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Females are disproportionately affected by stress- related mood disorders. Child abuse is the single greatest environmental risk factor for mood disorders. An animal model of child abuse, juvenile social subjugation (JSS), was used to determine whether males and females differentially process stress, specifically in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). Rats (n=36) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: JSS, Benign Control (BC) or Handled Control (HC). Following this procedure, brains were processed for Fos, which indicates neural activity. It was hypothesized that the JSS condition would evoke more neural activation than other conditions and would do so more in females. Across both sexes, we hypothesized there would be significantly more activation in the posterior BST than in the anterior BST. Based on earlier research, we hypothesized there would be and a sex difference in total neuron number, favoring males, in the posterior BST.

Neutrophils are implicated in many inflammatory lung disorders. However, the mechanisms regulating neutrophil migration in acute lung inflammation are incompletely understood. Although, integrin β2 mediates neutrophil migration in lungs in response to many stimuli such as E. coli, integrin involved in <i>S. pneumoniae</i> induced neutrophil migration is not known. Therefore, the role of integrin αvβ3 in neutrophil recruitment was tested. First, it was found that the number of neutrophils expressing the integrin subunits αv and β3 is reduced or remains in lung inflammation induced by E. coli or <i>S. pneumoniae</i>, respectively. Next, the role of integrin αvβ3 using β3 knockout mice (β3-/-) and function blocking antibodies was addressed. Neutrophil recruitment did not vary between wild type and β3-/- mice. Although β3 antibodies reduced neutrophil recruitment, similar effect was observed with isotype antibodies. Therefore, one can conclude that integrin αvβ3 is not critical for neutrophil recruitment in <i>S. pneumoniae</i> induced pneumonia. <p>Apart from integrins, TLR4 also regulate neutrophil migration. Because, the pattern of TLR4 expression at various times of lung inflammation is not known, TLR4 expression during different phases of lung inflammation in a rat model of LPS-induced inflammation was studied. TLR4 expression in the septum increased and decreased at 6h and 12-36h of inflammation, respectively. Since these correlate with the time of increase and decline of neutrophil recruitment, the findings support previously observed requirement for TLR4 in neutrophil recruitment. <p>Neutrophils recruited into the lungs regulate the inflammatory process by controlling subsequent monocyte/macrophage recruitment. The mechanisms involved and the pattern of monocyte/macrophage recruitment in lungs are not completely understood. Therefore, the possible involvement of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, which is a premier chemokine in monocyte/macrophage migration and produced by neutrophils and other cells was tested. This was addressed by quantification of monocytes/macrophages at various times and using neutrophil depletion experiments in LPS-induced lung inflammation in rats. It was found that monocytes/macrophages migrate very early and before neutrophils in addition to their migration in the late phase of acute lung inflammation. Neutrophil depletion abrogated both early as well as the late monocyte/macrophage recruitment without altering the expression of MCP-1. Therefore, possibly other chemokines and not MCP-1 are involved in neutrophil dependent monocyte/macrophage recruitment. <p>To conclude, the experiments further the understanding on acute lung inflammation by ruling-out the involvement of integrin αvβ3 and MCP-1 in β2-independent neutrophil migration and neutrophil dependent monocyte/macrophage recruitment, respectively. Further studies are essential to find the integrins and chemokines operating in the above situations. Equally important will be to understand the functional significance of early recruited monocytes/macrophages in the lung.

The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are unequivocally useful for lowering cholesterol levels in patients with dyslipidemias. In addition to cholesterol lowering properties, statins exert a number of pleiotropic, vascular-protective effects include improvement of endothelial function, increased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, antioxidant properties. Since endothelial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important pathophysiological determinants of essential hypertension, these actions of statins raise the possibility that statin therapy may be useful for simultaneously clinical hypertension management. However, the signaling mechanisms of statins that improve hypertension remain unclear. Our previous study showed, in the NTS, insulin may decrease blood pressure and heart rates through PI3K-Akt-eNOS pathway, and NTS integrates convergent information from peripheral baroreceptors and central cardiovascular regulatory center. Statins also prevent the synthesis of other important isoprenoid intermediates of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway, members of the Ras and Rac1 GTPase family are major substrates for posttranslational modification by isoprenylation and may be important targets for inhibition by statins. Statins could inhibit Rac1 isoprenylation and Rac1-mediated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity attenuates reactive oxygen species production. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible signaling pathways involved in simvastatin-mediated blood pressure regulation in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Male 20-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were divided into two groups: control group and intracerebroventricular injection with simvastatin group for three days. We found that systolic blood pressure measured with tail-cuff method of the simvastatin-treated rats decreased significantly, and the NO level in the NTS was significantly increased. In addition, we observed that simvastatin could lower the ROS level and increase Ras GTPase activity in the NTS. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry analysis further showed that simvastatin increased the phosphorylation ratio of ERK1/2, Akt, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the NTS. Taken together, these results suggest that eNOS signaling in the NTS may play an important role in simvastatin-induced blood pressure lowering effects. Keywords: statins, nucleus tractus solitarii, nitric oxide, oxidative stress, central cardiovascular regulatory, isoprenylation

Recent studies demonstrated that fructose intake can increase blood pressure in experimental animals. Oxidative stress has emerged as an important pathogenic factor in the development of hypertension. It has been reported that increased superoxide production in fructose-fed rat mediated through nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate NAD(P)H oxidase. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is one of the most important enzymes against oxidative stress. However, the signaling mechanisms of fructose which induce hypertension through superoxide remain unclear. Nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) is the integrative center for baroreflex. Our previous study had revealed that accumulation of superoxide in the NTS can induce hypertension. As an important antioxidant in red wine, resveratrol is likely to contribute to the potential of red wine to prevent cardiovascular disease. At pharmacological doses, resveratrol increases vascular nitric oxide (NO) levels and improves NO bioavailability in animal models. Resveratrol is a potent activator of AMPK in neuronal cell lines, primary neurons, and the brain. Recent reports have indicated that metformin targets AMPK which activates nNOS and eNOS. Therefore, we hypothesized that resveratrol causes blood pressure decrease through regulating nitric oxide and superoxide production in the NTS of fructose-fed rats. There were three specific aims: 1. To investigate whether fructose induce superoxide production and causes hypertension in the NTS. 2. To investigate which signaling pathway is involved in fructose-induced hypertension. 3. To investigate which signaling pathway is involved in resveratrol modulates blood pressure. Male Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were divided into two groups: control group and fed with 10% fructose water group for 1 week. After one-week treatment, the systolic blood pressure and superoxide production increased significantly and the nitrate level in the NTS was significantly decreased. Immunoblotting showed that administration of fructose significantly increased NADPH oxidase subunits p22-phox, p67-phox activity, RAGE activity and reduce SOD2 activity in the NTS. Based on our previous studies, male Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were divided into five groups: Group I: Control group; Group II: fructose-fed rats (FFR) fed with 10% fructose for 4 weeks; Group III: Control + resveratrol (R) rats received a gavage of resveratrol; Group IV: FFR+ resveratrol (FR) fed with 10% fructose and resveratrol ; Group V: FFR + 2weeks resveratrol (F2R) fed with 10% fructose and received a gavage of resveratrol 2 weeks. We found that systolic blood pressure measured by tail-cuff method in F group rats and F2R group rats revealed a significantly increased than C group rats continuously through week 0 to week 2 but R group rats and FR group rats were no difference with C group. However, received a gavage of resveratrol (10 mg/kg/d) 2 weeks, F2R group revealed a significantly decrease in SBP than the F group continuously through week 2 to week 4. Fructose-induced hypertension increased NADPH oxidase activity and SOD2 activity related to inhibit the production of NO in the regulation of blood pressure. These results suggest that in the NTS, intake of fructose induces NADPH oxidase activity and reduces SOD2 activity to increase blood pressure. Resveratrol can not only reverse fructose-induced hypertension but also prevent fructose-induced hypertension.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri--Columbia, 2000. / "August 2000." Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-210). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Richard L. Hyson, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed 6/16/04). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-115).

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published_or_final_version / Physiology / Master / Master of Philosophy