4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate activates cultured mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons independently of TRPV4

Background and Purpose

The Ca²⁺-permeable cation channel TRPV4 is activated by mechanical disturbance of the cell membrane and is implicated in mechanical hyperalgesia. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is increased during inflammation and causes mechanical hyperalgesia. 4α-phorbol 12,13-didecanoate (4αPDD) has been described as a selective TRPV4 agonist. We investigated NGF-induced hyperalgesia in TRPV4 wild-type (+/+) and knockout (–/–) mice, and the increases in [Ca²⁺]_i produced by 4αPDD in cultured mouse dorsal root ganglia neurons following exposure to NGF.

Experimental Approach

Withdrawal thresholds to heat, von Frey hairs and pressure were measured in mice before and after systemic administration of NGF. Changes in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration were measured by ratiometric imaging with Fura-2 in cultured DRG and trigeminal ganglia (TG) neurons during perfusion of TRPV4 agonists.

Key Results

Administration of NGF caused a significant sensitization to heat and von Frey stimuli in TRPV4 +/+ and –/– mice, but only TRPV4 +/+ mice showed sensitization to noxious pressure. 4αPDD stimulated a dose-dependent increase in [Ca²⁺]_i in neurons from +/+ and –/– mice, with the proportion of responding neurons and magnitude of increase unaffected by the genotype. In contrast, the selective TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A failed to stimulate an increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ in cultured neurons. Responses to 4αPDD were unaffected by pretreatment with NGF.

Conclusions and Implications

TRPV4 contributes to mechanosensation in vivo, but there is little evidence for functional TRPV4 in cultured DRG and TG neurons. We conclude that 4αPDD activates these neurons independently of TRPV4, so it is not appropriate to refer to 4αPDD as a selective TRPV4 agonist.     

希—内学习能力测验在中国聋儿中使用的信度和效度

采用经部分修改的希－内学习能力测验（Ｈ－ＮＴＬＡ）量表对全国２１个省、市、自治区１７５８名３－１７岁聋儿逐人测试。样本人群地区分布、家长职业构成与１９９０年全国人口普查资料一致。１７５８名聋儿智商呈现正态分布（ｇ１＝０．０１１Ｐ＞０．０５，ｇ２＝０．０５８Ｐ＞０．０５）。测试员间信度系数０．９８１（Ｎ＝２４），复测信度０．８４１（Ｎ＝１３６），分半信度０．９２７（３－８岁）及０．８５４（９－１７岁）。各分测验得分随年龄增加而增加，小年龄组增加明显，大年龄组增加缓慢。各分测验之间、各分测验和总离差智商之间大多数相关系数有显著统计学意义。智商与学习成绩（语文及数学）相关系数０．２０８（Ｐ＜０．０１Ｎ＝２２４），与教师评语等级相关系数０．４４（Ｐ＜０．０５ｄｆ＝１６），表明经修订的Ｈ－ＮＴＬＡ量表适用于中国听力语言障碍人群进行智力评定。     

Psoas major and its controversial rotational action

The action of psoas major muscle as a primary flexor of the hip joint is undisputed. However it is also variably reported as being a medial and a lateral rotator of the femur at the hip joint. The psoas and iliacus muscles, along with their common insertion, were isolated by dissection in six adult cadaveric specimens. The action of psoas muscle was assessed by pulling the muscle along its long axis and then observing the effects on rotation of the femur, with a visual estimation of the rotation in degrees. The experiment was repeated with the hip joint capsule removed. In the anatomical position, applied traction along the long axis of the muscle produced hip flexion with no rotational component. With the hip in the abducted position, traction produced flexion, adduction, and lateral rotation of the femur at the hip joint. In adduction of the hip, traction on psoas produced only flexion at the hip joint, with no rotation. In maximal flexion, traction also produced adduction. The results were unaffected by the removal of the joint capsule. Clin. Anat. 12:264–265, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The Use of Collagen Injections in the Treatment of Metatarsalgia: A Case Report

Metatarsalgia is an increasingly common condition seen in the outpatient setting. A number of conservative and surgical management options are available for this condition. We present an interesting case that was unsuccessfully treated with‘dermal filler.’ To our knowledge, we have not found any published material in peer-reviewed journals documenting the use of collagen injections in the treatment of metatarsalgia. The authors feel that the lesson learned from this case should be highlighted for other foot and ankle surgeons.     

ZAK is required for doxorubicin,a novel ribotoxic stressor,to induce SAPK activation and apoptosis in HaCaT cells

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline drug that is one of the most effective and widely used anticancer agents for the treatment of both hematologic and solid tumors. The stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) are frequently activated by a number of cancer chemotherapeutics. When phosphorylated, the SAPKs initiate a cascade that leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Some inhibitors of protein synthesis, known as ribotoxic stressors, coordinately activate SAPKs and lead to apoptotic cell death. We demonstrate that doxorubicin effectively inhibits protein synthesis, activates SAPKs, and causes apoptosis. Ribotoxic stressors share a common mechanism in that they require ZAK, an upstream MAP3K, to activate the pro-apoptotic and proinflammatory signaling pathways that lie downstream of SAPKs. By employing siRNA mediated knockdown of ZAK or administration of sorafenib and nilotinib, kinase inhibitors that have a high affinity for ZAK, we provide evidence that ZAK is required for doxorubicin-induced proinflammatory and apoptotic responses in HaCaT cells, a pseudo-normal keratinocyte cell line, but not in HeLa cells, a cancerous cell line. ZAK has two different isoforms, ZAK-α (91 kDa) and ZAK-β (51 kDa). HaCaT or HeLa cells treated with doxorubicin and immunoblotted for ZAK displayed a progressive decrease in the ZAK-α band and the appearance of ZAK-β bands of larger size. Abrogation of these changes after exposure of cells to sorafenib and nilotinib suggests that these alterations occur following stimulation of ZAK. We suggest that ZAK inhibitors such as sorafenib or nilotinib may be effective when combined with doxorubicin to treat cancer patients.Key words: doxorubicin, ZAK, ribotoxic stressor, SAPKs, apoptosis     

The change in capacity and service delivery at public and private hospitals in Turkey: A closer look at regional differences

Background  

Substantial regional health inequalities have been shown to exist in Turkey for major health indicators. Turkish data on hospitals deserves a closer examination with a special emphasis on the regional differences in the context of the rapid privatization of the secondary or tertiary level health services.