Defining the Aesthetic Range of Normal Symmetry for Lip and Nose Features in 5-Year-Old Children Using the Computer-Based Program SymNose.

Objective: To provide a normal comparison group against which to judge symmetry results after cleft surgery and to introduce the thin lip correction (TLC) feature in SymNose. A lip-aspect ratio algorithm has been added to the latest version of SymNose to compensate for the higher degree of overlap in thicker lips when compared to thin lips.

Design: Retrospective analysis of symmetry in healthy participants, using the computer-based program SymNose on both anteroposterior (AP) and base view images.

Nitric Oxide Is Required for L-Type Ca(2+) Channel-Dependent Long-Term Potentiation in the Hippocampus.

Nitric oxide (NO) has long been implicated in the generation of long-term potentiation (LTP) and other types of synaptic plasticity, a role for which the intimate coupling between NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and the neuronal isoform of NO synthase (nNOS) is likely to be instrumental in many instances. While several types of synaptic plasticity depend on NMDARs, others do not, an example of which is LTP triggered by opening of L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (L-VGCCs) in postsynaptic neurons. In CA3-CA1 synapses in the hippocampus, NMDAR-dependent LTP (LTPNMDAR) appears to be primarily expressed postsynaptically whereas L-VGCC-dependent LTP (LTPL-VGCC), which often coexists with LTPNMDAR, appears mainly to reflect enhanced presynaptic transmitter release.

Quantifying Asymmetry and Scar Quality of Children With Repaired Cleft Lip and Palate Using Symnose 2.

The Symnose semiautomated assessment of outcome of the appearance of the repaired cleft lip and nose was developed to measure asymmetry. Symnose 2 has been further developed to include quantification of the extent of scar color, intensity, and contour and midline dehiscence, underexpressed in the measurement of asymmetry.

Nitric oxide selectively suppresses IH currents mediated by HCN1-containing channels.

Hyperpolarization-activated non-specific cation-permeable channels (HCN) mediate I(H) currents, which are modulated by cGMP and cAMP and by nitric oxide (NO) signalling. Channel properties depend upon subunit composition (HCN1-4 and accessory subunits) as demonstrated in expression systems, but physiological relevance requires investigation in native neurons with intact intracellular signalling. Here we use the superior olivary complex (SOC), which exhibits a distinctive pattern of HCN1 and HCN2 expression, to investigate NO modulation of the respective I(H) currents, and compare properties in wild-type and HCN1 knockout mice.

Cellular targets of nitric oxide in the hippocampus.

In the hippocampus, as in many other CNS areas, nitric oxide (NO) participates in synaptic plasticity, manifested as changes in pre- and/or postsynaptic function. While it is known that these changes are brought about by cGMP following activation of guanylyl cyclase-coupled NO receptors attempts to locate cGMP by immunocytochemistry in hippocampal slices in response to NO have failed to detect the cGMP elevation where expected, i.e.