Evidence that polycystins are involved in Hydra cnidocyte discharge.

Like other cnidarians, the freshwater organism Hydra is characterized by the possession of cnidocytes (stinging cells). Most cnidocytes are located on hydra tentacles, where they are organized along with sensory cells and ganglion cells into battery complexes. The function of the battery complexes is to integrate multiple types of stimuli for the regulation of cnidocyte discharge.

Prophage-mediated defence against viral attack and viral counter-defence.

Temperate phages are common, and prophages are abundant residents of sequenced bacterial genomes. Mycobacteriophages are viruses that infect mycobacterial hosts including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis, encompass substantial genetic diversity and are commonly temperate. Characterization of ten Cluster N temperate mycobacteriophages revealed at least five distinct prophage-expressed viral defence systems that interfere with the infection of lytic and temperate phages that are either closely related (homotypic defence) or unrelated (heterotypic defence) to the prophage.

Pharmacologic Treatment of Rett Syndrome With Glatiramer Acetate.

Background: Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disease that primarily affects females. The level of brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) expression directly correlates with the severity of RTT related symptoms. Because Glatiramer acetate (GA) stimulates secretion of BDNF in the brain, we conducted the study with the objective to assess its efficacy in improving gait velocity cognition, respiratory function, electroencephalographic findings, and quality of life in patients with RTT.

A disposable power source in resource-limited environments: A paper-based biobattery generating electricity from wastewater.

We report a novel paper-based biobattery which generates power from microorganism-containing liquid derived from renewable and sustainable wastewater which is readily accessible in the local environment. The device fuses the art of origami and the technology of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and has the potential to shift the paradigm for flexible and stackable paper-based batteries by enabling exceptional electrical characteristics and functionalities. 3D, modular, and retractable battery stack is created from (i) 2D paper sheets through high degrees of folding and (ii) multifunctional layers sandwiched for MFC device configuration.

On Determining if Tree-based Networks Contain Fixed Trees.

We address an open question of Francis and Steel about phylogenetic networks and trees. They give a polynomial time algorithm to decide if a phylogenetic network, N, is tree-based and pose the problem: given a fixed tree T and network N, is N based on T? We show that it is [Formula: see text]-hard to decide, by reduction from 3-Dimensional Matching (3DM) and further that the problem is fixed-parameter tractable.

How Linearity and Structural Complexity Interact and Affect the Recognition of Italian Derived Words.

The majority of words in most languages consist of derived poly-morphemic words but a cross-linguistic review of the literature (Amenta and Crepaldi in Front Psychol 3:232-243, 2012) shows a contradictory picture with respect to how such words are represented and processed. The current study examined the effects of linearity and structural complexity on the processing of Italian derived words. Participants performed a lexical decision task on three types of prefixed and suffixed words and nonwords differing in the complexity of their internal structure.

Interplay of Nitrogen-Atom Inversion and Conformational Inversion in Enantiomerization of 1H-1-Benzazepines.

A series of 2,4-disubstituted 1H-1-benzazepines, 2a-d, 4, and 6, were studied, varying both the substituents at C2 and C4 and at the nitrogen atom. The conformational inversion (ring-flip) and nitrogen-atom inversion (N-inversion) energetics were studied by variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy and computations. The steric bulk of the nitrogen-atom substituent was found to affect both the conformation of the azepine ring and the geometry around the nitrogen atom.

Aspects of Attention in Rett Syndrome.

Background: We sought to examine fundamental aspects of attention in children with Rett syndrome, a severely disabling neurodevelopmental disorder caused by spontaneous mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene. To gauge their attention, we used eye tracking, which bypasses the profound impairments in expressive language and hand use in Rett syndrome. We report two aspects of attention-shifting and sustaining-basic abilities known to drive cognitive growth.

RNA-induced silencing attenuates G protein-mediated calcium signals.

Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) is activated by G protein subunits in response to environmental stimuli to increase intracellular calcium. In cells, a significant portion of PLCβ is cytosolic, where it binds a protein complex required for efficient RNA-induced silencing called C3PO (component 3 promoter of RISC). Binding between C3PO and PLCβ raises the possibility that RNA silencing activity can affect the ability of PLCβ to mediate calcium signals.

Phospholipase Cβ connects G protein signaling with RNA interference.

Phosphoinositide-specific-phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) is the main effector of Gαq stimulation which is coupled to receptors that bind acetylcholine, bradykinin, dopamine, angiotensin II as well as other hormones and neurotransmitters. Using a yeast two-hybrid and other approaches, we have recently found that the same region of PLCβ that binds Gαq also interacts with Component 3 Promoter of RNA induced silencing complex (C3PO), which is required for efficient activity of the RNA-induced silencing complex. In purified form, C3PO competes with Gαq for PLCβ binding and at high concentrations can quench PLCβ activation.

Functional Analysis of Actin-Binding Proteins in the Central Nervous System of Drosophila.

Using Drosophila actin-binding protein Dunc-115 as model system, this chapter describes a MARCM (mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker)-based method for analyzing cytoskeletal components for their functions in the nervous system. Following a concise description about the principle, a step-by-step protocol is provided for generating the needed stocks and for histological analysis. Additional details and explanations have been given in the accompanying notes.

High pressure promotes alpha-synuclein aggregation in cultured neuronal cells.

α-Synuclein is found in plaques associated with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Changes in α-synuclein oligomerization are thought to give rise to nucleation of neurodegenerative plaques. Here, we investigated the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the aggregation of α-synuclein in cultured neuronal cells.

Pathways From Toddler Information Processing to Adolescent Lexical Proficiency.

This study examined the relation of 3-year core information-processing abilities to lexical growth and development. The core abilities covered four domains-memory, representational competence (cross-modal transfer), processing speed, and attention. Lexical proficiency was assessed at 3 and 13 years with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and verbal fluency.

Antimicrobial copper alloy surfaces are effective against vegetative but not sporulated cells of gram-positive Bacillus subtilis.

This study explores the role of membrane phospholipid peroxidation in the copper alloy mediated contact killing of Bacillus subtilis, a spore-forming gram-positive bacterial species. We found that B. subtilis endospores exhibited significant resistance to copper alloy surface killing but vegetative cells were highly sensitive to copper surface exposure.

Evolutionary dynamics of rhomboid proteases in Streptomycetes.

Background: Proteolytic enzymes are ubiquitous and active in a myriad of biochemical pathways. One type, the rhomboids are intramembrane serine proteases that release their products extracellularly. These proteases are present in all forms of life and their function is not fully understood, although some evidence suggests they participate in cell signaling.

Comparative genomics of Cluster O mycobacteriophages.

Mycobacteriophages--viruses of mycobacterial hosts--are genetically diverse but morphologically are all classified in the Caudovirales with double-stranded DNA and tails. We describe here a group of five closely related mycobacteriophages--Corndog, Catdawg, Dylan, Firecracker, and YungJamal--designated as Cluster O with long flexible tails but with unusual prolate capsids. Proteomic analysis of phage Corndog particles, Catdawg particles, and Corndog-infected cells confirms expression of half of the predicted gene products and indicates a non-canonical mechanism for translation of the Corndog tape measure protein.

Antiphospholipid antibodies promote tissue factor-dependent angiogenic switch and tumor progression.

Progression to an angiogenic state is a critical event in tumor development, yet few patient characteristics have been identified that can be mechanistically linked to this transition. Antiphospholipid autoantibodies (aPLs) are prevalent in many human cancers and can elicit proangiogenic expression in several cell types, but their role in tumor biology is unknown. Herein, we observed that the elevation of circulating aPLs among breast cancer patients is specifically associated with invasive-stage tumors.

Rett syndrome: recognition of facial expression and its relation to scanning patterns.

Background: Rett syndrome is a severely disabling neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the X-linked MECP2 gene. Very little is known about its cognitive phenotype and nothing about recognition of emotional expression, a key factor for social interaction and communication. Using eye tracking technology, a technique uniquely suited for studying cognition in this disorder, we examined this ability here.

A multi-drug resistant HIV-1 protease is resistant to the dimerization inhibitory activity of TLF-PafF.

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) protease, a homodimeric aspartyl protease, is a critical drug target in designing anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV/AIDS. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical isolate-769 HIV-1 protease (PDB ID: 3PJ6) has been shown to exhibit expanded active site cavity with wide-open conformation of flaps (Gly48-Gly52) due to the accumulation of multiple mutations. In this study, an HIV-1 protease dimerization inhibitor (PDI)-TLF-PafF, was evaluated against MDR769 HIV-1 protease using X-ray crystallography.

Faculty-facilitated remediation: a model to transform at-risk students.

A remediation program was implemented during the semester break in an associate degree nursing program to increase the pass rate on the NCLEX-RN of at-risk students in a targeted medical-surgical nursing course. Through the use of a course management system and an adaptive quizzing program, participants were facilitated to take a more active role in their learning. Faculty mentored students and witnessed a transformation in participants through graduation.

Thyroid disease and the cardiovascular system.

Thyroid hormones, specifically triiodothyronine (T3), have significant effects on the heart and cardiovascular system. Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, subclinical thyroid disease, and low T3 syndrome each cause cardiac and cardiovascular abnormalities through both genomic and nongenomic effects on cardiac myocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells. In compromised health, such as occurs in heart disease, alterations in thyroid hormone metabolism may further impair cardiac and cardiovascular function.

Cyclic phosphonium ionic liquids.

Ionic liquids (ILs) incorporating cyclic phosphonium cations are a novel category of materials. We report here on the synthesis and characterization of four new cyclic phosphonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ILs with aliphatic and aromatic pendant groups. In addition to the syntheses of these novel materials, we report on a comparison of their properties with their ammonium congeners.

The interdisciplinary approach to the implementation of a diabetes home care disease management program.

Diabetes is a national epidemic and a leading cause of hospitalizations in the United States. Home care agencies need to be able to provide effective Diabetes Disease Management to help prevent avoidable hospitalizations and assist patients to live a good quality of life. This article describes one organization's journey toward providing patients with better diabetes care resulting in an improved quality of life.

Proactive and reactive effects of vigorous exercise on learning and vocabulary comprehension.

College students (N = 90) were randomly assigned to participate in vigorous, moderate or no physical exercise and vocabulary recall and comprehension learning activities under varying conditions to assess whether or not increased intensities of exercise, performed either before a vocabulary recall and comprehension learning activity (i.e., proactive effect) or after a vocabulary recall and comprehension learning activity (i.