Large acute cerebral hemorrhage presenting with pure alexia.

Alexia (the acquired inability to read) is an uncommon presenting complaint in the emergency department (ED). It is usually associated with a lesion in the brain located within the dominant hemisphere near the parieto-occipital junction, with some involvement of the splenium of the corpus callosum. Our review of the literature revealed multiple distinct causes for the finding of alexia, and a majority of the cases uncovered also involved agraphia (the acquired inability to write) and frequently visual field defects.

Development of a teletechnology protocol for in-home rehabilitation.

Our ability to provide in-home rehabilitation is limited by distance and available personnel. We may be able to meet some rehabilitation needs with videoconferencing technology. This article describes the feasibility of teletechnology for delivering multifactorial, in-home rehabilitation interventions to community-dwelling adults recently prescribed a mobility aid.

Expression of human ATM cDNA in Atm-deficient mouse brain mediated by HSV-1 amplicon vector.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by neurodegeneration, immunodeficiency, cancer predisposition, genome instability, and radiation sensitivity. Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) amplicon vectors provide a means to deliver large genes to the nervous system efficiently and safely. We have generated an amplicon vector, carrying human FLAG-tagged A-T mutated (ATM), as well as an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) marker gene.

Concerted regulation of nuclear and cytoplasmic activities of SR proteins by AKT.

Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are important regulators of mRNA splicing. Several postsplicing activities have been described for a subset of shuttling SR proteins, including regulation of mRNA export and translation. Using the fibronectin gene to study the links between signal-transduction pathways and SR protein activity, we show that growth factors not only modify the alternative splicing pattern of the fibronectin gene but also alter translation of reporter messenger RNAs in an SR protein-dependent fashion, providing two coregulated levels of isoform-specific amplification.

Reversible phosphorylation differentially affects nuclear and cytoplasmic functions of splicing factor 2/alternative splicing factor.

The Ser/Arg-rich (SR) proteins constitute a family of highly conserved nuclear phosphoproteins that are involved in many steps of mRNA metabolism. Previously, we demonstrated that shuttling SR proteins can associate with translating ribosomes and enhance translation of reporter mRNAs both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we show that endogenous, cytoplasmic splicing factor 2/alternative splicing factor (SF2/ASF) associated with the translation machinery is hypophosphorylated, suggesting that the phosphorylation state of the Arg-Ser-rich (RS) domain may influence the role of SF2/ASF in cytoplasmic RNA processing.

CASK localizes to nuclei in developing skeletal muscle and motor neuron culture models and is agrin-independent.

Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) are cytoplasmic multi-domain proteins that serve as scaffold proteins at cell junctions and synapses. Calmodulin-associated serine/threonine kinase (CASK) stabilizes the integrity of synapses in the brain. Additionally, CASK is capable of acting as a transcriptional co-activator and localizes to neuronal nuclei in the developing brain.

Using remote assessment to provide home modification services to underserved elders.

Purpose: Although remote home assessment would enable specialists to prescribe home modifications for anyone, anywhere, the strategy is dependent on the ability to provide specialists with the same information as an in-home assessment. The purpose of this paper is to document that remote assessment is feasible and concurs largely with traditional in-home assessment based on expert judgment.

Design And Methods: We compared two new remote assessments, a "zero-tech" paper-and-pencil protocol and a "high-tech" televideo protocol, to traditional in-home assessments to determine the equivalence of the remote and in-home assessments.

Multiple roles of arginine/serine-rich splicing factors in RNA processing.

SR proteins (serine- and arginine-rich proteins) are an evolutionarily conserved family consisting of essential pre-mRNA splicing factors. Since their discovery and initial characterization, roles of SR proteins in pre-mRNA splicing and in subsequent steps of post-transcriptional gene expression have expanded significantly. The current hypotheses suggest that SR proteins are multifunctional adaptor molecules that may couple distinct steps of RNA metabolism.

A rapid and efficient protocol to purify biologically active recombinant proteins from mammalian cells.

Here, we describe a simple and efficient method for the expression and purification of active recombinant proteins in mammalian cells. This method uses the expression of T7 epitope-tagged proteins in transiently transfected 293T cells grown in monolayer, followed by anti-T7-agarose affinity chromatography. This procedure yields approximately between 75 and 100 microg of biologically active protein/150 cm(2) flask that can be used for biochemical studies.

Lifting the cover on drug courts: evaluation findings and policy concerns.

Drug treatment courts emerged in 1989 as a court-based solution to an enormous increase of drug-related arrests. Since their inception, drug treatment courts have been subject to empirical and process evaluations to provide quantitative and qualitative data regarding their effectiveness. This article reviews the extant literature on the effectiveness of drug treatment courts and discusses findings regarding various components of the criminal justice system.

The health status of rural caregivers.

The purposes of this study were to examine the relationships among stress, caregiver burden, and the health status of rural caregivers and assess whether caregiver burden and stress predict the physical health status of caregivers in the rural setting. A descriptive-correlational design was used to explore the caregiver health status of 63 informal caregivers in rural Alabama and Mississippi. The relationships among stress, burden, and health status in rural caregivers were significantly related (p .

Claudin-5 localizes to the lateral membranes of cardiomyocytes and is altered in utrophin/dystrophin-deficient cardiomyopathic mice.

Remodeling of adherens junction, gap junction, and desmosomal proteins at the intercalated discs of cardiomyocytes in heart characterizes several animal models of cardiomyopathy, especially dilated cardiac myopathy (DCM). In this study, we show that the tight junction protein, claudin-5, is present in cardiac muscle and localizes to the lateral membranes of cardiomyocytes in normal mice. We further examined claudin-5 in utrophin/dystrophin-deficient (double knockout, dko) mice, a mouse model of muscular dystrophy with cardiomyopathy, and found that claudin-5 mRNA and protein levels are decreased in dko hearts as compared with normal.

Predicting oxygen uptake in older adults using lower-limb accelerometer measures.

Assessing physical activity in older adults has proven to be difficult but important, because regular participation has a protective and rehabilitative effect against disability and morbidity. Commercially available physical activity monitors measure waist movements and have not been validated for older adults. This study developed a model for establishing prediction equations to estimate older adults physical activity levels based on lower-limb accelerometer measures.

In situ characterization of gonadotropin- releasing hormone-I, -III, and glutamic acid decarboxylase expression in the brain of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus.

The distribution of lamprey gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-I and -III has been extensively characterized by immunocytochemistry in the forebrain of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus. However, the cellular location of lamprey GnRH-III mRNA expression by in situ hybridization in the lamprey brain has not been determined. We show for the first time the location of expression of lamprey GnRH-III, as well as provide a more comprehensive in situ study of lamprey GnRH-I and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD; GABA-synthesizing enzyme) mRNA expression in the brain of the lamprey in different reproductive life stages.

In vitro and in vivo effects of GABA, muscimol, and bicuculline on lamprey GnRH concentration in the brain of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus).

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter with a demonstrated neuroregulatory role in reproduction in most representative species of vertebrate classes via the hypothalamus. The role of GABA on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis in lampreys has not been fully elucidated. Recent immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization studies suggest that there may be a neuroregulatory role of GABA on the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) system in lampreys.

Using telerehabilitation to identify home modification needs.

Teleconferencing technology has great potential for providing cost-effective in-home assessment for home modification services from anywhere to anyone in need. Despite its enormous potential, the use of this technology as a means to deliver these specific services had not been investigated. This project investigated the use of televideo technology to provide remote home assessment services to patients prior to discharge so that they could function as independently as possible in their own homes after being discharged from a specialty clinic.

CASK and Dlg form a PDZ protein complex at the mammalian neuromuscular junction.

Membrane-associated guanylate kinases (MAGUKs) are modular adapter proteins that serve as scaffolding molecules and anchor channels and receptors via their PDZ (PSD-95, Dlg, Zo-1) domains. Calcium, calmodulin-associated serine/threonine kinase (CASK) is a MAGUK that is critical at synapses in the central nervous system and at cell-cell junctions because of its interactions with channels, receptors, and structural proteins. We show via confocal microscopy that CASK and another MAGUK, Discs Large (Dlg), are present at the mammalian neuromuscular junction in skeletal muscle.

The perceived health of rural caregivers.

Caregiving can be stressful in any setting; however, some challenges and differences are unique to the rural population of caregivers. Gene and Lena Tanner The rural elderly report more chronic illness and physical impairment than their urban counterparts. This study examines the differences between self-reported health status in rural caregivers and the general population.

A novel role for shuttling SR proteins in mRNA translation.

The Ser-Arg-rich (SR) proteins comprise a large family of nuclear phosphoproteins that are required for constitutive and alternative splicing. A subset of SR proteins shuttles continuously between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, suggesting that the role of shuttling SR proteins in gene expression may not be limited to nuclear pre-mRNA splicing, but may also include unknown cytoplasmic functions. Here, we show that shuttling SR proteins, in particular SF2/ASF, associate with translating ribosomes and stimulate translation when tethered to a reporter mRNA in Xenopus oocytes.

The Wilms' tumour protein (WT1) shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm and is present in functional polysomes.

Mutations of the Wilms' tumour-1 (WT1) gene in humans can lead to childhood kidney cancer, life-threatening glomerular nephropathy and gonadal dysgenesis. The WT1 protein is normally expressed in the developing genitourinary tract, heart, spleen and adrenal glands and is crucial for their development, however it's function at the molecular level is yet to be fully understood. The protein is predominantly nuclear and there is evidence that the two different isoforms of WT1 (-KTS and +KTS) are involved in two different steps of gene expression control: transcription and RNA processing.

Conflict structure moderates associations between cardiovascular reactivity and negative marital interaction.

This study examined the role of marital conflict structure--who desires and requests change versus who responds to the change request--in spouses' cardiovascular responses to marital interactions. Forty-one couples discussed 2 marital topics: one in which the wife desired change in the husband, and one in wich the husband desired change in the wife. Cardiovascular responses were assessed at 2-min intervals.

Effects of a hypocaloric, low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss, blood lipids, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and body composition in free-living overweight women.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of a very low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and biochemical parameters in overweight women. Twenty women completed an 8-week trial that reduced their daily carbohydrate intake from 232 to 71 g (p < 0.05) and reduced energy by 2,644 kJ/day (8,384 to 5,740 kJ, p < 0.