Comparative Analysis of Qualitative Dermatoglyphic Traits of Albanian and Turkish Populations Living in the Area of Dukagjin Valley in Kosovo

Dermatoglyphic prints were collected from 800 inhabitants of Dukagjin valley in Kosovo. The sample consisted of two ethnically different sub-populations who refer themselves as Albanians (N=400) and Turks (N=400). Qualitative analysis of prints concerned the frequency of the patterns on fingers (arch, ulnar and radial loop, whorl, accidental whorl) and on palms (Thenar and I, II, III, and IV interdigital area and the hypothenar, main line index, and the axial »t« triradius position). As was expected due to previous study of quantitative dermatoglyphic traits, in the same population the Albanians and Turks showed to be significantly different in most explored qualitative dermatoglyphic variables. Found differences indicated that the reproductive isolation between the Albanian and Turkish population in Kosovo is substantial, despite the fact that those two ethnic sub-populations live in the close vicinity through several centuries

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived L1 Overexpressing Neural Aggregates Enhance Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Mice

An obstacle to early stem cell transplantation into the acutely injured spinal cord is poor survival of transplanted cells. Transplantation of embryonic stem cells as substrate adherent embryonic stem cell-derived neural aggregates (SENAs) consisting mainly of neurons and radial glial cells has been shown to enhance survival of grafted cells in the injured mouse brain. In the attempt to promote the beneficial function of these SENAs, murine embryonic stem cells constitutively overexpressing the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 which favors axonal growth and survival of grafted and imperiled cells in the inhibitory environment of the adult mammalian central nervous system were differentiated into SENAs and transplanted into the spinal cord three days after compression lesion. Mice transplanted with L1 overexpressing SENAs showed improved locomotor function when compared to mice injected with wild-type SENAs. L1 overexpressing SENAs showed an increased number of surviving cells, enhanced neuronal differentiation and reduced glial differentiation after transplantation when compared to SENAs not engineered to overexpress L1. Furthermore, L1 overexpressing SENAs rescued imperiled host motoneurons and parvalbumin-positive interneurons and increased numbers of catecholaminergic nerve fibers distal to the lesion. In addition to encouraging the use of embryonic stem cells for early therapy after spinal cord injury L1 overexpression in the microenvironment of the lesioned spinal cord is a novel finding in its functions that would make it more attractive for pre-clinical studies in spinal cord regeneration and most likely other diseases of the nervous system

Ventilatory lung function in young healthy men

Urađeni su testovi plućne funkoije u 371 zdravog ispitanika muškog pola, starosti između 20 i 30 godina. Mereni su sledeći parametri: polagani vitalni kapacitet (VK), forsirani vitalni kapacitet (FVK), forsirani ekspiratorni volumen u prvoj sekundi (FEV1) i srednji maksimalni ekspiratorni protok (MSEP). Analizirane su vrednosti iz protok volumen krivulje (MEPV-krivulje) - maksimalni ekspiratorni protok, protok pri 75, 50 i 25% od forsiranog vitalnog kapaciteta (MEP, MEP75, MEP50 i MEP25), zatim je meren otpor u disajnim putevima (Rt) i intratorakalni gasni volumen (ITGV). Rezultati ovog ispitivanja su ukazali da postoji pozitivna korelacija između praćenih parametara i telesne visine, a negativna s godinama starosti, izuzev za ITGV. Veoma slaba korelacija je nađena između posmatranih nezavisnih promenljivih varijabli i Rt. Date su normalne vrednosti koje se mogu koristiti kao orijentacija u svakodnevnom radu.Pulmonary function tests were performed in 371 healthy men aged between 20 and 30 years. The following parameters were measured: slow vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and maximal midexpiratory flow rate (MMFR). From the maximal expiratory flow volume curve (MEFV-curve) peak expiratory flow (PEF) and flow rates at 75% FVC (MEF75), 50% FVC {MEF50) and 25% FVC (MEF25) were analysed. Airway resistance (RAW), and thoracic gas volume (ITGV) were also determined. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between the followed parameters of ventilatory function and height. The highest positive correlation concerned VC, FEV1 and ITGV. A negative correlation was found between lung function and age, with the exception of ITGV. A very poor correlation was found between independent variables and RAW values

Axon myelination and electrical stimulation in a microfluidic, compartmentalized cell culture platform

10.1007/s12017-012-8170-5NeuroMolecular Medicine142112-118NMEE

RSNs with significant linear trends in RSN outcome measures.

<p>Intercept and slope of the estimated linear trend, as well as the slope’s F statistic and p-value in three RSN outcome measures, namely the (a) spatial similarity (eta-squared, η²), (b) temporal fluctuation magnitude, and (c) BNC, for each RSNs with significant linear trends are listed.</p><p>RSNs with significant linear trends in RSN outcome measures.</p

RSN spatial maps for representative weekly sessions.

<p>RSN mean spatial maps (leftmost column), representative backreconstructed weekly single-session spatial maps (middle eight columns), and overlap maps (rightmost column) for the 14 RSNs. The degree of spatial similarity of each session’s spatial map to the corresponding mean map, as measured using eta-squared (η²), is indicated below the single-session maps.</p

RSNs with significant annual periodicity and/or significant correlation with daily maximum temperature (Baltimore MD, USA) in outcome measures.

<p>^& Statistically not significant.</p><p>P-values of RSNs with significant annual periodicity and/or correlation coefficient and associated p-values of RSNs with significant correlation with daily maximum temperature of Baltimore, MD, are listed for two RSN outcome measures; namely the (a) spatial similarity (η²) and (b) temporal fluctuation magnitude. No RSN pairs showed significant annual periodicity for BNC measures.</p><p>RSNs with significant annual periodicity and/or significant correlation with daily maximum temperature (Baltimore MD, USA) in outcome measures.</p

RSNs with significant temporal structures.

<p>TOP Existence of significant (after correction for multiple comparisons) linear trends in three RSN outcome measures, namely the (a) spatial similarity (eta-squared, η²), (b) temporal signal fluctuation magnitude, and (c) BNC, are visualized using matrices. Red blocks indicate significant positive linear trend, blue blocks negative trend, and black boxes no significant trend. MIDDLE Existence of significant (after correction for multiple comparisons) annual periodicity in three RSN outcome measures. Red blocks indicate significant annual periodicity and black boxes no annual periodicity. BOTTOM AR orders of the estimated ARMA models for RSNs and RSN pairs are visualized for each outcome measures, where black box indicates no autocorrelation, red box AR order of 1, yellow box AR order of 2, and white box AR order of 3. Refer to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0140134#pone.0140134.s006" target="_blank">S3 Table</a> for information on full ARMA model parameters.</p

Reproducibility of between-network connectivity (BNC) measurements.

<p>The combined BNC matrices show the degree of temporal synchrony between RSN pairs. Mean (a) and standard deviation (SD) (b) BNC values of the single- (below the main diagonal) and multi-participant (above the main diagonal) are shown. The diagonal elements were zeroed for display purposes. (c) Absolute value of the difference between the single- and the multi-participant BNC values. (d) Ten RSN pairs with the smallest (top) and the biggest (bottom) differences between single- and multi-participant mean BNC values. Mean BNC values from the single-subject dataset are overlaid as magenta circles on boxplots reporting on multi-participant data.</p