Mass spectrometry strategies to unveil modified aminophospholipids of biological interest

The biological functions of modified aminophospholipids (APL) have become a topic of interest during the last two decades, and distinct roles have been found for these biomolecules in both physiological and pathological contexts. Modifications of APL include oxidation, glycation, and adduction to electrophilic aldehydes, altogether contributing to a high structural variability of modified APL. An outstanding technique used in this challenging field is mass spectrometry (MS). MS has been widely used to unveil modified APL of biological interest, mainly when associated with soft ionization methods (electrospray and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization) and coupled with separation techniques as liquid chromatography. This review summarizes the biological roles and the chemical mechanisms underlying APL modifications, and comprehensively reviews the current MS-based knowledge that has been gathered until now for their analysis. The interpretation of the MS data obtained by in vitro-identification studies is explained in detail. The perspective of an analytical detection of modified APL in clinical samples is explored, highlighting the fundamental role of MS in unveiling APL modifications and their relevance in pathophysiology.publishe

Measurement of alcohol craving

Despite considerable research activity and application in treatment, the construct of craving remains poorly understood. We propose that cravings and urges are cognitive-emotional events in time, characterised by frequency, duration, intensity and salience. Commonly used measures of alcohol craving are reviewed, and their strengths and weaknesses identified. Most measures confound craving with behaviors, or with separable cognitive phenomena such as expectancies, intentions, or perceived behavioral control. These confounds have limited our advances in understanding the determinants and consequences of craving. Based on the criteria applied in this review, among the better performing multi-item measures are the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale and Obsessive subscale of the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. Optimal assessment strategies are likely to involve daily assessments of peak intensity of cravings, desires or urges and of the frequency and duration of craving episodes. Of particular interest are measures of intensity at times when individuals are at risk of drinking or of other functional impacts from craving

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have proven efficacy in the treatment of panic disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder. Accumulating data shows that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment can also be efficacious in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. This review summarizes the findings of randomized controlled trials of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, examines the strengths and weaknesses of other therapeutic approaches and considers potential new treatments for patients with this chronic and disabling anxiety disorder

A new hammer to crack an old nut : interspecific competitive resource capture by plants is regulated by nutrient supply, not climate

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Ezrin interacts with the SARS coronavirus spike protein and restrains infection at the entry stage

© 2012 Millet et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Entry of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and its envelope fusion with host cell membrane are controlled by a series of complex molecular mechanisms, largely dependent on the viral envelope glycoprotein Spike (S). There are still many unknowns on the implication of cellular factors that regulate the entry process. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed a yeast two-hybrid screen using as bait the carboxy-terminal endodomain of S, which faces the cytosol during and after opening of the fusion pore at early stages of the virus life cycle. Here we show that the ezrin membrane-actin linker interacts with S endodomain through the F1 lobe of its FERM domain and that both the eight carboxy-terminal amino-acids and a membrane-proximal cysteine cluster of S endodomain are important for this interaction in vitro. Interestingly, we found that ezrin is present at the site of entry of S-pseudotyped lentiviral particles in Vero E6 cells. Targeting ezrin function by small interfering RNA increased S-mediated entry of pseudotyped particles in epithelial cells. Furthermore, deletion of the eight carboxy-terminal amino acids of S enhanced S-pseudotyped particles infection. Expression of the ezrin dominant negative FERM domain enhanced cell susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV and S pseudotyped particles and potentiated S-dependent membrane fusion. Conclusions/Significance: Ezrin interacts with SARS-CoV S endodomain and limits virus entry and fusion. Our data present a novel mechanism involving a cellular factor in the regulation of S-dependent early events of infection.This work was supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong (RGC#760208)and the RESPARI project of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes

Retrieval of atmospheric CO2 with enhanced accuracy and precision from SCIAMACHY: validation with FTS measurements and comparison with model results

The Bremen Optimal Estimation differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) (BESD) algorithm for satellite based retrievals of XCO 2 (the column-average dry-air mole fraction of atmospheric CO 2) has been applied to Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) data. It uses measurements in the O 2-A absorption band to correct for scattering of undetected clouds and aerosols. Comparisons with precise and accurate ground-based Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) measurements at four Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) sites have been used to quantify the quality of the new SCIAMACHY XCO 2 data set. Additionally, the results have been compared to NOAA\u27s assimilation system CarbonTracker. The comparisons show that the new retrieval meets the expectations from earlier theoretical studies. We find no statistically significant regional XCO 2 biases between SCIAMACHY and the FTS instruments. However, the standard error of the systematic differences is in the range of 0.2 ppm and 0.8 ppm. The XCO 2 single-measurement precision of 2.5 ppm is similar to theoretical estimates driven by instrumental noise. There are no significant differences found for the year-to-year increase as well as for the average seasonal amplitude between SCIAMACHY XCO 2 and the collocated FTS measurements. Comparison of the year-to-year increase and also of the seasonal amplitude of CarbonTracker exhibit significant differences with the corresponding FTS values at Darwin. Here the differences between SCIAMACHY and CarbonTracker are larger than the standard error of the SCIAMACHY values. The difference of the seasonal amplitude exceeds the significance level of 2 standard errors. Therefore, our results suggest that SCIAMACHY may provide valuable additional information about XCO 2, at least in regions with a low density of in situ measurements. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union

Advising adolescents on the use of psychotropic medication: attitudes among medical and psychology students

There is evidence that medical students are more aware of the benefits of psychotropic treatment than are members of the general public, and that the more knowledge students acquire about psychiatry and pharmacology, the more favorable their attitudes become towards psychotropic drugs and other treatments. Objectives: This study among students investigates the relationship between certain aspects of personality and attitudes towards advising adolescents with psychosocial problems about the use of psychotropic medication. Methods: Two groups of healthcare students were recruited from universities in Eastern France. 41 fourth-year medical students (MS) who had completed their psychiatry course, and 76 thirdyear psychology students (PS) in the faculty of human sciences. Respondents completed a selfadministered instrument (20 brief case studies, and a personality inventory) at the end of a lecture. Participation was voluntary and unpaid. Results: MS would recommend psychotropic drugs in 40% of the 20 cases, PS in 27%. MS who would prescribe psychotropic medication differed in personality profile from PS. MS with a tendency to experience anger and related states such as frustration, and who did not see fulfilling moral obligations as important were more likely to prescribe psychotropic drugs. Also more likely to recommend psychotropic drugs, but for different reasons, were PS who were susceptible to stress but not shy or socially anxious, who showed friendliness but little interest in others, and who lacked distance in their decision-making. Conclusion: Health promotion is not simply a matter of educating those young people who take psychotropic drugs – health professionals must also question the criteria that inform their decisions. It is as important to investigate the attitudes of the future health professionals (advisers or prescribers) as it is to focus on consumer-related issues