Search for the rare decays K(L)→π0π0μ+μ- and K(L)→π0π0X0→π0π0μ+μ-.

The KTeV E799 experiment has conducted a search for the rare decays, K(L)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-) and K(L)→π(0)π(0)X(0)→π(0)π(0)μ(+)μ(-), where the X(0) is a possible new neutral boson that was reported by the HyperCP experiment with a mass of (214.3 ± 0.5) MeV/c(2).

The effects of vestibular stimulation rate and magnitude of acceleration on central pattern generation for chest wall kinematics in preterm infants.

Objective: To examine the role of vestibular inputs on respiratory and oromotor systems in healthy preterm infants.

Study Design: A total of 27 preterm infants were quasi-randomly assigned to either the VestibuGlide treatment or control groups. VestibuGlide infants were held in a developmentally supportive position, given a pacifier and received a series of vestibular stimuli, counterbalanced across rate and acceleration conditions, 15 min 3 times per day for 10 days.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and neuropsychological status among older adults in New York.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are emerging environmental contaminants, but little is known about their possible human health effects. The objective of this study is to evaluate the association between exposure to PBDEs and neuropsychological function among older adults and the possibility of effect modification with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Serum samples were analyzed for concentrations of 9 PBDE and 30 PCB congeners and 34 tests of cognitive and motor function, affective state, and olfactory function were assessed among 144 men and women of 55-74 years of age.

Design, development and validation of the RedBrick Health Assessment: a questionnaire-based study.

Objectives: Health risk assessment (HRA) questionnaires have become a popular tool to help quantify health issues within populations. Over the last decade HRAs have increasingly been delivered in the online environment. The objective of this study was to create and validate an HRA that is optimized for delivery via the Internet.

Bipolar disorder type 1 and schizophrenia are accompanied by decreased density of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the parahippocampal region.

GABAergic interneurons synchronize network activities and monitor information flow. Post-mortem studies have reported decreased densities of cortical interneurons in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD). The entorhinal cortex (EC) and the adjacent subicular regions are a hub for integration of hippocampal and cortical information, a process that is disrupted in SZ.

A Modified Golgi-Cox Procedure for use in Undergraduate Courses.

The Golgi staining method has a long history in the field of neuroscience, and remains an important teaching tool in undergraduate laboratory settings. The ability to visualize a cell with all the processes makes the method useful when teaching introductory neuroscience courses. However, the amount of time required for post-stain tissue processing makes it a difficult procedure to use when teaching laboratory classes.

Generation of tumor-initiating cells by exogenous delivery of OCT4 transcription factor.

Introduction: Tumor-initiating cells (TIC) are being extensively studied for their role in tumor etiology, maintenance and resistance to treatment. The isolation of TICs has been limited by the scarcity of this population in the tissue of origin and because the molecular signatures that characterize these cells are not well understood. Herein, we describe the generation of TIC-like cell lines by ectopic expression of the OCT4 transcription factor (TF) in primary breast cell preparations.

A vestige of a prebiotic bonding machine is functioning within the contemporary ribosome.

Based on the presumed capability of a prebiotic pocket-like entity to accommodate substrates whose stereochemistry enables the creation of chemical bonds, it is suggested that a universal symmetrical region identified within all contemporary ribosomes originated from an entity that we term the 'proto-ribosome'. This 'proto-ribosome' could have evolved from an earlier machine that was capable of performing essential tasks in the RNA world, called here the 'pre-proto-ribosome', which was adapted for producing proteins.

Indication of electron neutrino appearance from an accelerator-produced off-axis muon neutrino beam.

The T2K experiment observes indications of ν(μ) → ν(e) appearance in data accumulated with 1.43×10(20) protons on target. Six events pass all selection criteria at the far detector.

Presenilin 1 regulates homeostatic synaptic scaling through Akt signaling.

Neurons adapt to long-lasting changes in network activity, both in vivo and in vitro, by adjusting their synaptic strengths to stabilize firing rates. We found that homeostatic scaling of excitatory synapses was impaired in hippocampal neurons derived from mice lacking presenilin 1 (Psen1(-/-) mice) or expressing a familial Alzheimer's disease-linked Psen1 mutation (Psen1(M146V)). These findings suggest that deficits in synaptic homeostasis may contribute to brain dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

Cell-cell communication and signalling pathways within the ovule: from its inception to fertilization.

Cell-cell communication pervades every aspect of the life of a plant. It is particularly crucial for the development of the gametes and their subtle interaction leading to double fertilization. The ovule is composed of a funiculus, one or two integuments, and a gametophyte surrounded by nucellus tissue.

Hippocampal interneurons are abnormal in schizophrenia.

Objective: The cellular substrate of hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia remains unknown. We tested the hypothesis that hippocampal interneurons are abnormal in schizophrenia, but that the total number of hippocampal neurons in the pyramidal cell layer is normal.

Methods: We collected whole hippocampal specimens of 13 subjects with schizophrenia and 20 matched healthy control subjects to study the number of all neurons, the somal volume of neurons, the number of somatostatin- and parvalbumin-positive interneurons and the messenger RNA levels of somatostatin, parvalbumin and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67.

Effects of 24 hours of tobacco withdrawal and subsequent tobacco smoking among low and high sensation seekers.

Introduction: Previous studies have indicated that high sensation seekers are more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of nicotine, initiate smoking at an earlier age, and smoke greater amounts of cigarettes. This study examined the influence of sensation-seeking status on tobacco smoking following deprivation in regular tobacco users.

Methods: Twenty healthy tobacco-smoking volunteers with low or high impulsive sensation-seeking subscale scores completed 2 consecutive test days per week for 3 consecutive weeks.

Improved myo-inositol detection through Carr-Purcell PRESS: a tool for more sensitive mild cognitive impairment diagnosis.

A 3-T study is presented, comparing the ability of two (1) H spectroscopy pulse sequences, Carr-Purcell point resolved spectroscopy (CPRESS; TE = 45 msec), and conventional PRESS (TE = 35 msec), to separate between groups of 20 normal control (NC) and 20 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects. Both sequences showed higher myo-inositol (mI) and mI/N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in the posterior cingulate gyrus of the MCI subjects. The increased intrasubject repeatability of mI and mI/NAA CPRESS measurements (∼ 6% vs.

Differentiation and diagnosis of tremor.

Tremor, an involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movement of a body part, is the most common movement disorder encountered in clinical practice. Rest tremors occur in a body part that is relaxed and completely supported against gravity. Action tremors occur with voluntary contraction of a muscle and can be further subdivided into postural, isometric, and kinetic tremors.

Structural regulation of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase complexes.

Cullin-RING ligases (CRLs) compose the largest class of E3 ubiquitin ligases. CRLs are modular, multisubunit enzymes, comprising interchangeable substrate receptors dedicated to particular Cullin-RING catalytic cores. Recent structural studies have revealed numerous ways in which CRL E3 ligase activities are controlled, including multimodal E3 ligase activation by covalent attachment of the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8, inhibition of CRL assembly/activity by CAND1, and several mechanisms of regulated substrate recruitment.

Crystal structure of the synergistic antibiotic pair, lankamycin and lankacidin, in complex with the large ribosomal subunit.

The structures of the large ribosomal subunit of Deinococcus radiodurans (D50S) in complex with the antibiotic lankamycin (3.2 Å) and a double antibiotic complex of lankamycin and lankacidin C (3.45 Å) have been determined, in continuation of previous crystallographic studies on lankacidin-D50S complex.

Event excess in the MiniBooNE search for ¯νμ→¯νe oscillations.

The MiniBooNE experiment at Fermilab reports results from a search for ¯ν_{μ}→¯ν_{e} oscillations, using a data sample corresponding to 5.66×10²⁰ protons on target. An excess of 20.

Regulation of ENT1 expression and ENT1-dependent nucleoside transport by c-Jun N-terminal kinase.

Equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENTs) are facilitative transporters broadly selective for pyrimidine and purine nucleosides and are essential for the modulation of nucleoside concentration and nucleoside analog availability. Resistance to nucleoside-derived drugs strongly correlates with a deficiency of ENT1 expression in several tumor cells. Thus, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms by which this transporter is modulated.

Hippocampal interneurons in bipolar disorder.

Context: Postmortem studies have reported decreased density and decreased gene expression of hippocampal interneurons in bipolar disorder, but neuroimaging studies of hippocampal volume and function have been inconclusive.

Objective: To assess hippocampal volume, neuron number, and interneurons in the same specimens of subjects with bipolar disorder and healthy control subjects.

Design: Whole human hippocampi of 14 subjects with bipolar disorder and 18 healthy control subjects were cut at 2.

Structural assembly of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase complexes.

The cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) are the largest family of multi-subunit E3 ligases in eukaryotes, which ubiquitinate protein substrates in numerous cellular pathways. CRLs share a common arched scaffold and a RING domain catalytic subunit, but use different adaptors and substrate receptors to assemble unique E3 machineries. In comparison to the first CRL structure, recent findings have revealed increased complexity in the overall architecture and assembly mode of CRLs, including multi-domain organization, inter-domain flexibility, and subunit dimerization.

Subclinical zinc deficiency in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

To evaluate zinc status in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, 29 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 30 patients with Parkinson's disease, and 29 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. All patients and controls were older than age 50, and all zinc and copper supplements were prohibited beginning 30 days prior to study. Patients were diagnosed by standard criteria.

Olfactory deficit detected by fMRI in early Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by smell dysfunction, as measured by psychophysical tests. Currently, it is unknown whether AD-related alterations in central olfactory system neural activity, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are detectable beyond those observed in healthy elderly. Moreover, it is not known whether such changes are correlated with indices of odor perception and dementia.