Long-term functional and neurological outcome after simultaneous treatment with tissue-plasminogen activator and hyperbaric oxygen in early phase of embolic stroke in rats.

The combination of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) and recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) is of interest in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke with a view to combine positive effects of both strategies. We investigated neurological and functional outcome after early treatment with HBO additional to tPA in ischemic stroke. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced using an embolic stroke model in 87 male Wistar rats.

[Chronic tinnitus: which kind of patients benefit from an outpatient psychotherapy?].

Background: Psychotherapy proved to be effective in the treatment of chronic tinnitus sufferers. We investigated, which patient and symptom characteristics predicted the treatment outcome.

Patients And Methods: 95 patients underwent a CBT based treatment including biofeedback elements.

Role of amyloid-beta glycine 33 in oligomerization, toxicity, and neuronal plasticity.

The aggregation of the amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, as soluble oligomers are intimately linked to neuronal toxicity and inhibition of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). In the C-terminal region of Abeta there are three consecutive GxxxG dimerization motifs, which we could previously demonstrate to play a critical role in the generation of Abeta. Here, we show that glycine 33 (G33) of the central GxxxG interaction motif within the hydrophobic Abeta sequence is important for the aggregation dynamics of the peptide.

Hap2 regulates the pheromone response transcription factor prf1 in Ustilago maydis.

In Ustilago maydis the pheromone signal is transmitted via a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) module to the transcription factor Prf1. Prf1 activates transcription of a and b mating type genes by binding to pheromone response elements (PREs) located in regulatory regions of these genes. Here we show that the CCAAT-box binding protein Hap2 from U.

Physical-chemical plant-derived signals induce differentiation in Ustilago maydis.

Ustilago maydis is able to initiate pathogenic development after fusion of two haploid cells with different mating type. On the maize leaf surface, the resulting dikaryon switches to filamentous growth, differentiates appressoria and penetrates the host. Here, we report on the plant signals required for filament formation and appressorium development in U.

Psychophysiological effects of biofeedback treatment in tinnitus sufferers.

Objectives: Psychophysiological factors in maintaining tinnitus-related distress have been emphasized in current tinnitus models. Hyperreactivity in the autonomous nervous system is supposed to hinder habituation processes and might contribute to maladjustment to tinnitus symptoms in the long run. Accordingly, biofeedback treatment targeting physiological activity ought to reduce tinnitus annoyance and facilitate habituation.

Biofeedback-based behavioral treatment for chronic tinnitus: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Many tinnitus sufferers believe that their tinnitus has an organic basis and thus seek medical rather than psychological treatments. Tinnitus has been found to be associated with negative appraisal, dysfunctional attention shift, and heightened psychophysiological arousal, so cognitive-behavioral interventions and biofeedback are commonly suggested as treatments. This study developed and investigated the efficacy of a biofeedback-based cognitive-behavioral treatment for tinnitus.

Stability of physiological variables in chronic tinnitus sufferers.

The etiological tinnitus models propose that suffering can be caused and aggravated by heightened physiological arousal. Therefore psychophysiological treatments are applied. Stability of the measured parameters is essential for the use of biofeedback as well as to permit the attribution of changes to the administered treatment.

Identification of protein phosphorylation sites by advanced LC-ESI-MS/MS methods.

Phosphorylation, the process by which a phosphate group is attached to a pre-existing protein, is an evolutionarily and metabolically cheap way to change the protein's surface and properties. It is presumably for that reason that it is the most wide-spread protein modification: an estimated 10-30% of all proteins are subject to phosphorylation.MS-based methods are the methods of choice for the identification of phosphorylation sites, however biochemical prefractionation and enrichment protocols will be needed to produce suitable samples in the case of low-stoichiometry phosphorylation.

Physiological and psychological stress reactivity in chronic tinnitus.

Several models of tinnitus maintenance emphasize the importance of cognitive, emotional and psychophysiological processes. These factors contribute to distress in patients with decompensated tinnitus symptoms. We investigated whether tinnitus patients show increased physiological levels of arousal, more intense stress reactivity patterns and exaggerated psychological strain compared to healthy controls.

Homophilic interactions of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) ectodomain are regulated by the loop region and affect beta-secretase cleavage of APP.

We found previously by fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments that amyloid precursor protein (APP) homodimerizes in living cells. APP homodimerization is likely to be mediated by two sites of the ectodomain and a third site within the transmembrane sequence of APP. We have now investigated the role of the N-terminal growth factor-like domain in APP dimerization by NMR, biochemical, and cell biological approaches.

Rh(I)-catalyzed carbonylative ring opening of diazabicycles with acyl anion equivalents.

A catalytic desymmetrization of strained alkenes by ring-opening of meso-diazabicycles with acyl anion nucleophiles is reported. Densely functionalized trans-1,2-hydrazinoacyl cyclopentene building blocks are obtained stereoselectively. The acyl anion equivalent is generated in situ under very mild conditions from readily available organoboron precursors.

GxxxG motifs within the amyloid precursor protein transmembrane sequence are critical for the etiology of Abeta42.

Processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretases leads to the generation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides with varying lengths. Particularly Abeta42 contributes to cytotoxicity and amyloid accumulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise molecular mechanism of Abeta42 generation has remained unclear.

Copper is required for prion protein-associated superoxide dismutase-I activity in Pichia pastoris.

The prion protein (PrP) is the key protein implicated in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. It is a metalloprotein that binds manganese and copper. The latter is involved in the physiological function of the protein.

The insect metalloproteinase inhibitor gene of the lepidopteran Galleria mellonella encodes two distinct inhibitors.

The insect metalloproteinase inhibitor (IMPI) from the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, represents the first and to date only specific inhibitor of microbial metalloproteinases reported from animals. Here, we report on the characterization including carbohydrate analysis of two recombinant constructs encoded by impi cDNA either upstream or downstream of the furin cleavage site identified. rIMPI-1, corresponding to native IMPI purified from hemolymph, is encoded by the N-terminal part of the impi sequence, whereas rIMPI-2 is encoded by its C-terminal part.

Integrin alpha3beta1 interacts with I1PP2A/lanp and phosphatase PP1.

Integrin alpha3beta1 is a receptor for the extracellular matrix component laminin 5. To elucidate possible signaling pathways induced by integrin alpha3beta1, we looked for proteins that interact with the cytoplasmic part of the alpha3A integrin subunit. We identified several multifunctional proteins by affinity chromatography and subsequent MALDI-TOF-MS and focused on the inhibitor 1 of serine/threonine phosphatase PP2A (I1PP2A, synonym: lanp) which also plays a role during the development of the mouse cerebellum.

Expression of the avian gene cNOC2 encoding nucleolar complex associated protein 2 during embryonic development.

Genetic information that directs a cell during different phases of embryogenesis is locked up in the genome. Therein is contained the road map for growth, proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis. The cellular transportation machinery plays a major role to ensure that all the components for transcription and translation are available at the right place at the right time.

Myogenin (Myf4) upregulation in trans-differentiating fibroblasts from a congenital myopathy with arrest of myogenesis and defects of myotube formation.

Congenital myopathies often have an unclear aetiology. Here, we studied a novel case of a severe congenital myopathy with a failure of myotube formation. Polymerase chain reaction-based analysis was performed to characterize the expression patterns of the Desmin, p21, p57, and muscle regulatory factors (MRFs) MyoD, Myf4, Myf5 and Myf6 in differentiating skeletal muscle cells (SkMCs), normal human fibroblasts and patient-derived fibroblasts during trans-differentiation.

Tuberculin reaction, BCG scar, and lower female mortality.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunization may have a nonspecific beneficial effect on infant survival and that the effect may be more pronounced among girls. In a prospective birth cohort, we examine whether a positive tuberculin skin test and BCG scar in response to BCG immunization were related to better overall survival in Guinea-Bissau and, if so, whether the effect was sex-specific.

Methods: Skin tests and BCG scarring were monitored at ages 2 months (n = 2332) and 6 months (n = 1817) in children born from March 2000 to July 2002.

The tick plasma lectin, Dorin M, is a fibrinogen-related molecule.

A lectin, named Dorin M, previously isolated and characterized from the hemolymph plasma of the soft tick, Ornithodoros moubata, was cloned and sequenced. The immunofluorescence using confocal microscopy revealed that Dorin M is produced in the tick hemocytes. A tryptic cleavage of Dorin M was performed and the resulting peptide fragments were sequenced by Edman degradation and/or mass spectrometry.

Psychophysiologic treatment of chronic tinnitus: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Tinnitus seems to be associated with psychophysiological over-activation (e.g., of head and shoulder muscles).

Endovascular gamma irradiation for the prevention restenosis after angioplasty of femoropopliteal de novo stenoses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and detect side effects of centered, overlapped endovascular gamma irradiation after angioplasty of de novo femoropopliteal stenoses. Thirty patients (age 65.3+/-9.

Dependence of ORC silencing function on NatA-mediated Nalpha acetylation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

N(alpha) acetylation is one of the most abundant protein modifications in eukaryotes and is catalyzed by N-terminal acetyltransferases (NATs). NatA, the major NAT in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, consists of the subunits Nat1p, Ard1p, and Nat5p and is necessary for the assembly of repressive chromatin structures. Here, we found that Orc1p, the large subunit of the origin recognition complex (ORC), required NatA acetylation for its role in telomeric silencing.