A step into the world of Pakistanis: oral health education for Pakistani adults in Hong Kong

Includes bibliographical references (p. 32).Questionnaire in English and Urdu.published_or_final_versio

Secretin: A potential neurosecretory factor regulating body water homeostasis.

Akira Arimura Young Investigator Award Lecturepp. 305-347 of this journal issue entitled: Abstracts of the 8th International Symposium on VIP, PACAP and Related PeptidesSecretin, originally isolated from the upper intestinal mucosal extract, is a classical gastrointestinal hormone that has recently implicated to play a neuromodulatory role in higher centers, including cerebellumand hippocampus. On the other hand, its functions in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial axis have not fully appreciated. Using secretin receptor-null (SCTR−/−) mice, we showed previously that secretin exerts peripheral functions in the kidney, where it modulates the process of renal water reabsorption by stimulating the expression and trafficking of aquaporin-2. Now, we provide evidence to show the activity of secretin at the hypothalamo-pituitary level to regulate body water homeostasis by demonstrating (1) the presence of secretin and its receptor in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial axis; (2) secretin-induced activation of cfos and vasopressin (Vp) expression in the magnocellular neurons within Paraventricular (PVN) and Supraoptic Nuclei (SON); (3) the in vitro and in vivo stimulatory effects of secretin on Vp secretion; (4) augmentations of secretin and its receptor expression in the hypothalamus and pituitary under water deprivation; (5) TTX- and Cd2+-dependent release of secretin from the posterior pituitary during plasma hyperosmolality; and (6) electrical stimulation of SON and PVN led to a pulsatile release of secretin in peripheral circulation measured in the jugular vein. Taken together, these results revealed that secretin is a novel neurosecretory hormone from the neurohypophysis to modulate body fluid and electrolyte homeostasis

The secretin/pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide/ vasoactive intestinal polypeptide superfamily in the central nervous system

The secretin/PACAP/VIP superfamily contains at least ten brain-gut peptides, including secretin, pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), glucagon, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucagon like peptide-2 (GLP-2), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI) or peptide histidine methionine (PHM), and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). These peptides exhibit a wide tissue distribution in the peripheral systems, indicating their pleiotrophic actions in the body. Meanwhile, their functions in the central nervious system (CNS) have also been consolidated recently. For instance, most of these peptides have shown to serve as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, neurotrophic factors, and/or neurohormones in the brain, and hence, their potential as novel CNS agents in treating neurological disorders including Autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV-associated neuronal cell death were recently exploited. In this article, recent progress in research of peptides in this family with particular emphasis on structures, their central functions and potential use in the treatment of neuronal diseases are reviewed. © 2006 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Secretin: A putative neural and neurohypophysial factor regulating water homeostasis

State-of-the-Art Lecture: Neuropeptides and Peptidergic Neurons - Session 3 - Neuroendocrine neurones: paper no. S-4

Secretin and body fluid homeostasis

Body fluid homeostasis is critical for the survival of living organisms and hence is tightly controlled. From initial studies on the effects of secretin (SCT) on renal water reabsorption in the 1940s and recent investigations of its role in cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions, it has now become increasingly clear that this peptide is an integral component of the homeostatic processes that maintain body fluid balance. This review, containing some of our recent findings of centrally expressed SCT on water intake, focuses on the actions of SCT in influencing the physiological, neuroendocrine, and cardiovascular processes that subserve body fluid homeostasis. © 2011 International Society of Nephrology.link_to_subscribed_fulltex