Isolation of human testicular cells and co-culture with embryonic stem cells.

Our overall goal is to create a three-dimensional human cell-based testicular model for toxicological and spermatogenesis studies. Methods to purify the major somatic testicular cells, namely Leydig cells (LCs), peritubular myoid cells (PCs) and Sertoli cells (SCs), from rats, mice and guinea pigs have been reported. In humans, the isolation of populations enriched for primary LCs, PCs or SCs also have described.

Paying the Toll in Nuclear Reprogramming.

The ability to reverse lineage-committed cells toward pluripotent stem cells or to another cell type is one of the ultimate goals in regenerative medicine. We recently discovered that activation of innate immunity, through Toll-like receptor 3, is required during this conversion of cell fate by causing global changes in the expression and activity of epigenetic modifiers. Here we discuss, in a comprehensive manner, the recent studies on the role of innate immunity in nuclear reprogramming and transdifferentiation, the underlying mechanisms, and its role in regenerative medicine.

Phase IV, Open-Label, Safety Study Evaluating the Use of Dexmedetomidine in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Procedure-Type Sedation.

Dexmedetomidine (Precedex™) may be used as an alternative sedative in children, maintaining spontaneous breathing, and avoiding tracheal intubation in a non-intubated moderate or deep sedation (NI-MDS) approach. This open-label, single-arm, multicenter study evaluated the safety of dexmedetomidine in a pediatric population receiving NI-MDS in an operating room or a procedure room, with an intensivist or anesthesiologist in attendance, for elective diagnostic or therapeutic procedures expected to take at least 30 min. The primary endpoint was incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

Dissociating Attention and Eye Movements in a Quantitative Analysis of Attention Allocation.

In a recent paper, we introduced a method and equation for inferring the allocation of attention on a continuous scale. The size of the stimuli, the estimated size of the fovea, and the pattern of results implied that the subjects' responses reflected shifts in covert attention rather than shifts in eye movements. This report describes an experiment that tests this implication.

SOD1 Lysine 123 Acetylation in the Adult Central Nervous System.

Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) knockout () mice exhibit an accelerated aging phenotype. In humans, mutations are linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and post-translational modification (PTM) of wild-type SOD1 has been associated with sporadic ALS. Reversible acetylation regulates many enzymes and proteomic studies have identified SOD1 acetylation at lysine 123 (K123).

Single Cell Isolation and Analysis.

Individual cell heterogeneity within a population can be critical to its peculiar function and fate. Subpopulations studies with mixed mutants and wild types may not be as informative regarding which cell responds to which drugs or clinical treatments. Cell to cell differences in RNA transcripts and protein expression can be key to answering questions in cancer, neurobiology, stem cell biology, immunology, and developmental biology.

A polarized Ca2+, diacylglycerol and STIM1 signalling system regulates directed cell migration.

Ca(2+) signals control cell migration by regulating forward movement and cell adhesion. However, it is not well understood how Ca(2+)-regulatory proteins and second messengers are spatially organized in migrating cells. Here we show that receptor tyrosine kinase and phospholipase C signalling are restricted to the front of migrating endothelial leader cells, triggering local Ca(2+) pulses, local depletion of Ca(2+) in the endoplasmic reticulum and local activation of STIM1, supporting pulsatile front retraction and adhesion.