Sex-Dependent Signaling Pathways Underlying Seizure Susceptibility and the Role of Chloride Cotransporters

Seizure incidence, severity, and antiseizure medication (ASM) efficacy varies between males and females. Differences in sex-dependent signaling pathways that determine network excitability may be responsible. The identification and validation of sex-dependent molecular mechanisms that influence seizure susceptibility is an emerging focus of neuroscience research. The electroneutral cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) of the SLC12A gene family utilize Na+-K+-ATPase generated electrochemical gradients to transport chloride into or out of neurons. CCCs regulate neuronal chloride gradients, cell volume, and have a strong influence over the electrical response to the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Acquired or genetic causes of CCCs dysfunction have been linked to seizures during early postnatal development, epileptogenesis, and refractoriness to ASMs. A growing number of studies suggest that the developmental expression of CCCs, such as KCC2, is sex-dependent. This review will summarize the reports of sexual dimorphism in epileptology while focusing on the role of chloride cotransporters and their associated modulators that can influence seizure susceptibility

The BaBar detector

Contains fulltext : 128916.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access

Observation of CP violation in the B0 meson system

We present an updated measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B decays with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. This result uses an additional sample of Upsilon(4S) decays collected in 2001, bringing the data available to 32 million B-anti-B pairs. We select events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a final state containing charmonium and the flavor of the other neutral B meson is determined from its decay products. The amplitude of the CP-violating asymmetry, which in the Standard Model is proportional to sin2beta, is derived from the decay time distributions in such events. The result sin2beta = 0.59 +/- 0.14 (stat) +/- 0.05 (syst) establishes CP violation in the B^0 meson system. We also determine |lambda| = 0.93 +/- 0.09 {stat} +/- 0.03 {syst}, consistent with no direct CP violation.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Measurement of CP-Violating Asymmetries in B0 Decays to CP Eigenstates

We present measurements of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B decays to several CP eigenstates. The measurement uses a data sample of 23×10^6 ϒ(4S)→BB̅ decays collected by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric B Factory at SLAC. In this sample, we find events in which one neutral B meson is fully reconstructed in a CP eigenstate containing charmonium and the flavor of the other neutral B meson is determined from its decay products. The amplitude of the CP-violating asymmetry, which in the standard model is proportional to sin2β, is derived from the decay time distributions in such events. The result is sin2β = 0.34±0.20(stat)±0.05(syst)