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Afferent and efferent connections of the oculomotor region of the fastigial nucleus in the macaque monkey.

Afferent and efferent connections of the fastigial oculomotor region (FOR) were studied in macaque monkeys by using axonal transport of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). When injected HRP is confined to the FOR, retrogradely labeled cells appear in lobules VIc and VII of the ipsilateral vermis and in group b of the contralateral medial accessory olive (MAO). In reference to the maps of topographical organization, the extent of the effective site in the fastigial nucleus (FN) could be assessed from the distributions of labeled Purkinje cells (P cells) in the vermis and labeled olivary neurons in the MAO. In contrast to the unilateral nature of the P-cell and climbing-fiber projections, those from the other brainstem regions to the FOR were bilateral. Following the injection of HRP into the FOR, the largest number of retrogradely labeled cells appeared in the pontine nuclei. Although the number of labeled cells was greater on the contralateral side in both the peduncular and dorsomedial pontine nuclei (DMPN), the number of each side was virtually identical in the dorsolateral pontine nucleus (DLPN). In the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP), labeled cells were located only in its medial and dorsolateral portions bilaterally. In the vestibular complex, labeled cells appeared in the superior (SVN), medial (MVN), and inferior vestibular nuclei (IVN) bilaterally. The lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN), including y group and the ventrolateral vestibular nucleus, were free of labeled cells. Labeled cells appeared also in the perihypoglossal nucleus (PHN) bilaterally. In the pontine raphe (PR) and paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF), labeled cells appeared bilaterally in the caudal third of the area between the oculomotor and abducens nuclei. Labeled cells appeared also in the mesencephalic and medullary reticular formation. Tracing of anterogradely labeled axons demonstrated that most fibers from the FOR decussated within the cerebellum and entered the brainstem via the contralateral uncinate fasciculus. Some crossed fibers ascended with the contralateral brachium conjunctivum and terminated in the midbrain tegmentum. A small contingent of fibers advanced further to the thalamus. In the mesodiencephalic junction, labeled terminals were found contralaterally in the rostral interstitial nucleus of medial longitudinal fasciculus (riMLF) and a medial portion of FOrel's H Field. They appeared also in the central mesencephalic reticular formation (cMRF), the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the posterior commissure nucleus, and the superior colliculus. The oculomotor and trochlear nuclei, the red nucleus, and the interstitial nucleus of Cajal were free of labeled terminals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Afferent Pathways↗

Dynamics of Arabidopsis thaliana soluble proteome in response to different nutrient culture conditions.

In an effort to determine the best extraction procedure compatible with the high-reproducible 2-DE, different methods of soluble protein extraction from Arabidopsis cell culture suspensions grown in Gamborg B5 medium were tested. A reference 2-DE map was established for this soluble extract revealing 1184 spots. The most abundant protein spots were excised, trypsin-digested, and mass spectra obtained via MALDI-TOF and/or LC coupled to ESI-MS. Three hundred and thirty one proteins were identified and their functions were defined based on sequence comparisons and classified in different protein families. In order to analyze the impact of culture medium on the Arabidopsis proteome, we performed the 2-DE map from Arabidopsis cell suspensions cultured in another growth medium Murashige and Skoog (M-S) and 327 major spots were identified. Using PDQuest imaging analysis, significant increases in the amount of several housekeeping enzymes, stress/defense proteins, and heat shock proteins were found in M-S medium. Modified expression of certain proteins and detection of new isoforms involved in nitrate assimilation, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism were also observed in the M-S medium. This study provides the first 2-DE maps of the soluble proteome of Arabidopsis cell suspensions. The comparative analysis of the Arabidopsis proteome in respect to different nutrient supplies shows that the culture medium may significantly influence the expression pattern of major soluble proteins in Arabidopsis cells. This work also constitutes an important step for further proteomic analysis concerning cell responses to abiotic or biotic stresses.

Arabidopsis↗

Fully automatic anatomical, pathological, and functional segmentation from CT scans for hepatic surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the planning of hepatic surgery, we have developed a fully automatic anatomical, pathological, and functional segmentation of the liver derived from a spiral CT scan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From a 2 mm-thick enhanced spiral CT scan, the first stage automatically delineates skin, bones, lungs, kidneys, and spleen by combining the use of thresholding, mathematical morphology, and distance maps. Next, a reference 3D model is immersed in the image and automatically deformed to the liver contours. Then an automatic Gaussian fitting on the imaging histogram estimates the intensities of parenchyma, vessels, and lesions. This first result is next improved through an original topological and geometrical analysis, providing an automatic delineation of lesions and veins. Finally, a topological and geometrical analysis based on medical knowledge provides hepatic functional information that is invisible in medical imaging: portal vein labeling and hepatic anatomical segmentation according to the Couinaud classification. RESULTS: Clinical validation performed on more than 30 patients shows that delineation of anatomical structures by this method is often more sensitive and more specific than manual delineation by a radiologist. CONCLUSION: This study describes the methodology used to create the automatic segmentation of the liver with delineation of important anatomical, pathological, and functional structures from a routine CT scan. Using the methods proposed in this study, we have confirmed the accuracy and utility of the creation of a 3D liver model compared with the conventional reading of the CT scan by a radiologist. This work may allow improved preoperative planning of hepatic surgery by more precisely delineating liver pathology and its relationship to normal hepatic structures. In the future, this data may be integrated with computer-assisted surgery and thus represents a first step towards the development of an augmented-reality surgical system.

Humans↗

A study paradigm allowing comparison of multiple high-resolution rCBV-maps for the examination of drug effects.

Owing to the neuro-vascular coupling, measurement of changes in regional cerebral blood flow and blood volume (rCBV) can be used as surrogates reflecting the effects of central nervous system active drugs on neural transmission. As most such drugs are administered orally or intramuscularly and, in many cases, beneficial effects due to drug treatment can be observed only after chronic administration for days or weeks, the evaluation of drug efficacy requires the development of acquisition and analysis tools that allow for comparison of imaging data sets obtained in multiple sessions and for multiple subjects. In the present study, high-resolution susceptibility contrast MR perfusion imaging using a super-paramagnetic contrast agent (CA) was applied to study the effect of a single oral administration of the acetylcholine-esterase inhibitor rivastigmine (Exelon) on rCBV in rats. rCBV maps were calculated from two T2-weighted three-dimensional fast-spin-echo scans recorded before and after the injection of the CA, respectively. All MRI data sets were mapped to a reference data set obtained from a normal male Sprague-Dawley rat using an automated co-registration procedure prior to the analysis for drug effects. Rivastigmine was orally administered at doses of 2, 4 or 8 mg/kg 1 h prior to the rCBV measurement. Rivastigmine increased rCBV in several brain areas including cortex, caudate putamen and hippocampus. The observed effects were dose-dependent and the changes reached the order of 5-12% as compared with baseline levels. Vehicle-treated animals showed no significant alterations of blood volume, demonstrating the reproducibility and stability of rCBV measurements.

Administration, Oral↗

Proteomic analysis of nasal cells from cystic fibrosis patients and non-cystic fibrosis control individuals: search for novel biomarkers of cystic fibrosis lung disease.

Potential biological markers for cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease were identified by comparative proteomics profiling of nasal cells from deletion of phenylalanine residue 508 (F508del)-homozygous CF patients and non-CF controls. From the non-CF 2-DE gels, 65 spots were identified by MS, and a reference 2-DE map was thus established. The majority of those correspond to ubiquitously expressed proteins. Consistent with the epithelial origin of this tissue, some of the identified proteins are epithelial markers (e.g. cytokeratins, palate lung and nasal epithelium clone protein (PLUNC), and squamous cell carcinoma antigen 1). Comparison of this protein profile with the one similarly obtained for CF nasal cells revealed a set of differentially expressed proteins. These included proteins related to chronic inflammation and some others involved in oxidative stress injury. Alterations were also observed in the levels of cytoskeleton proteins, being probably implicated with cytoskeleton organization changes described to occur in CF-airways. Lower levels were found for some mitochondrial proteins suggesting an altered mitochondrial metabolism in CF. Differential expression was also found for two more enzymes that have not been previously associated to CF. Further studies will clarify the involvement of such proteins in CF pathophysiology and whether they are targets for CF therapy.

Adolescent↗

The decomposition of the middle latency auditory evoked potential (MLAEP) Pa component into superficial and deep source contributions.

The results of recent investigations have suggested that the Middle Latency Auditory Evoked Potential (MLAEP) Pa component derives its physiological origins from both cortical and subcortical sources. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine if support for this hypothesis could be obtained from the off-line manipulation of the topographically recorded Pa component. The multichannel MLAEP from 15 normal hearing, neurologically intact subjects was collected following monaural left and right ear click stimulation. Data was originally collected using the linked ear reference and was subsequently re-referenced using the common average reference (CAR). These mapped data were converted off-line to source current density using the source derivation (SD) technique described by Hjorth (1975, 1980). This technique is sensitive to current activity that is generated in the superficial cerebral cortex. These SD maps of the MLAEP were subsequently subtracted from the CAR maps of the MLAEP. The derived CAR-SD maps are believed to represent that activity that is generated deep to the cerebral cortex (Hjorth and Rodin 1988). Interpretation of the mapped data have demonstrated support for the hypothesis that Pa is generated by a minimum of two systems including: 1) bilateral sources located in the posterior temporal lobes, and 2) a deeper midline generator system.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

A major gene model of adult height is suggested in Chinese.

Adult height (stature), as a complex quantitative trait, has been studied in different populations. However, few genetic studies on height were performed on the Chinese, the largest population in the world. In this study, familial correlation and segregation analyses were carried out for adult height in a Chinese sample composed of 385 nuclear families with a total of 1,169 informative individuals. The results suggest that a major gene with a recessive effect accounts for about 17.2% of the total adult height variation in the Chinese. Significant familial residual effects are found. The heritability (+/-SE) of height is estimated to be 0.647 (+/-0.122). This study, for the first time, provides evidence for the high degree of genetic determination of adult height in the Chinese population and furnishes a valuable reference for further mapping and identification of adult height genes in the Chinese.

Adult↗

Signal decay correction in 2D ultra-short echo time imaging.

OBJECTIVES: In ultra-short echo time (UTE) imaging, the transverse magnetization experiences significant decay during data acquisition, which gives rise to a loss of signal intensity and spatial resolution in conventionally reconstructed images. The present work proposes an iterative algorithm to correct these adverse effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The algorithm involves solving a large linear system of equations and requires a separate reference scan to map the spatially variant transverse relaxation time. It was implemented and applied to simulations and to experiments with custom-built resolution phantoms. The evaluation focused on its ability to improve the actual point-spread function (PSF) and on its influence upon the local signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). RESULTS: The algorithm is demonstrated to virtually restore the ideal PSF of the acquisition. It proves to provide images with better signal intensity and spatial resolution but reduced SNR, if the transverse relaxation time is known with sufficient accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The present work shows the basic feasibility of correcting signal decay effects in UTE imaging.

Algorithms↗

Variation among hepatitis A virus strains. I. Genomic variation detected by T1 oligonucleotide mapping.

The genomes of eight hepatitis A virus (HAV) strains originating from far distant geographic regions such as Europe, North Africa, Middle and North America, Australia and The People's Republic of China were compared by RNase T1 oligonucleotide mapping. For this purpose, the viruses were propagated in cell cultures and viral RNA was isolated from highly purified mature virions. It could be shown that variation in nucleotide sequence is common among HAV isolates, but is in the order of magnitude reported for other picornaviruses. For viruses isolated in cell culture directly from stool samples of diseased individuals, changes usually amounted to 1-4% of RNA genome sites. Genomic differences between two virus strains derived from one fecal sample but replicating at either 32 or 37 degrees C were in the same order of magnitude. Thereby, the number of consecutive in vitro passages proved to have only limited influence on the development of genetic variation. For two HAV strains, however, adaptation to and passage in marmosets evidently had imposed highly selective conditions which had favored the appearance of viral genomes differing in up to 75% of their large oligonucleotides (about 10% in sequence) from the oligonucleotide map of a reference HAV strain.

Animals↗

FISH digital imaging microscopy in mosquito genomics.

The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, transmits pathogens that affect both humans and livestock, and has been the focus of extensive research to identify genetic loci that may be useful in control strategies. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and digital imaging microscopy have provided a rapid mechanism to populate the physical map with probes derived from genetic markers, cDNAs and recombinant genomic libraries. When the physical and genetic linkage maps are aligned, map-based cloning will allow the rapid isolation of target genomic sequences. The strategy of FISH mapping and the results of initial hybridization studies are reviewed here by Martin Ferguson, Susan Brown and Dennis Knudson. An Ae. aegypti-specific genomic database, which collates data from mapping studies, sequences, references and other relevant information, is also discussed.

Journal Article↗

MRI volumetric and intensity analysis of the cerebellum in Parkinson's disease patients infused with glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF).

BACKGROUND: A recent human therapeutic trial using intraputaminal infusion of glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in Parkinson's disease (PD) was abruptly terminated, partly due to safety concerns raised by the finding of cerebellar lesions in monkeys given high-dose GDNF. METHODS: Magnetic resonance images from nine PD patients participating in this trial were analyzed to determine whether subtle volumetric or intensity changes could be detected in the cerebellum or elsewhere following GDNF treatment for over 1 year. Subtraction images were compared to a reference standard deviation map constructed by using identically-processed paired scans from 25 normal adults. In a separate voxel-based group morphometric (VBM) analysis of the same patient images, grey matter intensity was compared between pre and post-GDNF infusion scans using a repeated measures ANOVA with family-wise error threshold of P = 0.10. Two expert readers independently reviewed serial FLAIR images from all patients. RESULTS: (1) There were no significant cerebellar differences in any of the nine individual PD patients (difference image analysis), (2) there were no significant morphometric differences between pre- and post-GDNF scans (VBM), and (3) there were no signal abnormalities in the cerebellum detected on the FLAIR images in PD patients (clinical scan review). CONCLUSIONS: In concert with lack of evidence of cerebellar dysfunction on clinical examination, we find no imaging evidence of cerebellar injury in human subjects undergoing chronic intracerebral GDNF infusion.

Aged↗

Quantification of shape variation of prostate and seminal vesicles during external beam radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: The prostate is known to translate and rotate under influence of rectal filling changes and many studies have addressed the magnitude of these motions. However, prostate shape variations also have been reported. For image-guided radiotherapy, it is essential to know the relative magnitude of translations, rotations, and shape variation so that the most appropriate correction strategy can be chosen. However, no quantitative analysis of shape variation has been performed. It is, therefore, the purpose of this article to develop a method to determine shape variation of complex organs and apply it to determine shape variation during external beam radiotherapy of a GTV (gross tumor volume) consisting of prostate and seminal vesicles. METHODS AND MATERIALS: For this study, the data of 19 patients with prostate cancer were used. Each patient received a planning computed tomography (CT) scan and 8-12 (11 on average) repeat CT scans that were made during the course of conformal radiotherapy. One observer delineated the GTV in all scans, and volume variations were measured. After matching the GTVs for each patient for translation and rotation, a coverage probability matrix was constructed and the 50% isosurface was taken to determine the average GTV surface. Perpendicular distances between the average GTV and the individual GTVs were calculated for each point of the average GTV, and their variation was expressed in terms of local standard deviation (SD). The local SDs of the shape variation of all 19 patients were mapped onto a reference case by matching and morphing of the individual average GTVs. Repeated delineation of the GTV was done for 6 patients to determine intraobserver variation. Finally, the measured shape variation was corrected for intraobserver variation to estimate the "real" shape variation. RESULTS: No significant variations in GTV volume were observed. The measured shape variation (including delineation variation) was largest at the tip of the vesicles (SD = 2.0 mm), smallest at the left and right side of the prostate (SD = 1.0 mm), and average elsewhere (SD = 1.5 mm). At the left, right, and cranial sides of the prostate, the intraobserver variation was of the same order of magnitude as the measured shape variation; elsewhere it was smaller. However, the accuracy of the estimated SD for intraobserver variation was about half of the accuracy of the estimated SD for the measured shape variation, giving an overall uncertainty of maximum 0.6 mm SD in the estimate of the "real" shape variation. The "real" shape variation was small at the left, right, and cranial side of the prostate (SD <0.5 mm) and between 0.5 mm and 1.6 mm elsewhere. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a method to quantify shape variation of organs with a complex shape and applied it to a GTV consisting of prostate and seminal vesicles. Deformation of prostate and seminal vesicles during the course of radiotherapy is small (relative to organ motion). Therefore, it is a valid approximation in image-guided radiotherapy of prostate cancer, in first order, to correct only for setup errors and organ motion. Prostate and seminal vesicles deformation can be considered as a second-order effect.

Humans↗

A genome-wide coverage-based pipeline for the identification of host-derived candidate DNA biomarkers from cell-free blood.

We have created a new data-analysis pipeline for the discovery of host-specific candidate DNA biomarkers derived from sequencing data of cell-free blood. Unlike approaches that rely on specific molecular or genetic signatures, our method leverages the coverage distribution of cell-free DNA sequences mapped to a reference genome, applying statistical analyses to identify informative short genomic regions for biomarker discovery. The pipeline is applicable to diverse diseases and can be used to analyze cell-free DNA sequences from plasma or serum to identify candidate biomarkers that are characteristic of disease states in mammals. Core functionalities were developed in Java and integrated with open-source software tools for the preprocessing of raw sequencing data, complemented by Python scripts for the machine-learning analysis and statistical validation. The pipeline is designed for HPC use and users can access the pipeline through a Galaxy workflow, which offers a user-friendly web interface for input selection prior to execution and analysis progress monitoring. Performance tests, carried out using duplicate sets of COVID-19 samples and controls, showed linear scalability of execution time with an increasing dataset size, as well as a substantial reduction in execution time through parallelized computation, whereby each HPC node is used to process the data of one chromosome. Further statistical tests confirmed the quality of the pipeline's results by showing that the set of identified candidate biomarkers remained stable across varying dataset sizes.

Biomarkers↗

A global view on ARAMIS, a risk assessment methodology for industries in the framework of the SEVESO II directive.

The ARAMIS methodology was developed in an European project co-funded in the fifth Framework Programme of the European Commission with the objective to answer the specific requirements of the SEVESO II directive. It offers an alternative to purely deterministic and probabilistic approaches to risk assessment of process plants. It also answers the needs of the various stakeholders interested by the results of the risk assessment for land use or emergency planning, enforcement or, more generally, public decision-making. The methodology is divided into the following major steps: identification of major accident hazards (MIMAH), identification of the safety barriers and assessment of their performances, evaluation of safety management efficiency to barrier reliability, identification of reference accident scenarios (MIRAS), assessment and mapping of the risk severity of reference scenarios and of the vulnerability of the plant surroundings. The methodology was tested during five case studies, which provided useful information about the applicability of the method and, by identifying the most sensitive parts of it opened way to new research activity for an improved industrial safety.

Causality↗

Human genetic diseases: a cross-talk between man and yeast.

A sequence similarity search has been carried out against the complete Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome to identify the yeast homologues of human disease-associated genes. Using the BLAST algorithm (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), it was found that 52 out of the 170 disease genes identified without reference to chromosomal map position and 22 of the 80 (27.5%) positionally cloned genes match yeast genes with a P-value of <e(-40). The percentage of the disease genes identified by positional cloning which bear homology to yeast is similar to that of a random collection of human cDNAs. The biochemical and physiological functions of the large majority of these human genes remain poorly understood and, even though a strict conservation of function cannot safely be assessed from structural homology analysis without the support of experimental and three-dimensional data, functional analogies can often be established between the human and yeast genes.

Chromosome Mapping↗

The effect of gaze eccentricity on perceived sound direction and its relation to visual localization.

This study investigates the influence of eye position on the localization of a free-field sound source by employing a pointing method. While fixating visual targets in various directions, the subjects indicated the perceived direction of a sound source by adjusting the azimuthal angle of a swivel pointer. The perceived sound azimuth shifted consistently opposite to the direction of eccentric gaze. i.e. to the left when gaze was to the right and vice versa. This shift resembled an approximately linear function of horizontal gaze direction. The mean magnitude of the shift was 3.1 degrees when the gaze was 45 degrees to the side (mean slope 0.069 degrees per degree eccentricity in gaze direction). An additional experiment investigated the relation of this effect to visual localization. Using the same method, the shift of perceived visual azimuth was measured as a function of gaze direction. The results indicate a shift in the same direction as the auditory shift (opposite to the direction of eccentric gaze), but with a significantly greater magnitude, which was 5.7 degrees for 45 degrees eccentricity in gaze direction. The perceived shifts of sound direction depending on gaze eccentricity may result from incomplete transformations of the auditory spatial coordinates from a craniocentric to an oculocentric frame of reference within neural maps of space, as has been suggested by previous neurophysiological investigations.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Correspondence analysis applied to steroid receptor binding.

The relative binding affinities of 48 steroids for four classes of hormone receptor (progestin, PR; androgen, AR; glucocorticoid, GR; mineralocorticoid, MR) have been analyzed by correspondence analysis. The steroids were, for the most part, derivatives of nortestosterone, differing by their degree of unsaturation, by the presence or absence of a 17 alpha-ethynyl group, and by the length of the C-13 alkyl substituent. Derivatives of norprogesterone were included as reference compounds. Distribution maps visualizing the results of the mathematical analysis revealed that the majority of the test steroids were within the zone of influence of AR and PR and had limited affinity for GR and MR. Overall lack of specificity and enhanced affinity for GR and MR were induced by increasing unsaturation and by the presence of a C-13 ethyl group. The general and specific conclusions of the analysis confirm and extend previous intuitive and partial interpretations of the data. Correspondence analysis, however, has the advantage of taking into account the sum total of the available information, without any preconceived notion of the relative importance of a specific structural feature or biological parameter and, furthermore, enables simultaneous representation on a single graph of the receptor and steroid fields. The present example demonstrates the use of this type of methodology in processing routine screening data involving multiple parameters.

Chemical Phenomena↗

Acquisition of procedural skills from examples.

Three experiments were run in which Ss first memorized examples of input-output pairs and then generated the outputs for a series of new inputs by analogy to the original examples. Ss first performed these mappings by explicit analogy to an example, but with practice they learned to make these input-output mappings directly without reference to the examples. Ss sped up as a power function of practice over a day (Experiment 1) or days (Experiments 2 and 3). Ss developed a directional asymmetry such that they were slower to calculate the input from the output than the output from the input (whereas initially they had not been). Ss showed similar speed up in their ability to recall the original examples but did not show the same directional asymmetry. Initially, there was some transfer from practicing the procedure to recalling the examples, but this diminished over days.

Cognition↗