Objective:Pasteurized, donated milk is increasingly provided to preterm infants in the absence of mother's own milk. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pasteurization on the concentration of selected components in donated human breast milk.Study Design:Donated milk from 34 mothers was pooled into 17 distinct batches ...

Based on our previous observations that clusterin induction accompanies pancreas regeneration in the rat, we sought to determine if regeneration might be impaired in mice that lacked clusterin. We studied the impact of absent clusterin on morphogenic and functional features of regenerating pancreas. Clusterin induction was accompanied in the regenerating ...

Aim of this work is the study of abnormalities induced by the triazole triadimefon (FON) administered to pregnant mice at E8, E9, E10, E11 or E12. Pregnant CD-1 mouse were gavaged with FON 500mg/kg at the selected stages and sacrificed at term and fetuses morphologically examined and processed for visceral ...

Recent human genetic studies have revealed that common variants of the zinc transporter 8 (ZnT-8) gene are strongly associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). ZnT-8 has been suggested as a potential candidate in the regulation of insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells. In this study, we aimed to explore the ...

We have identified a role for two evolutionarily related, secreted metalloproteases of the ADAMTS family, ADAMTS20 and ADAMTS9, in palatogenesis. Adamts20 mutations cause the mouse white-spotting mutant belted (bt), whereas Adamts9 is essential for survival beyond 7.5 days gestation (E7.5). Functional overlap of Adamts9 with Adamts20 was identified using Adamts9(+/-);bt/bt ...

The prevalence of cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) at birth varied from 3.4-22.9 per 10000 births according to different geography and ethnic groups. And scar has been recognized as a significantly negative factor on the postoperative wound healing of cleft lip patients because it often impairs function, ...

Mice have increasingly been used as a model for studies of myopia. The key to successful use of mice for myopia research is the ability to obtain accurate measurements of refractive status of their eyes. In order to obtain accurate measurements of refractive errors in mice, the refraction needs to ...

Optic nerve transection (ONT) triggers retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. By using this paradigm, we have analyzed for the first time in adult albino and pigmented mice, the effects of ONT in the scotopic threshold response (STR) components (negative and positive) of the full-field electroretinogram. Two weeks after ONT, when ...

Mice models are an important way to understand the relation between the fetus with cleft palate and changes of maternal biofluid. This paper aims to develop a metabonomics approach to analyze dexamethasone-induced cleft palate in pregnant C57BL/6J mice and to study the relationship between the change of endogenous small molecular ...

Many GABAergic anaesthetics reduce gap junction coupling but it is currently unknown whether this effect contributes to anaesthetic anticonvulsant action. In this study we examined the possible role of connexin36 gap junctions in the anticonvulsant action of isoflurane and compared this to etomidate, an anaesthetic known for having proconvulsant effects. ...

The authors have previously shown that the clinically relevant concentrations of inhalational anesthetics dose-dependently inhibit the postsynaptic density protein (PSD)-95, Dlg, and ZO-1 domain-mediated protein interactions between N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and PSD-95/synaptic-associated protein (SAP) 90 or PSD-93/Chapsyn-110 and that the knockdown of spinal PSD-95/SAP90 significantly reduces the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) ...

Isoflurane is currently the most common volatile anaesthetic used in laboratory mice, whereas in human medicine the more modern sevoflurane is often used for inhalation anaesthesia. This study aimed to characterize and compare the clinical properties of both anaesthetics for inhalation anaesthesia in mice. In an approach mirroring routine laboratory ...

This study investigates the sub-chronic effects of shellfish possibly contaminated by algal toxins in albino Wistar mice. Following in-feed treatment with hepatopancreas, there were significant (p < 0.05) differences in packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, lymphocyte count and alanine aminotransferase between the different treatment groups and ...

Objective: To determine changes on craniofacial growth morphometrically in newborn mice with cleft palate induced by retinoic acid. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions: Gestation day 10 or 12 pregnant female C57BL/6N mice were given a single dose of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) by gastric intubations via oral gavage. Sixty newborn mice ...

The transcription factor TBX1 is a key mediator of developmental abnormalities associated with DiGeorge/Velocardiofacial Syndrome. Studies in mice have demonstrated that decreased dosage of Tbx1 results in defects in pharyngeal arch, cardiovascular, and craniofacial development. The role of Tbx1 in cardiac development has been intensely studied; however, its role in ...

Inorganic arsenic (As) is considered as a human carcinogen because it is associated with cancers of skin, lung, liver and bladder in exposed population. Consumption of As contaminated ground water for long term causes oxidative stress. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), beyond the body's endogenous antioxidant balance results severe ...

Previous studies have shown that disruption of GABA signaling in mice via mutations in the Gad1, Gabrb3 or Viaat genes leads to the development of non-neural developmental defects such as cleft palate. Studies of the Gabrb3 and Gad1 mutant mice have suggested that GABA function could be required either in ...

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by fungal of Aspergillus species absorbed in human through contaminate food in gastrointestinal tract. OTA has been demonstrated to be teratogenic in a number of species including mice and potentially human. Mice exposed in uterus to OTA develop craniofacial abnormalities such as exencephaly, ...

Strial melanocytes are required for normal development and correct functioning of the cochlea. Hearing deficits have been reported in albino individuals from different species, although melanin appears to be not essential for normal auditory function. We have analyzed the auditory brainstem responses (ABR) of two transgenic mice: YRT2, carrying the ...

BACKGROUND: Valproic acid (VPA) is used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorders, as well as for migraine prophylaxis. However, its clinical use is limited by two life-threatening side effects: hepatotoxicity and teratogenicity. To develop a more potent and safer second-generation VPA drug, the urea derivatives of four VPA analogs (2-ethyl-3-methylpentanoyl ...

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been shown to induce cleft palate, in which the molecular etiology of the defect is poorly characterized. Recently, transforming growth factor-beta3 (TGF-beta3) has been indicated to play an essential role in the development of palatal shelves. In this developmental toxicity study, we investigated the effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin ...

The limits to sustained energy intake (SusEI) are important because they determine the ceiling restricting all the competing physiological processes. A recent hypothesis is that SusEI is constrained by the capacity to dissipate heat. However some previous data for Swiss mice are inconsistent with this hypothesis. To examine the role ...

Reciprocal interactions between epithelium and mesenchyme are crucial for embryonic development. Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are a growth factor family that play an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal tissue interaction. We have generated epithelial-specific conditional knockout mice targeting Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (Fgfr2) to investigate the function of FGF signaling ...

The objective of this investigation was to determine the efficacy of crocetin in preventing lung tumorigenesis in mice. We evaluated crocetin in Swiss albino mice treated with the tobacco-specific carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] for their ability to inhibit pulmonary adenoma formation and growth. Male Swiss albino mice (7 weeks old) were ...

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Hand2 has been implicated in the development of multiple organs, including craniofacial organs. Mice carrying Hand2 hypomorphic alleles (Hand2(LoxP/-)) display a cleft palate phenotype. A specific deletion of the Hand2 branchial arch-specific enhancer also leads to a hypoplastic mandible and cleft palate formation in ...

Leflunomide is an immunosuppressant drug displaying teratogenicity in mice, rats, and rabbits. Its immunosuppressive effect occurs via inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) and tyrosine kinases. In this study, we coadministered Leflunomide and uridine, a precursor substance of pyrimidine nucleotides, to pregnant CD-1 mice, and examined whether or not a decreased ...

Palatogenesis depends on appropriate growth, elevation, and fusion of the palatal shelves and aberration in these processes can lead to palatal clefting. We observed a high incidence of palate clefting in mice deficient in Gli3, known for its role as a repressor in the absence of Shh signaling. In contrast ...

Valproate (VPA) treatment in pregnancy leads to congenital anomalies, possibly by disrupting folate or homocysteine metabolism. Since methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme of folate interconversion and homocysteine metabolism, we addressed the possibility that VPA might have different teratogenicity in Mthfr(+/+) and Mthfr(+/-) mice and that VPA might interfere ...

During embryogenesis, the transcription factor Tp63 is expressed in the basal cells of multiple epithelial tissues. In humans, mutations in TP63 have been identified in five distinct human developmental disorders that are characterized by limb abnormalities, ectodermal dysplasia, and facial anomalies. To dissect the molecular pathogenesis of the bilateral cleft ...

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate is one of the most common congenital malformations in newborns. While numerous studies on secondary palatogenesis exist, data regarding normal upper lip formation and cleft lip is limited. We previously showed that conditional inactivation of Tgf-beta type I receptor Alk5 in the ectomesenchyme ...

Cleft palate is a common birth defect that involves disruptions in multiple developmental steps such as growth, differentiation, elevation, and fusion. Medial edge epithelial (MEE) differentiation is essential for palate fusion. An important question is whether the MEE differentiation that occurs during fusion is induced by palate shelf contact or ...

Improving the efficacy of antidotal treatment of poisonings with nerve agents is still a challenge for the scientific community. This study investigated the interactions of four bispyridinium oximes with human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and their effects on soman- and tabun-poisoned mice. Oximes HI-6 and TMB-4 were used for comparison. These ...

The eda mouse gene is linked with anomalies of ectodermal derivatives, such as hair, glands, and teeth. The palatal rugae (oral mucosa foldings on the hard palate) are also ectodermal derivatives. Therefore, we searched for and compared palatal rugae anomalies of Tabby mice bearing a mutation in the eda gene ...

Although TGF-beta isoforms (TGF-beta1-3) display very similar biochemical characteristics in vitro, it has been determined that they demonstrate different or even opposing effects in vivo. During embryogenesis, TGF-betas play important roles in several developmental processes. Tgfb3 is strongly expressed in the prefusion palatal epithelium, and mice lacking Tgfb3 display a ...

BACKGROUND: Gamma-aminobutyric acid is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, synthesized by two isoforms of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), GAD65 and -67. Unexpectedly, inactivation of GAD67 induces cleft palate in mice. Reduction of spontaneous tongue movement resulting from decreased motor nerve activity has been related to the development of cleft palate in GAD67(-/-) fetuses. ...

Pax9 is required for the formation of a variety of organs during mouse development. The function of Pax9 at postnatal stages is unknown since homozygosity of the null allele (Pax9(lacZ)) causes neonatal lethality. Recently, we have generated a hypomorphic Pax9 allele, Pax9(neo), which contains a removable neomycin resistance cassette (neo) ...

meenakshi Cissampelos pareira Linn. is one of the folk medicinal plants commonly used as antifertility agent in some places of India. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the validity of the antifertility effect of the leaf extract. Cissampelos pareira leaf extract, when administered orally, altered the estrous ...

Trp53-deficient mice exhibit increased incidences of developmental anomalies when irradiated, probably due to lack of Trp53-dependent apoptosis. A/J strain-derived CL/Fr mice develop clefts of the lip with or without the palate (CL/P) in approximately one-fifth of the embryos. We produced Trp53-deficient CL/Fr mice and examined the susceptibility to spontaneous development ...

Phenytoin is a human and animal teratogen. Accumulating evidence suggests that the teratogenicity is associated with a potential of phenytoin to cause embryonic cardiac arrhythmia and resultant generation of toxic reactive oxygen species via hypoxia-reoxygenation mechanisms. The A/J mouse is more susceptible to phenytoin teratogenicity than other mouse strains. The ...

Dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) induces cleft palate and hydronephrosis in mice, when exposed in utero; these effects are mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. The Cyp1a1, Cyp1a2, and Cyp1b1 genes are up-regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. To elucidate their roles in dioxin-induced teratogenesis, we compared Cyp1a1(-/-), Cyp1a2(-/-), and Cyp1b1(-/-) knock-out mice ...

It is well-known that TCDD (2,3,7,8, tetrachloridedibenzo-p-dioxin) induces cleft palates (CPs) in pregnant C57BL mice. However, it is unclear if TCDD is a possible teratogen for cleft lip. We examined maxillofacial malformations including cleft lip in three animal strains: A/J mice, C57BL/6J mice and ICR mice. The A/J mouse develops ...

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of the energy signal on the reinforcing effects and palatability to fat in mice. METHODS: To examine the effects of postingestive energy signal, mice were injected with 400 micromol/kg body mass of mercaptoacetate, a beta-oxidation blocker or with saline (control group). Reinforcing effects and palatability ...

Cleft palate is a congenital disorder arising from a failure in the multistep process of palate development. In its mildest form the cleft affects only the posterior soft palate. In more severe cases the cleft includes the soft (posterior) and hard (anterior) palate. In mice a number of genes show ...

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta3 is an important contributor to the regulation of medial edge epithelium (MEE) disappearance during palatal fusion. SMAD2 phosphorylation in the MEE has been shown to be directly regulated by TGF-beta3. No phospho-SMAD2 was identified in the MEE in Tgf-beta3-null mutant mice (Tgf-beta3-/-), which was correlated with ...

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are caused by many factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of genetic point mutations in CL/P pathogenesis. ICR and AJ strain mice were used. Ethylnitrosourea (ENU) was injected into 10-week-old male mice (G0) intraperitoneally at a dose of 250 mg/kg. ...

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-alpha) and PDGF ligands are key regulators for embryonic development. Although Pdgfralpha is spatially expressed in the cranial neural crest (CNC)-derived odontogenic mesenchyme, mice deficient for Pdgfralpha are embryonic lethal, making it impossible to investigate the functional significance of PDGF signaling in regulating the fate ...

A/WySnJ mice are an inbred strain that develops cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) with a frequency of 25-30% and a predominantly unilateral expression pattern. As in humans, the pattern of incomplete penetrance, and variable and frequent unilateral expression suggests a role for altered regulation of variability (developmental ...

Classical research has suggested that early palate formation develops via epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and in this study we reveal which signals control this process. Using Fgf10-/-, FGF receptor 2b-/- (Fgfr2b-/-), and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) mutant mice, which all exhibit cleft palate, we show that Shh is a downstream target of Fgf10/Fgfr2b ...

Induction of facial clefts in an animal model is often performed in experimental teratology. The susceptibility to teratogens of different strains of mice is genetically determined and seems to depend on the time of palatal fusion during embryogenesis. In order to elucidate the mode of action of preventive measures, we ...

Cleft palate is among the most common birth defects in humans, caused by a failure in the complex multistep developmental process of palatogenesis. It has been recently shown that transforming growth factor beta3 (Tgf-beta3) is an absolute requirement for successful palatal fusion, both in mice and humans. However, very little ...