The neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid repels pollinating flies and beetles at field-realistic concentrations.

Neonicotinoids are widely used systemic insecticides which, when applied to flowering crops, are translocated to the nectar and pollen where they may impact upon pollinators. Given global concerns over pollinator declines, this potential impact has recently received much attention. Field exposure of pollinators to neonicotinoids depends on the concentrations present in flowering crops and the degree to which pollinators choose to feed upon them.

ciliaFA: a research tool for automated, high-throughput measurement of ciliary beat frequency using freely available software.

Background: Analysis of ciliary function for assessment of patients suspected of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) and for research studies of respiratory and ependymal cilia requires assessment of both ciliary beat pattern and beat frequency. While direct measurement of beat frequency from high-speed video recordings is the most accurate and reproducible technique it is extremely time consuming. The aim of this study was to develop a freely available automated method of ciliary beat frequency analysis from digital video (AVI) files that runs on open-source software (ImageJ) coupled to Microsoft Excel, and to validate this by comparison to the direct measuring high-speed video recordings of respiratory and ependymal cilia.

Cloned defective interfering influenza virus protects ferrets from pandemic 2009 influenza A virus and allows protective immunity to be established.

Influenza A viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the human population, causing epidemics in the winter, and occasional worldwide pandemics. In addition there are periodic outbreaks in domestic poultry, horses, pigs, dogs, and cats. Infections of domestic birds can be fatal for the birds and their human contacts.

A case of clear cell meningioma with tyrosine-rich crystals.

We present a case of clear cell meningioma with unusual clinical and pathologic features. The patient was a 54-year-old man who underwent laminectomy and durotomy for an intradural tumor in the lumbar spinal canal. Sections showed a predominance of dense collagenous tissue with irregularly shaped and irregularly sized magenta-colored extracellular deposits.

Longitudinal neuropsychological findings in amyloid beta-related angiitis (AβRA): a case report.

Amyloid β-related angiitis (AβRA) is a clinicopathological diagnosis of primary central nervous system angiitis theoretically triggered by vascular deposition of amyloid β peptide. Deposits of Aβ are associated with degeneration of the vasculature, thereby increasing risks of a stroke and/or cognitive impairment. Despite this, no prior studies have presented a detailed neuropsychological profile associated with AβRA.

RASGRF2 regulates alcohol-induced reinforcement by influencing mesolimbic dopamine neuron activity and dopamine release.

The firing of mesolimbic dopamine neurons is important for drug-induced reinforcement, although underlying genetic factors remain poorly understood. In a recent genome-wide association metaanalysis of alcohol intake, we identified a suggestive association of SNP rs26907 in the ras-specific guanine-nucleotide releasing factor 2 (RASGRF2) gene, encoding a protein that mediates Ca(2+)-dependent activation of the ERK pathway. We performed functional characterization of this gene in relation to alcohol-related phenotypes and mesolimbic dopamine function in both mice and adolescent humans.

Spontaneous object recognition memory is maintained following transformation of global geometric properties.

Studies of spontaneous behavior to assess memory are widespread, but often the relationships of objects to contexts and spatial locations are poorly defined. We examined whether object-location memory was maintained following global, but not local, changes to the geometric shape of an arena. Rats explored two trial-unique objects in a distinctively shaped arena before being exposed to two identical copies of one of these objects in a different shape in a different physical location.

Rabies virus vaccines: is there a need for a pan-lyssavirus vaccine?

All members of the lyssavirus genus are capable of causing disease that invariably results in death following the development of clinical symptoms. The recent detection of several novel lyssavirus species across the globe, in different animal species, has demonstrated that the lyssavirus genus contains a greater degree of genetic and antigenic variation than previously suspected. The divergence of species within the genus has led to a differentiation of lyssavirus isolates based on both antigenic and genetic data into two, and potentially a third phylogroup.

Comparison of the protection of ferrets against pandemic 2009 influenza A virus (H1N1) by 244 DI influenza virus and oseltamivir.

The main antivirals employed to combat seasonal and pandemic influenza are oseltamivir and zanamivir which act by inhibiting the virus-encoded neuraminidase. These have to be deployed close to the time of infection and antiviral resistance to the more widely used oseltamivir has arisen relatively rapidly. Defective interfering (DI) influenza virus is a natural antiviral that works in a different way to oseltamivir and zanamivir, and a cloned version (segment 1 244 DI RNA in a cloned A/PR/8/34 virus; 244/PR8) has proved effective in preclinical studies in mice.

Episodic-like memory for what-where-which occasion is selectively impaired in the 3xTgAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Episodic memory loss is a defining feature of early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). A test of episodic-like memory for the rat, the What-Where-Which occasion task (WWWhich), requires the association of object, location, and contextual information to form an integrated memory for an event. The WWWhich task cannot be solved by use of non-episodic information such as object familiarity and is dependent on hippocampal integrity.

Pre-existing virus-specific CD8(+) T-cells provide protection against pneumovirus-induced disease in mice.

Pneumoviruses such as pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) or human (h)RSV are closely related pneumoviruses that cause severe respiratory disease in their respective hosts. It is well-known that T-cell responses are essential in pneumovirus clearance, but pneumovirus-specific T-cell responses also are important mediators of severe immunopathology. In this study we determined whether memory- or pre-existing, transferred virus-specific CD8(+) T-cells provide protection against PVM-induced disease.

A new behavioural apparatus to reduce animal numbers in multiple types of spontaneous object recognition paradigms in rats.

Standard object recognition procedures assess animals' memory through their spontaneous exploration of novel objects or novel configurations of objects with other aspects of their environment. Such tasks are widely used in memory research, but also in pharmaceutical companies screening new drug treatments. However, behaviour in these tasks may be driven by influences other than novelty such as stress from handling which can subsequently influence performance.

A specific role for septohippocampal acetylcholine in memory?

Acetylcholine has long been implicated in memory, including hippocampal-dependent memory, but the specific role for this neurotransmitter is difficult to identify in human neuropsychology. Here, we review the evidence for a mechanistic model of acetylcholine function within the hippocampus and consider its explanatory power for interpreting effects resulting from both pharmacological anticholinergic manipulations and lesions of the cholinergic input to the hippocampus in animals. We argue that these effects indicate that acetylcholine is necessary for some, but not all, hippocampal-dependent processes.

Sialoadhesin promotes rapid proinflammatory and type I IFN responses to a sialylated pathogen, Campylobacter jejuni.

Sialoadhesin (Sn) is a macrophage (Mφ)-restricted receptor that recognizes sialylated ligands on host cells and pathogens. Although Sn is thought to be important in cellular interactions of Mφs with cells of the immune system, the functional consequences of pathogen engagement by Sn are unclear. As a model system, we have investigated the role of Sn in Mφ interactions with heat-killed Campylobacter jejuni expressing a GD1a-like, sialylated glycan.

Development of an Fc-enhanced anti-B7-H3 monoclonal antibody with potent antitumor activity.

Purpose: The goal of this research was to harness a monoclonal antibody (mAb) discovery platform to identify cell-surface antigens highly expressed on cancer and develop, through Fc optimization, potent mAb therapies toward these tumor-specific antigens.

Experimental Design: Fifty independent mAbs targeting the cell-surface immunoregulatory B7-H3 protein were obtained through independent intact cell-based immunizations using human tissue progenitor cells, cancer cell lines, or cell lines displaying cancer stem cell properties. Binding studies revealed this natively reactive B7-H3 mAb panel to bind a range of independent B7-H3 epitopes.

Comparative modeling of CCRL1, a key protein in masked immune diseases and virtual screening for finding inhibitor of this protein.

Human CCRL1 belongs to the family of silent chemokine receptors. This transmembrane protein plays a role in blunting function of chemokines through binding to them. This will attenuate immune responses.

Sialylation of Campylobacter jejuni lipo-oligosaccharides: impact on phagocytosis and cytokine production in mice.

Background: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a post-infectious polyradiculoneuropathy, frequently associated with antecedent Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) infection. The presence of sialic acid on C.

The episodic nature of episodic-like memories.

Studying episodic memory in nonhuman animals has proved difficult because definitions in humans require conscious recollection. Here, we assessed humans' experience of episodic-like recognition memory tasks that have been used with animals. It was found that tasks using contextual information to discriminate events could only be accurately performed using recollection, not familiarity.

Lentiviral-mediated gene delivery reveals distinct roles of nucleus accumbens dopamine D2 and D3 receptors in novelty- and light-induced locomotor activity.

The importance of the dopaminergic system for proper brain activity is demonstrated by findings that alterations in this system lead to severe disabilities, including motor impairment observed in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although the roles of specific dopamine receptors in behaviour have been extensively investigated using pharmacological agents and knockout mice, non-specificity of ligands and compensatory molecular adaptations in mutated animals restrict the interpretation of the results. To overcome these limitations and further explore the role of the dopamine D2 and D3 receptors (D2R and D3R) in rats, we used lentivirus-mediated gene knockdown and overexpression to specifically manipulate expression levels of these genes in the rat nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a brain area important for spontaneous and induced locomotor responses.

The evolution of the steps program, 2003-2010: transforming the federal public health practice of chronic disease prevention.

The Steps program, formerly known as Steps to a HealthierUS, was the first Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program to support a community-based, integrated approach to chronic disease prevention. Steps interventions addressed both diseases and risk factors, focusing on the 3 leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States--tobacco use, poor nutrition, and physical inactivity--and the associated chronic conditions of asthma, diabetes, and obesity. When Steps shifted from interventions focused on individual health-risk behaviors to the implementation of policy, systems, and environmental changes, the program became an integral part of changing the way CDC addressed chronic disease prevention.

Management of suspected viral encephalitis in adults--Association of British Neurologists and British Infection Association National Guidelines.

In the 1980s the outcome of patients with herpes simplex encephalitis was shown to be dramatically improved with aciclovir treatment. Delays in starting treatment, particularly beyond 48 h after hospital admission, are associated with a worse prognosis. Several comprehensive reviews of the investigation and management of encephalitis have been published.

Management of suspected viral encephalitis in children - Association of British Neurologists and British Paediatric Allergy, Immunology and Infection Group national guidelines.

In the 1980s the outcome of patients with herpes simplex encephalitis was shown to be dramatically improved with aciclovir treatment. Delays in starting treatment, particularly beyond 48 h after hospital admission, are associated with a worse prognosis. Several comprehensive reviews of the investigation and management of encephalitis have been published.

Angiogenesis is regulated by angiopoietins during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and is indirectly related to vascular permeability.

The regulation of angiogenesis was studied over the course of the animal model of multiple sclerosis, acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice using immunohistochemistry. During EAE, angiogenesis peaked 21 days after disease induction, with significant increases in gray matter and adjacent to the leptomeninges. Angiogenesis correlated with clinical and pathologic scores.