High Tumoral KPNA2 Expression Is a PotentialBiomarker for Poor Prognosis in Advanced Neuroblastoma Patients.

Background/aim: Karyopherin alpha 2 (KPNA2) has been reported to be associated with cancer aggressiveness and treatment resistance via transporting several cargo proteins into the nucleus, such as cancer-promoting E2F and DNA repair-related MRN complex. Recent studies have highlighted the KPNA2 functions in tumorigenesis and the progression of various cancers. However, the importance of KPNA2 expression has yet to be elucidated in clinical neuroblastoma patients.

Dopamine release and dopamine-related gene expression in the amygdala are modulated by the gastrin-releasing peptide in opposite directions during stress-enhanced fear learning and extinction.

Fear extinction leads to a decrease of originally acquired fear responses after the threat is no longer present. Fear extinction is adaptive and critical for organism's survival, but deficits in extinction may lead to exaggerated fear in animals or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in humans. Dopamine has recently emerged as essential for fear extinction and PTSD, however the neural circuits serving this dopamine function are only beginning to be investigated, and the dopamine intracellular signaling pathways are unknown.

Establishment of a method to measure the intracellular potassium ion concentration of brain tissue using a simple device.

Intracellular potassium ion (K) concentration is higher than extracellular K concentration. Some cells maintain intracellular potassium levels by taking up extracellular potassium. However, investigating these details requires techniques to measure intracellular potassium concentrations.

Punishment is slower than cooperation or defection in online network games.

Punishment serves as a balancing force that dissuades people from acting selfishly, which complements cooperation as an essential characteristic for the prosperity of human societies. Past studies using economic games with two options (cooperation and defection) reported that cooperation decisions are generally faster than defection decisions and that time pressure possibly induces human players to be more intuitive and thus cooperative. However, it is unclear where punishment decisions sit on this time spectrum.

Antiviral effect of alkaloids-free Ephedra Herb extract on respiratory syncytial virus infection.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory tract infection in children. Despite decades of efforts, no effective therapies are available. We recently reported that extracts of Ephedra Herb and Cinnamon Bark interacted with the G attachment protein of RSV to inhibit infectivity.