Commissural axon guidance in the developing spinal cord: from Cajal to the present day.

During neuronal development, the formation of neural circuits requires developing axons to traverse a diverse cellular and molecular environment to establish synaptic contacts with the appropriate postsynaptic partners. Essential to this process is the ability of developing axons to navigate guidance molecules presented by specialized populations of cells. These cells partition the distance traveled by growing axons into shorter intervals by serving as intermediate targets, orchestrating the arrival and departure of axons by providing attractive and repulsive guidance cues. The floor plate in the central nervous system (CNS) is a critical intermediate target during neuronal development, required for the extension of commissural axons across the ventral midline. In this review, we begin by giving a historical overview of the ventral commissure and the evolutionary purpose of decussation. We then review the axon guidance studies that have revealed a diverse assortment of midline guidance cues, as well as genetic and molecular regulatory mechanisms required for coordinating the commissural axon response to these cues. Finally, we examine the contribution of dysfunctional axon guidance to neurological diseases

Quantifying the Detrimental Impacts of Land-Use and Management Change on European Forest Bird Populations

The ecological impacts of changing forest management practices in Europe are poorly understood despite European forests being highly managed. Furthermore, the effects of potential drivers of forest biodiversity decline are rarely considered in concert, thus limiting effective conservation or sustainable forest management. We present a trait-based framework that we use to assess the detrimental impact of multiple land-use and management changes in forests on bird populations across Europe. Major changes to forest habitats occurring in recent decades, and their impact on resource availability for birds were identified. Risk associated with these changes for 52 species of forest birds, defined as the proportion of each species' key resources detrimentally affected through changes in abundance and/or availability, was quantified and compared to their pan-European population growth rates between 1980 and 2009. Relationships between risk and population growth were found to be significantly negative, indicating that resource loss in European forests is an important driver of decline for both resident and migrant birds. Our results demonstrate that coarse quantification of resource use and ecological change can be valuable in understanding causes of biodiversity decline, and thus in informing conservation strategy and policy. Such an approach has good potential to be extended for predictive use in assessing the impact of possible future changes to forest management and to develop more precise indicators of forest health

A multicopper oxidase (Cj1516) and a CopA homologue (Cj1161) are major components of the copper homeostasis system of Campylobacter jejuni

© American Society for Microbiology, 2008. Post-print version of article deposited in accordance with SHERPA RoMEO guidelines.Metal ion homeostasis mechanisms in the food-borne human pathogen Campylobacter jejuni are poorly understood. The Cj1516 gene product is homologous to the multicopper oxidase CueO, which is known to contribute to copper tolerance in Escherichia coli. Here we show, by optical absorbance and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, that purified recombinant Cj1516 contains both T1 and trinuclear copper centers, which are characteristic of multicopper oxidases. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed that the protein contained approximately six copper atoms per polypeptide. The presence of an N-terminal "twin arginine" signal sequence suggested a periplasmic location for Cj1516, which was confirmed by the presence of p-phenylenediamine (p-PD) oxidase activity in periplasmic fractions of wild-type but not Cj1516 mutant cells. Kinetic studies showed that the pure protein exhibited p-PD, ferroxidase, and cuprous oxidase activities and was able to oxidize an analogue of the bacterial siderophore anthrachelin (3,4-dihydroxybenzoate), although no iron uptake impairment was observed in a Cj1516 mutant. However, this mutant was very sensitive to increased copper levels in minimal media, suggesting a role in copper tolerance. This was supported by increased expression of the Cj1516 gene in copper-rich media. A mutation in a second gene, the Cj1161c gene, encoding a putative CopA homologue, was also found to result in copper hypersensitivity, and a Cj1516 Cj1161c double mutant was found to be more copper sensitive than either single mutant. These observations and the apparent lack of alternative copper tolerance systems suggest that Cj1516 (CueO) and Cj1161 (CopA) are major proteins involved in copper homeostasis in C. jejuni

Comparison of embedded and added motor imagery training in patients after stroke: Results of a randomised controlled pilot trial

Copyright @ 2012 Schuster et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Motor imagery (MI) when combined with physiotherapy can offer functional benefits after stroke. Two MI integration strategies exist: added and embedded MI. Both approaches were compared when learning a complex motor task (MT): ‘Going down, laying on the floor, and getting up again’. Methods: Outpatients after first stroke participated in a single-blinded, randomised controlled trial with MI embedded into physiotherapy (EG1), MI added to physiotherapy (EG2), and a control group (CG). All groups participated in six physiotherapy sessions. Primary study outcome was time (sec) to perform the motor task at pre and post-intervention. Secondary outcomes: level of help needed, stages of MT-completion, independence, balance, fear of falling (FOF), MI ability. Data were collected four times: twice during one week baseline phase (BL, T0), following the two week intervention (T1), after a two week follow-up (FU). Analysis of variance was performed. Results: Thirty nine outpatients were included (12 females, age: 63.4 ± 10 years; time since stroke: 3.5 ± 2 years; 29 with an ischemic event). All were able to complete the motor task using the standardised 7-step procedure and reduced FOF at T0, T1, and FU. Times to perform the MT at baseline were 44.2 ± 22s, 64.6 ± 50s, and 118.3 ± 93s for EG1 (N = 13), EG2 (N = 12), and CG (N = 14). All groups showed significant improvement in time to complete the MT (p < 0.001) and degree of help needed to perform the task: minimal assistance to supervision (CG) and independent performance (EG1+2). No between group differences were found. Only EG1 demonstrated changes in MI ability over time with the visual indicator increasing from T0 to T1 and decreasing from T1 to FU. The kinaesthetic indicator increased from T1 to FU. Patients indicated to value the MI training and continued using MI for other difficult-to-perform tasks. Conclusions: Embedded or added MI training combined with physiotherapy seem to be feasible and benefi-cial to learn the MT with emphasis on getting up independently. Based on their baseline level CG had the highest potential to improve outcomes. A patient study with 35 patients per group could give a conclusive answer of a superior MI integration strategy.The research project was partially funded by the Gottfried und Julia Bangerter-Rhyner Foundation

The social geography of childcare: 'making up' the middle class child

Childcare is a condensate of disparate social forces and social processes. It is gendered and classed. It is subject to an excess of policy and political discourse. It is increasingly a focus for commercial exploitation. This is a paper reporting on work in progress in an ESRC funded research project (R000239232) on the choice and provision of pre-school childcare by middle class (service class) families in two contrasting London locations. Drawing on recent work in class analysis the paper examines the relationships between childcare choice, middle class fractions and locality. It suggests that on the evidence of the findings to date, there is some evidence of systematic differences between fractions in terms of values, perspectives and preferences for childcare, but a more powerful case for intra-class similarities, particularly when it comes to putting preferences into practice in the 'making up of a middle class child' through care and education

A Niche-Based Framework to Assess Current Monitoring of European Forest Birds and Guide Indicator Species' Selection

Concern that European forest biodiversity is depleted and declining has provoked widespread efforts to improve management practices. To gauge the success of these actions, appropriate monitoring of forest ecosystems is paramount. Multi-species indicators are frequently used to assess the state of biodiversity and its response to implemented management, but generally applicable and objective methodologies for species' selection are lacking. Here we use a niche-based approach, underpinned by coarse quantification of species' resource use, to objectively select species for inclusion in a pan-European forest bird indicator. We identify both the minimum number of species required to deliver full resource coverage and the most sensitive species' combination, and explore the trade-off between two key characteristics, sensitivity and redundancy, associated with indicators comprising different numbers of species. We compare our indicator to an existing forest bird indicator selected on the basis of expert opinion and show it is more representative of the wider community. We also present alternative indicators for regional and forest type specific monitoring and show that species' choice can have a significant impact on the indicator and consequent projections about the state of the biodiversity it represents. Furthermore, by comparing indicator sets drawn from currently monitored species and the full forest bird community, we identify gaps in the coverage of the current monitoring scheme. We believe that adopting this niche-based framework for species' selection supports the objective development of multi-species indicators and that it has good potential to be extended to a range of habitats and taxa

Classification of facial periâ implant soft tissue dehiscence/deficiencies at single implant sites in the esthetic zone

BackgroundThe incidence of a periâ implant soft tissue dehiscence/deficiency (PSTD) is not a rare finding. Despite multiple previous attempts aimed at correcting the PSTDs, a classification of these conditions has not yet been proposed. This lack in the literature may also lead to discrepancies in the reported treatment outcomes and thus misinform the clinician or the readers. The aim of the present article was therefore to present a classification of periâ implant PSTD at a single implant site.MethodsFour classes of PSTDs were discussed based on the position of the gingival margin of the implantâ supported crown in relation to the homologous natural tooth. In addition, the buccoâ lingual position of the implant head was also taken into consideration. Each class was further subdivided based on the height of the anatomical papillae.ResultsSubsequently, for each respective category a surgical approach (including bilaminar techniques, the combined prostheticâ surgical approach or soft tissue augmentation with a submerged healing) was also suggested.ConclusionThis paper provides a new classification system for describing PSTDs at single implant sites, with the appropriate recommended treatment protocol.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151905/1/jper10351_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151905/2/jper10351.pd

ReadClear: An Assistive Reading Tool for People Living with Posterior Cortical Atrophy

BACKGROUND: Progressive reading impairment is an early and debilitating symptom of posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) arising from the progressive deterioration of visual processing skills. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of a purpose-built reading app (ReadClear) co-produced with people living with PCA and designed to reduce the reading difficulties experienced by this population (e.g., getting lost in the page and missing words when reading). METHODS: Twenty subjects with PCA were included in a cross-over design home-based study aimed at determining whether ReadClear could 1) enhance the subjective reading experience (reading pleasantness) and 2) improve reading accuracy (reducing the number of reading errors) compared with a sham condition (a standard e-reader). RESULTS: Reading using ReadClear provided a better subjective reading experience than sham (p = 0.018, d = 0.5) and significantly reduced the percentage of reading errors (p <  0.0001, r = 0.82), particularly errors due to omissions (p = 0.01, r = 0.50), repeated words (p = 0.002, r = 0.69), and regressions in the text (p = 0.003, r = 0.69). We found that different kinds of reading errors were related to specific neuropsychological profiles. CONCLUSION: ReadClear can assist reading in people living with PCA by reducing the number of reading errors and improving the subjective reading experience of users