Advances in molecular diagnostics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a human obligate pathogen that causes the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea. As the second most commonly reported STI of bacterial origin, gonorrhea is a growing global public health concern given that the causative pathogen has developed resistance to antibiotics that are currently used for treatment. A holistic approach is thus essential to reduce the incidence of gonorrhea and to control the spread of antimicrobial resistance N.

Arboviruses: the hidden danger of the tropics.

Arboviruses are viruses that are transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes, ticks, and flies, and most of them are RNA viruses. Vector-borne transmission occurs when an infected arthropod bites a vertebrate host, allowing the virus to enter the bloodstream and initiate infection. Arboviruses are known to cause significant morbidity and mortality in mammals, and at least a hundred of them have been identified as human pathogens.

Amyloid beta Aβ activates Piezo1 channels in brain capillary endothelial cells.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide accumulation on blood vessels in the brain is a hallmark of neurodegeneration. While Aβ peptides constrict cerebral arteries and arterioles, their impact on capillaries is less understood. Aβ was recently shown to constrict brain capillaries through pericyte contraction, but whether-and if so how-Aβ affects endothelial cells (ECs) remains unknown.

Endothelial Piezo1 channel mediates mechano-feedback control of brain blood flow.

Hyperemia in response to neural activity is essential for brain health. A hyperemic response delivers O and nutrients, clears metabolic waste, and concomitantly exposes cerebrovascular endothelial cells to hemodynamic forces. While neurovascular research has primarily centered on the front end of hyperemia-neuronal activity-to-vascular response-the mechanical consequences of hyperemia have gone largely unexplored.

Evidence of an excitatory purinergic innervation in mouse corpus cavernosum smooth muscle.

Background: Evidence suggests that the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM) cells of several species, including humans, express purinergic P2X receptors, but it is not known if the corpus cavernosum has an excitatory purinergic innervation.

Aim: In this study we aimed to determine if the mouse CCSM has a functional purinergic innervation.

Methods: Mouse CCSM myocytes were enzymatically isolated and studied using the perforated patch configuration of the patch clamp technique.

Ca -activated Cl channels (TMEM16A) underlie spontaneous electrical activity in isolated mouse corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells.

Penile detumescence is maintained by tonic contraction of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC), but the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms underlying activation of TMEM16A Ca -activated Cl channels in freshly isolated murine CCSMC. Male C57BL/6 mice aged 10-18 weeks were euthanized via intraperitoneal injection of sodium pentobarbital (100 mg.

Functional expression of Na1.7 channels in freshly dispersed mouse bronchial smooth muscle cells.

Isolated smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from mouse bronchus were studied using the whole cell patch-clamp technique at ∼21°C. Stepping from -100 mV to -20 mV evoked inward currents of mean amplitude -275 pA. These inactivated (tau = 1.

Fast voltage-dependent sodium (Na ) currents are functionally expressed in mouse corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells.

Background And Purpose: Corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (CCSM) exhibits phasic contractions that are coordinated by ion channels. Mouse models are commonly used to study erectile dysfunction, but there are few published electrophysiological studies of mouse CCSM. We describe the voltage-dependent sodium (Na ) currents in mouse CCSM and investigate their function.