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J A Yee

Publications and source records attributed to J A Yee.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Hypophysial portal vascular infusion of TRH in the rat: an ultrasturctural and radioimmunoassay study.

The hypophysial portal vessels and anterior pituitary gland of adult male Wistar rats were exposed surgically. A hypophysial portal vessel was cannulated and infused for one minute with saline or thyrotrophin (TRH). Anterior pituitary glands were collected at 1,5,15,30 or 60 minutes after cessation of infusion, for light and electron microscopic examination. Before and immediately after cannulation of a portal vessel, a 1-ml sample of blood was collected at 1,5,15,30, or 60 minutes, from the femoral vein for radioimmunoassay (RIA) of growth hormone. Thyrotrophs from anterior pituitary glands of rats infused with TRH displayed emiocytic activity at all time-periods studied. Rough endoplasmic reticular (RER) cisternae were dilated at 15 minutes following infusion and remained dilated at 30 and 60 minutes. TRH was observed to stimulate emiocytic activity in most pituitary cell-types. Extensive dilations of RER cisternae were also observed in mammotrophs and gonadotrophs, but were not observed in somatotrophs or adrenocorticotrophs. The demonstration that thyrotrophs, mammotrophs, somatotrophs, and gonadotrophs respond to TRH suggests that some common features may be shared by these cells. Preliminary analysis of the RIA data show that TRH was potent in elevating radioimmunoassayable growth hormone levels. Significant increases (p less than 0.02) in plasma GH levels were present at the earlier time periods studied (1,5, and 15 minutes) following the infusion of TRH, but no at 30 or 60 minutes. These findings provide additional support for the non-specific action of TRH upon hte various adenohypophysial cell types, and demonstrate that TRH stimulates these cells by a direct action on the adenohypophysis.

Animals↗

Periodontal ligament cell kinetics following orthodontic tooth movement.

The population of periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts examined in this study may include osteogenic progenitor cells. PDL fibroblast and osteoblast kinetics in the periodontal ligament of the rat were measured following orthodontic stimulation of bone formation. Both single and multiple injections of tritiated thymidine (3H-TdR) were used. In single injection experiments, the peak percentage of PDL fibroblasts labeled with 3H-TdR is 15% at 22 hr post-stimulation. In multiple injection experiments, the total percentage of fibroblasts in the PDL which respond by synthesizing DNA is 50%. 3H-TdR-labeled osteoblasts appear at the same rate as, but with a time delay after, the labeled fibroblasts. Following stimulation, the most likely source of osteoblasts at the bbone forming site is not only fibroblasts which make DNA, divide, then differentiate, but also fibroblasts which either are differentiated to osteoblasts without DNA synthesis and cell division, or are released from G2 block by the orthodontic stimulation.

Animals↗

NADPH-diaphorase-positive nerves and the role of nitric oxide in CGRP relaxation of uterine contraction.

We previously demonstrated calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) immunoreactivity in sensory nerves in the rat uterus and that CGRP inhibits stimulated uterine contraction in vitro. The present study was undertaken to: 1) examine possible roles nitric oxide (NO) may have in the inhibitory action of CGRP on uterine contraction and 2) identify sites where NO may be synthesized. The relaxing effect of CGRP on SP-stimulated uterine contraction was established in vitro on uterine horns from diethylstilbestrol-treated rats. These experiments were repeated with or without an arginine analog [NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA)] that inhibits NO formation. The localization of the synthetic enzyme for NO production, NO synthase, was accomplished by histochemically staining for NADPH-diaphorase. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (10(-7) M) significantly reduced SP (10(-5) or 10(-6) M)-stimulated uterine contraction. The L-NMMA (10(-3) M) blocked the relaxing action of CGRP on SP-stimulated uterine contraction. The L-NMMA alone had no effect on SP-stimulated uterine contraction. NADPH-diaphorase-positive nerve fibers were located in the myometrium, endometrium, and adjacent to the vasculature. These data demonstrate that: 1) L-NMMA suppresses the relaxant effect of CGRP on myometrial activity and 2) NADPH-diaphorase (indicative of NO synthase) is localized in uterine nerve fibers. These data suggest that the inhibitory action of CGRP may be dependent on NO formation and that the enzyme necessary for NO production is present in nerves in areas optimal to affect myometrial activity.

Animals↗

Passive immunization of macaques against SIV infection.

Passive immunization with plasma from an inactivated-whole SIVmac vaccine protected monkey conferred complete or partial protection to rhesus macaques challenged intravenously 4 or 18 hours later with 10 AID50 of homologous cell-free virus. In contrast, passive immunization with inactivated plasma or purified immunoglobulin (Ig) from SIVmac infected asymptomatic monkeys failed to protect any recipients similarly challenged and may have enhanced infection and accelerated disease. Administered 24 hours post challenge, anti-SIV Ig may also have enhanced the infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Dietary supplementation of selenomethionine reduces metastasis of melanoma cells in mice.

The present study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation of selenomethionine on pulmonary metastasis of B16BL6 murine melanoma cells in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were assigned to four groups of 15 each. They were fed a basal AIN93G diet and the basal diet supplemented with 2.5 ppm or 5 ppm selenium as selenomethionine or with 2.5 ppm selenium as selenite for two weeks before and after the intravenous injection of 0.5 x 10(5) tumor cells. At necropsy, the number and size of tumors that developed in the lungs were determined. The number of mice that had > or = 11 tumors was 13, 8, 8, and 6 (p < 0.02 compared with the control), and the median number of lung tumors was 64, 14, 12 (p < 0.05 compared with the control), and 8 (p < 0.01 compared with the control) in the control group and the groups with 2.5 ppm and 5 ppm selenium as selenomethionine and 2.5 ppm selenium as selenite. Dietary supplementation of selenomethionine decreased tumor cross-sectional area and tumor volume compared with the controls. At the same dietary level, selenite had a greater inhibitory effect on tumor size than selenomethionine. These results demonstrate that dietary supplementation of selenomethionine reduced experimental metastasis of melanoma cells in mice and inhibited the growth of metastatic tumors that formed in the lungs. It is concluded that selenomethionine is an active form of selenium that reduces experimental metastasis.

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