An Algorithm to locate the centers of Baryon Acoustic Oscillations

The cosmic structure formed from Baryon Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) in the early universe is imprinted in the galaxy distribution observable in large scale surveys, and is used as a standard ruler in contemporary cosmology. BAO are typically detected as a preferential length scale in two point statistics, which gives little information about the location of BAO structures in real space. The aim of the algorithm described in this paper is to find probable centers of BAO in the cosmic matter distribution. The algorithm convolves the three dimensional distribution of matter density with a spherical shell kernel of variable radius placed at different locations. The locations that correspond to the highest values of the convolution correspond to the probable centers of BAO. This method is realized in an open-source, computationally efficient algorithm. We describe the algorithm and present the results of applying it to the SDSS DR9 CMASS survey and associated mock catalogs. A detailed performance study demonstrates the algorithm's ability to locate BAO centers, and in doing so presents a novel detection of the BAO scale in galaxy surveys.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figure

Memantine reduces consumption of highly palatable food in a rat model of binge eating

Excessive consumption of highly palatable food has been linked to the development of eating disorders and obesity, and can be modeled in non-food-deprived rats by offering them a limited (2-h daily) access to an optional dietary fat. Since the glutamatergic system has recently emerged as a viable target for binge-eating medication development, we compared the effects of subchronic treatment with glutamatergic receptor antagonists to the effects of a reference appetite-suppressing agent sibutramine on highly palatable food (lard) and normal chow intake. In three separate experiments, the consumption of a standard laboratory chow and lard were measured during 12 days of medication treatment and for 6 days afterwards. Generalized estimating equations analysis demonstrated that sibutramine (7.5 mg/kg, PO) significantly decreased lard consumption, with a concurrent increase in chow consumption. Sibutramine effects disappeared after treatment discontinuation. The NMDA receptor antagonist memantine (5 mg/kg, IP) significantly decreased lard consumption and increased chow consumption, comparable to effects of sibutramine; however, memantine’s effects persisted after treatment discontinuation. The effects of the mGluR5 antagonist MTEP (7.5 mg/kg, IP) on food consumption were in the same direction as seen with memantine, but the observed differences were not significant. In an additional control experiment, sibutramine and memantine reduced unlimited (24 h) chow intake during the treatment phase. Present results provide evidence that glutamatergic neurotransmission might be involved in the regulation of excessive consumption of highly palatable foods, and suggest that NMDA receptor may be an attractive target for developing obesity and disordered eating pharmacotherapies

Surfactant protein D inhibits HIV-1 infection of target cells via interference with gp120-CD4 interaction and modulates pro-inflammatory cytokine production

© 2014 Pandit 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.Surfactant Protein SP-D, a member of the collectin family, is a pattern recognition protein, secreted by mucosal epithelial cells and has an important role in innate immunity against various pathogens. In this study, we confirm that native human SP-D and a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rhSP-D) bind to gp120 of HIV-1 and significantly inhibit viral replication in vitro in a calcium and dose-dependent manner. We show, for the first time, that SP-D and rhSP-D act as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 entry in to target cells and block the interaction between CD4 and gp120 in a dose-dependent manner. The rhSP-D-mediated inhibition of viral replication was examined using three clinical isolates of HIV-1 and three target cells: Jurkat T cells, U937 monocytic cells and PBMCs. HIV-1 induced cytokine storm in the three target cells was significantly suppressed by rhSP-D. Phosphorylation of key kinases p38, Erk1/2 and AKT, which contribute to HIV-1 induced immune activation, was significantly reduced in vitro in the presence of rhSP-D. Notably, anti-HIV-1 activity of rhSP-D was retained in the presence of biological fluids such as cervico-vaginal lavage and seminal plasma. Our study illustrates the multi-faceted role of human SPD against HIV-1 and potential of rhSP-D for immunotherapy to inhibit viral entry and immune activation in acute HIV infection. © 2014 Pandit et al.The work (Project no. 2011-16850) was supported by Medical Innovation Fund of Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India (www.icmr.nic.in/)

Memantine increases NMDA receptor level in the prefrontal cortex but fails to reverse apomorphine-induced conditioned place preference in rats

Studies have shown that inflammation and neurodegeneration may accompany the development of addiction to apomorphine and that the glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist, memantine, may be neuroprotective. The similarity between apomorphine and dopamine with regard to their chemical, pharmacological and toxicological properties provided a basis for investigating the mechanism of action of the former agent. In this study, we investigated whether memantine would suppress apomorphine-seeking behavior in rats subjected to apomorphine-induced place preference conditioning, through modulation of NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex. Repeated apomorphine (1 mg/kg) treatment induced conditioned place preference (CPP) and had no significant effect on NMDA receptor levels in the prefrontal cortex. Prior treatment with memantine (5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) increased the levels of NMDA receptors in the prefrontal cortex but did not suppress CPP induced by apomorphine. These data give further support to the addictive effect of apomorphine and demonstrate that blockade of NMDA receptors by memantine is unable to suppress apomorphine-seeking behavior

Place preference induced by nucleus accumbens amphetamine is impaired by local blockade of Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors in rats

BACKGROUND: The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a critical role in amphetamine-produced conditioned place preference (CPP). In previous studies, NAc basal and amphetamine-produced DA transmission was altered by Group II mGluR agents. We tested whether NAc amphetamine CPP depends on Group II mGluR transmission. RESULTS: NAc injections (0.5 μl/side) of the Group II mGluR antagonist (2 S)- a-ethylglutamic acid (EGLU: 0.01–0.8 μg but not 0.001 μg) impaired CPP. The drug did not block the acute locomotor effect of amphetamine. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that Group II mGluRs may be necessary for the establishment of NAc amphetamine-produced CPP. These receptors may also mediate other forms of reward-related learning dependent on this structure

Modulation of APOL1-miR193a Axis Prevents Podocyte Dediffrentiation in High Glucose Milieu

The loss of podocyte (PD) molecular phenotype is an important feature of diabetic podocytopathy. We hypothesized that high glucose (HG) induces dedifferentiation in differentiated podocytes (DPDs) through alterations in the apolipoprotein (APO) L1-microRNA (miR) 193a axis. HG-induced DPD dedifferentiation manifested in the form of downregulation of Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1) and upregulation of paired box 2 (PAX2) expression. WT1-silenced DPDs displayed enhanced expression of PAX2. Immunoprecipitation of DPD cellular lysates with anti-WT1 antibody revealed formation of WT1 repressor complexes containing Polycomb group proteins, enhancer of zeste homolog 2, menin, and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1), whereas silencing of either WT1 or DNMT1 disrupted this complex with enhanced expression of PAX2. HG-induced DPD dedifferentiation was associated with a higher expression of miR193a, whereas inhibition of miR193a prevented DPD dedifferentiation in HG milieu. HG downregulated DPD expression of APOL1. miR193a-overexpressing DPDs displayed downregulation of APOL1 and enhanced expression of dedifferentiating markers; conversely, silencing of miR193a enhanced the expression of APOL1 and preserved DPD phenotype. Moreover, stably APOL1G0-overexpressing DPDs displayed the enhanced expression of WT1 but attenuated expression of miR193a; nonetheless, silencing of APOL1 reversed these effects. Since silencing of APOL1 enhanced miR193a expression as well as dedifferentiation in DPDs, it appears that downregulation of APOL1 contributed to dedifferentiation of DPDs through enhanced miR193a expression in HG milieu. Vitamin D receptor agonist downregulated miR193a, upregulated APOL1 expression, and prevented dedifferentiation of DPDs in HG milieu. These findings suggest that modulation of the APOL1-miR193a axis carries a potential to preserve DPD molecular phenotype in HG milieu.</jats:p

Selective Transmission of R5 HIV-1 over X4 HIV-1 at the Dendritic Cell–T Cell Infectious Synapse Is Determined by the T Cell Activation State

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential antigen-presenting cells for the induction of T cell immunity against HIV. On the other hand, due to the susceptibility of DCs to HIV infection, virus replication is strongly enhanced in DC–T cell interaction via an immunological synapse formed during the antigen presentation process. When HIV-1 is isolated from individuals newly infected with the mixture of R5 and X4 variants, R5 is predominant, irrespective of the route of infection. Because the early massive HIV-1 replication occurs in activated T cells and such T-cell activation is induced by antigen presentation, we postulated that the selective expansion of R5 may largely occur at the level of DC–T cell interaction. Thus, the immunological synapse serves as an infectious synapse through which the virus can be disseminated in vivo. We used fluorescent recombinant X4 and R5 HIV-1 consisting of a common HIV-1 genome structure with distinct envelopes, which allowed us to discriminate the HIV-1 transmitted from DCs infected with the two virus mixtures to antigen-specific CD4+ T cells by flow cytometry. We clearly show that the selective expansion of R5 over X4 HIV-1 did occur, which was determined at an early entry step by the activation status of the CD4+ T cells receiving virus from DCs, but not by virus entry efficiency or productivity in DCs. Our results imply a promising strategy for the efficient control of HIV infection

Lifestyle modification influence on arterial hypertension treatment efficacy in the practice of a family doctor

Выполнено исследование по оценке влияния модификации образа жизни на эффективность лечения больных с АГ различной степени тяжести. Показано, что дозированные физические нагрузки, изменение привычек и традиций в питании в комплексе с медикаментозной гипотензивной терапией улучшают течение заболевания, повышают приверженность пациентов к лечению. Исследование свидетельствует о необходимости более активной работы врачей с пациентами по формированию мотивации к изменению образа жизни.Виконано дослідження по оцінці впливу модифікації стилю життя на ефективність лікування пацієнтів з АГ різного ступеню важкості. Показано, що дозовані фізичні навантаження, зміна звичок та традицій при харчуванні в комплексі з медикаментозною терапією покращують перебіг захворювання, підвищують бажання пацієнтів до лікування. Дослідження свідчать про необхідність більш активної роботи лікарів з пацієнтами по формуванню мотивацій до змін стилю життя.The article presented has been carried out with the aim to determine the influence of lifestyle modification on the efficacy of the patients with various stages of essential hypertension treatment. It was shown that moderate physical activity, food habits modification in combination with hypotensive drug therapy improves the course of the disease, provides the majority of the patient adherence to treatment. The study proves the necessity for active work towards patient education and motivation in their lifestyle modification

A complex interaction between glycine/NMDA receptors and serotonergic/noradrenergic antidepressants in the forced swim test in mice

Both clinical and preclinical studies demonstrate the antidepressant activity of the functional NMDA receptor antagonists. In this study, we assessed the effects of two glycine/NMDA receptor ligands, namely L-701,324 (antagonist) and d-cycloserine (a partial agonist) on the action of antidepressant drugs with different pharmacological profiles in the forced swim test in mice. Swim sessions were conducted by placing mice individually in glass cylinders filled with warmed water for 6 min. The duration of behavioral immobility during the last 4 min of the test was evaluated. The locomotor activity of mice was measured with photoresistor actimeters. L-701,324 and d-cycloserine given with reboxetine (administered in subeffective doses) did not change the behavior of animals in the forced swim test. A potentiating effect was seen when both tested glycine site ligands were given concomitantly with imipramine or fluoxetine in this test. The lesion of noradrenaline nerve terminals produced by DSP-4 neither altered the baseline activity nor influenced the antidepressant-like action of L-701,324 or d-cycloserine. The depletion of serotonin by p-CPA did not alter baseline activity in the forced swim test. However, it completely antagonized the antidepressant-like action produced by L-701,324 and d-cycloserine. Moreover, the antidepressant-like effects of imipramine, fluoxetine and reboxetine were abolished by d-serine, a full agonist of glycine/NMDA receptors. The present study demonstrates that glycine/NMDA receptor functional antagonists enhance the antidepressant-like action of serotonin, but not noradrenaline-based antidepressants and such their activity seems to depend on serotonin rather than noradrenaline pathway