Glia-related mechanisms in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus of the adult rat in response to unilateral conductive hearing loss.

Conductive hearing loss causes a progressive decline in cochlear activity that may result in functional and structural modifications in auditory neurons. However, whether these activity-dependent changes are accompanied by a glial response involving microglia, astrocytes, or both has not yet been fully elucidated. Accordingly, the present study was designed to determine the involvement of glial related mechanisms in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) of adult rats at 1, 4, 7, and 15 d after removing middle ear ossicles.

Hearing impairment in the P23H-1 retinal degeneration rat model.

The transgenic P23H line 1 (P23H-1) rat expresses a variant of rhodopsin with a mutation that leads to loss of visual function. This rat strain is an experimental model usually employed to study photoreceptor degeneration. Although the mutated protein should not interfere with other sensory functions, observing severe loss of auditory reflexes in response to natural sounds led us to study auditory brain response (ABR) recording.

Colloidal liquid crystals in rectangular confinement: theory and experiment.

We theoretically and experimentally study nematic liquid crystal equilibria within shallow rectangular wells. We model the wells within a two-dimensional Oseen-Frank framework, with strong tangent anchoring, and obtain explicit analytical expressions for the director fields and energies of the 'diagonal' and 'rotated' solutions reported in the literature. These expressions separate the leading-order defect energies from the bulk distortion energy for both families of solutions.

Interaction with the Src homology (SH3-SH2) region of the Src-family kinase Hck structures the HIV-1 Nef dimer for kinase activation and effector recruitment.

HIV-1 Nef supports high titer viral replication in vivo and is essential for AIDS progression. Nef function depends on interactions with multiple host cell effectors, including Hck and other Src-family kinases. Here we describe the x-ray crystal structure of Nef in complex with the Hck SH3-SH2 regulatory region to a resolution of 1.

Stereoselective α-fluorination of N-acyloxazolidinones at room temperature within 1 h.

A direct α-fluorination of N-acyloxazolidinones based on the unique reactivity of group IVa metal enolates has been developed. The reaction is an experimentally simple, low-cost, quick, and energy-efficient alternative for asymmetric α-fluorination of N-acyloxazolidinones. Preliminary studies have shown compatibility with alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl, aromatic, and several heteroaromatic substituents.

Lissothuria caboblanquensis n. sp., a new species of sea cucumber (Holothuroidea: Dendrochirotida: Psolidae) from Costa Rica.

A new species of sea cucumber of the genus Lissothuria Verrill, 1867 is described. Lissothuria caboblanquensis n. sp.

Relating genes in the biosynthesis of the polyphenol composition of Andean colored potato collection.

The objective of this study was to evaluate total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total phenolic content (TPH), and the identification of anthocyanidin and polyphenolic compounds in 13 colored potatoes collected from the Andean region of Bolivia, and understand how the chemical composition correlated with the botanical classification and molecular characterization of genes, ans (anthocyanidin synthase) and stan1 (Solanum tuberosum anthocyanidin synthase), associated with the synthesis of anthocyanidins. The results show the existence of a limited correlation between botanical classification, based on morphological identification and polyphenol composition. No association between genetic grouping of the ans and stan genes and botanical classification was found.

Wistar rats: a forgotten model of age-related hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is one of the most frequent sensory impairments in senescence and is a source of important socio-economic consequences. Understanding the pathological responses that occur in the central auditory pathway of patients who suffer from this disability is vital to improve its diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize age-related modifications in auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and to determine whether these functional responses might be accompanied by an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the cochlear nucleus of Wistar rats.

Septins promote F-actin ring formation by crosslinking actin filaments into curved bundles.

Animal cell cytokinesis requires a contractile ring of crosslinked actin filaments and myosin motors. How contractile rings form and are stabilized in dividing cells remains unclear. We address this problem by focusing on septins, highly conserved proteins in eukaryotes whose precise contribution to cytokinesis remains elusive.

Alignment of nematic and bundled semiflexible polymers in cell-sized confinement.

The finite size of cells poses severe spatial constraints on the network of semiflexible filaments called the cytoskeleton, a main determinant of cell shape. At the same time, the high packing density of cytoskeletal filaments poses mutual packing constraints. Here we investigate the competition between excluded volume interactions in the bulk and surface packing constraints on the orientational ordering of confined actin filaments as a function of filament density and the presence of crosslinks.

Anthropogenic radionuclides in atmospheric air over Switzerland during the last few decades.

The atmospheric nuclear testing in the 1950s and early 1960s and the burn-up of the SNAP-9A satellite led to large injections of radionuclides into the stratosphere. It is generally accepted that current levels of plutonium and caesium radionuclides in the stratosphere are negligible. Here we show that those radionuclides are present in the stratosphere at higher levels than in the troposphere.

Discovery of a diaminoquinoxaline benzenesulfonamide antagonist of HIV-1 Nef function using a yeast-based phenotypic screen.

Background: HIV-1 Nef is a viral accessory protein critical for AIDS progression. Nef lacks intrinsic catalytic activity and binds multiple host cell signaling proteins, including Hck and other Src-family tyrosine kinases. Nef binding induces constitutive Hck activation that may contribute to HIV pathogenesis by promoting viral infectivity, replication and downregulation of cell-surface MHC-I molecules.

Role of Salmonella enterica exposure in Chilean Crohn's disease patients.

Aim: To study the association between exposure to Salmonella enterica (SE) and Crohn's disease (CD) and its clinical implications in Chilean patients.

Methods: Ninety-four unrelated Chilean CD patients from CAREI (Active Cohort Registry of Inflammatory Bowel Disease) presenting to a single inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) unit of a University Hospital were prospectively included in this study. A complete clinical evaluation, including smoking history, was performed at the initial visit, and all the important data of clinical evolution of CD were obtained.

Complete Genome Sequence of Micromonospora Strain L5, a Potential Plant-Growth-Regulating Actinomycete, Originally Isolated from Casuarina equisetifolia Root Nodules.

Micromonospora species live in diverse environments and exhibit a broad range of functions, including antibiotic production, biocontrol, and degradation of complex polysaccharides. To learn more about these versatile actinomycetes, we sequenced the genome of strain L5, originally isolated from root nodules of an actinorhizal plant growing in Mexico.

Long-term evolution of brainstem electrical evoked responses to sound after restricted ablation of the auditory cortex.

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the top-down control of sound processing in the auditory brainstem of rats. Short latency evoked responses were analyzed after unilateral or bilateral ablation of auditory cortex. This experimental paradigm was also used towards analyzing the long-term evolution of post-lesion plasticity in the auditory system and its ability to self-repair.

Adult-onset asthma becomes the dominant phenotype among women by age 40 years. the longitudinal CARDIA study.

Rationale: Although asthma is usually considered to originate in childhood, adult-onset disease is being increasingly reported.

Objectives: To contrast the proportion and natural history of adult-onset versus pediatric-onset asthma in a community-based cohort. We hypothesized that asthma in women is predominantly of adult onset rather than of pediatric onset.

Upregulation of insulin-like growth factor and interleukin 1β occurs in neurons but not in glial cells in the cochlear nucleus following cochlear ablation.

One of the main mechanisms used by neurons and glial cells to promote repair following brain injury is to upregulate activity-dependent molecules such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). In the auditory system, IGF-1 is crucial for restoring synaptic transmission following hearing loss; however, whether IL-1β is also involved in this process is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the expression of IGF-1 and IL-1β within neurons and glial cells of the ventral cochlear nucleus in adult rats at 1, 7, 15, and 30 days following bilateral cochlear ablation.

Structure factor and rheology of chain molecules from molecular dynamics.

Equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular dynamics were performed to determine the relationship between the static structure factor, the molecular conformation, and the rheological properties of chain molecules. A spring-monomer model with Finitely Extensible Nonlinear Elastic and Lennard-Jones force field potentials was used to describe chain molecules. The equations of motion were solved for shear flow with SLLOD equations of motion integrated with Verlet's algorithm.

Pituitary volume in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Introduction: There is converging evidence supporting hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), such as schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), first-episode schizophrenia (FESZ) and chronic schizophrenia (CHSZ). Such an aberrant HPA activity might have volumetric consequences on the pituitary gland. However, previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies assessing pituitary volume (PV) in SSD are conflicting.

Achieving the Great Lakes Initiative mercury limits in oil refinery effluent.

To meet the stringent Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) wastewater discharge mercury (Hg) limit of 1.3 ppt (ng/L), mercury removal technologies need to be identified and investigated. The goals of this study were to (1) identify and assess available wastewater treatment technologies for mercury removal from an oil refinery wastewater; and (2) conduct bench-scale tests to provide comparable, transparent, and uniform results to assess their performance at low mercury concentrations.

Effector kinase coupling enables high-throughput screens for direct HIV-1 Nef antagonists with antiretroviral activity.

HIV-1 Nef, a critical AIDS progression factor, represents an important target protein for antiretroviral drug discovery. Because Nef lacks intrinsic enzymatic activity, we developed an assay that couples Nef to the activation of Hck, a Src family member and Nef effector protein. Using this assay, we screened a large, diverse chemical library and identified small molecules that block Nef-dependent Hck activity with low micromolar potency.

Chemical composition, antioxidant capacity and content of phenolic compounds in meals collected in hospitals in Bolivia and Sweden.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the proximal composition, as well as Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and Total Phenols (TPH) in meals that represent a complex food matrix, from different hospitals in Bolivia and Sweden. Protein, fat, ash, dietary fiber and carbohydrate contents were measured in 29 samples: 20 from two Bolivian hospitals and 9 from the university hospital in Lund, Sweden. The antioxidant capacity was measured by three spectrophotometric methods: the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method, the 2, 2'- azinobis-3-ethylbenzotiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) method and Total Phenolic Compounds (TPH) using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent.