The precision of axon targeting of mouse olfactory sensory neurons requires the BACE1 protease

The β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is necessary to generate the Aβ peptide, which is implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Studies show that the expression of BACE1 and its protease activity are tightly regulated, but the physiological function of BACE1 remains poorly understood. Recently, numerous axon guidance proteins were identified as potential substrates of BACE1. Here, we examined the consequences of loss of BACE1 function in a well-defined in vivo model system of axon guidance, mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). The BACE1 protein resides predominantly in proximal segment and the termini of OSN axons, and the expression of BACE1 inversely correlates with odor-evoked neural activity. The precision of targeting of OSN axons is disturbed in both BACE1 null and, surprisingly, in BACE1 heterozygous mice. We propose that BACE1 cleavage of axon guidance proteins is essential to maintain the connectivity of OSNs in vivo

Clinical evaluation of injectable platelet-rich fibrin with connective tissue graft for the treatment of deep gingival recession defects: A controlled randomized clinical trial

PubMedID: 31518440Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether the combined connective tissue graft (CTG) with injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) with coronally advanced flap (CAF) improved root coverage of deep Miller Class I or II gingival recessions compared with CTG alone with CAF. Material and Methods: Seventy-two patients with Miller class I and II gingival recessions were enrolled. Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to the test group (CAF+CTG+i-PRF [700 rpm for 3 min]) or control group (CAF+CTG). Clinical evaluations were made at 6 months. Results: At 6 months, complete root coverage was obtained at 88% of the sites treated with CAF+CTG+i-PRF and 80% of the sites treated with CAF+CTG. Difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. At 6 months, the recession depth (RD) reduction and increase in keratinized tissue height (KTH) of the test sites were significantly better compared with the control sites. Conclusions: According to the results, the addition of i-PRF to the CAF+CTG treatment showed further development in terms of increasing the KTH and decreasing RD. However, this single trial is not sufficient to advocate the true clinical effect of i-PRF on recession treatment with CAF+CTG and additional trials are needed. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

The efficacy and safety of capecitabine plus bevacizumab combination as first-line treatment in elderly metastatic colorectal cancer patients

The optimal treatment in older persons with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is complicated by a lack of general agreement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of bevacizumab plus capecitabine combination in elderly mCRC patients who were not suitable for chemotherapy with irinotecan and oxaliplatin-containing regimens

The Asilomar Survey: Stakeholders' opinions on ethical issues related to brain-computer onterfacing

Contains fulltext : 99757.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research and (future) applications raise important ethical issues that need to be addressed to promote societal acceptance and adequate policies. Here we report on a survey we conducted among 145 BCI researchers at the 4th International BCI conference, which took place in May–June 2010 in Asilomar, California. We assessed respondents’ opinions about a number of topics. First, we investigated preferences for terminology and definitions relating to BCIs. Second, we assessed respondents’ expectations on the marketability of different BCI applications (BCIs for healthy people, BCIs for assistive technology, BCIs-controlled neuroprostheses and BCIs as therapy tools). Third, we investigated opinions about ethical issues related to BCI research for the development of assistive technology: informed consent process with locked-in patients, risk-benefit analyses, team responsibility, consequences of BCI on patients’ and families’ lives, liability and personal identity and interaction with the media. Finally, we asked respondents which issues are urgent in BCI research.38 p