Defibrillator patients should not be denied a peaceful death.

Background: Implantable defibrillators (ICDs) prevent sudden cardiac death. With declining health, ICD therapy may prolong death and expose the patient to unnecessary pain and anxiety. Few studies have addressed end of life care in ICD patients.

Transcriptional regulation of gene expression clusters in motor neurons following spinal cord injury.

Background: Spinal cord injury leads to neurological dysfunctions affecting the motor, sensory as well as the autonomic systems. Increased excitability of motor neurons has been implicated in injury-induced spasticity, where the reappearance of self-sustained plateau potentials in the absence of modulatory inputs from the brain correlates with the development of spasticity.

Results: Here we examine the dynamic transcriptional response of motor neurons to spinal cord injury as it evolves over time to unravel common gene expression patterns and their underlying regulatory mechanisms.

Global gene expression analysis of rodent motor neurons following spinal cord injury associates molecular mechanisms with development of postinjury spasticity.

Spinal cord injury leads to severe problems involving impaired motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. After spinal injury there is an initial phase of hyporeflexia followed by hyperreflexia, often referred to as spasticity. Previous studies have suggested a relationship between the reappearance of endogenous plateau potentials in motor neurons and the development of spasticity after spinalization.

Gene expression profiling of two distinct neuronal populations in the rodent spinal cord.

Background: In the field of neuroscience microarray gene expression profiles on anatomically defined brain structures are being used increasingly to study both normal brain functions as well as pathological states. Fluorescent tracing techniques in brain tissue that identifies distinct neuronal populations can in combination with global gene expression profiling potentially increase the resolution and specificity of such studies to shed new light on neuronal functions at the cellular level.

Methodology/principal Findings: We examine the microarray gene expression profiles of two distinct neuronal populations in the spinal cord of the neonatal rat, the principal motor neurons and specific interneurons involved in motor control.

Effects of sphingosine 1-phosphate on calcium signaling, proliferation and S1P2 receptor expression in PC Cl3 rat thyroid cells.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) regulates diverse biological processes, including mitosis, by binding to the S1P family of G-protein coupled receptors. The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of S1P receptor expression and to investigate the effects of S1P on intracellular calcium levels and proliferation in the rat thyroid cell line PC Cl(3). S1P(2) and S1P(3) mRNA and proteins were detected in PC Cl(3) cells, as well as in FRTL-5 rat thyroid cells.