The function of ethanol in olfactory associative behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster larvae.

Drosophila melanogaster larvae develop on fermenting fruits with increasing ethanol concentrations. To address the relevance of ethanol in the behavioral response of the larvae, we analyzed the function of ethanol in the context of olfactory associative behavior in Canton S and w1118 larvae. The motivation of larvae to move toward or out of an ethanol-containing substrate depends on the ethanol concentration and the genotype.

Mutation of the Drosophila melanogaster serotonin transporter dSERT impacts sleep, courtship, and feeding behaviors.

The Serotonin Transporter (SERT) regulates extracellular serotonin levels and is the target of most current drugs used to treat depression. The mechanisms by which inhibition of SERT activity influences behavior are poorly understood. To address this question in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster, we developed new loss of function mutations in Drosophila SERT (dSERT).

Serotonin transporter dependent modulation of food-seeking behavior.

The olfactory pathway integrates the odor information required to generate correct behavioral responses. To address how changes of serotonin signaling in two contralaterally projecting, serotonin-immunoreactive deutocerebral neurons impacts key odorant attraction in Drosophila melanogaster, we selectively alter serotonin signaling using the serotonin transporter with mutated serotonin binding sites in these neurons and analyzed the consequence on odorant-guided food seeking. The expression of the mutated serotonin transporter selectively changed the odorant attraction in an odorant-specific manner.

Unraveling the Mechanisms of Behaviors Associated With AUDs Using Flies and Worms.

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are very common worldwide and negatively affect both individuals and societies. To understand how normal behavior turns into uncontrollable use of alcohol, several approaches have been utilized in the last decades. However, we still do not completely understand how AUDs evolve or how they are maintained in the brains of affected individuals.

Octopamine Shifts the Behavioral Response From Indecision to Approach or Aversion in .

Animals must make constant decisions whether to respond to external sensory stimuli or not to respond. The activation of positive and/or negative reinforcers might bias the behavioral response towards approach or aversion. To analyze whether the activation of the octopaminergic neurotransmitter system can shift the decision between two identical odor sources, we active in different sets of octopaminergic neurons using optogenetics and analyze the choice of the flies using a binary odor trap assay.

The CApillary FEeder Assay Measures Food Intake in Drosophila melanogaster.

For most animals, feeding is an essential behavior for securing survival, and it influences development, locomotion, health and reproduction. Ingestion of the right type and quantity of food therefore has a major influence on quality of life. Research on feeding behavior focuses on the underlying processes that ensure actual feeding and unravels the role of factors regulating internal energy homeostasis and the neuronal bases of decision-making.

The relevance of 'mixed anxiety and depression' as a diagnostic category in clinical practice.

According to ICD-10 criteria, mixed anxiety and depressive disorder (MADD) is characterized by co-occurring, subsyndromal symptoms of anxiety and depression, severe enough to justify a psychiatric diagnosis, but neither of which are clearly predominant. MADD appears to be very common, particularly in primary care, although prevalence estimates vary, often depending on the diagnostic criteria applied. It has been associated with similarly pronounced distress, impairment of daily living skills, and reduced health-related quality of life as fully syndromal depression and anxiety.

Stereotactic 125iodine brachytherapy for the treatment of singular brain metastases: closing a gap?

Background: Brain metastases represent the most common intracranial tumors and are associated with very poor prognosis.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility, survival, and cerebral disease control of patients with singular brain metastases treated with stereotactic 125iodine brachytherapy (SBT), to identify prognostic factors, and to compare results with other local treatment methods.

Methods: Complications, survival (overall and separated by recursive partitioning analysis [RPA] classes), and local and distant disease control were evaluated retrospectively in 90 patients.

p53 expression in gastric cancer: clinicopathological correlation and prognostic significance.

For evaluation of the prognostic relevance of p53 expression in gastric cancer, the immunohistochemical tissue status of 133 primary gastric cancer patients was investigated for p53 expression and the association between p53 tissue status and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. P53 immunoreactivity was detected in the nuclei of cancer cells in 35 cases (26.3%).