Genetic linkage and association have implicated neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) as a schizophrenia susceptibility gene. We measured mRNA expression levels of the three major isoforms of NRG-1 (ie type I, type ...II, and type III) in the postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from matched patients and controls using real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Expression levels of three internal controls-GAPDH, cyclophilin, and beta-actin-were unchanged in schizophrenia, and there were no changes in the absolute levels of the NRG-1 isoforms. However, type I expression normalized by GAPDH levels was significantly increased in schizophrenia DLPFC (by 23%) and positively correlated with antipsychotic medication dosage. Type II/type I and type II/type III ratios were significantly decreased (18 and 23% respectively). There was no effect on the NRG-1 mRNA levels of genotype at two SNPs previously associated with schizophrenia, suggesting that these alleles are not functionally responsible for abnormal NRG-1 expression patterns in patients. Subtle abnormalities in the expression patterns of NRG-1 mRNA isoforms in DLPFC may be associated with schizophrenia.
The total cross sections were measured for coherent double neutral-pion photoproduction on the deuteron at incident energies below 0.9 GeV for the first time. No clear resonance-like behavior is ...observed in the excitation function for Wγd=2.38–2.61 GeV, where the d⁎(2380) dibaryon resonance observed at COSY is expected to appear. The measured excitation function is consistent with the existing theoretical calculation for this reaction. The upper limit of the total cross section is found to be 0.034 μb for the dibaryon resonance at Wγd=2.37 GeV (90% confidence level) in the γd→π0π0d reaction.
Curtobacterium
, a bright flash-yellow color-producing bacterium, has been isolated from the body fluid of the pupae of
Graphium sarpedon
. Several experiments were conducted to identify three ...mechanisms by which this bacterium expresses a vibrant color. The first is caused by yellow pigmentation; the second is due to a substance that absorbs blue light and emits green fluorescence; and the third is a process that excludes brownish colors by inhibiting melanin synthesis. In particular, we focused on melanin synthesis inhibition and used the water-soluble fraction of
Curtobacterium
and the melanin synthase in vitro human tyrosinase activity assay to examine its inhibitory effects on monophenolase activity, which converts Tyr to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), and diphenolase activity, which uses L-DOPA as a substrate to produce L-dopaquinone. The results demonstrated that the water-soluble fraction of bacterial secretion inhibited monophenolase activity but not diphenolase activity. Additionally, we discovered a compound with the molecular weight of approximately 379.2 Da and the tyrosinase inhibitory effect in which two protons were bound in the absence of copper ions and copper ions were bound instead when they were present in the water-soluble fraction of the bacterial secretion. Since the enzymatic activity of tyrosinase is copper ion-dependent,
Curtobacterium
may be able to suppress the browning caused by the copper-binding compound-induced oxidation of phenols, such as Tyr, allowing it to express a bright flash-yellow color.
We investigated the plasma levels of VEGF and FGF-2, important factors for regulation of neuroplasticity such as neurogenesis, in patients in remission from major depressive disorders (MDD). The ...plasma VEGF levels were significantly higher in the MDD patients than in the matched control subjects, while no significant difference in plasma FGF-2 levels was found. In particular, the MDD patients with family history of psychiatric disorders, but not patients without such a family history, showed significantly higher values of plasma VEGF than the controls. Although this is a preliminary study, altered VEGF levels might be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP, ADCYAP1: adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 1), a neuropeptide with neurotransmission modulating activity, is a promising ...schizophrenia candidate gene. Here, we provide evidence that genetic variants of the genes encoding PACAP and its receptor, PAC1, are associated with schizophrenia. We studied the effects of the associated polymorphism in the PACAP gene on neurobiological traits related to risk for schizophrenia. This allele of the PACAP gene, which is overrepresented in schizophrenia patients, was associated with reduced hippocampal volume and poorer memory performance. Abnormal behaviors in PACAP knockout mice, including elevated locomotor activity and deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle response, were reversed by treatment with an atypical antipsychotic, risperidone. These convergent data suggest that alterations in PACAP signaling might contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
It has been demonstrated that negatively distorted self-referential processing, in which individuals evaluate one's own self, is a pathogenic mechanism in subthreshold depression that has a ...considerable impact on the quality of life and carries an elevated risk of developing major depression. Behavioural activation (BA) is an effective intervention for depression, including subthreshold depression. However, brain mechanisms underlying BA are not fully understood. We sought to examine the effect of BA on neural activation during other perspective self-referential processing in subthreshold depression.
A total of 56 subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans during a self-referential task with two viewpoints (self/other) and two emotional valences (positive/negative) on two occasions. Between scans, while the intervention group (n = 27) received BA therapy, the control group (n = 29) did not.
The intervention group showed improvement in depressive symptoms, increased activation in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), and increased reaction times during other perspective self-referential processing for positive words after the intervention. Also, there was a positive correlation between increased activation in the dmPFC and improvement of depressive symptoms. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between improvement of depressive symptoms and increased reaction times.
BA increased dmPFC activation during other perspective self-referential processing with improvement of depressive symptoms and increased reaction times which were associated with improvement of self-monitoring function. Our results suggest that BA improved depressive symptoms and objective monitoring function for subthreshold depression.
The FOREST detector for meson photoproduction experiments at ELPH Ishikawa, T.; Fujimura, H.; Fukasawa, H. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
10/2016, Volume:
832
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
An electromagnetic calorimeter complex, FOREST, has been constructed for meson photoproduction experiments at the Research Center for Electron Photon Science, Tohoku University. It consists of three ...types of calorimeters, which are made of pure cesium-iodide crystals, lead scintillating-fiber modules, and lead glass Cherenkov counters. Each calorimeter is equipped with a plastic scintillator hodoscope to identify charged particles. The design and performance of FOREST are described. The energy responses of test calorimeters have been investigated by using 100–800MeV positron beams. The energy resolutions of the three calorimeters are found to be approximately 3%, 7%, and 5% for 1-GeV photons, respectively. A cryogenic hydrogen/deuterium target system fitted to the FOREST experiments and a newly developed data acquisition system are also presented.
Background and purpose
Muscle atrophy is generally mild in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) compared with the severity and duration of the muscle weakness. ...Muscle atrophy was evaluated using computed tomography (CT) in patients with CIDP.
Methods
Thirty‐one patients with typical CIDP who satisfied the diagnostic criteria for the definite CIDP classification proposed by the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Peripheral Nerve Society were assessed. The clinicopathological findings in patients with muscle atrophy were also compared with those in patients without atrophy.
Results
Computed tomography evidence was found of marked muscle atrophy with findings suggestive of fatty degeneration in 11 of the 31 patients with CIDP. CT‐assessed muscle atrophy was in the lower extremities, particularly in the ankle plantarflexor muscles. Muscle weakness, which reflects the presence of muscle atrophy, tended to be more pronounced in the lower extremities than in the upper extremities in patients with muscle atrophy, whereas the upper and lower limbs tended to be equally affected in patients without muscle atrophy. Nerve conduction examinations revealed significantly greater reductions in compound muscle action potential amplitudes in the tibial nerves of patients with muscle atrophy. Sural nerve biopsy findings were similar in both groups. The functional prognoses after immunomodulatory therapies were significantly poorer amongst patients with muscle atrophy.
Conclusions
Muscle atrophy was present in a subgroup of patients with CIDP, including patients with a typical form of the disease. These patients tended to demonstrate predominant motor impairments of the lower extremities and poorer functional prognoses.
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