The PFC-LH-VTA pathway contributes to social deficits in IRSp53-mutant mice.

Dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) promote social brain functions by releasing DA onto nucleus accumbens neurons, but it remains unclear how VTA neurons communicate with cortical neurons. Here, we report that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-lateral hypothalamus (LH)-VTA pathway contributes to social deficits in mice with IRSp53 deletion restricted to cortical excitatory neurons (Emx1-Cre;Irsp53 mice). LH-projecting mutant mPFC neurons display abnormally increased excitability involving decreased potassium channel gene expression, leading to excessive excitatory synaptic input to LH-GABA neurons.

Dynamics of Genotypic and Phenotypic Antibiotic Resistance in a Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2 Years.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered a sink and a source of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we applied both culture-dependent and SmartChip-based culture-independent approaches for the investigation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) at Jungnang (JN), located in the Han River, Seoul, South Korea, for 2 years, i.e.

Adult re-expression of IRSp53 rescues NMDA receptor function and social behavior in IRSp53-mutant mice.

IRSp53 (or BAIAP2) is an abundant excitatory postsynaptic scaffolding/adaptor protein that is involved in actin regulation and has been implicated in autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. IRSp53 deletion in mice leads to enhanced NMDA receptor (NMDAR) function and social deficits that are responsive to NMDAR inhibition. However, it remains unclear whether IRSp53 re-expression in the adult IRSp53-mutant mouse brain after the completion of brain development could reverse these synaptic and behavioral dysfunctions.

Emergence of High Level Carbapenem and Extensively Drug Resistant ST746 Producing NDM-5 in Influent of Wastewater Treatment Plant, Seoul, South Korea.

High level carbapenem and extensively drug resistant (XDR) strain N7, which produces a variant of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-5), was isolated from the influent of the Jungnang wastewater treatment plant located on Han River, Seoul, South Korea. Phenotypic and genotypic resistances to carbapenem were tested using agar and broth dilution methods, and polymerase chain reaction. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to characterize the genetic structure of strain N7.