University of Texas Medical Branch

About: University of Texas Medical Branch is a education organization based out in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Virus. The organization has 22033 authors who have published 38268 publications receiving 1517502 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston & UTMB.

Cyclic GMP-sensitive conductance in outer segment membrane of catfish cones

Abstract: A cyclic GMP-sensitive conductance has recently been observed with patch-clamp recording in excised inside-out patches of plasma membrane from frog and toad rod outer segments This conductance has properties suggesting that it is probably the light-sensitive conductance involved in visual transduction We now report a similar conductance in the outer segment membrane of catfish cones Cyclic GMP showed positive cooperativity in opening this conductance, with a Hill coefficient of 16-30 and a half-saturating cGMP concentration of 35-70 microM Cyclic AMP at 1 mM, or changing Ca concentration (in the presence of Mg), had little effect on the conductance In physiological solutions the cGMP-induced current had a reversal potential near +10 mV; the current amplitude increased roughly exponentially with membrane potential in both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing directions Our results suggest that cGMP is also the internal transmitter for phototransduction in cones

Intramuscular and Liver Triglycerides Are Increased in the Elderly

Abstract: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have shown that intramyocellular lipids (IMCL) and liver fat (LFAT) levels vary with insulin sensitivity and obesity, which are common in the elderly. Thus, magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to investigate the hypothesis that IMCL and LFAT are increased in the elderly. IMCL and LFAT in young (aged 20-32 yr) and elderly (aged 65-74 yr) were measured fasted, and glucose, insulin, total free fatty acids levels, and free fatty acids profiles were measured during a 2-h oral glucose tolerance test. Body fat percentage was determined with dual x-ray absorptiometry. The elderly had significantly greater IMCL (0.12 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01, mean +/- sem; P = 0.01) and LFAT (0.28 +/- 0.06 vs. 0.08 +/- 0.01; P = 0.004; expressed as ratios to Intralipid standard) than the young. The elderly had increased insulin resistance as calculated by the Matsuda model compared with the young (5.1 +/- 0.9 vs. 9.9 +/- 1.4; P = 0.02). Regression analysis of all subjects indicated that the increases in IMCL and LFAT were correlated with insulin sensitivity, glycosylated hemoglobin, plasma lipids, and body fat. Furthermore, the correlation between insulin sensitivity and IMCL and LFAT remained significant, after accounting for the effect of body fat. Increases of IMCL and LFAT occur in elderly individuals and may be related to insulin resistance.

The anti-allodynic effects of amitriptyline, gabapentin, and lidocaine in a rat model of neuropathic pain.

Abstract: The management of patients with neuropathic pain is challenging.There are only a few reports regarding the acute effects of the commonly used adjuvant drugs amitriptyline (AMI), gabapentin (GBP), and lidocaine (LDC) on neuropathic pain behaviors in animal models. Thus, the purpose of this study was

Two-step cross-linking method for identification of NF-κB gene network by chromatin immunoprecipitation

Abstract: The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay has recently been exploited as a powerful and versatile technique for probing protein-DNA interactions within the chromatin environment. In this metho...

Smoking, alcohol, dentition and diet in the epidemiology of oral cancer.

Abstract: This matched case-control study was conducted in Western New York. The smoking, alcohol consumption, dental hygiene and diet of 290 cases were compared with those of 290 sex-, age-, and neighbourhood-matched controls. The results confirm earlier findings that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption impart substantial risk of oral cancer. The results also confirm that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of oral cancer, although this effect is much smaller than those of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. The results suggest that, of macronutrients, intake of fat is more likely than those of protein or carbohydrate to be related to risk. Of micronutrients, calcium, sodium, riboflavin and retinol are associated with risk, while thiamin, niacin, and dietary fibre are associated with decreased risk. Although patterns of dietary effects are discernable, these effects are in general much weaker than are those of smoking and alcohol consumption.