A systems' biology approach to study microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are potent effectors in gene regulatory networks where aberrant miRNA expression can contribute to human diseases such as cancer. For a better understanding of the regulatory role of miRNAs in coordinating gene expression, we here present a systems biology approach combining data-driven modeling and model-driven experiments. Such an approach is characterized by an iterative process, including biological data acquisition and integration, network construction, mathematical modeling and experimental validation.

Pain and disgust: the facial signaling of two aversive bodily experiences.

The experience of pain and disgust share many similarities, given that both are aversive experiences resulting from bodily threat and leading to defensive reactions. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether facial expressions are distinct enough to encode the specific quality of pain and disgust or whether they just encode the similar negative valence and arousal level of both states. In sixty participants pain and disgust were induced by heat stimuli and pictures, respectively.

Neurodevelopmental and esthetic results in children after surgical correction of metopic suture synostosis: a single institutional experience.

Introduction: Metopic suture synostosis leading to trigonocephaly is considered the second most frequent type of craniosynostosis. Besides esthetic results, we present 25 consecutive pediatric cases operated upon metopic suture synostosis with a focus on the child's motor, speech, and neurocognitive development.

Methods: Twenty-five children (aged 6 to 33 months; median 9.

A laboratory comparison of computer navigation and individualized guides for distal radius osteotomy.

Purpose: This article presents the results of a multiuser, randomized laboratory trial comparing the accuracy and precision of image-based navigation against individualized guides for distal radius osteotomy (DRO).

Methods: Six surgeons each performed four DROs using image-based navigation and four DROs using individualized guides in a laboratory setting with plastic phantom replicas of radii from patients who had received DRO as treatment for radial deformity. Time required and correction errors of ulnar variance, radial inclination, and volar tilt were measured.

Responses to tonic heat pain in the ongoing EEG under conditions of controlled attention.

To confirm the existence of an ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern that is truly suggestive of pain, tonic heat pain was induced by small heat pulses at 1 °C above the pain threshold and compared to slightly less intense tonic non-painful heat pulses at 1 °C below the pain threshold. Twenty healthy subjects rated the sensation intensity during thermal stimulation. Possible confounding effects of attention were thoroughly controlled for by testing in four conditions: (1) focus of attention directed ipsilateral or (2) contralateral to the side of the stimulation, (3) control without a side preference, and (4) no control of attention at all.

Bipolar disorder affects behavior and social skills on the Internet.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a significant cause of functional, cognitive, and social impairment. However, classic studies of functioning and social skills have not investigated how BD may impact behavior on the Internet. Given that the digital age has been changing the way people communicate, this study aims to investigate the pattern of Internet use in patients with BD.

Smiling in pain: explorations of its social motives.

Studies of facial responses during experimental and clinical pain have revealed a surprising phenomenon, namely, that a considerable number of individuals respond with a smile. So far, it is not known why smiling occurs during pain. It is possible that the "smile of pain" is socially motivated (e.

Pain management in patients with dementia.

There are an estimated 35 million people with dementia across the world, of whom 50% experience regular pain. Despite this, current assessment and treatment of pain in this patient group are inadequate. In addition to the discomfort and distress caused by pain, it is frequently the underlying cause of behavioral symptoms, which can lead to inappropriate treatment with antipsychotic medications.

The faces of pain: a cluster analysis of individual differences in facial activity patterns of pain.

Background: There is general agreement that facial activity during pain conveys pain-specific information but is nevertheless characterized by substantial inter-individual differences. With the present study we aim to investigate whether these differences represent idiosyncratic variations or whether they can be clustered into distinct facial activity patterns.

Methods: Facial actions during heat pain were assessed in two samples of pain-free individuals (n = 128; n = 112) and were later analysed using the Facial Action Coding System.

Crystal nucleation and near-epitaxial growth in nacre.

Nacre is the iridescent inner lining of many mollusk shells, with a unique lamellar structure at the sub-micron scale, and remarkable resistance to fracture. Despite extensive studies, nacre formation mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here we present 20-nm, 2°-resolution polarization-dependent imaging contrast (PIC) images of shells from 15 mollusk species, mapping nacre tablets and their orientation patterns.

Injuries in agriculture--injury severity and mortality.

Principals: Accidents in agriculture are a problem of global importance. The hazards of working in agriculture are manifold (machines, animals, heights). We therefore assessed injury severity and mortality from accidents in farming.

Val66Met polymorphism and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor in bipolar disorder: an open-label trial.

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is consistently associated with acute mood episodes in bipolar disorder, but there is a lack of longitudinal data to support this hypothesis. In this 16-week open-label clinical trial, we tested the predictive role of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on serum BDNF levels and the relationship of serum BDNF and clinical response in people with bipolar disorder during an acute illness episode.

Method: Sixty-four people with bipolar disorder who were medication-free at baseline and in an acute mood episode were recruited.

New developments in dermatological oncogenetics.

Activated intracellular signaling pathways based on mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes play an important role in a variety of malignant tumors. In dermatology, such mutations have been identified in melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. These have partly led to the establishment of new, targeted therapies.

Does severe acute pain provoke lasting changes in attentional and emotional mechanisms of pain-related processing? A longitudinal study.

Pain experiences, learning, and genetic factors have been proposed to shape attentional and emotional processes related to pain. We aimed at investigating whether a singular major pain experience also changes cognitive-emotional processing. The influence of acute postoperative pain after cosmetic surgery of the thorax was tested in 80 preoperatively pain-free male individuals.

Homocysteine and other markers of cardiovascular risk during a manic episode in patients with bipolar disorder.

Objective: To evaluate serum levels of different biomarkers associated with cardiovascular disease in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Patients were prospectively evaluated in two separate instances: during acute mania and after remission of manic symptoms. All measurements were compared with those of healthy controls.

Image-guided distal radius osteotomy using patient-specific instrument guides.

In this article, we describe a method for computer-assisted distal radius osteotomies in which computer-generated, patient-specific plastic guides are used for intraoperative guidance. Before surgery, the correction and plate location are planned using computed tomography scans for both radii and ulnae, and the planned locations of the distal and proximal drill holes for the plate are saved. A plastic, patient-specific instrument guide is created using a rapid prototyping machine into which a mirror image of intraoperative, accessible bone structure of the distal radius is integrated.

Lupus erythematosus. Part I: epidemiology, genetics and immunology.

Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an important dermatologic autoimmune disease and in many aspects, including epidemiology, genetics, immunology, diagnostics and treatment, may be regarded as model for many other autoimmune diseases. Constant efforts in the past years have unraveled important new aspects of LE pathogenesis. Among these are the genetic associations with immunoregulatory signaling pathways such as TNF-, NF-κB-, IL23/IL17- and interferon pathway as well as new insights into the relevance of the innate immune system.

Mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress markers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and healthy subjects.

Evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, the exact mechanisms underlying this dysfunction are not well understood. Impaired activity of electron transport chain (ETC) complexes has been described in these disorders and may reflect changes in mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress markers.

Vigilance for pain-related faces in a primary task paradigm: an ERP study.

Background: Pain-related stimuli are supposed to be automatically prioritized over other stimuli. This prioritization has often been tested using primary task paradigms in which pain information is irrelevant for completing the explicitly posed task. Task-irrelevant stimuli are only processed if they are very salient, and pain-related stimuli are assumed to be salient enough.

Bradykinin in blood and cerebrospinal fluid after acute cerebral lesions: correlations with cerebral edema and intracranial pressure.

Bradykinin (BK) was shown to stimulate the production of physiologically active metabolites, blood-brain barrier disruption, and brain edema. The aim of this prospective study was to measure BK concentrations in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and ischemic stroke and to correlate BK levels with the extent of cerebral edema and intracranial pressure (ICP). Blood and CSF samples of 29 patients suffering from acute cerebral lesions (TBI, 7; SAH,: 10; ICH, 8; ischemic stroke, 4) were collected for up to 8 days after insult.

Staging and neuroprogression in bipolar disorder: a systematic review of the literature.

Introduction: The use of clinical staging models is emerging as a novel and useful paradigm for diagnosing severe mental disorders. The term "neuroprogression" has been used to define the pathological reorganization of the central nervous system along the course of severe mental disorders. In bipolar disorder (BD), neural substrate reactivity is changed by repeated mood episodes, promoting a brain rewiring that leads to an increased vulnerability to life stress.

Image-Guided Techniques Improve the Short-Term Outcome of Autologous Osteochondral Cartilage Repair Surgeries: An Animal Trial.

Objective: Autologous osteochondral cartilage repair is a valuable reconstruction option for cartilage defects, but the accuracy to harvest and deliver osteochondral grafts remains problematic. We investigated whether image-guided methods (optically guided and template guided) can improve the outcome of these procedures.

Design: Fifteen sheep were operated to create traumatic chondral injuries in each knee.