A Proteomic Study on Cell Cycle Progression of Endothelium Exposed to Tumor Conditioned Medium and the Possible Role of Cyclin D-1/E

This study was designed to comprehensively analyze the differential expression of proteins from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to tumor conditioned medium (TCM) and to identify the key regulator in the cell cycle progression. The HUVECs were exposed to TCM from breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231, then their cell cycle distribution was measured by flow cytometer (FCM). The role of protein in cell cycle progression was detected via two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and western blotting. Following the stimulation of TCM, HUVECs showed a more cells in the S phase than did the negative control group (ECGF-free medium with 20% FBS), but the HUVECs' level was similar to the positive control group (medium with 25 mug/ml ECGF and 20% FBS). Increased expression of cyclin D-1/E and some changes in other related proteins occurred after incubation with TCM. From our results, we can conclude that breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231 may secrete soluble pro-angiogenic factors that induce the HUVEC angiogenic switch, during which the expression of cell cycle regulator cyclin D-1/E increases and related proteins play an important role in this process.

The Mitogenic and Anti-Apoptotic Activity of Tumor Conditioned Medium on Endothelium

This study was designed to observe the effect of tumor conditioned medium (TCM) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were exposed to TCM from breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231, then we measured their proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle distribution by MTT and flow cytometery (FCM). Following the stimulation of TCM, HUVECs showed higher pro-mitogenic and anti-apoptotic ability than did the negative control group (ECGF-free medium with 20% FBS), but a similar ability to the positive control group (medium with ECGF and 20% FBS). From these results, we can conclude that breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB-231 could secret soluble pro-angiogenic factors that induce HUVEC angiogenic switching, including cell cycle progression, proliferation and growth. The role and character of these factors remain to be further studied.

Conditioned responses in the reticular formation

Unit activity was recorded from the midbrain and pons of 40 freely moving rats in an appetitive classical conditioning situation. Responses to auditory stimuli were observed from 100 units before and during a conditioning procedure in which presentation of food occurred 1 sec after the onset of the auditory stimulus. Conditioned unit responses (i.e., spike rate accelerations or decelerations) were considered to be positive when 1) no similar responses appeared prior to conditioning, and 2) latencies were equal to or less than those of sensory responses derived from the inferior colliculus. Such short latency conditioned unit responses were recorded from 11 probes located in the mid-lateral pert of the ventral region of the brain stem. This region was differentiated from paramedian, far lateral and dorsal parts of the brain stem reticular formation. Conditioned unit responses of considerably longer latencies were recorded from 76 probe located in these other regions. Among the longer latency responses interesting differences appeared in experiments conducted after the first conditioning series was completed. With additional training, units in the "reticular activating system" of midbrain and pons tended to yield stabilized responses in the early portion of the CS-US interval closely related in time to the orientation responses evoked by the CS. In contrast, the responses of units in the limbic midbrain tended to stabilize in the later part of the CS-US interval closely related in time to preparatory responses tied to the US. During extinction when the auditory stimulus was no longer followed by presentation of food, many of the responses were reduced to their pre-conditioning levels. However, there was a tendency for units which had displayed short latency responses on the first conditioning day to be more resistant to extinction than units which had displayed longer latency conditioned responses. The data were interpreted as indicating a local correlate of learning in the reticular formation of midbrain end pons and a separation of the midbrain system into at least two areas: 1) the classical "reticular activating system" related to orienting reactions, and 2) the limbic midbrain areas related to drives and rewards. Because the ventral and mid-lateral area with very short latency conditioned responses was not clearly tied to either of these; it was considered as possibly representing a third division.

Effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on morphine-induced conditioned place preferences in rats

In the present study, we examined the effects of extremely low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields on morphine-induced conditioned place preferences in rats. During the conditioning phase (12 days), three groups of rats were placed in a sensory cue-defined environment paired with morphine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) following exposure to either 20 Hz (1.80 mT) or 50 Hz (2.20 mT) or sham electromagnetic fields for 60 min/day, respectively, and were placed in another sensory cue-defined environment paired with physiological saline (1 ml/kg, i.p.) without exposure to electromagnetic fields. After finishing 12 days of conditioning, preference tests for the morphine-paired place were performed during a 10-day withdrawal period. The exposure to electromagnetic fields substantially potentiated morphine-induced place preferences in rodents, suggesting that ELF electromagnetic fields can increase the propensity for morphine-induced conditioned behaviors. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of scopolamine on morphine-induced conditioned place preference in mice

It is well known that the cholinergic system plays a crucial role in learning and memory. Psychopharmacological studies in humans and animals have shown that a systemic cholinergic blockade may induce deficits in learning and memory. Accumulated studies h

Pentylenetetrazole-induced status epilepticus following training does not impair expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference

Learning and memory play an important role in morphine addiction. Status epilepticus (SE) can impair the spatial and emotional learning and memory. However, little is known about the effects of SE on morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). Th

Irregular morphine administration affects the retention but not acquisition of conditioned place preference in rats

Drug addiction is increasingly viewed as the expression of abnormal associative learning following repeated exposures to the drugs of abuse Previous I studies have demonstrated that the patterns of repetition such as frequency and spacing are important to many kinds of learning and memory retention We hypothesized that drug repetition pattern might affect the reward-related learning although the total doses of the drug were the same. In the present study, we tested morphine-induced place preference following either regular or irregular pattern of morphine pairing in rats Regular morphine group received morphine administration daily at a regular time with the same dose Irregular morphine groups received morphine administration either at the same time but irregular doses, irregular time but same dose, or irregular time and irregular doses. We found that rats, who received irregular morphine pairing, exhibited similar acquisition of peace preference but different preference retentions compared with regular morphine-treated rats after the same total dose of morphine Rats, who received morphine administration at the same time but irregular doses and at irregular time and irregular doses, showed rapid disruption of place preference than the regular morphine group. Rats, who received morphine at irregular time but the same dose, showed similar retention of place preference to regular morphine group Our results suggest that the pattern of drug pairing plays an important role in the retention of reward-related memory This study may provide new evidence to broaden our understanding of the development and maintenance of drug craving (C) 2009 Elsevier B V. All rights reserved

Effects of unconditioned and conditioned aversive stimuli in an intense fear conditioning paradigm on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area in vivo

Repeated vivid recalls or flashbacks of traumatic memories and memory deficits are the cardinal features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood yet. Here, we examined the effects of very strong fear conditioning (20 pairings of a light with a 1.5-mA, 0.5-s foot shock) and subsequent reexposure to the conditioning context (chamber A), a similar context (chamber B), and/or to the fear conditioned stimulus (CS) (a light) on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The conditioning procedure resulted in very strong conditioned fear, as reflected by high levels of persistent freezing, to both the contexts and to the CS, 24 h after fear conditioning. The induction of long-term potentiation ON was blocked immediately after fear conditioning. It was still markedly impaired 24 h after fear conditioning; reexposure to the conditioning chamber A (CA) or to a similar chamber 13 (CB) did not affect the impairment. However, presentation of the CS in the CA exacerbated the impairment of LTP, whereas the CS presentation in a CB ameliorated the impairment so that LTP induction did not differ from that of control groups. The induction of long-term depression (LTD) was facilitated immediately, but not 24 h, after fear conditioning. Only reexposure to the CS in the CA, but not reexposure to either chamber A or B alone, or the CS in chamber B, 24 h after conditioning, reinstated the facilitation of LTD induction. These data demonstrate that unconditioned and conditioned aversive stimuli in an intense fear conditioning paradigm can have profound effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity, which may aid to understand the mechanisms underlying impairments of hippocampus-dependent memory by stress or in PTSD. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Morphine conditioned place preference depends on glucocorticoid receptors in both hippocampus and nucleus accumbens

Learned association between drugs of abuse and context is essential for the formation of drug conditioned place preference (CPP), which is believed to engage many brain regions including hippocampus, and nucleus accumbens (NAc). The underlying mechanisms

Multiply conditioned analyses of stratification in highly swirling methane/air flames

The effects of stratification on a series of highly swirling turbulent flames under globally lean conditions (φg=0.75) are investigated using a new high-spatial resolution multi-scalar dataset. This dataset features two key properties: high spatial resolution which approaches the 60 micron optical limit of the measurement system, and a wavelet oversampling methodology which significantly reduces the influence of noise. Furthermore, the very large number of realizations (30,000) acquired in the stratified cases permits statistically significant results to be obtained even after aggressive conditioning is applied. Data are doubly conditioned on equivalence ratio and the degree of stratification across the flame in each instantaneous realization. The influence of stoichiometry is limited by conditioning on the equivalence ratio at the location of peak CO mass fraction, which is shown to be a good surrogate for the location of peak heat release rate, while the stratification is quantified using a linear gradient in equivalence ratio across the instantaneous flame front. This advanced conditioning enables robust comparisons with the baseline lean premixed flame. Species mass fractions of both carbon monoxide and hydrogen are increased in temperature space under stratified conditions. Stratification is also shown to significantly increase thermal gradients, yet the derived three-dimensional flame surface density is shown to be relatively insensitive to stratification. Whilst the presence of instantaneous stratification broadens the curvature distribution relative to the premixed case, the degree of broadening is not significantly influenced by the range of global stratification ratios examined in this study. © 2012 The Combustion Institute.

An analysis and simulation about conditioned launch for very short reach (VSR-4)

VSR4 links use graded index multimode fibers (GIMMFs) as the transmission medium with operation wavelength 850nm. For cost reasons, VCSEL has been selected as the optical source to VSR4. The minimum bandwidth specification for 62.5um GIMMF in VSR4 is only 400 MHz(.)km for over-filled-launch (OFL) condition. The distance of 300 meters is limited over transmission rates of 1.25Gbit/s on the basis of this specification. In order to overcome the OFL bandwidth limit by selective excitation of a limited number of modes, conditioned launch technique is investigated. In this paper, based on a comprehensive dispersion theory of GIMMF, a model is built to simulate the transmission of optical signal in GIMMFs and a comparison between OFL and conditioned launch is analyzed. The result can be the guidelines for the best choice of techniques for various LAN and interconnect systems also.