The small G-proteins Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in the mouse.

Rac1 and Cdc42 are small G-proteins that regulate actin dynamics and affect plasma membrane protrusion and vesicle traffic. We used conditional mutagenesis in mice to demonstrate that Rac1 and Cdc42 are essential for myoblast fusion in vivo and in vitro. The deficit in fusion of Rac1 or Cdc42 mutant myoblasts correlates with a deficit in the recruitment of actin fibers and vinculin to myoblast contact sites.

Body composition obtained from the body mass index: an Italian study.

Background: Since obesity and related diseases are now considered epidemic, new and more accurate formulas for epidemiological studies are of interest to the scientific community. Several equations have been proposed to estimate the body composition simply from anthropometric measurements. However, with time, the body composition of the populations studied changes in relation to their food habits and lifestyle, and, therefore, the equations must be regularly updated and corrected.

A nonclassical bHLH Rbpj transcription factor complex is required for specification of GABAergic neurons independent of Notch signaling.

Neural networks are balanced by inhibitory and excitatory neuronal activity. The formation of these networks is initially generated through neuronal subtype specification controlled by transcription factors. The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Ptf1a is essential for the generation of GABAergic inhibitory neurons in the dorsal spinal cord, cerebellum, and retina.

Hypericum perforatum methanolic extract inhibits growth of human prostatic carcinoma cell line orthotopically implanted in nude mice.

The antiproliferative effect of serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin antagonists has been demonstrated in prostate tumors. Since Hypericum perforatum components act as serotonin-reuptake inhibitors and exert cytotoxic effects on several human cancer cell lines, in this work we analyzed the effect of a treatment with Hypericum perforatum extract (HPE) on the growth of human prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. This study highlighted a significant reduction of tumor growth and number of metastasis suggesting that this natural compound may be useful in the treatment of prostate cancer.