Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.Education and Child Studie

Common functions or only phylogenetically related? The large family of PLAC8 motif-containing/PCR genes

PLAC8 motif-containing proteins form a large family and members can be found in fungi, algae, higher plants and animals. They include the PCR proteins of plants. The name giving PLAC8 domain was originally found in a protein residing in the spongiotrophoblast layer of the placenta of mammals. A further motif found in a large number of these proteins including several PCR proteins is the CCXXXXCPC or CLXXXXCPC motif. Despite their wide distribution our knowledge about the function of these proteins is very limited. For most of them two membrane-spanning α-helices are predicted, indicating that they are membrane associated or membrane intrinsic proteins. In plants PLAC8 motif-containing proteins have been described to be implicated in two very different functions. On one hand, it has been shown that they are involved in the determination of fruit size and cell number. On the other hand, two members of this family, AtPCR1 and AtPCR2 play an important role in transport of heavy metals such as cadmium or zinc. Transport experiments and approaches to model the 3_D structure of these proteins indicate that they could act as transporters for these divalent cations by forming homomultimers. In this minireview we discuss the present knowledge about this protein family and try to give an outlook on how to integrate the different proposed functions into a common picture about the role of PLAC8 motif-containing proteins

Deteccion de citomegalovirus mediante la tecnica de inmunoperoxidasa y aislamiento viral Cytomegalovirus detection by Immunoperoxidase assay and viral isolation

En el presente estudio se comparó la técnica de inmunoperoxidasa para la detección de citomegalovirus (IPCMV) utilizando anticuerpos monoclonales que reconocen proteínas precoces virales con el método convencional de aislamiento viral en fibroblastos humanos. Un total de 150 muestras de orina fueron examinadas encontrando una sensibilidad de un 89.8% y una especificidad de 91.3% de la técnica de IPCMV comparada con el aislamiento viral. Una de las ventajas que presentó la IPCMV fue la rapidez con que fueron obtenidos los resultados (48 horas) mientras que el aislamiento viral fue como promedio 14 días.<br>An Immunoperoxidase assay was applied to detect early antigens of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 150 urine samples from immunocompromised patients, using the commercial available monoclonal antibody against CMV El3. The detection of early antigen by IP (IPCMV) is compared to the conventional cell culture isolation regarding specificity and sensitivity in order to evaluate is usefulness in the diagnostic of CMV infections. The IPCMV showed a sensitivity of 89.8% and a specificity of 91.3% when compared to the isolation method. The great advantage of the IPCMV is based on the shorter time results are achieved, since 48-72 Hs can be enough to provide evidence of CMV infection, while in the isolation technique cytopatho-genic effect was present around 14 days after sample inoculation