Histamine H Receptor Function Biases Excitatory Gain in the Nucleus Accumbens.

Background: Histamine (HA), a wake-promoting monoamine implicated in stress-related arousal states, is synthesized in histidine decarboxylase-expressing hypothalamic neurons of the tuberomammillary nucleus. Histidine decarboxylase-containing varicosities diffusely innervate striatal and mesolimbic networks, including the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The NAc integrates diverse monoaminergic inputs to coordinate motivated behavior.

A medium-throughput screen for inhibitors of human metapneumovirus.

Human metapneumovirus, a paramyxovirus discovered in 2001, is a major cause of lower respiratory infection in adults and children worldwide. There are no licensed vaccines or drugs for human metapneumovirus. We developed a fluorescent, cell-based medium-throughput screening assay for human metapneumovirus that captures inhibitors of all stages of the viral lifecycle except budding of progeny virus particles from the cell membrane.

Human metapneumovirus virus-like particles induce protective B and T cell responses in a mouse model.

Unlabelled: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of respiratory disease in infants, children, and the elderly worldwide, yet no licensed vaccines exist. Live-attenuated vaccines present safety challenges, and protein subunit vaccines induce primarily antibody responses. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are an attractive alternative vaccine approach because of reduced safety concerns compared with live vaccines.