understood. function dependent on presence new...

Mitochondrial dynamics (i.e. fusion and fission) is impaired in models of obesity can result target organ dysfunction. However, the mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial setting are not completely understood. The objectives this study to examine a role for determine molecular serum glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) obesity-related vasculature. We recently reported aortic expression SGK1 elevated model diet-induced (DIO) vivo by resistin; fat-derived adipokine, human smooth muscle...

Recent studies indicate increased mitochondrial fission and organ dysfunction in models of obesity. While the mechanisms for this morphological alteration are not completely understood it is likely that altered adipokine profile occurs during obesity may play a permissive role enhanced fragmentation. In study, we investigated resistin, pro-inflammatory elevated plasma obese individuals, on regulation protein, dynamin-related protein 1(DNM1L) vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We...

Background: Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 who are affected obesity have an increased risk developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) which exacerbates vascular disease and cardiovascular adverse events such as strokes heart attacks. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie obesity- T2D-induced not fully understood. We shown serum glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) is up-regulated in smooth muscle cells (VSMC) mice fed high fat to induce hyperglycemia, main symptom T2D....

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that activates vascular smooth muscle and in excess amounts an important contributing factor the development of hypertension. However, downstream signaling pathways mediating effects Ang vasculature not fully known. The present study examines regulation serum- glucocorticoid inducible kinase (SGK1) serine/threonine has been implicated hyperglycemia- salt-induced We hypothesized SGK1 up-regulated pathologically remodeled blood vessels...