Spinal neurons that contain gastrin-releasing peptide seldom express Fos or phosphorylate extracellular signal-regulated kinases in response to intradermal chloroquine

Background: Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) is thought to play a role in the itch evoked by intradermal injection of chloroquine. Although some early studies suggested that GRP was expressed in pruriceptive primary afferents, it is now thought that GRP in the spinal cord is derived mainly from a population of excitatory interneurons in lamina II, and it has been suggested that these are involved in the itch pathway. To test this hypothesis, we used the transcription factor Fos and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) to look for evidence that interneurons expressing GRP were activated following intradermal injection of chloroquine into the calf, in mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in these cells. Results: Injection of chloroquine resulted in numerous Fos- or phospho-ERK (pERK) positive cells in the somatotopically appropriate part of the superficial dorsal horn. The proportion of all neurons in this region that showed Fos or pERK was 18% and 21%, respectively. However, among the GRP–EGFP, only 7% were Fos-positive and 3% were pERK-positive. As such, GRP–EGFP cells were significantly less likely than other neurons to express Fos or to phosphorylate ERK. Conclusions: Both expression of Fos and phosphorylation of ERK can be used to identify dorsal horn neurons activated by chloroquine injection. However, these results do not support the hypothesis that interneurons expressing GRP are critical components in the itch pathway

Scholarly literature and the press: scientific impact and social perception of physics computing

The broad coverage of the search for the Higgs boson in the mainstream media is a relative novelty for high energy physics (HEP) research, whose achievements have traditionally been limited to scholarly literature. This paper illustrates the results of a scientometric analysis of HEP computing in scientific literature, institutional media and the press, and a comparative overview of similar metrics concerning representative particle physics measurements. The picture emerging from these scientometric data documents the scientific impact and social perception of HEP computing. The results of this analysis suggest that improved communication of the scientific and social role of HEP computing would be beneficial to the high energy physics community.Comment: To be published in the Proceedings of CHEP 2013 (Computing in High Energy Physics

Supermanifolds - Application to Supersymmetry

Parity is ubiquitous, but not always identified as a simplifying tool for computations. Using parity, having in mind the example of the bosonic/fermionic Fock space, and the framework of Z_2-graded (super) algebra, we clarify relationships between the different definitions of supermanifolds proposed by various people. In addition, we work with four complexes allowing an invariant definition of divergence: - an ascending complex of forms, and a descending complex of densities on real variables - an ascending complex of forms, and descending complex of densities on Grass mann variables. This study is a step towards an invariant definition of integrals of superfunctions defined on supermanifolds leading to an extension to infinite dimensions. An application is given to a construction of supersymmetric Fock spaces.Comment: to appear in the "Michael Marinov Memorial Volume

Predictors and Mediators of Long-term Functional Limitations in the Older Adult Population

With nearly 40 million Americans being treated for nonfatal injuries in emergency departments annually, the burden of nonfatal injury in the United States is extensive. The longterm functional consequences of these injuries can be enduring and far-reaching, especially for older adults. Although studies have reported that persistent functional deficits exist after injury, less information is known about long-term recovery patterns and the factors that influence functional outcomes. The primary aims of this study are to (1) classify differences in long-term, longitudinal changes in functional limitations within the injured population, (2) identify individual characteristics that predict recovery after injury and (3) assess whether medical care use mediates the relationship between long-term changes in functional limitations and significant predictors of outcomes after injury, specifically insurance status. Longitudinal survey data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was analyzed using group-based trajectory modeling and mediation analysis. The trajectory analysis identified five distinct functional trajectories with the following characteristics: Trajectory 1- consistently low functional limitations scores (18.9%), Trajectory 2- increase in functional limitations after injury followed by a gradual, but not complete recovery (46.3%), Trajectory 3- increase in functional limitations followed by further decline in functioning over time (10.5%), Trajectory 4- increase in functional limitations after injury followed by a gradual, complete recovery (13.4%), and Trajectory 5- consistently high functional limitations scores (10.8%). Regression analyses showed that women, individuals with multiple health conditions, and individuals with no insurance and public insurance were more likely to belong to trajectories with poorer functional outcomes. The mediation analysis found that public insurance was associated with increased functional limitations relative to private insurance. The total effect of public insurance on functional limitations was partially mediated by medical care use. Doctor visits was the only significant medical care use mediator for individuals with public insurance. The relative total and direct effects of being uninsured on functional limitations were not significant. However, the indirect effect of being uninsured on functional limitations was significant, indicating that medical care use may suppress the effect of being uninsured on functional outcomes. Prescription drug use was the only significant mediator of the effect of not having insurance on functional status. These results illustrate that distinct courses of recovery after injury in the older adult population exist. Furthermore, personal characteristics of individuals can be used to predict functional trajectories. This study also demonstrated that insurance status is a significant predictor of both functional outcomes and medical care use after injury. Insurance status was found to exert its effect on health outcomes both directly and indirectly through medical care. Ultimately, the findings from this study can be used to improve the understanding of how individuals\u27 functional outcomes differ after injury and the causal processes that determine these outcomes. This knowledge may lead to tailored policies and treatments that improve quality of life after injury

Substance P-expressing excitatory interneurons in the mouse superficial dorsal horn provide a propriospinal input to the lateral spinal nucleus

The superficial dorsal horn (laminae I and II) of the spinal cord contains numerous excitatory and inhibitory interneurons, and recent studies have shown that each of these groups can be divided into several neurochemically distinct populations. Although it has long been known that some neurons in this region have intersegmental (propriospinal) axonal projections, there have been conflicting reports concerning the number of propriospinal cells and the extent of their axons. In addition, little is known about the neurochemical phenotype of propriospinal neurons or about the termination pattern of their axons. In the present study we show, using retrograde tracing, that around a third of lamina I–II neurons in the lumbar enlargement project at least five segments cranially. Substance P-expressing excitatory neurons are over-represented among these cells, accounting for one-third of the propriospinal neurons. In contrast, inhibitory interneurons and excitatory PKCγ neurons are both under-represented among the retrogradely labelled cells. By combining viral vector-mediated Cre-dependent anterograde tracing with immunocytochemistry, we provide evidence that the lateral spinal nucleus (LSN), rather than the superficial dorsal horn, is the main target for axons belonging to propriospinal substance P-expressing neurons. These findings help to resolve the discrepancies between earlier studies and have implications for the role of the LSN in pain mechanisms