362 research outputs found
Optimization of Left Ventricular Fibre Orientation of the Normal Heart for Homogeneous Sarcomere Length During Ejection
Metabolic profiling of a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans Alzheimer model
Despite decades of research, no early-onset biomarkers are currently available for Alzheimerβs disease, a cureless neurodegenerative disease afflicting millions worldwide. In this study, transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans were used to investigate changes in the metabolome after induced expression of amyloid-Ξ². GC- and LCβMS-based platforms determined a total of 157 differential features. Some of these were identified using in-house (GCβMS) or public libraries (LCβMS), revealing changes in allantoin, cystathionine and tyrosine levels. Since C. elegans is far better suited to metabolomics studies than most other model systems, the accordance of these findings with vertebrate literature is promising and argues for further use of C. elegans as a model of human pathology in the study of AD
Association of Aromatase (cyp19) Gene Polymorphisms with Estradiol and Estrone Levels in Postmenopausal Women
Association of Aromatase (cyp19) Gene Polymorphisms with Estradiol and Estrone Levels in Postmenopausal Women
Effect of cortisol levels on working memory performance in elderly subjects with Alzheimer's disease
Management and Tillage Infl uence Barley Forage Productivity and Water Use in Dryland Cropping Systems
Annual cereal forages are resilient in water use (WU), water use efficiency (WUE), and weed control compared with grain crops in dryland systems. The combined influence of tillage and management systems on annual cereal forage productivity and WU is not well documented. We conducted a field study for the effects of tillage (no-till and tilled) and management (ecological and conventional) systems on WU and performance of forage barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and weed biomass in two crop rotations (wheat [Triticum aestivum L.]βforage barleyβpea [Pisum sativum L.] and wheatβforage barleyβcorn [Zea mays L.] βpea) from 2004 to 2010 in eastern Montana. Conventional management included recommended seeding rates, broadcast N fertilization, and short stubble height of wheat. Ecological management included 33% greater seeding rates, banded N fertilization at planting, and taller wheat stubble. Forage barley in ecological management had 28 more plants mβ2, 2 cm greater height, 65 more tillers mβ2, 606 kg haβ1 greater crop biomass, 3.5 kg haβ1 mmβ1greater WUE, and 47% reduction in weed biomass at harvest than in conventional management. Pre-plant and post-harvest soil water contents were similar among tillage and management systems, but barley WU was 13 mm greater in 4-yr than 3-yr rotation. Tillage had little effect on barley performance and WU. Dryland forage barley with higher seeding rate and banded N fertilization in more diversified rotation produced more yield and used water more efficiently than that with conventional seeding rate, broadcast N fertilization, and less diversified rotation in the semiarid northern Great Plains
Colon Capsule Endoscopy compared to Conventional Colonoscopy under routine screening conditions
Colonoscopy (CSPY) for colorectal cancer screening has several limitations. Colon Capsule Endoscopy (PillCam Colon, CCE) was compared to CSPY under routine screening conditions
Novel highly potent CD4bs bNAb with restricted pathway to HIV-1 escape
Purpose: Broadly HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can suppress viremia
in humans and represent a novel approach for effective immunotherapy.
However, bNAb monotherapy selects for antibody-resistant viral variants.
Thus, we focused on the identification of new antibody combinations and/or
novel bNAbs that restrict pathways of HIV-1 escape.
Methods: We screened HIV-1 positive patients for their neutralizing
capacities. Following, we performed single cell sorting and PCR of HIV-1
Env-reactive mature B cells of identified elite neutralizers. Found antibodies
were tested for neutralization and binding capacities in vitro. Further, their
antiviral activity was tested in an HIV-1 infected humanized mouse model.
Results: Here we report the isolation of antibody 1β18, a VH1β46-encoded
CD4 binding site (CD4bs) bNAb identified in an individual ranking among the
top 1% neutralizers of 2,274 HIV-1-infected subjects. Tested on a 119-virus
panel, 1β18 showed to be exceptionally broad and potent with a coverage of
97% and a mean IC50 of 0.048 lg/mL, exceeding the activity of most potent
CD4bs bNAbs described to-date. A 2.4 Γ
cryo-EM structure of 1β18 bound to a
native-like Env trimer revealed that it interacts with HIV-1 env similar to other
CD4bs bNAbs, but includes additional contacts to the V3 loop of the adjacent
protomer. Notably, in vitro, 1β18 maintained activity against viruses carrying
mutations associated with escape from VRC01-class bNAbs. Further, its HIV-1
env wide escape profile differed critically from other CD4bs bNAbs. In
humanized mice, monotherapy with 1β18 was sufficient to prevent the
development of viral escape variants that rapidly emerged during treatment
with other CD4bs bNAbs. Finally, 1β18 overcame classical HIV-1 mutations
that are driven by VRC01-like bNAbs in vivo.
Conclusion: 1β18 is a highly potent and broad bNAb that restricts escape and
overcomes frequent CD4bs escape pathways, providing new options for bNAb
combinations to prevent and treat HIV-1 infection
Transcriptome Analysis of the Desert Locust Central Nervous System: Production and Annotation of a Schistocerca gregaria EST Database
) displays a fascinating type of phenotypic plasticity, designated as βphase polyphenismβ. Depending on environmental conditions, one genome can be translated into two highly divergent phenotypes, termed the solitarious and gregarious (swarming) phase. Although many of the underlying molecular events remain elusive, the central nervous system (CNS) is expected to play a crucial role in the phase transition process. Locusts have also proven to be interesting model organisms in a physiological and neurobiological research context. However, molecular studies in locusts are hampered by the fact that genome/transcriptome sequence information available for this branch of insects is still limited. EST information is highly complementary to the existing orthopteran transcriptomic data. Since many novel transcripts encode neuronal signaling and signal transduction components, this paper includes an overview of these sequences. Furthermore, several transcripts being differentially represented in solitarious and gregarious locusts were retrieved from this EST database. The findings highlight the involvement of the CNS in the phase transition process and indicate that this novel annotated database may also add to the emerging knowledge of concomitant neuronal signaling and neuroplasticity events. EST data constitute an important new source of information that will be instrumental in further unraveling the molecular principles of phase polyphenism, in further establishing locusts as valuable research model organisms and in molecular evolutionary and comparative entomology
High-Resolution, In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Drosophila at 18.8 Tesla
High resolution MRI of live Drosophila was performed at 18.8 Tesla, with a field of view less than 5 mm, and administration of manganese or gadolinium-based contrast agents. This study demonstrates the feasibility of MR methods for imaging the fruit fly Drosophila with an NMR spectrometer, at a resolution relevant for undertaking future studies of the Drosophila brain and other organs. The fruit fly has long been a principal model organism for elucidating biology and disease, but without capabilities like those of MRI. This feasibility marks progress toward the development of new in vivo research approaches in Drosophila without the requirement for light transparency or destructive assays
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