Current Issue : July - September Volume : 2012 Issue Number : 3 Articles : 5 Articles
Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), once thought to be a degenerative disease, is now recognized to be an active pathobiological\r\nprocess, with chronic inflammation emerging as a predominant, and possibly driving, factor. However, many details of the pathobiological\r\nmechanisms of CAVD remain to be described, and new approaches to treat CAVD need to be identified. Animal\r\nmodels are emerging as vital tools to this end, facilitated by the advent of new models and improved understanding of the utility\r\nof existing models. In this paper, we summarize and critically appraise current small and large animal models of CAVD, discuss\r\nthe utility of animal models for priority CAVD research areas, and provide recommendations for future animal model studies of\r\nCAVD....
Recessive form of Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy (HIBM, IBM2, MIM:600737) is an adult onset muscle wasting disorders caused by hypomorphic GNE, the rate-limiting enzyme of sialic acid (Sia) biosynthesis. Unlike human patients, mice bearing the GneM712T/M712T genotype in C57BL/6 background strain suffer severe glomerular hematuria, incomplete podocyte development, and do not survive beyond the first few days of life. We crossed heterozygous mice (GneM712T/) of B6 strain with FVB strain mice. In mixed inbred FVB;B6 background, the homozygous mice show attenuated glomerular disease and survive longer (mean survival 22�±13 weeks, n=26). Paradoxically, the homozygous mice showed increased total Sia levels in serum (2x control), and Neu5Ac:Neu5Gc ratios are slightly shifted towards Neu5Ac in serum and towards Neu5Gc in muscle tissue. Increase in serum Sia levels may be caused by altered glomerular filtration. This paradoxical increase in serum Sia may contribute to Sia pools of muscle, and exert a potential beneficial effect. In summary, the background strain of mouse model can significantly affect the disease phenotype....
In Europe, the second half of the 19th century led to development of pharmacological research. With the emergence of synthetic chemistry, the pharmacological evaluation of these products for therapeutic indications became necessary. In late 1960s due to phenomenal increase in the number and variety of immunodiagnostic tests performed. Hence it became one of the reasons for the development of methods which used labelled antigens or antibodies, resulting in tests with very high levels of sensitivity and specificity eg. Immunofluorescence and Radioimmunoassay(RIA). However, both immunofluorescence and RIA have their limitations of being, time consuming, some regulatory inconvenience due to health hazards of radioisotopes, problems of radioactive waste disposal and also the complex labeling procedures which led to research workers to search for alternative for pharmacological immunoassay. Development of modern methods of pharmacological immunoassays like Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT), Magnetic immunoassay (MIA) etc., gives accurate, easy to use, and rapid diagnostic tool and thereby helpful in betterment of mankind....
The traditional enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay is the gold standard\r\nfor the enumeration of antigen-specific B cells. Since B cell availability from biological\r\nsamples is often limited, either because of sample size/volume or the need of performing\r\nmultiple analyses on the same sample, the implementation of ELISpot assay formats that\r\nallow the simultaneous detection of multiple antibody types is desirable. While dual-color\r\nELISpot assays have been described, technical complexities have so far prevented their wide\r\nutilization as well as further expansion of their multicolor capability. An attractive solution\r\nis to replace the chromogenic reaction of the traditional ELISpot assay with a fluorescent\r\ndetection system (fluorospot assay). Fluorospot assays using fluorophore-conjugated\r\nsecondary antibodies in conjunction with fluorescence enhancers, FITC/anti-FITC and\r\nbiotin/avidin amplification systems and dedicated equipment for spot detection have been\r\ndeveloped to enumerate T-cells secreting two or three specific cytokines and, more recently,\r\nIgG and IgA antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). We hereby report a method for a multiplex\r\nB cell fluorospot assay that utilizes quantum-dot nanocrystals as reporters without further\r\namplification systems or need of dedicated equipment. With this method we simultaneously\r\nenumerated HIV-1 gp41 envelope glycoprotein-specific IgG and IgM antibody-secreting\r\ncells with sensitivity comparable to that of the traditional ELISpot assay....
Since the first description of Parkinson�s disease (PD) nearly two centuries ago, a number of studies have revealed the clinical symptoms,\r\npathology, and therapeutic approaches to overcome this intractable neurodegenerative disease. 1-methy-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-\r\ntetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) are neurotoxins which produce Parkinsonian pathology. From\r\nthe animal studies using these neurotoxins, it has become well established that oxidative stress is a primary cause of, and essential\r\nfor, cellular apoptosis in dopaminergic neurons. Here, we describe the mechanism whereby oxidative stress evokes irreversible cell\r\ndeath, and propose a novel therapeutic strategy for PD using molecular hydrogen. Hydrogen has an ability to reduce oxidative\r\ndamage and ameliorate the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuronal pathway in two experimental animal models. Thus, it is\r\nstrongly suggested that hydrogen might provide a great advantage to prevent or minimize the onset and progression of PD....
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