Central fibroma in the ascending ramus of the mandible. Case report

A case of central fibroma involving the mandible in a 58 year old woman is described. There was slight swelling of the left cheek and bone-hard bulging was detected on palpation but the patient had not complained of the swelling. The lesion was removed under general anaesthesia and then examined histopathologically. There was no sign of recurrence eleven months after the operation.     

Angiotensin II type 2 receptor-mediated inhibition of norepinephrine release in isolated rat hearts

We investigated whether endogenous and exogenous angiotensin II (Ang II) regulates norepinephrine (NE) release from cardiac sympathetic nerves via both Ang II type 2 receptors (AT2Rs) and Ang II type 1 receptors (AT1Rs). Using isolated rat hearts, sympathetic nerves were electrically stimulated. Ang II with PD-123319 (AT2R antagonist) but not Ang II alone produced a significant increase in nerve stimulation-induced NE overflow, which was abolished by the addition of AT1R antagonist losartan. In contrast, NE overflow was markedly decreased by losartan with or without Ang II. This decrease was abolished by the combination with PD-123319, nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (NOARG), icatibant (bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist), or PKSI-527 (kininogenase inhibitor). CGP-42112A (AT2R agonist) suppressed nerve stimulation-induced NE overflow in the same way as the combination of Ang II and losartan, and this suppression was abolished by PD-123319, NOARG, icatibant, or PKSI-527. There were significant increases in NOx (NO2/NO3) contents in coronary effluent under conditions where NE overflow was suppressed. Ang II seems to function as an inhibitory modulator of cardiac noradrenergic neurotransmission via AT2Rs and well-known AT1R-mediated stimulatory actions. The inhibitory mechanism may involve local bradykinin production, its B2 receptor activation, and NO as a downstream effector.     

Role of orexin in the central regulation of glucose and energy homeostasis

Hypothalamic orexin neurons are known to regulate sleep/wake stability, feeding behavior, emotions, autonomic nerve activity, and whole-body energy metabolism. In addition, emerging evidence indicates that orexin contributes to central regulation of glucose homeostasis. Intriguingly, central administration of orexin is reported to cause blood glucose-elevating effect or blood glucose-lowering effect in rodents, depending on the experimental conditions. Here we reviewed the recent reports regarding the mode and mechanism of actions of orexin on these two opposing effects, and discuss the functional significance for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. The fact that orexin exhibits biphasic effects on autonomic nerve activity and lipolysis suggests that orexin dually regulates the glucose appearance. In fact, orexin neurons are activated not only depending on the demand for glucose but also according to a circadian rhythm in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The excited orexin neurons appear to alter the sympathetic or parasympathetic outflow to the periphery, and modulate the glucose production and utilization. Furthermore, deficiency of orexin action, particularly reduction of orexin 2 receptor-signaling, disrupts the mechanism for protection against insulin resistance associated with aging or induced by chronic high fat feeding in mice. Taken together, hypothalamic orexin system may manage multiple tasks to coordinate the interconnection among the arousal, feeding, circadian, and glucose homeostasis pathways.     

The association of genotypic combination of the DRD3 and BDNF polymorphisms on the adhesio interthalamica and medial temporal lobe structures

Abnormal neurodevelopment in midline structures such as the adhesio interthalamica (AI), as well as in the medial temporal lobe structures has been implicated in schizophrenia, while its genetic mechanism is unknown. This magnetic resonance imaging study investigated the effect of the genotypic combination of the dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) Ser9Gly and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphisms on the AI length and volumetric measures of the medial temporal lobe structures (amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus) in 33 schizophrenia patients and 29 healthy controls. The subjects with a combination of the Ser/Ser genotype of DRD3 and Met-containing genotypes of BDNF (high-risk combination) had a shorter AI than those without it in the healthy controls, but not in the schizophrenia patients. The subjects carrying the high-risk combination had a smaller posterior hippocampus than those without it for both diagnostic groups. These genotypic combination effects on brain morphology were not explained by the independent effect of each polymorphism. These findings suggest the effect of gene-gene interaction between the DRD3 and BDNF variations on brain morphology in midline and medial temporal lobe structures, but do not support its specific role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.     

Coenzyme Q10 prevents high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of vascular complications in diabetes. Although some clinical evidences suggest the use of an antioxidant reagent coenzyme Q10 in diabetes with hypertension, the direct effect of coenzyme Q10 on the endothelial functions has not been examined. In the present study, we therefore investigated the protective effect of coenzyme Q10 against high glucose-induced oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). HUVEC exposed to high glucose (30 mM) exhibited abnormal properties, including the morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis, overproduction of reactive oxygen species, activation of protein kinase Cbeta2, and increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression. Treatment with coenzyme Q10 strongly inhibited these changes in HUVEC under high glucose condition. In addition, coenzyme Q10 inhibited high glucose-induced cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, an endogenous caspase-3 substrate. These results suggest that coenzyme Q10 prevents reactive oxygen species-induced apoptosis through inhibition of the mitochondria-dependent caspase-3 pathway. Moreover, consistent with previous reports, high glucose caused upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) in HUVEC, and promoted the adhesion of U937 monocytic cells. Coenzyme Q10 displayed potent inhibitory effects against these endothelial abnormalities. Thus, we provide the first evidence that coenzyme Q10 has a beneficial effect in protecting against the endothelial dysfunction by high glucose-induced oxidative stress in vitro.