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- Cowburn, RF, et al.
(author)
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Receptor-G-protein signalling in Alzheimer's disease
- 2001
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In: Biochemical Society symposium. - : Portland Press Ltd.. - 0067-8694 .- 1744-1439. ; 67:67, s. 163-175
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on radioligand binding studies, it has long been assumed that the neurochemical pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) does not involve widespread changes in post-synaptic neurotransmitter function. However, more recent studies suggest that receptor function in AD may be compromised due to disrupted post-receptor signal transduction, in particular that mediated by the G-protein regulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and adenylate cyclase (AC) pathways. The phosphoinositide hydrolysis pathway has been shown to be altered at a number of levels in AD post-mortem brains, including impaired agonist and G-protein regulation of phospholipase C, decreased protein kinase C (PKC) levels and activity, and a reduced number of receptor sites for the second messenger, Ins(1,4,5)P3. Of these, loss of Ins(1,4,5)P3 receptors and PKC in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus correlates with AD-related neurofibrillary changes, as staged according to Braak's protocol. Disregulation of the phosphoinositide hydrolysis pathway may therefore have consequences for the progression of AD pathology. In contrast to the extensive pattern of disruption seen with the phosphoinositide hydrolysis pathway, changes to AC signalling in AD appear more circumscribed. Disruptions include a lesion at the level of Gs-protein stimulation of AC and, at least in the hippocampus, reduced enzyme activities in response to forskolin stimulation. Of these, the latter change has been shown to precede neurofibrillary changes. Apart from a loss of calcium/calmodulin sensitive AC isoforms, other components of this signalling pathway, including G-protein levels, Gi-protein mediated inhibition and protein kinase A levels and activity, remain relatively preserved in the disorder.
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- O'Neill, C, et al.
(author)
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Dysfunctional intracellular calcium homoeostasis: a central cause of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease
- 2001
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In: Biochemical Society symposium. - : Portland Press Ltd.. - 0067-8694 .- 1744-1439. ; 67:67, s. 177-194
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The clinical symptoms of all forms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) result from a slowly progressive neurodegeneration that is associated with the excessive deposition of ϐ-amyloid (Aϐ) in plaques and in the cerebrovasculature, and the formation of intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, which are composed primarily of abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau protein. The sequence of cellular events that cause this pathology and neurodegeneration is unknown. It is, however, most probably linked to neuronal signal transduction systems that become misregulated in the brains of certain individuals, causing excessive Aϐ to be formed and/or deposited, tau to become aggregated and hyperphosphorylated and neurons to degenerate. We hypothesize that a progressive alteration in the ability of neurons to regulate intracellular calcium, particularly at the level of the endoplasmic reticulum, is a crucial signal transduction event that is linked strongly to the initiation and development of AD pathology. In this chapter we will discuss the key findings that lend support to this hypothesis.
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- Zetterström, Olle, 1940-, et al.
(author)
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Improved asthma control with budesonide/formeterol in a single inhaler, compared with budesonide alone
- 2001
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In: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 18:2, s. 262-268
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Budesonide/formoterol in a single inhaler was compared with budesonide alone, and with concurrent administration of budesonide and formoterol from separate inhalers, in patients with asthma, not controlled with inhaled glucocorticosteroids alone. In this 12-week, double-blind, randomized, double-dummy study, 362 adult asthmatics (forced expiratory volume in one second 73.8% of predicted, inhaled glucocorticosteroid dose 960 ╡g╖day-1) received single inhaler budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort « Turbuhaler «) 160/4.5 ╡g, two inhalations b.i.d., or corresponding treatment with budesonide, or budesonide plus formoterol via separate inhalers. There was a greater increase in morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) with single-inhaler (35.7 L╖min-1) and separate-inhaler (32.0 L╖min-1) budesonide and formoterol, compared with budesonide alone (0.2 L╖min-1, p<0.001, both comparisons), the effect was apparent after 1 day (p<0.001 versus budesonide, both comparisons). Similarly, evening PEF, use of rescue medication, total asthma symptom scores and percentage of symptom-free days improved more with both single inhaler and separate inhaler therapy than with budesonide alone, as did asthma control days (~15% more, p<0.001 versus budesonide, both comparisons, with a marked increase in the first week). All treatments were well tolerated and the adverse event profile was similar in all three treatment groups. It is concluded that single inhaler therapy with budesonide and formoterol is a clinically effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with asthma that is not fully controlled by inhaled glucocorticosteroids alone.
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