D-Cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders

The goal of this review is to examine the clinical studies on d-cycloserine, a partial glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist, as an augmentation strategy for exposure procedures during cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Although cognitive behavioral therapy and anxiolytic medications are more effective than placebo for treating anxiety disorders, there is still considerable room for further improvement. Traditional combination strategies typically yield disappointing results. However, recent studies based on translational research have shown promise to augment the neural circuitry underlying fear extinction with pharmacological means. We discuss the current state of the literature, including inconsistencies of findings and issues concerning the drug mechanism, dosing, and dose timing. D-cycloserine is a promising combination strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders by augmenting extinction learning. However, there is also evidence to suggest that d-cycloserine can facilitate reconsolidation of fear memory when exposure procedures are unsuccessful

Hipk2 cooperates with p53 to suppress γ-ray radiation-induced mouse thymic lymphoma

A genome-wide screen for genetic alterations in radiation-induced thymic lymphomas generated from p53+/− and p53−/− mice showed frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosome 6. Fine mapping of these LOH regions revealed three non-overlapping regions, one of which was refined to a 0.2 Mb interval that contained only the gene encoding homeobox-interacting protein kinase 2 (Hipk2). More than 30% of radiation-induced tumors from both p53+/− and p53−/− mice showed heterozygous loss of one Hipk2 allele. Mice carrying a single inactive allele of Hipk2 in the germline were susceptible to induction of tumors by γ-radiation, but most tumors retained and expressed the wild-type allele, suggesting that Hipk2 is a haploinsufficient tumor suppressor gene for mouse lymphoma development. Heterozygous loss of both Hipk2 and p53 confers strong sensitization to radiation-induced lymphoma. We conclude that Hipk2 is a haploinsufficient lymphoma suppressor gene

Awareness of vaccination status and its predictors among working people in Switzerland

BACKGROUND: Adult vaccination status may be difficult to obtain, often requiring providers to rely on individual patient recall. To determine vaccination status awareness and the sociodemographic predictors of awareness for tetanus, hepatitis A and B, tick born encephalitis (TBE) and influenza vaccination. METHODS: Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate a questionnaire survey of 10 321 employees (4070 women and 6251 men aged 15–72 years) of two companies in Switzerland. RESULTS: Among 10 321 respondents, 75.5% reported knowing their tetanus vaccination status, 64.1% hepatitis A, 61.1% hepatitis B, 64.3% TBE and 71.9% influenza. Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3 employees were not aware of their vaccination status. Differences in awareness for the five vaccinations considered correlated with gender and language. These differences persisted in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Women employees, German-speaking employees and employees who paid more attention to their diet were more often aware of their vaccination status. A more reliable and readily accessible data source for vaccination status is needed in order to capitalize on opportunities to update vaccinations among Swiss employees

Influenza vaccination coverage rates in five European countries during season 2006/07 and trends over six consecutive seasons

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The objectives of the survey were to identify the level of influenza vaccination coverage in five European countries between 2001 and 2007, to understand the drivers and barriers to vaccination, to assess vaccination intentions for the winter 2007/08 as well as major encouraging factors for vaccination.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 2001 and 2007, representative household surveys were performed with telephone or mailed (France) interviews of individuals aged 14 and above. The questionnaire used in the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain was essentially the same in all seasons. The data were subsequently pooled. Four target groups were defined for the analysis: 1) persons aged 65 years and over; 2) persons working in the medical field; 3) chronically ill persons and 4) combined target group composed of individuals belonging to one or more of the previous groups 1, 2 or 3.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 2006/07, vaccination coverage was, 25.0% in UK, 27.4% in Germany, 21.8% in Spain, 24.2% in France and 24.4% in Italy. During six influenza seasons (2001–2007), vaccination coverage showed a slight positive trend in the five countries (p ≤ 0.0001). In the elderly (≥ 65 years), across all countries, no significant trend was seen; the vaccination rate decreased non-significantly from a peak of 64.2% in season 2005/06 to 61.1% in season 2006/07. The most frequent reason for getting vaccinated was a recommendation by the family doctor or nurse (51%), and this was also perceived as the major encouraging factor for vaccination (61%). The main reason for not getting vaccinated was feeling unlikely to catch the flu (36%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In the UK, Germany and Spain, influenza vaccination coverage rates in season 2006/07 dropped slightly compared to the previous season. However, a trend of increasing vaccination coverage was observed from 2001/02 to 2006/07 across Europe. The family doctor is the major source of encouragement for individuals getting vaccinated. Efforts to overcome the barriers to vaccination need to be put in place to reach the WHO objective of 75% coverage in the elderly by 2010. This is a major challenge to be faced by governments, healthcare workers and healthcare organisations.</p

Dynamic sea level changes following changes in the thermohaline circulation

Using the coupled climate model CLIMBER-3a, we investigate changes in sea surface elevation due to a weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC). In addition to a global sea level rise due to a warming of the deep sea, this leads to a regional dynamic sea level change which follows quasi-instantaneously any change in the ocean circulation. We show that the magnitude of this dynamic effect can locally reach up to ~1m, depending on the initial THC strength. In some regions the rate of change can be up to 20-25 mm/yr. The emerging patterns are discussed with respect to the oceanic circulation changes. Most prominent is a south-north gradient reflecting the changes in geostrophic surface currents. Our results suggest that an analysis of observed sea level change patterns could be useful for monitoring the THC strength.Comment: Climate Dynamics (2004), submitted. See also http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~ander

Initial characteristics of RbcX proteins from Arabidopsis thaliana

Form I of Rubisco (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is composed of eight large (RbcL) and eight small (RbcS) subunits. Assembly of these subunits into a functional holoenzyme requires the assistance of additional assembly factors. One such factor is RbcX, which has been demonstrated to act as a chaperone in the assembly of most cyanobacterial Rubisco complexes expressed in heterologous system established in Escherichia coli cells. Analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana genomic sequence revealed the presence of two genes encoding putative homologues of cyanobacterial RbcX protein: AtRbcX1 (At4G04330) and AtRbcX2 (At5G19855). In general, both RbcX homologues seem to have the same function which is chaperone activity during Rubisco biogenesis. However, detailed analysis revealed slight differences between them. AtRbcX2 is localized in the stromal fraction of chloroplasts whereas AtRbcX1 was found in the insoluble fraction corresponding with thylakoid membranes. Search for putative “partners” using mass spectrometry analysis suggested that apart from binding to RbcL, AtRbcX1 may also interact with β subunit of chloroplast ATP synthase. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of AtRbcX1 and AtRbcX2 expression under various stress conditions indicated that AtRbcX2 is transcribed at a relatively stable level, while the transcription level of AtRbcX1 varies significantly. In addition, we present the attempts to elucidate the secondary structure of AtRbcX proteins using CD spectroscopy. Presented results are the first known approach to elucidate the role of RbcX proteins in Rubisco assembly in higher plants

“cAMP Sponge”: A Buffer for Cyclic Adenosine 3′, 5′-Monophosphate

Background: While intracellular buffers are widely used to study calcium signaling, no such tool exists for the other major second messenger, cyclic AMP (cAMP). Methods/Principal Findings: Here we describe a genetically encoded buffer for cAMP based on the high-affinity cAMP-binding carboxy-terminus of the regulatory subunit $RI\beta$ of protein kinase A (PKA). Addition of targeting sequences permitted localization of this fragment to the extra-nuclear compartment, while tagging with mCherry allowed quantification of its expression at the single cell level. This construct (named “cAMP sponge”) was shown to selectively bind cAMP in vitro. Its expression significantly suppressed agonist-induced cAMP signals and the downstream activation of PKA within the cytosol as measured by FRET-based sensors in single living cells. Point mutations in the cAMP-binding domains of the construct rendered the chimera unable to bind cAMP in vitro or in situ. Cyclic AMP sponge was fruitfully applied to examine feedback regulation of gap junction-mediated transfer of cAMP in epithelial cell couplets. Conclusions: This newest member of the cAMP toolbox has the potential to reveal unique biological functions of cAMP, including insight into the functional significance of compartmentalized signaling events

Novel sequence variations in LAMA2 andSGCG genes modulating cis-acting regulatory elements and RNA secondary structure

In this study, we detected new sequence variations in LAMA2 and SGCG genes in 5 ethnic populations, and analysed their effect on enhancer composition and mRNA structure. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing were performed and followed by bioinformatics analyses using ESEfinder as well as MFOLD software. We found 3 novel sequence variations in the LAMA2 (c.3174+22_23insAT and c.6085 +12delA) and SGCG (c. * 102A/C) genes. These variations were present in 210 tested healthy controls from Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian, Lebanese and French populations suggesting that they represent novel polymorphisms within LAMA2 and SGCG genes sequences. ESEfinder showed that the c. * 102A/C substitution created a new exon splicing enhancer in the 3'UTR of SGCG genes, whereas the c.6085 +12delA deletion was situated in the base pairing region between LAMA2 mRNA and the U1snRNA spliceosomal components. The RNA structure analyses showed that both variations modulated RNA secondary structure. Our results are suggestive of correlations between mRNA folding and the recruitment of spliceosomal components mediating splicing, including SR proteins. The contribution of common sequence variations to mRNA structural and functional diversity will contribute to a better study of gene expression

Molecular Targets for 17α-Ethynyl-5-Androstene-3β,7β,17β-Triol, an Anti-Inflammatory Agent Derived from the Human Metabolome

HE3286, 17α-ethynyl-5-androstene-3β, 7β, 17β-triol, is a novel synthetic compound related to the endogenous sterol 5-androstene-3β, 7β, 17β-triol (β-AET), a metabolite of the abundant adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). HE3286 has shown efficacy in clinical studies in impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, and in vivo models of types 1 and 2 diabetes, autoimmunity, and inflammation. Proteomic analysis of solid-phase HE3286-bound bead affinity experiments, using extracts from RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells, identified 26 binding partners. Network analysis revealed associations of these HE3286 target proteins with nodes in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways for type 2 diabetes, insulin, adipokine, and adipocyte signaling. Binding partners included low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (Lrp1), an endocytic receptor; mitogen activated protein kinases 1 and 3 (Mapk1, Mapk3), protein kinases involved in inflammation signaling pathways; ribosomal protein S6 kinase alpha-3 (Rsp6ka3), an intracellular regulatory protein; sirtuin-2 (Sirt2); and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (Hsd17β4), a sterol metabolizing enzyme

Plakophilin-2: a cell-cell adhesion plaque molecule of selective and fundamental importance in cardiac functions and tumor cell growth

Within the characteristic ensemble of desmosomal plaque proteins, the armadillo protein plakophilin-2 (Pkp2) is known as a particularly important regulatory component in the cytoplasmic plaques of various other cell–cell junctions, such as the composite junctions (areae compositae) of the myocardiac intercalated disks and in the variously-sized and -shaped complex junctions of permanent cell culture lines derived therefrom. In addition, Pkp2 has been detected in certain protein complexes in the nucleoplasm of diverse kinds of cells. Using a novel set of highly sensitive and specific antibodies, both kinds of Pkp2, the junctional plaque-bound and the nuclear ones, can also be localized to the cytoplasmic plaques of diverse non-desmosomal cell–cell junction structures. These are not only the puncta adhaerentia and the fasciae adhaerentes connecting various types of highly proliferative non-epithelial cells growing in culture but also some very proliferative states of cardiac interstitial cells and cardiac myxomata, including tumors growing in situ as well as fetal stages of heart development and cultures of valvular interstitial cells. Possible functions and assembly mechanisms of such Pkp2-positive cell–cell junctions as well as medical consequences are discussed