Visual imagery vividness declines across the lifespan

The capacity to elicit vivid visual mental images varies within an extensive range across individuals between hyper- and aphantasia. It is not clear, however, whether imagery vividness is constant across the lifespan or changes during development and later in life. Without enforcing the constraints of strict experimental procedures and representativity across the entire population, our purpose was to explore the self-reported level of imagery vividness and determine the relative proportions of aphantasic/hyperphantasic participants in different age groups. Relying on the frequently used Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, we collected data on a random sample of 2252 participants between the ages of 12–60 years. We found a novel developmental pattern that describes a declining ability to elicit vivid visual mental images in the group averages of different age groups from adolescence to middle age. This effect involves both a decreasing proportion of individuals with vivid visual imagery vividness and an increasing proportion of individuals with low imagery vividness as maturation (based on bone age assessments in adolescents) and ageing progress. These findings may shed some light on the developmental mechanisms of our internal, stimulus-independent processes, and might also help to determine genetic, maturational, and age-dependent factors in the cases of hyper- and aphantasia

Recent advances in understanding breast cancer and emerging therapies with a focus on luminal and triple-negative breast cancer [version 1; peer review: 2 approved]

Breast cancer is a global health issue. For decades, breast cancer was classified into many histological subtypes on the basis of microscopic and immunohistochemical evaluation. The discovery of many key genomic driver events involved in breast cancer carcinogenesis resulted in a better understanding of the tumor biology, the disease heterogeneity and the prognosis leading to the discovery of new modalities of targeted therapies and opening horizons toward a more personalized medicine. In recent years, many therapeutic options emerged in the field of metastatic breast carcinoma, especially for the luminal subtypes. They were able to transform the course of the disease while maintaining quality of life. However, the options are still limited for triple-negative breast cancer, but the better knowledge of its complex biology and the discovery of molecular targets are promising for more efficient novel therapies

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor Imatinib mesylate alters DMBA-induced early onco/suppressor-gene expression with tissue-specificity in mice

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Some new faces of membrane microdomains: A complex confocal fluorescence, differential polarization, and FCS imaging study on live immune cells

Lipid rafts are cholesterol- and glycosphingolipid-rich plasma membrane microdomains, which control signal transduction, cellular contacts, pathogen recognition, and internalization processes. Their stability/lifetime, heterogeneity remained still controversial, mostly due to the high diversity of raft markers and cellular models. The correspondence of the rafts of living cells to liquid ordered (Lo) domains of model membranes and the effect of modulating rafts on the structural dynamics of their bulk membrane environment are also yet unresolved questions. Spatial overlap of various lipid and protein raft markers on live cells was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy, while fluorescence polarization of DiIC18(3) and Bodipy-phosphatidylcholine was imaged with differential polarization CLSM (DP-CLSM). Mobility of the dil probe under different conditions was assessed by fluorescence correlation spectroscopic (FCS). GM1 gangliosides highly colocalized with GPI-linked protein markers of rafts and a new anti -cholesterol antibody (AC8) in various immune cells. On the same cells., albeit not fully excluded from rafts, diI colocalized much less with raft markers of both lipid and protein nature, suggesting the Lo membrane regions are not equivalents to lipid rafts. The DP-CLSM technique was capable of imaging probe orientation and heterogeneity of polarization in the plasma membrane of live cells, reflecting differences in lipid order/packing. This property-in accordance with dil mobility assessed by FCS-was sensitive to modulation of rafts either through their lipids or proteins. Our complex imaging analysis demonstrated that two lipid probes-G(M1) and a new anti-cholesterol antibody-equivocally label the membrane rafts on a variety of cell types, while some raft-associated proteins (MHC-II, CD48, CD59, or CD90) do not colocalize with each other. This indicates the compositional heterogeneity of rafts. Usefulness of the DP-CLSM technique in imaging immune cell surface, in terms of lipid order/packing heterogeneities, was also shown together with its sensitivity to monitor biological modulation of lipid rafts. (c) 2007 International Society for Analytical Cytology

A Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) -infekciók ezer arca

Absztrakt A Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) által okozott infekciók világszerte, így Magyarországon is, tartósan magas morbiditási és mortalitási mutatókkal rendelkeznek a gyermek- és felnőttpopulációban egyaránt. A felnőttkori, hospitalizációt igénylő, otthon szerzett tüdőgyulladások 35–40%-ában a pneumococcus kóroki szerepe igazolható, az S. pneumoniae-pneumoniák 25–30%-a bacteraemiával jár. Az összes fertőzés 5–7%-a fatális kimenetelű, idősek és rizikóbetegek körében az arány meredeken növekedik. A súlyos, invazív formában zajló infekciók esetében a mortalitás elérheti a 20%-ot, a szövődményráta adekvát antibiotikus terápia mellett is jelentős. A szerzők összefoglalják a pneumococcalis betegségek epidemiológiáját, a noninvazív és invazív fertőzések patogenezisét, valamint prezentálják a legfontosabb klinikai aspektusokat esetbemutatásokon keresztül. A betegek rizikóstratifikációja, a hemokultúrák vétele és a korai antibiotikum-kezelés mellett az aktív immunizáció széles körű alkalmazása segíthet csökkenteni az invazív fertőzések mortalitását. A pneumococcus elleni vakcináció javasolt minden 50 év feletti felnőttnek, illetve minden 18 év feletti krónikus betegnek, aki alapbetegsége miatt fogékony a pneumococcalis infekcióra. Orv. Hetil., 2015, 156(44), 1769–1777

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Imatinib Mesylate Alters DMBA-Induced Early Onco/Suppressor Gene Expression with Tissue-Specificity in Mice

Tyrosine kinases play crucial roles in cellular development and tumorigenesis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective and widely used drug molecules in targeted cancer therapies. Altered expressions of protooncogenes and tumor suppressor genes after DMBA (7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene) treatment have been described as early markers of tumor induction; however their tissue-specific effects remain still unclear. Our study was aimed at examining the short-term possible antineoplastic and chemopreventive effects of a TKI compound (imatinib mesylate) on a DMBA-induced mouse tumor model. In addition, we also investigated the tissue-specific expressions of Hras, Kras, Myc, and Trp53 genes in the brain, bone marrow, spleen, liver, abdominal lymph nodes, thymus, lungs, and kidneys, respectively. 24 hours after the imatinib mesylate injection, we observed significant Kras downregulation in the bone marrow and lung of the DMBA-treated mice. Moreover, the mRNA expression of Myc was also found to be decreased significantly in the spleen. Interestingly, while Trp53 expression was significantly increased in the lung, it was decreased in the other tissues. However, there was also a tendency in the decreased Myc level in the bone marrow, brain, kidneys, lungs, and lymph nodes and in the decreased Hras level in the bone marrow, kidneys, and lungs, although no significant differences were observed. Our findings indicate rapid tissue-specific impact of imatinib mesylate on DMBA-induced gene expression in vivo, supporting the chemopreventive potential of imatinib mesylate in cancer.K