A patient with chronic hemolytic anemia presented with an acute hemolytic crisis, a high count of nucleated red blood cells (NRBC), and artifactual hypoglycemia. Temporal events showed a parallel relationship between an increased number of nucleated RBCs and an excess in vitro consumption of glucose.
Background
It has been hypothesised that down-regulation of the potassium BKCa channel function at term is involved in myometrial activation at labour onset. However, there are conflicting reports on the contribution of this channel to uterine contractility. Our previous data suggests that BK channels do not modulate spontaneous contractility of human and rat myometrium in vitro. The BKCa activator NS1619, which can relax myometrial tissue, has been reported to mediate effects via ERG channels in other tissues. Our aim was to examine the effect of a more specific BKCa channel activator NS11021 versus NS1619 in non-pregnant and late pregnant mouse myometrium.
Methods
Longitudinal myometrial strips obtained from non-pregnant (oestrous) and late pregnant (day 17–18) C57/BL6 mice were used for isometric tension recording; activity measured as mean integral tension. NS1619 (n=6–9), NS11021 (n=6–7) and its inactive analogue NS13558 (n=4–6) versus vehicle controls (n=3–12).
Results
NS11021 (10 M) and NS13558 (10 M) had no effect on spontaneous myometrial contractions. NS1619 (10 M) had a small but non-significant effect on myometrial contractility from non-pregnant mice, but at 30 M concentrations induced a significant decrease in spontaneous contractility compared to vehicle control (260.5% vs 137.3%, p<0.05).
Conclusions
NS11021 has no effect on spontaneous myometrial contractions from non-pregnant or late pregnant mice. The effect of NS1619, seen in this and previous studies, are more likely to have been mediated by an action of NS1619 on ERG channels.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.