Demonstration of Extracellular Space by Freeze-Drying in the Cerebellar Molecular Layer

In electron micrographs of the molecular layer of the mouse cerebellum frozen within 30 sec of circulatory arrest and subsequently dried at -79 °C an appreciable extracellular space was found between the axons of the granular cells. Tight junctions were regularly observed between pre- and postsynaptic structures and the enveloping glia cells. In micrographs of cerebellum frozen 8 min after decapitation the space between the axons was absent and tight junctions between the nerve fibres were almost exclusively encountered. The extracellular space of asphyxiated and non-asphyxiated tissue in electron micrographs of frozen-dried material is similar to the space in comparable tissues treated by freeze-substitution. These observations suggest that there is an appreciable amount of extracellular material in oxygenated, living tissue which is taken up by cellular elements during asphyxiation

Dissecting the Heterogeneity of Treatment Response in First-Episode Schizophrenia

The Mental Health Centers for Intervention Development and Applied Research (CIDAR) program prioritized research to provide an evidence base for biomarker development. At the Zucker Hillside Hospital (ZHH), our CIDAR grant supported research on a comprehensive investigation of treatment response and outcome in first episode schizophrenia. Results provide evidence that baseline neuroimaging, neurocognitive, and genetic measures are significantly associated with clinical response to treatment, and that our currently available interventions can effectively treat aspects of psychotic illness, as well as potentially reduce comorbidity associated with illness. Future research may include combining modalities to more robustly predict response and identify treatment targets, as well as to further develop more effective intervention strategies for these devastating and disabling disorders

The 12th annual pharmacogenetics in psychiatry meeting report

The 12th Annual Pharmacogenetics in Psychiatry meeting was held in Hollywood, Florida, from 31 May to 1 June 2013, in conjunction with the NCDEU meeting. It included a series of oral presentations as well as a poster session. This report summarizes the presentations at the conference. (C) 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

A STUDY OF EXTRACELLULAR SPACE IN CENTRAL NERVOUS TISSUE BY FREEZE-SUBSTITUTION

It was attempted to preserve the water distribution in central nervous tissue by rapid freezing followed by substitution fixation at low temperature. The vermis of the cerebellum of white mice was frozen by bringing it into contact with a polished silver mirror maintained at a temperature of about -207°C. The tissue was subjected to substitution fixation in acetone containing 2 per cent OsO4 at -85°C for 2 days, and then prepared for electron microscopy by embedding in Maraglas, sectioning, and staining with lead citrate or uranyl acetate and lead. Cerebellum frozen within 30 seconds of circulatory arrest was compared with cerebellum frozen after 8 minutes' asphyxiation. From impedance measurements under these conditions, it could be expected that in the former tissue the electrolyte and water distribution is similar to that in the normal, oxygenated cerebellum, whereas in the asphyxiated tissue a transport of water and electrolytes into the intracellular compartment has taken place. Electron micrographs of tissue frozen shortly after circulatory arrest revealed the presence of an appreciable extracellular space between the axons of granular layer cells. Between glia, dendrites, and presynaptic endings the usual narrow clefts and even tight junctions were found. Also the synaptic cleft was of the usual width (250 to 300 A). In asphyxiated tissue, the extracellular space between the axons is either completely obliterated (tight junctions) or reduced to narrow clefts between apposing cell surfaces

Delineation of hippocampal subregions using T1-weighted magnetic resonance images at 3 Tesla

Although several novel approaches for hippocampal subregion delineation have been developed, they need to be applied prospectively and may be limited by long scan times, the use of high field (\u3e3T) imaging systems, and limited reliability metrics. Moreover, the majority of MR imaging data collected to date has employed a T1-weighted acquisition, creating a critical need for an approach that provides reliable hippocampal subregion segmentation using such a contrast. We present a highly reliable approach for the identification of six subregions comprising the hippocampal formation from MR images including the subiculum, dentate gyrus/cornu Ammonis 4 (DG/CA4), entorhinal cortex, fimbria, and anterior and posterior segments of cornu Ammonis 1-3 (CA1-3). MR images were obtained in the coronal plane using a standard 3D spoiled gradient sequence acquired on a GE 3T scanner through the whole head in approximately 10 min. The average ICC for inter-rater reliability across right and left volumetric regions-of-interest was 0.85 (range 0.71-0.98, median 0.86) and the average ICC for intra-rater reliability was 0.92 (range 0.66-0.99, median 0.97). The mean Dice index for inter-rater reliability across right and left hemisphere subregions was 0.75 (range 0.70-0.81, median 0.75) and the mean Dice index for intra-rater reliability was 0.85 (range 0.82-0.90, median 0.85). An investigation of hippocampal asymmetry revealed significantly greater right compared to left hemisphere volumes in the anterior segment of CA1-3 and in the subiculum

Analysis of bioactive phytochemicals and evaluation of antioxidant activity of a medicinal plant, Boerhaavia diffusa L.

Boerhaavia diffusa L. (Family: Nyctaginaceae) commonly known as Punarnava is an herbaceous, spreading vine widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions in the world. The plants are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrate. The present study was carried out to determine the concentration of some bioactive phytochemicals (ascorbic acid,carotenoids, total phenolics, protein and carbohydrate) and their antioxidant activity in punarnava. Results showed the values for ascorbic acid (16.75±1.72 and 18.86±1.12 mg/100g of Fresh Weight), carotenoids (1.36±0.10 and 1.98±0.11 ìg/g of Fresh Weight), protein (122.975±6.27 and 134.45±6.23 mg/g of dry weight) and carbohydrate (56.67±5.77 and 60.11±5.23 mg/g of dry weight) for aqueous and methanolic of root extracts of B.diffusa respectively. Methanolic root extracts showed greater antioxidant activity than the aqueous extracts using DPPH method

Asteroid Belts in Debris Disk Twins: VEGA and FOMALHAUT

Vega and Fomalhaut, are similar in terms of mass, ages, and global debris disk properties; therefore, they are often referred as "debris disk twins". We present Spitzer 10-35 um spectroscopic data centered at both stars, and identify warm, unresolved excess emission in the close vicinity of Vega for the first time. The properties of the warm excess in Vega are further characterized with ancillary photometry in the mid infrared and resolved images in the far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. The Vega warm excess shares many similar properties with the one found around Fomalhaut. The emission shortward of ~30 um from both warm components is well described as a blackbody emission of ~170 K. Interestingly, two other systems, eps Eri and HR 8799, also show such an unresolved warm dust using the same approach. These warm components may be analogous to the solar system's zodiacal dust cloud, but of far greater. The dust temperature and tentative detections in the submillimeter suggest the warm excess arises from dust associated with a planetesimal ring located near the water-frost line and presumably created by processes occurring at similar locations in other debris systems as well. We also review the properties of the 2 um hot excess around Vega and Fomalhaut, showing that the dust responsible for the hot excess is not spatially associated with the dust we detected in the warm belt. We suggest it may arise from hot nano grains trapped in the magnetic field of the star. Finally, the separation between the warm and cold belt is rather large with an orbital ratio >~10 in all four systems. In light of the current upper limits on the masses of planetary objects and the large gap, we discuss the possible implications for their underlying planetary architecture, and suggest that multiple, low-mass planets likely reside between the two belts in Vega and Fomalhaut.Comment: 14 pages, accepted for publication in Ap