Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Prostaglandins are highly potent derivatives of unsaturated fatty acids with multiple biological activities. They are synthesized and metabolized in almost all tissues studied so far. The E- und F-type prostaglandins may be regarded as local modulators of hormonal effects on cell function and--in some cases (kidney, uterus-corpus luteum)--as regional or tissue hormones. Thus they seem to be involved in the regulation of neurotransmission, kidney function, triglyceride metabolism in adipose tissue and progesterone biosynthesis. Apart from their influence on renal blood flow prostaglandins of the A-type possibly have an additional function as circulatory hormones regulating blood pressure. Second messenger-systems (cAMP, Ca++-cGMP) which mediate the effects of most non-steroidal hormones are also involved in the action of prostaglandins, at least of the E-and F-types. Disturbances in prostaglandin metabolism (increased or decreased biosynthesis) are discussed to play a role in the pathogenesis of inflammation, pain, fever, hypertension, bronchial asthma and gastric or duodenal ulcer formation. Drugs with antiinflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activity have been shown to be potent inhibitors of prostaglandin formation. The correlation of a local prostaglandin deficit or the therapeutic use of single effects of prostaglandins by administration of exogenous compounds (natural prostaglandins or modified derivatives) has so long been less satisfactory because of their large number of biological actions which lead to undesired side effects. Extensive experience have been obtained in the successful induction of therapeutic abortion. This effect is based on the stimulatory action of E- and F-type prostaglandins on the smooth muscles of the pregnant uterus which is resistent to the influence of other stimuli, e. g. oxytocin. Here the incidence of side effects could be reduced by local administration of low doses of prostaglandins into the uterine cavity. A general improvement of the therapeutic usefulness of prostaglandins will however only be achieved, if modified derivatives with more specific actions on the desired "target" tissues are available.
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PMID:[Biology of prostaglandins with reference to therapeutic aspects]. 16

Asthma in pregnancy has been associated with maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This study examines the relations of asthma in pregnancy, its severity and its treatment to the labor process, maternal and fetal parameters. Hundred and one consecutive asthmatic women, who gave birth to single babies between November 1993 and November 1994 at the Soroka Medical Center were studied. A group of 77 nonasthmatic women, matched for age and ethnic origin, who gave birth to single babies during the same period served as controls. A larger percentage of asthmatic women suffered from respiratory and urinary tract infections than in the control group (p < 0.001). Severe asthma was associated with a higher rate of infections than milder asthma (p = 0.01). The incidence of smoking was higher among asthmatic women than among controls (p = 0.037). No association was found between socioeconomic status and smoking or infections. No association was found between maternal asthma or maternal use of corticosteroids and the following: maternal hypertension, maternal diabetes, low birth weight (< 2,500 g), preterm delivery (< 37 weeks), adequacy of weight to gestational age and Apgar scores. Three infants with congenital heart defects were born to asthmatic mothers. When the presentation of the fetus was not cephalic, all the asthmatic women were delivered by cesarean section, versus only 60% in the control group (p = 0.08). Labor was induced with oxytocin more often in the asthma group than in the control group (p = 0.07). We conclude that the labor and neonatal outcome in pregnant asthmatic women treated medically is good, even when asthma is severe and when the patient is treated with corticosteroids. There is, however, a relation between asthma in pregnancy, especially if severe, and predisposition to infections.
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PMID:Influence of asthma in pregnancy on labor and the newborn. 958 Sep 25

Membrane metalloendopeptidase EC 3.4.24.11 (Enkephalinase, neutral endopeptidase, NEP) is a cellular ectoenzyme, immunophenotypically identified as the leukocyte cluster of differentiation CD10 or CALLA (common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen). Immunological, biochemical and molecular biology techniques have identified tis cell membrane feature in various organs: brain, cardiovascular system, lung, placenta, kidney etc. The CD10 immunophenotype is a common feature of lymphoblasts in acute lymphoid leukemia not expressing the T- or B-markers. The enzymatic activity of CD10/NEP possibly influences normal lymphocyte ontogeny by proteolytic cleavage of the regulatory peptides. The substrates of CD10/NEP in the kidneys are (see the list of abbreviations) ANP, adrenomedullin and PAMP; in the brain, the substrates are enkephalins and oxytocin; in the lung, bombesin, BLP, GRP, neuromedin C, substance P and neurokinin A; in the cardiovascular system, angiotenisin II, bradykinin and CGRP; in the gut, VIP; on the neutrophil membrane, fMLP etc. Some substrates are not strictly tissue-specific, e.g. substance P. Preclinical and clinical trials explore possibilities of therapeutic application of the inhibitors of neutral endopeptidase, such as thiorphan in the management of pain, diarrhoea, depression, arterial hypertension and asthma. Other possibilities of application include the treatment of hyalinomembranous disease and prevention of neurotoxicosis in tetanus and botulism.
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PMID:[Membrane metalloendopeptidase (CD10/CALLA): distribution, physiologic and pathophysiologic functions and its inhibitors]. 974 92

Oxytocin (Sintocynon) is considered an uncommon cause of severe allergic reactions during delivery. We have recently shown that allergic sensitization to latex might constitute an important predisposing risk factor for anaphylaxis after the first infusion of oxytocin during delivery.Some oxytocin cardiovascular activities such as lowering blood pressure, negative cardiac inotropy and cronotropy, parasympathetic neuromodulation, vasodilatation etc. can induce significant side effects mimicking cardiac anaphylaxis, and constitute an additional differential diagnostic problem in delivering women with suspected or real allergic background. Finally, some ex vivo models have shown that oxytocin, under pro-inflammatory cytokines stimulation, such as those occurring in asthma, may induce contraction of smooth muscle and airway narrowing.This background suggests that allergic sensitization to latex allergens constitutes a significant but underestimated risk factor for triggering severe systemic reactions after the infusion of oxytocin and, consequently, there is a need of particular attention in managing delivering women suffering from latex allergy and bronchial asthma. An accurate anamnestic, clinical and diagnostic evaluation, latex-free anesthesiological setting, use of oxytocin-alternative agents and, if necessary, a drug premedication are likely to reduce the risk of anaphylactic/broncho-obstructive reactions in these women.
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PMID:Oxytocin: an unexpected risk for cardiologic and broncho-obstructive effects, and allergic reactions in susceptible delivering women. 2413 38

CD38 encodes a ligand in the oxytocin signaling pathway. Some single nucleotide polymorphisms in this gene have been associated with low serum oxytocin levels in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Oxytocin disruption has been hypothesized to account for features of ASD, including impaired communication and social behavior, based on animal studies. Recent human studies have shown administration of oxytocin improving emotion recognition, promoting social behavior, and improving auditory processing of social stimuli in ASD patients. In addition to its role in oxytocin signaling, CD38 is involved in the regulation of calcium concentration in airway smooth muscle with impairment of CD38 being implicated in airway diseases like asthma. While a number of studies have implicated rare chromosomal deletions and duplications in helping determine genetic risk for autism, there are to our knowledge no reports describing rearrangements involving CD38 or deletions in patients with ASD. Here, we present two sisters diagnosed with autism and with features of regression-previously acquired speech lost in the second year of life. The younger sister, who also had asthma, inherited a maternal deletion of 4p15.32 that results in a BST1-CD38 fusion transcript. Their mother's deletion was mosaic and she was not affected. Although further work is required to assess functional consequences of the fusion transcript, we hypothesize that the proband's deletion may have served as a risk factor for autism that, when combined with other susceptibility variants, resulted in a more severe presentation than her sister.
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PMID:A deletion involving CD38 and BST1 results in a fusion transcript in a patient with autism and asthma. 2463 87

The neuropeptide S receptor (NPSR) belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily and is activated by the neuropeptide S (NPS). Although recently discovered, the vertebrate NPSR-NPS system has been established as an important signaling system in the central nervous system and is involved in physiological processes such as locomotor activity, wakefulness, asthma pathogenesis, anxiety and food intake. The availability of a large number of genome sequences from multiple bilaterian lineages has provided an opportunity to establish the evolutionary history of the system. This review describes the origin and the molecular evolution of the NPSR-NPS system using data derived primarily from comparative genomic analyses. These analyses indicate that the NPSR-NPS system and the vasopressin-like receptor-vasopressin/oxytocin peptide (VPR-VP/OT) system originated from a single system in an ancestral bilaterian. Multiple duplications of this ancestral system gave rise to the bilaterian VPR-VP/OT system and to the protostomian cardioacceleratory peptide receptor-cardioacceleratory peptide (CCAPR-CCAP) system and to the NPSR-NPS system in the deuterostomes. Gene structure features of the receptors were consistent with the orthology annotations derived from phylogenetic analyses. The orthology of the peptide precursors closely paralleled that of the receptors suggesting an ancient coevolution of the receptor-peptide pair. An important challenge for the coevolution hypothesis will be to establish the molecular and structural basis of the divergence between orthologous receptor-ligand pairs in this system.
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PMID:Evolutionary history of the neuropeptide S receptor/neuropeptide S system. 2485 56

Animals interact with humans in multiple ways, including as therapy and service animals, commercially as livestock, as wildlife, and in zoos. But the most common interaction is as companion animals in our homes, with an estimated 180 million cats and dogs living in US households. While pet ownership has been reported to have many health benefits, the findings are inconsistent. Cardiovascular risk factors such as lipids, glucose, obesity, and heart rate variability have improved, worsened, or remained the same in the limited number of studies considering companion animals. Physical activity increases have more consistently been linked with dog ownership, although whether this reflects antecedent motivation or direct benefit from the dog is unclear. Allergies and asthma also are variably linked to pet ownership and are confounded by family history of atopy and timing of exposure to pet dander. The benefits of companion animals are most likely to be through reduction in depression, anxiety, and social isolation, but these studies have been largely cross-sectional and may depend on degree of bonding of the owner with the animal. Positive relationships show measurably higher oxytocin with lower cortisol and alpha-amylase levels. Finally, pet ownership is also a marker of better socioeconomic status and family stability, and if companion animals are to provide cardiovascular risk benefit, the route should perhaps be through improved education and opportunity for ownership.
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PMID:Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Research: Impact of Pets on Cardiovascular Risk Prevention. 2754 89

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease, and the central nervous system (CNS) also participates in the pathogenesis of asthma. We previously reported the amygdala might regulate asthmatic attacks via projecting to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN). The dorsal vagal complex (DVC) is a crucial region that modulates respiratory. This study aimed to observe the activity in both PVN and DVC and the connection between PVN and DVC in asthmatic rats. Immunohistochemistry was conducted to observe the changes in Fos and oxytocin (OT) expression. Retrograde tracing using wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) and double immunohistochemistry for OT and Fos was used to observe the HRP/OT/Fos positive neurons distribution in the PVN. The results showed that during an asthma attack, the Fos positive neurons increased in both PVN and DVC over time. The expression of OT positive neurons in PVN showed a similar trend in parallel to the c-Fos positive neurons in PVN. The HRP retrograde-labeled neurons were densely distributed in the medial and lateral subnucleus in the PVN. OT+/HRP+ and Fos+/OT+/HRP+ accounted for 18.14%, and 2.37% of HRP-labeled neurons, respectively. Our study showed PVN and DVC were activated and the expression of OT positive neurons in PVN were increased over time during an asthma attack. The existence of connection between PVN and DVC suggested the OT neurons in PVN might project to DVC which might be involved in the pathogenesis of asthma.
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PMID:Activated Oxytocin Neurons in the PVN-DVC Pathway in Asthmatic Rats. 3284 37