Although transgene/Igh translocations occur frequently to Igh Sγ

Although transgene/Igh translocations occur frequently to Igh Sγ regions, we cannot detect analogous translocations between the transgene and the endogenous Igh Sμ regions,

indicating that Sμ switch regions may have evolved to prevent trans-switching, perhaps to avoid non-effective switching between Sμ regions on the two Igh homologs. Interchromosomal switch recombination events between the VV29 transgene and the endogenous Igh locus produce Cγ transcripts that are associated with VV29 VDJ segments. We find that these trans-switching click here events are AID dependent as VV29:AID−/− mice either do not produce these transgene-derived Cγ transcripts or they produce them at extremely low NVP-BKM120 mouse levels. As very low levels of transgene-derived Cγ mRNAs have been observed in some VV29:AID−/− mice, a rare AID-independent mechanism for the generation of these Cγ transcripts does exist. Chromosomal translocations in general are dependent on DNA breaks; it seems possible that certain stimuli could cause DNA damage and breaks in an AID-independent manner that leads to these very low levels of transgene switching. For example, immunization with highly immunogenic reagents could cause cellular stress 23–25 that may lead to AID-independent Ig DNA damage. Supporting this notion, it has been reported that immunization of mice with pristane

can result in c-myc/Igh translocations in AID knockout mice 13, 15. The low levels of transgene isotype switching observed in some, but not all, immunized VV29:AID−/− mice indicate that these AID-independent translocations are rare. Furthermore, VV29-Cγ transcripts were not produced in any VV29:AID−/− mice that received one dose of primary immunization (data not shown) or in any VV29:AID−/− in vitro-stimulated B cells, further supporting our

conclusion that the high levels of interchromosomal switch events observed in VV29 mice are dependent on AID. These results are similar to a number of recent studies that clearly demonstrate an important role for AID in Igh chromosomal translocations that involve the c-myc Org 27569 gene 16–20 although the frequency of translocations induced by B-cell stimulation in VV29 mice appears to be much greater. We detected in vitro translocation events in about 3% of the Cγ transcripts (see Materials and methods for the calculations leading to this result). This frequency was based on sequencing of all the PCR-amplified Cγ transcripts to determine the number associated with endogenous VDJ regions. Based on the published sequences for the ten endogenous V genes found among the PCR-amplified Cγ transcripts, the leader primer is 100% homologous to eight of the endogenous V genes, whereas the homologies of the primer to the two remaining endogenous V genes are 96 and 81%.

g PIM2), mycolyl arabinogalactan–peptidoglycan complex, phosphol

g. PIM2), mycolyl arabinogalactan–peptidoglycan complex, phospholipase click here C and lipoproteins, also have the potential to induce iNOS expression.23,26 The hypothetical protein coded by M. tuberculosis open reading frame (ORF) Rv2626c has been shown to elicit a high serum antibody response in patients with active TB, suggesting that this antigen is important in immunoprofiling of disease states.27Rv2626c expression was up-regulated in hypoxic conditions28 and found in culture filtrates as well as in lysates in peptide mass fingerprinting and immune detection studies using an in vitro latency

model. 29 Further studies in mice showed increased expression of Rv2626c at the terminal stages of infection in the lungs. Rv2626c and other M. tuberculosis ORFs encoding α-crystallin (acr), Rv2623, sodC, sodA and fbpB were found to be differentially expressed in IFN-γ deleted mice. An increase in T helper type 1 (Th-1)-mediated immune responses (IFN-γ/iNOS induction) correlated well with increased mRNA synthesis of Rv2626c in M. tuberculosis, suggesting its up-regulation

under stress conditions.30 Studies Panobinostat concentration using real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to monitor Rv2626c mRNA synthesis just prior to stress-induced reduction of bacterial multiplication have suggested a role of Rv2626c as a transcription signature for non-replicating persistence.30 In another study where the eight DosR regulon-encoded antigens (Rv1733c, Rv1738, Rv2029c, Rv2031c, Rv2032, Rv2627c, Rv2628 and Rv2626c) were analysed for their immunogenicity in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice following vaccination with DNA constructs, it appeared that Rv2626c and Rv2031 could provide strong humoral and/or cellular Th-1 responses.31 Furthermore, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from M. tuberculosis-infected patients recognize Rv2626c and induce major Th-1 cytokines such as IFN-γ.32 A correlation between increased expression of Rv2626c (and the other M. tuberculosis ORFs Rv3286c, Rv2031 and Rv3133c) and phenotypical tolerance of Mycobacterium bovis BCG to rifampicin and metronidazole under anaerobic growth conditions has been

ID-8 found.33 In the present study we describe the immunostimulatory role of the secretory 16-kDa conserved hypothetical protein coded by the M. tuberculosis ORF Rv2626c. Our study shows that recombinant Rv2626c (rRv2626c) binds to the surface of murine macrophages and up-regulates NO production and iNOS expression. In addition, we report that rRv2626c induces the expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory as well as Th-1 type cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-12 and IFN-γ as well as the up-regulation of various costimulatory molecules such as B7-1, B7-2 and CD40. We further show that the induction of iNOS expression and NO production by rRv2626c is mediated through the nuclear factor (NF)-κB-dependent pathway. The ORF encoding the hypothetical protein Rv2626c of M.

However, if it is unsuccessful, surgical therapy may still be use

However, if it is unsuccessful, surgical therapy may still be used. Technical success of PTCA is now approaching 100% with hypertension cure in 14–59% and improvement in 21–74%.18 Recurrence rates are 28% at 5 years in the largest retrospective data review by Davies et al.19 A longer duration of hypertension, concomitant atherosclerotic disease and complex branch-vessel repair all adversely affect the results of revascularization. Successful angioplasty often results in a substantial and rapid reduction of both the systolic and diastolic BP. Correlates of successful outcome include an age of less than 50 years, the absence of associated coronary or carotid

stenoses, and duration of hypertension of less than 8 years. All reviews Tamoxifen cell line in this area suggest the need for regular follow up but the timing of this is yet to be determined prospectively. Overall, the current evidence suggests that patients with ARVD should not be subjected to PTCA because there is no clear equal benefit of PTCA over medical therapy for control of BP or preservation of kidney function in patient groups that HDAC inhibitor review include stable or slowly declining renal function or relatively stable BP. There is a significant complication rate of 10–25% from PTCA. There may

be selected patients (see Table 1) who are likely to benefit based on case series, although such subgroups have not been defined from prospective controlled studies. Ideally, the procedure should be performed in specialized centres with low complication

rates. Further large studies are underway that may clarify the populations that are most likely to benefit. Surgery at specialized centres is likely to produce similar results as PTCA in selected individuals. FMD is unlikely to be studied in prospective ADP ribosylation factor controlled trials, however, it is appropriate to treat FMD with angioplasty in specialized centres based on the uncontrolled data that currently exists. Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative: No recommendation. UK Renal Association: No recommendation. Canadian Society of Nephrology: No recommendation. European Best Practice Guidelines: No recommendation. International Guidelines: No recommendation. Existing data suggest that there are subgroups that may benefit from revascularization, especially patients with mild to moderate chronic renal insufficiency, critical RAS (>80% diameter loss) and a recent decline (past 6 months) in renal function. These patients should be revascularized with the optimum technique, possibly including embolic protection. It is hoped that subgroup analysis from the CORAL study may provide an answer for these patients (ASTRAL showed a positive trend). Alternatively, a dedicated trial could be performed. Rob MacGinley has no relevant financial affiliations that would cause a conflict of interest according to the conflict of interest statement set down by CARI.

Briefly, PBMCs were incubated with saturating concentrations of C

Briefly, PBMCs were incubated with saturating concentrations of CD14 microbeads at 4 °C for 15 min, washed and suspended in PBS containing selleck compound 2 mm ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and 0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA). The cell suspension was then applied

to the autoMACS separator using the positive selection programme. The CD14-positive cells were eluted from the magnetic column; a purity of >98% was routinely obtained as confirmed by flow cytometry. Previous studies using mRNA profiling as readout have demonstrated that isolation procedures do not result selleck in relevant activation of the isolated cells. Naïve PBMCs and naïve CD14+ monocytes were recuperated in culture for 24 h in DMEM supplemented with 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 μg/ml streptomycin and 2 mm L-glutamine (DMEM+), with 10% heat-inactivated human male AB serum. Naïve PBMCs were cultured in 96-well plate (Nunc) at a concentration of 1 × 105 PBMCs per well according to standard procedures, whereas naïve CD14+ monocytes

were cultured in 24-well plate at a concentration of 1 × 106 cells per well. Both naïve PBMCs and naïve CD14+ monocytes were cultured in a cell/tissue incubator under 5% CO2 in air (pH7.4), at 37 °C and 95% humidity. After the 24 h of recuperation, medium was replaced with serum-free DMEM+ with additives according to the experimental conditions, and cells were cultured for an additional 24 h. Experimental conditions included stimulation with FVIIa [25 nm], TF [37 pm] + FVIIa

[25 nm], the TF [37 pm] + FVIIa [25 nm] + FX [100 nm], FX [100 nm], FXa [10 nm] or Thrombin [300 nm]. These concentrations correspond with a FVIIa dose of 90 μg/kg body weight for FVIIa in case of treatment and known estimated physiological intravascular concentrations of TF [37 pm], FX [135 nm], FXa [13.5 nm] and thrombin [2–300 nm] [[23].] For reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), RNA was isolated from naïve CD14+ monocytes with RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germantown, MD, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. RT-PCR was carried out using GeneAmp RNA PCR Core kit (Applied Biosystems, Carlsbad, CA, USA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. DNase-treated RNA samples were reverse transcribed to complement DNA (cDNA) using recombinant Moloney murine leukaemia virus reverse transcriptase.

Size and luminance of all stimuli were also matched to ensure tha

Size and luminance of all stimuli were also matched to ensure that high- and low-level stimulus differences could not influence this study (see Figure 1). Participants were seated on a chair in front of a 17” TFT Tobii T60 monitor. Images were presented on the monitor using Tobii Studio software (Tobii Technology AB; www.tobii.com). During stimulus presentation, the Tobii monitor recorded gaze location for both eyes based on the reflection

of near-infrared light from the cornea and pupil. Gaze information was sampled at a frequency of 60 Hz. Monitor specifications included an accuracy of 0.5 degrees of the visual angle and a tolerance of head movements within a range of 44 × 22 × 30 cm. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded continuously throughout the ERP task using a 128-channel HydroCel Geodesic Sensor Net (HCGSN), which was referenced on-line to vertex (Cz). For a subset of participants, a

NetAmps ZIETDFMK 200 amplifier was used and the find protocol electrical signal was amplified with a .1- to 100-Hz band pass filter. For the remaining infants, a NetAmps 300 amplifier was used with no band pass filter (an analysis using amplifier type as a between-subjects factor is described in the ERP results section). All data were digitized at a 500 Hz sampling rate and stored on a computer disk for further processing and analysis. E-Prime software was used for stimulus presentation, and NetStation software was used for EEG data acquisition and postprocessing. The eye-tracking and ERP tasks took place over a 2-day

period for each infant. On Day 1, infants completed the initial portions of the eye-tracking task. Participants were seated in a chair in front of a Tobii T60 monitor in an electrically and sound-shielded testing room with dim lighting. The chair was positioned such that each participant’s eyes were approximately 60 cm from the monitor. Before beginning the eye-tracking experiment, participants completed a calibration procedure to ensure the eye-tracker was adequately tracking gaze. In this calibration oxyclozanide procedure, a red dot appeared at 5 locations: Each of the four corners of the monitor and the center of the screen. Following calibration, the Tobii Studio program reported whether the eye-tracker successfully picked up gaze at the five locations. If calibration was successful, the experimental procedure was begun. If calibration was unsuccessful, the monitor and chair were adjusted and the calibration procedure was rerun until it successfully picked up on all five locations of gaze. Following calibration, infants began the Day 1 portion of the visual paired comparison task (VPC). During all phases of the VPC, faces were presented side by side, each measuring 14 × 14.5 cm on the screen and separated by a distance of 3.5 cm. With infants positioned at 60 cm from the screen, this resulted in each face subtending a visual angle of 13 degrees.

9–11 Some studies

showed that birthweight had a U-shaped

9–11 Some studies

showed that birthweight had a U-shaped association with the prevalence of proteinuria in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients,12,13 which possibly resulted from the exposure to a high glucose environment for high birthweight and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) induced renal dysplasia for LBW patients.13 In addition, not only low nephron number per se but also consequently elevated susceptibility of kidney damage buy Metformin from diabetes and obesity increases the risk of proteinuria.14,15 However, some other studies did not reveal the association between LBW and proteinuria.16–20 The survivor bias which resulted from the higher mortality of LBW patients possibly decreased the correlation intensity between LBW and proteinuria. In addition, ratio of birthweight to birth length had more significant correlation with proteinuria and therefore was a better marker of IUGR than birthweight.18 Someone not only recommended seeking a more accurate marker

of IUGR, but also emphasized that environmental factors had a more important influence on proteinuria.19 Low birthweight neonates had a higher level of serum creatinine and a slower and later decrease than normal birthweight (NBW) counterparts, which possibly resulted from their inferior glomerular filtration capacity21 and more prominent reabsorption of creatinine from the immature tubular barrier.22 For ubiquitin-Proteasome system healthy people, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is gradually Amino acid increased at an early

stage of life and then maintains at a certain level until adulthood.23 However, for lack of related longitudinal studies, the changed process of GFR in LBW people is unknown. One study found that the creatinine level of LBW infants was comparable to that of NBW infants within several weeks after birth,24 however, another study showed that LBW infants had lower GFR than NBW infants until 9 months after birth.25 There have been only two small-scale studies on the influence of LBW on GFR in childhood. Vanpee et al. found that GFR was not different between LBW and NBW children at the age of 8 years,25 whereas Rodriguez-Soriano et al. observed a lower GFR and poorer tubular function in LBW children aged of 6–12 years.26 Several studies revealed that GFR of LBW people was not lower than that of NBW people.27–29 Although one study revealed that LBW people had lower GFR,30 this difference disappeared after adjustment by body surface area.31 Fagerudd found that LBW diabetes patients had similar GFR to NBW counterparts but lower GFR than high birthweight counterparts.20 One longitudinal study with a duration of 8–20 years observed 168 type 1 diabetes sufferers, and the results showed that LBW was not associated with GFR decrease.32 However, the HUNT II study observed 7547 youths aged 20–30 years and revealed that the risk of renal function decrease was increased 1.6–2.4 times in those LBW people.

During the course of infection, two consecutive blood galactomann

During the course of infection, two consecutive blood galactomannan MI-503 ic50 values were found to be positive, and two blood cultures yielded strains resembling Fusarium species, according to morphological appearance. The aetiological agent proved to be F. andiyazi based on multilocus sequence typing. The sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region did not resolve the closely related members of the FFSC, but additional data on partial sequence of transcription elongation factor 1 alpha subunit did. A detailed morphological study confirmed the identification of F. andiyazi, which had previously only been reported as a plant pathogen affecting

various food crops. “
“We report a case of cerebral mucormycosis in a 28-year-old male who was affected by chronic myeloid leukaemia and underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Tigecycline price Nine months post-transplantation, he was admitted to the hospital with fever, bilateral eyelid oedema and neutropenia. X-ray analysis showed numerous areas of pulmonary parenchymal thickening, and a computed tomography scan of the brain showed inflammation of the frontal, maxillary, ethmoidal and sphenoidal sinuses and diffuse swelling of the periorbital tissues. Sinus cultures were taken, and based

on its characteristic rhizoid structure, we classified the isolated fungus as a member of the genus Rhizopus. Phosphoglycerate kinase The fungus was identified as an Rhizopus oryzae

species, as assessed by sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer of the rRNA gene. Treatment with amphotericin B was ineffective, however, and the patient died 2 weeks after admission. This case highlights the potential severity of an invasive infection of R. oryzae, identified by molecular biology techniques. “
“The saturated potassium iodide solution (SSKI) as treatment for sporotrichosis may cause hypothyroidism by suppressing the synthesis of thyroid hormones (tT3 and tT4) and the iodine excess could lead to thyrotoxicosis. Evaluating the changes in serum levels of TSH, tT3 and tT4 in euthyroid patients with sporotrichosis treated with SSKI. For the selection of euthyroid patients, TSH, tT3 and tT4 concentrations were measured for those adults and children diagnosed with sporotrichosis. Each paediatric patient was administered SSKI orally in increasing doses of 2–20 drops/3 times/day and 4–40 drops/3 times/day in adults. Serum concentrations of TSH, tT3 and tT4 were measured 20 days after started the treatment and 15 days posttreatment. Eight euthyroid patients aged between 2 to 65 years old were included. After 20 days of treatment, two suffered subclinical hypothyroidism, one developed subclinical hyperthyroidism, and one hyperthyroxinaemia euthyroid. At 15 days posttreatment only four patients were evaluated and all serum levels of TSH, tT3 and tT4 were normal.

Modifiable risk factors such as obesity, lifestyle, sleep positio

Modifiable risk factors such as obesity, lifestyle, sleep position and medication usage should be addressed. Proteinuria has been described in SA.54–57 Urine dipsticks have shown greater degrees of proteinuria when performed at the time of polysomnography.54,55 Quantification of urine protein has also demonstrated greater proteinuria in SA patients compared with those without SA.56 Case reports have described

improvement or even resolution of proteinuria with treatment of SA.57 Not all studies have shown the association of proteinuria with SA however.58 The potential causes of proteinuria in SA are similar to factors associated with SA and CKD. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis as discussed above is one plausible lesion that may occur with SA and result in proteinuria. The heightened sympathetic tone and intermittent intrarenal selleck haemodynamic changes caused by apnoea and hypopnoea may potentially lead to damage within the nephron. Ischaemia and reperfusion injury can lead to oxidative stress and free radical formation as previously described.52,59 Lower circulating nitric oxide levels have been demonstrated in SA patients compared with the general population, further suggesting hypoperfusion and ischaemia.60 Elevated vascular endothelial growth

factor levels have been demonstrated in SA patients.61 Repetitive injury to the kidney as described above can lead to transient and even sustained damage within the kidney. In the obese patient this website with isolated proteinuria, screening for SA may be warranted as part of the work-up. Isolated proteinuria is detrimental to renal function. Moreover, this subset of patients is at greater risk for complications of SA such as heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.

Aggressive treatment of SA with positive airway devices or lifestyle medication should be important in this population. The relationship between renal transplant and SA can be viewed as a paradox. As mentioned above, renal transplant can potentially improve SA in the dialysis population but the post-transplant state adds another dimension of risk for SA specifically by predisposing patients to the metabolic syndrome. Case reports have shown renal transplantation improves or cures SA in patients on dialysis.31,39,40 If the uremic milieu were responsible for SA, the cure second of SA by renal transplantation seems plausible in a subset of patients who develops SA during dialysis. However, the few cases of cure after renal transplantation have not translated into an overall lower rate of SA in renal transplant patients compared with dialysis patients. The actual prevalence of SA in renal transplant patients may be comparable with the dialysis population. Although the Berlin Sleep Apnea Questionnaire has not been validated in CKD patients, Molner et al.62 used the Berlin Sleep Apnea Questionnaire to assess risk of SA in 1037 kidney transplant patients and 175 patients wait-listed for transplant.

All P-values <5% were considered significant Wistar rats were im

All P-values <5% were considered significant. Wistar rats were immunized with a complex consisting of the 15 C-terminal amino acid residues of MASP-1

(i.e. a sequence not shared by MASP-3 and MAp44) coupled to keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). The sera were tested for reactivity to rCCP1-CCP2-SP coated in microtitre wells. The specificity of the preferred serum was examined further by application to blots of MBL/MASP complexes purified from human serum. A Western blot is shown in Fig. 1a, lane 1, where reaction with protein can be seen at a position corresponding to the previously observed Navitoclax purchase mobility of pro-enzyme MASP-1 (Mr ∼75 kDa). We saw no reactivity with material at the positions of MASP-3 (Mr ∼105 kDa), MASP-2 (Mr ∼70 kDa), MAp44 (Mr ∼44 kDa) or MAp19 (Mr ∼19 kDa), which were Ruxolitinib clinical trial revealed by incubating parallel strips with the relevant antibodies (not shown), as described previously in detail [10,21]. No reactivity of a normal rat serum is seen (Fig. 1a, lane 2). The anti-MASP-1 serum was tested further on Western blots of rCCP1-CCP2-SP. A reactivity corresponding to ∼45 kDa was seen, which is the expected size of the construct (calculated at 45 073 g/mol) (Fig. 1a, lane 4). No reactivity was

seen by a normal rat serum (Fig. 2a, lane 3). The reaction of the rat anti-MASP-1 anti-serum was also evaluated by TRIFMA, as described below. Preliminary attempts to construct a sandwich-type assay were non-productive and we thus turned towards an inhibition assay based on inhibition of the binding of anti-MASP-1 antibody to a surface coat of rCCP1-CCP2-SP. Accordingly, decreasing signals were seen when increasing

concentration of plasma were applied, as illustrated by the standard curve in Fig. 1b, which was generated by applying serial dilutions of our standard plasma pool. The value for MASP-1 content of this pool was estimated at 5·7 µg/ml by comparison with a preparation of pure rCCP1-CCP2-SP. Figure 1b shows a dilution curve of this reagent next to the dilution curve of the standard serum. A number of dilution buffers were assessed. The most consistent results for plasma and serum were obtained with the complex assay buffer composition detailed in Materials and methods. This is Coproporphyrinogen III oxidase a high-ionic-strength calcium-containing buffer (the high ionic strength lowers the background in the assay but also prevents coagulation if diluting, e.g. EDTA or citrate plasma in a calcium-containing buffer) with proteins added to reduce background signals. We found a 60-fold dilution to be suitable for plasma samples to be assayed for MASP-1. For routine analyses, three internal controls were added to each assay plate. The means and interassay coefficients of variation (CVs), determined from 10 individual assays for the three internal controls, were: 15·5 µg/ml, 7·68 µg/ml, 3·72 µg/ml and 11%, 13% and 8%, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay, i.e.

Neurogenic etiologies are cerebral and spinal cord lesions; the f

Neurogenic etiologies are cerebral and spinal cord lesions; the former includes cerebral infarction (CI), Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and the latter includes spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis. Non-neurogenic etiology includes bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), ageing, pelvic floor weakness and idiopathic origin. The key symptom of OAB (i.e. urgency) is frequently related to DO. A rat model of CI17 and animal models of SCI18 and BOO19 have been established and are frequently used animal models of DO. Cerebral lesions may accelerate the micturition reflex mainly due to the impairment of suppression in the pontine micturition center by the forebrain,

but the rat model of CI induced by the occlusion of the middle cerebral artery shows a decreased bladder capacity but no prominent phasic contractions during the filling phase.17 Selleckchem PF 2341066 Alternatively, SCI and BOO are widely known to cause in vivo enhanced spontaneous contractile activity (i.e. non-voiding contraction [NVCs]) during the filling phase on CMG. NVCs are typically recorded as slow and large phasic increases in intravesical pressure on CMG (Fig. 1). Isolated bladder strips develop SCs.20Figure 2 shows representative traces of spontaneous contractile activity in detrusor Selleck HDAC inhibitor strips from a normal rat and from rats with BOO or SCI. A common feature under both SCI and BOO is a decrease in the frequency

of SCs, a finding that has been confirmed in other studies.21–23 It is unknown whether SCs in vitro and NVCs in vivo are correlated, but the decreased frequency of SCs in vitro might

be associated with the slow and large NVCs in vivo associated with SCI and BOO. Slow and large SCs evoked afferent nerve firing in bladders from rats with spinal cord transection.16 Two components are considered to be involved in the generation of SCs. One is a group of cells exhibiting spontaneous electrical activity and calcium signaling, that is, smooth muscle cells (SMCs), and ICCs. However, only SMCs have spontaneous contractile activity, while the role of ICCs in the generation of SCs has not yet been established. The second during mechanism is the intramural neural circuit described by Gillespie et al.24 This may modulate ICCs and SMCs. ICC was first described as cells expressing cyclic-GMP in a study that investigated the distribution of nitrergic nerves and the target cells of nitrogen oxide in the lower urinary tract of the guinea pig and human.9 Immunostaining of the well-established ICC marker c-Kit showed the localization of the ICCs in the bladder.25,26 The ICCs are categorized into ICCs in the lamina propria and ICCs in the detrusor. The former are located beneath the urothelium and form connections with neighboring ICCs to form a cellular network via connexin 43 gap junctions.27 ICCs in the detrusor are inside and at the boundaries of detrusor muscle bundles.