The Mechanism of Downregulated Interstitial Fluid Drainage Following Neuronal Excitation.

The drainage of brain interstitial fluid (ISF) has been observed to slow down following neuronal excitation, although the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is yet to be elucidated. In searching for the changes in the brain extracellular space (ECS) induced by electrical pain stimuli in the rat thalamus, significantly decreased effective diffusion coefficient (DECS) and volume fraction (α) of the brain ECS were shown, accompanied by the slowdown of ISF drainage. The morphological basis for structural changes in the brain ECS was local spatial deformation of astrocyte foot processes following neuronal excitation. We further studied aquaporin-4 gene (APQ4) knockout rats in which the changes of the brain ECS structure were reversed and found that the slowed DECS and ISF drainage persisted, confirming that the down-regulation of ISF drainage following neuronal excitation was mainly attributable to the release of neurotransmitters rather than to structural changes of the brain ECS. Meanwhile, the dynamic changes in the DECS were synchronized with the release and elimination processes of neurotransmitters following neuronal excitation. In conclusion, the downregulation of ISF drainage following neuronal excitation was found to be caused by the restricted diffusion in the brain ECS, and DECS mapping may be used to track the neuronal activity in the deep brain

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure

From the ship of fools to witchcraft, mental health stigma in early modern folly literature

It was the French post-modernist philosopher Michel Foucault, who more than any other, placed the allegory of the ship of fools (and with it early modern German folly literature) at the centre of discourse on mental illness when he published his Folie et Déraison: Histoire de la Folie à l''âge classique. In doing so, he raised a number of intriguing questions about the nature of madness in medieval society, and drew a number parallels between this period and our own. To consider further the portrayal of madness in the early modern period, Sebastian Brant's Narrenschiff, Thomas Murner's Von dem Groÿen Lutherischen Narren and Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum will be analysed as primary sources. The thesis will approach the subject both from an analysis of the cultural and historical context of the period in which the key texts were written, as well as a textual analysis informed by a medical and social sciences understanding of mental illness. The result of this interdisciplinary study will be several new insights into the texts, including a reappraisal of Brant's portrayal of folly

68Ga–Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Uptake in a Malignant Pleural Effusion From Metastatic Prostate Cancer After Pleurodesis

A 76-year-old man with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate presented with increasing dyspnea. After being treated initially with drainage and afterwards with pleurodesis, he was referred for Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen 11 PET/CT imaging for restaging purposes. PET/CT demonstrated extensive Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen 11 uptake in the right pleura. Histopathology confirmed the rare case of malignant pleural effusion from metastatic prostate cancer

The Alteration of Brain Interstitial Fluid Drainage with Myelination Development.

The integrity of myelination is crucial for maintaining brain interstitial fluid (ISF) drainage in adults; however, the mechanism of ISF drainage with immature myelin in the developing brain remains unknown. In the present study, the ISF drainage from the caudate nucleus (Cn) to the ipsilateral cortex was studied at different developmental stages of the rat brain (P 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 10-80). The results show that the traced ISF drained to the cortex from Cn and to the thalamus in an opposite direction before P30. From P40, we found impeded drainage to the thalamus due to myelin maturation. This altered drainage was accompanied by enhanced cognitive and social functions, which were consistent with those in the adult rats. A significant difference in diffusion parameters was also demonstrated between the extracellular space (ECS) before and after P30. The present study revealed the alteration of ISF drainage regulated by myelin at different stages during development, indicating that a regional ISF homeostasis may be essential for mature psychological and cognitive functions

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least 4 m. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the 6.5 m James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 yr, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit