Effects of a superoxide dismutase mimetic on biomarkers of lung angiogenesis and alveolarization during hyperoxia with intermittent hypoxia.

Extremely premature neonates requiring oxygen therapy develop an accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), impaired alveolarization and dysmorphic pulmonary vasculature. Regulators of ROS (i.e.

Stem cell control, oscillations, and tissue regeneration in spatial and non-spatial models.

Normal human tissue is organized into cell lineages, in which the highly differentiated mature cells that perform tissue functions are the end product of an orderly tissue-specific sequence of divisions that start with stem cells or progenitor cells. Tissue homeostasis and effective regeneration after injuries requires tight regulation of these cell lineages and feedback loops play a fundamental role in this regard. In particular, signals secreted from differentiated cells that inhibit stem cell division and stem cell self-renewal are important in establishing control.

Toward a full-scale computational model of the rat dentate gyrus.

Recent advances in parallel computing, including the creation of the parallel version of the NEURON simulation environment, have allowed for a previously unattainable level of complexity and detail in neural network models. Previously, we published a functional NEURON model of the rat dentate gyrus with over 50,000 biophysically realistic, multicompartmental neurons, but network simulations could only utilize a single processor. By converting the model to take advantage of parallel NEURON, we are now able to utilize greater computational resources and are able to simulate the full-scale dentate gyrus, containing over a million neurons.

Fine-scale temporal variation in marine extracellular enzymes of coastal southern california.

Extracellular enzymes are functional components of marine microbial communities that contribute to nutrient remineralization by catalyzing the degradation of organic substrates. Particularly in coastal environments, the magnitude of variation in enzyme activities across timescales is not well characterized. Therefore, we established the MICRO time series at Newport Pier, California, to assess enzyme activities and other ocean parameters at high temporal resolution in a coastal environment.

Akt and mTOR in B Cell Activation and Differentiation.

Activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) is required for B cell proliferation and survival. PI3K signaling also controls key aspects of B cell differentiation. Upon engagement of the B cell receptor (BCR), PI3K activation promotes Ca(2+) mobilization and activation of NFκB-dependent transcription, events which are essential for B cell proliferation.

Meta-analysis of environmental impacts on nitrous oxide release in response to N amendment.

Atmospheric nitrous oxide (N(2)O) accounts for approximately 5% of the global greenhouse effect and destroys stratospheric ozone. Soils are the most important source of N(2)O, which is produced during nitrification and denitrification. To assess the impact of environmental variables and ecosystems on N(2)O flux, we performed a meta-analysis comparing N(2)O flux in N amended and matched control plots in non-agricultural soils.

Response Bias Modulates the Speech Motor System during Syllable Discrimination.

Recent evidence suggests that the speech motor system may play a significant role in speech perception. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to a speech region of premotor cortex impaired syllable identification, while stimulation of motor areas for different articulators selectively facilitated identification of phonemes relying on those articulators. However, in these experiments performance was not corrected for response bias.

Archaea in organic-lean and organic-rich marine subsurface sediments: an environmental gradient reflected in distinct phylogenetic lineages.

Examining the patterns of archaeal diversity in little-explored organic-lean marine subsurface sediments presents an opportunity to study the association of phylogenetic affiliation and habitat preference in uncultured marine Archaea. Here we have compiled and re-analyzed published archaeal 16S rRNA clone library datasets across a spectrum of sediment trophic states characterized by a wide range of terminal electron-accepting processes. Our results show that organic-lean marine sediments in deep marine basins and oligotrophic open ocean locations are inhabited by distinct lineages of archaea that are not found in the more frequently studied, organic-rich continental margin sediments.

Neurogliaform and Ivy Cells: A Major Family of nNOS Expressing GABAergic Neurons.

Neurogliaform and Ivy cells are members of an abundant family of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expressing GABAergic interneurons found in diverse brain regions. These cells have a defining dense local axonal plexus, and display unique synaptic properties including a biphasic postsynaptic response with both a slow GABA(A) component and a GABA(B) component following even a single action potential. The type of transmission displayed by these cells has been termed "volume transmission," distinct from both tonic and classical synaptic transmission.

The effect of nitrogen enrichment on c(1)-cycling microorganisms and methane flux in salt marsh sediments.

Methane (CH(4)) flux from ecosystems is driven by C(1)-cycling microorganisms - the methanogens and the methylotrophs. Little is understood about what regulates these communities, complicating predictions about how global change drivers such as nitrogen enrichment will affect methane cycling. Using a nitrogen addition gradient experiment in three Southern California salt marshes, we show that sediment CH(4) flux increased linearly with increasing nitrogen addition (1.

Ca permeable AMPA channels in diseases of the nervous system.

Since the discovery and molecular characterization of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA channels just over two decades ago, a large body of evidence has accumulated implicating contributions of these unusual glutamate activated channels to selective neurodegeneration in certain conditions, including ischemia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Factors likely involved in their contributions to disease include their distinct patterns of expression in certain neuronal populations, their upregulation via various mechanisms in response to disease associated stresses, and their high permeability to Zn(2+) as well as to Ca(2+). However, full characterization of their contributions to certain diseases as well as development of therapeutics has been limited by the lack of selective and bioavailable blockers of these channels that can be employed in animals or humans.

Effects of hyperthyroidism on the rectus muscles in mice.

Background: Structural details of vertebrate extraocular muscles (EOMs) have shown an anatomically and functionally distinct laminar organization into an outer orbital (OL) and an inner global layer (GL). Since hyperthyroidism alters tissue oxidative metabolism through mitochondrial enzymes, it is expected that structural/mitochondrial changes may be seen in hyperthyroid EOMs. We investigated the alterations in the laminar organization and mitochondrial changes in hyperthyroid mouse EOMs.

fMR-Adaptation Reveals Invariant Coding of Biological Motion on the Human STS.

Neuroimaging studies of biological motion perception have found a network of coordinated brain areas, the hub of which appears to be the human posterior superior temporal sulcus (STSp). Understanding the functional role of the STSp requires characterizing the response tuning of neuronal populations underlying the BOLD response. Thus far our understanding of these response properties comes from single-unit studies of the monkey anterior STS, which has individual neurons tuned to body actions, with a small population invariant to changes in viewpoint, position and size of the action being viewed.

From bench to bedside: the growing use of translational research in cancer medicine.

Cancer is responsible for one in eight deaths worldwide, with more than twelve million new cases diagnosed yearly. A large percentage of patients die after developing cancer despite aggressive treatment, indicating a need for new approaches to cancer therapy. The push for development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic agents has allowed translational cancer research to flourish.