Control of cortical neuronal migration by glutamate and GABA.

Neuronal migration in the cortex is controlled by the paracrine action of the classical neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. Glutamate controls radial migration of pyramidal neurons by acting primarily on NMDA receptors and regulates tangential migration of inhibitory interneurons by activating non-NMDA and NMDA receptors. GABA, acting on ionotropic GABAA-rho and GABAA receptors, has a dichotomic action on radially migrating neurons by acting as a GO signal in lower layers and as a STOP signal in upper cortical plate (CP), respectively.

The role of GABA in the regulation of GnRH neurons.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons form the final common pathway for the central regulation of reproduction. Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) has long been implicated as one of the major players in the regulation of GnRH neurons. Although GABA is typically an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mature adult central nervous system, most mature GnRH neurons show the unusual characteristic of being excited by GABA.

Pollen count and exhaled nitric oxide levels in a seasonal allergic rhinitis patient.

The subject was a 52-year-old man with Japanese cedar pollinosis, which developed between February and May. He had no history of asthma and was an ex-smoker. He underwent fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements twice a week from 2010 to 2012.

Pulmonary cryptococcosis presenting with a large cavity.

A 78-year-old woman who was receiving corticosteroids for rheumatoid arthritis was admitted to our hospital to have her fever, hemoptysis, diarrhea, and chest x-ray abnormalities, which were unresponsive to antibiotics, investigated. A chest computed tomography scan revealed infiltrative shadows and a large cavity in the right lower lobe. Laboratory tests revealed a white blood cell count of 13,100/μL, a serum C-reactive protein level of 8.

Synchronous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and squamous cell lung carcinoma.

A 68-year-old woman was referred for a nodule in the right lung and hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Physical examination revealed left cervical lymphadenopathy. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) images revealed radiotracer uptake in the pulmonary nodule and multiple lymph nodes of the truncus.

Aberrant fetal macrophage/microglial reactions to cytomegalovirus infection.

Objective: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the leading viral cause of neurodevelopmental disorders in humans, with the most severe and permanent sequelae being those affecting the cerebrum. As the fetal immune reactions to congenital CMV infection in the brain and their effects on cerebral development remain elusive, our aim was to investigate primitive innate immunity to CMV infection and its effects on cerebral corticogenesis in a mouse model for congenital CMV infection using a precise intraplacental inoculation method.

Methods: At 13.

Activity-dependent endogenous taurine release facilitates excitatory neurotransmission in the neocortical marginal zone of neonatal rats.

In the developing cerebral cortex, the marginal zone (MZ), consisting of early-generated neurons such as Cajal-Retzius cells, plays an important role in cell migration and lamination. There is accumulating evidence of widespread excitatory neurotransmission mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the MZ. Cajal-Retzius cells express not only GABAA receptors but also α2/β subunits of glycine receptors, and exhibit glycine receptor-mediated depolarization due to high [Cl(-)]i.

Silymarin induces insulin resistance through an increase of phosphatase and tensin homolog in Wistar rats.

Background And Aims: Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a phosphoinositide phosphatase that regulates crucial cellular functions, including insulin signaling, lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as survival and apoptosis. Silymarin is the active ingredient in milk thistle and exerts numerous effects through the activation of PTEN. However, the effect of silymarin on the development of insulin resistance remains unknown.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis presenting with a pulmonary mass mimicking lung cancer.

A 48-year-old man with a history of asthma visited our hospital for the investigation of a high density mass at the right hilum. Laboratory data revealed elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen. A bronchoscopy was performed to rule out lung cancer; however, mucoid impaction was found without malignant or bacterial cells.

Primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ T-cell lymphoma: transformation from indolent to aggressive phase in association with CCR7-positive conversion.

We report a case of primary cutaneous aggressive epidermotropic CD8+ T-cell lymphoma that transformed from the indolent phase to the aggressive phase. In the aggressive phase, the patient developed numerous subcutaneous lesions on the trunk, limbs, and face. The involvement of muscle, right testis, and pharynx were also found.

Morphogenesis of infectious hepatitis C virus particles.

More than 170 million individuals are currently infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide and are at continuous risk of developing chronic liver disease. Since a cell culture system enabling relatively efficient propagation of HCV has become available, an increasing number of viral and host factors involved in HCV particle formation have been identified. Association of the viral Core, which forms the capsid with lipid droplets appears to be prerequisite for early HCV morphogenesis.

Next-Generation Antimalarial Drugs: Hybrid Molecules as a New Strategy in Drug Design.

Malaria is a disease that affects nearly 40% of the global population, and chemotherapy remains the mainstay of its control strategy. The global malaria situation is increasingly being exacerbated by the emergence of drug resistance to most of the available antimalarials, necessitating search for novel drugs. A recent rational approach of antimalarial drug design characterized as "covalent bitherapy" involves linking two molecules with individual intrinsic activity into a single agent, thus packaging dual-activity into a single hybrid molecule.