Organisms Commons^™

Coccidioidomycosis: Medical And Spatio-Temporal Perspectives, Nikias Sarafoglou, Rafael Laniado-Laborin, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a disease of major public health importance due to the challenges in its diagnosis and treatment. To understand CM requires the attributes of a multidisciplinary network analysis to appreciate the complexity of the medical, the environmental and the social issues involved: public health, public policy, geology, atmospheric science, agronomy, social sciences and finally humanities, all which provide insight into this population transformation.

In section 1 of this paper, we describe the CM-epidemiology, the clinical features, the diagnosis and finally the treatment.

In section 2, we highlight the most important contributions and controversies in the history of the …

Thujone Inhibits The Function Of Α7-Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Impairs Nicotine-Induced Memory Enhancement In One-Trial Passive Avoidance Paradigm, Ahmed Sultan, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Dmytro Isaev, Eslam El Nebrisi, Nurulain Syed, Nadia Khan, Christopher F. Howarth, Bassem Sadek, Murat Oz

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Effects of thujone, a major ingredient of absinthe, wormwood oil and some herbal medicines, were tested on the function of α7 subunit of the human nicotinic acetylcholine (α7 nACh) receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique. Thujone reversibly inhibited ACh (100 μM)-induced currents with an IC50 value of 24.7 μM. The effect of thujone was not dependent on the membrane potential and did not involve Ca2+-dependent Cl- channels expressed endogenously in oocytes. Inhibition by thujone was not reversed by increasing ACh concentrations. Moreover, specific binding of [125I] -bungarotoxin was not altered by thujone. Further experiments in SH-EP1 …

Remote Sensing Observation Of Annual Dust Cycles And Possible Causality Of Kawasaki Disease Outbreaks In Japan, Hesham El-Askary, Nick Lahaye, Erik J. Linstead, William A. Sprigg, Magdi Yacoub

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a rare vascular disease that, if left untreated, can result in irreparable cardiac damage in children. While the symptoms of KD are well-known, as are best practices for treatment, the etiology of the disease and the factors contributing to KD outbreaks remain puzzling to both medical practitioners and scientists alike. Recently, a fungus known as Candida, originating in the farmlands of China, has been blamed for outbreaks in China and Japan, with the hypothesis that it can be transported over long ranges via different wind mechanisms. This paper provides evidence to understand the transport mechanisms …

Effects Of Cannabidiol On Contractions And Calcium Signaling In Rat Ventricular Myocytes, Ramez M. Ali, Lina T. Al Kury, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Anwar Qureshi, Mohanraj Rajesh, Sehamuddin Galadari, Yaroslav M. Shuba, Frank Christopher Howarth, Murat Oz

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic cannabinoid found in Cannabis plant, has been shown to influence cardiovascular functions under various physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, the effects of CBD on contractility and electrophysiological properties of rat ventricular myocytes were investigated. Video edge detection was used to measure myocyte shortening. Intracellular Ca2+ was measured in cells loaded with the Ca2+ sensitive fluorescent indicator fura-2 AM. Whole-cell patch clamp was used to measure action potential and Ca2+ currents. Radioligand binding was employed to study pharmacological characteristics of CBD binding. CBD (1 μM) caused a significant decrease in the amplitudes of …

Effects Of Endogenous Cannabinoid Anandamide On Voltage-Dependent Sodium And Calcium Channels In Rat Ventricular Myocytes, Lina T. Al Kury, Oleg I. Voitychuk, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Faisal T. Thayyullathil, Petro Doroshenkp, Ali M. Ramez, Yaroslav M. Shuba, Sehamuddin Galadari, Frank Christopher Howarth, Murat Oz

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The endocannabinoid anandamide (N-arachidonoyl ethanolamide; AEA) exerts negative inotropic and antiarrhythmic effects in ventricular myocytes.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Whole-cell patch-clamp technique and radioligand-binding methods were used to analyse the effects of anandamide in rat ventricular myocytes.

KEY RESULTS: In the presence of 1-10 μM AEA, suppression of both Na(+) and L-type Ca(2+) channels was observed. Inhibition of Na(+) channels was voltage and Pertussis toxin (PTX) - independent. Radioligand-binding studies indicated that specific binding of [(3) H] batrachotoxin (BTX) to ventricular muscle membranes was also inhibited significantly by 10 μM metAEA, a non-metabolized AEA analogue, with …

Inhibition Modifies The Effects Of Slow Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels On Epileptiform Activity In A Neuronal Network Model, Keun-Hang Susan Yang, Piotr J. Franaszczuk, Gregory K. Bergey

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Generation of epileptiform activity typically results from a change in the balance between network excitation and inhibition. Experimental evidence indicates that alterations of either synaptic activity or intrinsic membrane properties can produce increased network excitation. The slow Ca2+-activated K+ currents (sI AHP) are important modulators of neuronal firing rate and excitability and have important established and potential roles in epileptogenesis. While the effects of changes in sI AHP on individual neuronal excitability are readily studied and well established, the effects of such changes on network behavior are less well known. The experiments here utilize a defined small network model of …