Decay of 1+ states as a new probe of the structure of 0+ shape isomers.

The nuclides 98Mo and 100Mo have been studied in photon-scattering experiments by using bremsstrahlung produced from electron beams with kinetic energies from 3.2 to 3.8 MeV.

The apertospathulidae, a new family of haptorid ciliates (protozoa, ciliophora).

We studied the morphology of three rare haptorid ciliates, using live observation and silver impregnation: Apertospathula verruculifera n. sp., Longispatha elegans n.

Epigenetic regulation of the dendritic cell-marker gene ADAM19.

Human ADAM19 (MADDAM) is a molecular marker for human dendritic cells and not expressed in macrophages. To investigate its cell-type-specific expression, we defined the transcriptional start site and the proximal promoter. Sequence analysis of the promoter revealed putative binding sites for several transcription factors including Sp1, Sp3, NF-kappaB, and VDR.

The Alzheimer disease-related calcium-binding protein Calmyrin is present in human forebrain with an altered distribution in Alzheimer's as compared to normal ageing brains.

The EF-hand calcium binding protein Calmyrin (also called CIB-1) was shown to interact with presenilin-2 (PS-2), suggesting that this interaction might play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we have investigated the distribution of Calmyrin in normal human and AD brain. In normal brain Calmyrin immunoreactivity was unevenly distributed with immunostaining in pyramidal neurones and interneurones of the palaeo-cortex and neocortex, cerebellar granule cells and hypothalamic neurones of the paraventricular, ventromedial and arcuate nuclei.

C-terminal synaptic targeting elements for postsynaptic density proteins ProSAP1/Shank2 and ProSAP2/Shank3.

Synapses are specialized contact sites mediating communication between neurons. Synaptogenesis requires the specific assembly of protein clusters at both sides of the synaptic contact by mechanisms that are barely understood. We studied the synaptic targeting of multi-domain proteins of the ProSAP/Shank family thought to serve as master scaffolding molecules of the postsynaptic density.

A maternal blood-borne factor promotes survival of the developing thalamus.

In this report, we describe the identification of a polypeptide survival-promoting factor that is produced by maternal and early postnatal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the immune system in Long-Evans rats and humans. The factor, termed Y-P30, most likely arises from proteolytic processing of a larger precursor protein and accumulates mainly in pyramidal neurons of the developing cortex and hippocampus but not in astrocytes. It was released from neurons grown in culture and substantially promotes survival of cells in explant monocultures of perinatal thalamus from the offspring.

Calcium-binding protein Caldendrin and CaMKII are localized in spinules of the carp retina.

Calcium-binding proteins translate the influx of Ca(2+) at excitatory synapses into spatiotemporal signals that regulate a variety of processes underlying synaptic plasticity. In the fish retina, the synaptic connectivity between photoreceptors and horizontal cells undergoes a remarkable plasticity, triggered by the ambient light conditions. With increasing light, the synaptic dendrites of horizontal cells form numerous spinules that are dissolved during dark adaptation.

Delivering cognitive therapy to people with psychosis in a community mental health setting: an effectiveness study.

Objective: Cognitive therapy (CT) has been shown to be an efficacious treatment for persistent psychotic symptoms. However, there is some debate regarding whether this is transportable to real life clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CT for psychosis in a community mental health team (CMHT) setting.

Differential expression and dendritic transcript localization of Shank family members: identification of a dendritic targeting element in the 3' untranslated region of Shank1 mRNA.

Shank proteins are scaffolding proteins in the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain. In situ hybridization revealed that Shank1/SSTRIP and Shank2/ProSAP1 mRNAs are widely expressed early in postnatal brain development whereas Shank3/ProSAP2 expression increases during postnatal development especially in the cerebellum and thalamus. Shank1 and Shank3 (but not Shank2) mRNAs are present in the molecular layers of the hippocampus, consistent with a dendritic transcript localization.

Caldendrin but not calmodulin binds to light chain 3 of MAP1A/B: an association with the microtubule cytoskeleton highlighting exclusive binding partners for neuronal Ca(2+)-sensor proteins.

Caldendrin is a neuronal Ca(2+)-sensor protein (NCS), which represents the closest homologue of calmodulin (CaM) in nerve cells. It is tightly associated with the somato-dendritic cytoskeleton of neurons and highly enriched in the postsynaptic cytomatrix. Here, we report that caldendrin specifically associates with the microtubule cytoskeleton via an interaction with light chain 3 (LC3), a microtubule component with sequence homology to the GABAA receptor-associated protein (GABARAP), which is, like LC3, probably involved in cellular transport processes.

Rearrangement of the retino-collicular projection after partial optic nerve crush in the adult rat.

The establishment of retino-collicular topography is a well-investigated model of axon pathfinding and it was believed that this topography is irreversibly fixed throughout life. We now report that, after partial crush of the adult rat optic nerve, the anterograde transport of intravitreally-injected tracers via axons of surviving retinal ganglion cells (RGC) in all retinal quadrants is confined to the rostro-medial part of the superior colliculus (SC). This indicates that the retino-collicular topography is rearranged after partial crush of the adult rat optic nerve.

The fibroblast: sentinel cell and local immune modulator in tumor tissue.

Development and progression of epithelial malignancies are frequently accompanied by complex phenotypic alterations of resident tissue fibroblasts. Some of these changes, such as myofibroblastic differentiation and an oncofetal extracellular matrix (ECM) expression profile, are also implicated in inflammation and tissue repair. Studies over the past decade revealed the relevance of reciprocal interactions between tumor cells and tumor-associated host fibroblasts (TAF) in the malignant process.

Inverse regulation of the ADAM-family members, decysin and MADDAM/ADAM19 during monocyte differentiation.

Two members of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease)-family, MADDAM and decysin, were described as dendritic cell (DC) maturation markers. We are interested in monocyte differentiation and investigated in particular the expression pattern of both genes during the differentiation of human monocytes into DC and macrophages (MAC). Both genes are weakly expressed in freshly isolated monocytes.

Diagnostic and neural analysis of skin cancer (DANAOS). A multicentre study for collection and computer-aided analysis of data from pigmented skin lesions using digital dermoscopy.

Background: Early detection of melanomas by means of diverse screening campaigns is an important step towards a reduction in mortality. Computer-aided analysis of digital images obtained by dermoscopy has been reported to be an accurate, practical and time-saving tool for the evaluation of pigmented skin lesions (PSLs). A prototype for the computer-aided diagnosis of PSLs using artificial neural networks (NNs) has recently been developed: diagnostic and neural analysis of skin cancer (DANAOS).

Identification of genes expressed in tumor-associated macrophages.

Most malignant tumors contain so-called tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) as a major component of their leukocytic infiltrate. To investigate the impact of the tumor microenvironment on activation and differentiation of macrophages, we established a 3-dimensional model system by culturing human monocytes within multicellular tumor spheroids. After 7 days, monocyte-derived TAM were isolated and analyzed for phenotypic alterations as compared to macrophages cultured without tumor cell contact.

Kainate-induced epileptic seizures induce a recruitment of caldendrin to the postsynaptic density in rat brain.

Caldendrin defines a novel family of neuronal calcium-sensor proteins, the C-terminal moiety of which displays high similarity to calmodulin. We now report that the protein is recruited to the postsynaptic density (PSD) of cortical and hippocampal neurons in response to kainate-induced epileptic seizures, an animal model of human temporal lobe epilepsy. The translocation of caldendrin to the PSD did not occur in kainate-treated rats that did not develop seizures.

Distribution and cellular localization of caldendrin immunoreactivity in adult human forebrain.

We investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) the distribution of caldendrin, the founding member of a novel family of neuronal calcium-binding proteins closely related to calmodulin, in human forebrain. Caldendrin immunoreactivity was unevenly distributed, with prominent staining in the paleo- and neocortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus. With the exception of the hypothalamus, labeling was restricted to the somato-dendritic compartment of neurons.

Association of Caldendrin splice isoforms with secretory vesicles in neurohypophyseal axons and the pituitary.

Caldendrin is a neuronal calcium-binding protein, which is highly enriched in the postsynaptic density fraction and exhibits a prominent somato-dendritic distribution in brain. Two additional splice variants derive from the caldendrin gene, which have unrelated N-termini and were previously only detected in the retina. We now show that these isoforms are present in neurohypophyseal axons and on secretory granules of endocrine cells.

Regulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase and production of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 by human dendritic cells.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase (25(OH)D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase), the key enzyme of 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) production, is expressed in monocyte-derived macrophages (MACs). Here we show for the first time constitutive expression of 25(OH)D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase in monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs), which was increased after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Accordingly, DCs showed low constitutive production of 1,25(OH)2D3, but activation by LPS increased 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis.

Brain synaptic junctional proteins at the acrosome of rat testicular germ cells.

Proteins of the presynaptic exocytic machinery have been found associated with the acrosome of male germ cells, suggesting that the sperm acrosome reaction and neurotransmission at chemical synapses may share some common mechanisms. To substantiate this hypothesis, we studied the expression and ultrastructural localization of prominent pre- and postsynaptic protein components in rat testis. The presynaptic membrane trafficking proteins SV2 and complexin, the vesicular amino acid transporters VGLUT and VIAAT, the postsynaptic scaffolding protein ProSAP/Shank, and the postsynaptic calcium-sensor protein caldendrin, could be identified in germ line cells.

Gliap--a novel untypical L-asparaginase localized to rat brain astrocytes.

L-asparaginases catalyse the formation of the neuroactive amino acid L-aspartate by deamination of asparagine. The major pathophysiological significance of L-asparaginase activity is in its clinical use for the treatment of acute lymphatic leukaemia and neoplasias that require asparagine and obtain it from circulating pools. Here we report the identification and characterization of Gliap, a cytosolic L-asparaginase, which is the founding member of a new group of L-asparaginases in mammalia.

Tumor-associated fibroblasts recruit blood monocytes into tumor tissue.

Tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAF) and tumor-associated macrophages are the main stromal components in desmoplastic breast tumors. These host cell types were extensively studied individually with regard to tumor development and progression but little is known about their reciprocal interactions. To elucidate the role of TAF in the recruitment of monocytes (MO) we designed a 3D co-culture system of multicellular fibroblast spheroids of different origin, co-cultured with MO suspensions from healthy donors.

GM1 ganglioside administration protects spinal neurons after glutamate excitotoxicity.

Injury of the nervous system initiates a cascade of signal transduction including a rise in extracellular glutamate which leads to subsequent secondary neuronal loss. Excitotoxicity is known to play a crucial role in cell death spinal cord trauma. Gangliosides, particularly monosialogangliosides (GM1), are protective against various neurological insults, including excitotoxicity.

Molecular plasticity of retinal ganglion cells after partial optic nerve injury.

In the past few years we established the partial crush of the optic nerve as an in vivo model system for the study of signaling pathways involved in molecular plasticity after axonal injury. The simplicity of this model at the cellular level allows decisive questions to be anwsered whilst functional aspects of visual information processing can be studied in parallel. A major advantage of a partial optic nerve crush model is the opportunity to directly compare different cell populations: (i) the rapidly degenerating retinal ganglion cells (RGC), (ii) the axotomized RGC population that eventually dies over the period of the next few weeks, (iii) the axotomized RGC population surviving for a long time in the retina without an axon and (iv) the surviving RGC population that maintains axonal connections to their brain targets.