Although interactions between superoxide (O 2•؊ ) and nitric oxide underlie many physiologic and pathophysiologic processes, regulation of this crosstalk at the enzymatic level is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR), a prototypic superoxide O 2•؊ -producing enzyme, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) coimmunoprecipitate and colocalize in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiac myocytes. Deficiency of NOS1 (but not endothelial NOS, NOS3) leads to profound increases in XOR-mediated O 2•؊ production, which in turn depresses myocardial excitation-contraction coupling in a manner reversible by XOR inhibition with allopurinol. These data demonstrate a unique interaction between a nitric oxide and an O 2•؊ -generating enzyme that accounts for crosstalk between these signaling pathways; these findings demonstrate a direct antioxidant mechanism for NOS1 and have pathophysiologic implications for the growing number of disease states in which increased XOR activity plays a role.
Background-Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) plays key cardiac physiological roles, regulating excitationcontraction coupling and exerting an antioxidant effect that maintains tissue NO-redox equilibrium. After myocardial infarction (MI), NOS1 translocates from the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the cell membrane, where it inhibits -adrenergic contractility, an effect previously predicted to have adverse consequences. Counter to this idea, we tested the hypothesis that NOS1 has a protective effect after MI. Methods and Results-We studied mortality, cardiac remodeling, and upregulation of oxidative stress pathways after MI in NOS1-deficient (NOS1 Ϫ/Ϫ and WT animals, although NO increased only in WT. NADPH oxidase (PϽ0.05) activity increased transiently in both groups after MI, but NOS1 Ϫ/Ϫ mice had persistent basal and post-MI elevations in xanthine oxidoreductase activity. Conclusions-Together these findings support a protective role for intact NOS1 activity in the heart after MI, despite a potential contribution to LV dysfunction through -adrenergic hyporesponsiveness. NOS1 deficiency contributes to an imbalance between oxidative stress and tissue NO signaling, providing a plausible mechanism for adverse consequences of NOS1 deficiency in states of myocardial injury.
Some patients develop chronic itch from neurological injuries, and shingles may be a common cause. Neuropathic itch can lead to self-injury from scratching desensate skin. A 39-year-old woman experienced severe postherpetic itch, but no postherpetic neuralgia, after ophthalmic zoster. Within 1 year, she had painlessly scratched through her frontal skull into her brain. Sensory testing and skin biopsies were performed on itchy and normal scalp to generate preliminary hypotheses about mechanisms of neuropathic itch. Quantitation of epidermal neurites in PGP9.5-immunolabeled skin biopsies demonstrated loss of 96% of epidermal innervation in the itchy area. Quantitative sensory testing indicated severe damage to most sensory modalities except itch. These data indicate that in this patient, severe postherpetic itch was associated with loss of peripheral sensory neurons. Possible mechanisms include electrical hyperactivity of hypo-afferented central itch-specific neurons, selective preservation of peripheral itch-fibers from neighboring unaffected dermatomes, and/or imbalance between excitation and inhibition of second-order sensory neurons.
Impaired leptin signalling in obesity is increasingly implicated in cardiovascular pathophysiology. To explore mechanisms for leptin activity in the heart, we hypothesized that physiological leptin signalling participates in maintaining cardiac β-adrenergic regulation of excitation-contraction coupling. We studied 10-week-old (before development of cardiac hypertrophy) leptin-deficient (ob/ob, n = 12) and C57Bl/6 (wild-type (WT), n = 15) mice at baseline and after recombinant leptin infusion (0.3 mg kg −1 day −1 for 28 days, n = 6 in each group). Ob/ob-isolated myocytes had attenuated sarcomere shortening and calcium transients ([Ca 2+ ] i ) versus WT (P < 0.01 for both) following stimulation of the β-receptor (with isoproterenol (isoprenaline)) or at the post-receptor level (with forskolin and dibutryl-cAMP). In addition, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca 2+ stores were depressed. Leptin replenishment in ob/ob mice restored each of these abnormalities towards normal without affecting gross (wall thickness) or microscopic (cell size) measures of cardiac architecture. Immunoblots revealed alterations of several proteins involved in excitation-contraction coupling in the ob/ob mice, including decreased abundance of G s α-52 kDa, as well as alterations in the expression of Ca 2+ cycling proteins (increased SR Ca 2+ -ATPase, and depressed phosphorylated phospholamban). In addition, protein kinase A (PKA) activity in ob/ob mice was depressed at baseline and correctable towards the activity found in WT with leptin repletion, a finding that could account for impaired β-adrenergic responsiveness. Taken together, these data reveal a novel link between the leptin signalling pathway and normal cardiac function and suggest a mechanism by which leptin deficiency or resistance may lead to cardiac depression.
Rationale: In developing countries, poor and rural areas have a high burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and environmental pollutants and indoor burning of biomass have been implicated as potential causal exposures. Less is known about the prevalence of COPD in the United States with respect to urban-rural distribution, poverty, and factors that uniquely contribute to COPD among never-smokers.Objectives: To understand the impact of urban-rural status, poverty, and other community factors on COPD prevalence nationwide and among never-smokers.
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