Spectral dynamic causal modelling in healthy women reveals brain connectivity changes along the menstrual cycle

Longitudinal menstrual cycle studies allow to investigate the effects of ovarian hormones on brain organization. Here, we use spectral dynamic causal modelling (spDCM) in a triple network model to assess effective connectivity changes along the menstrual cycle within and between the default mode, salience and executive control networks (DMN, SN, and ECN). Sixty healthy young women were scanned three times along their menstrual cycle, during early follicular, pre-ovulatory and mid-luteal phase. Related to estradiol, right before ovulation the left insula recruits the ECN, while the right middle frontal gyrus decreases its connectivity to the precuneus and the DMN decouples into anterior/posterior parts. Related to progesterone during the mid-luteal phase, the insulae (SN) engage to each other, while decreasing their connectivity to parietal ECN, which in turn engages the posterior DMN. When including the most confident connections in a leave-one out cross-validation, we find an above-chance prediction of the left-out subjects’ cycle phase. These findings corroborate the plasticity of the female brain in response to acute hormone fluctuations and may help to further understand the neuroendocrine interactions underlying cognitive changes along the menstrual cycle

Effective and anatomical connectivity of the dorso-central insula during the processing of action forms

In both human and monkeys the observation and execution of actions produced the activation of a network consisting of parietal and frontal areas. Although this network is involved in the encoding of the action goal, it does not consider the affective component of the action: vitality form (VF). Several studies showed that the observation and execution of actions conveying VFs selectively activated the dorso-central insula (DCI). In the present study, we aimed to clarify, by using Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM), the direction of the information flow across DCI, parieto-frontal areas (PMv, IPL) and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) during both observation and execution of actions conveying VFs. Results indicate that, during observation, DCI receives the visual input from pSTS, and, in turn, sends it to the fronto-parietal network. Moreover, DCI significantly modulates PMv. Conversely, during execution, the motor input starts from PMv, reaches DCI and IPL, with a significant modulation from PMv to DCI. The reciprocal exchange of information between PMv and DCI suggests that these areas work closely together in the VFs action processing. An additional tractography analysis corroborates our DCM models, showing a correspondence between functional connections and anatomical tracts

Two-Body Photodisintegration of the Deuteron up to 2.8 GeV

Measurements were performed for the photodisintegration cross section of the deuteron for photon energies from 1.6 to 2.8 GeV and center-of-mass angles from 37° to 90°. The measured energy dependence of the cross section at θc.m. = 90° is in agreement with the constituent counting rules

Fragmentation of High-Spin Particle-Hole States in 26-Mg

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 81-14339 and by Indiana Universit

Fragmentation of High-Spin Particle-Hole States in 26-Mg

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Grants NSF PHY 78-22774 A03, NSF PHY 81-14339, and by Indiana Universit

Fragmentation of High-spin Particle-hole States in 26-Mg

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHy 87-1440

Measurements of d+p Elastic Scattering Analyzing Powers at 80 MeV

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Adjacent level discitis after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF): a case report

This report describes a case of spondylodiscitis occurring adjacent to levels at which anterior cervical discectomy and fusion was performed. The objective is to describe a rare cause of spondylodiscitis and discuss its successful management. Post-operative discitis involving the same level is a known occurrence. We report an interesting case of spondylodiscitis occurring at the adjacent level of fusion, and to our knowledge this is the first such case reported in literature. A two-level decompression and fusion was performed at C5–6 and C6–7 levels with PEEK cages and anterior cervical plating in a middle-aged gentleman for persistent axial neck pain and left-sided radiculopathy involving C6 and C7 distribution. After 6 weeks, the patient presented to us with complaints of mild paresthesia in the abdomen and extremities. Radiological investigations including plain radiographs and MRI revealed a surprising finding of discitis at C4–5 level with an associated epidural abscess. In view of the patient’s myelopathic symptoms, surgical debridement and decompression of the spinal cord was performed. The plate and screws were removed, the cages were left intact, and the C4–5 disc level was reconstructed with tricortical iliac crest autograft. No further instrumentation was performed. The biopsy specimen from the disc at C4–5 level grew Serratia marcescens. It was contemplated that C4–5 discitis was initiated by inoculation of bacteria at the superior endplate of C5 by contaminated vertebral pins/drill-bit or screws. Adjacent level discitis is a rare but potentially serious complication of anterior cervical fusion. A high index of suspicion of infection is necessary if the patient complains of new symptoms after anterior cervical fusion. Thorough assessment and aggressive treatment is necessary for successful management

Protein kinase Cepsilon is important for migration of neuroblastoma cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Migration is important for the metastatic capacity and thus for the malignancy of cancer cells. There is limited knowledge on regulatory factors that promote the migration of neuroblastoma cells. This study investigates the hypothesis that protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms regulate neuroblastoma cell motility.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>PKC isoforms were downregulated with siRNA or modulated with activators and inhibitors. Migration was analyzed with scratch and transwell assays. Protein phosphorylation and expression levels were measured with Western blot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Stimulation with 12-<it>O</it>-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced migration of SK-N-BE(2)C neuroblastoma cells. Treatment with the general protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF109203X and the inhibitor of classical isoforms Gö6976 inhibited migration while an inhibitor of PKCβ isoforms did not have an effect. Downregulation of PKCε, but not of PKCα or PKCδ, with siRNA led to a suppression of both basal and TPA-stimulated migration. Experiments using PD98059 and LY294002, inhibitors of the Erk and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways, respectively, showed that PI3K is not necessary for TPA-induced migration. The Erk pathway might be involved in TPA-induced migration but not in migration driven by PKCε. TPA induced phosphorylation of the PKC substrate myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) which was suppressed by the PKC inhibitors. Treatment with siRNA oligonucleotides against different PKC isoforms before stimulation with TPA did not influence the phosphorylation of MARCKS.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>PKCε is important for migration of SK-N-BE(2)C neuroblastoma cells. Neither the Erk pathway nor MARCKS are critical downstream targets of PKCε but they may be involved in TPA-mediated migration.</p