The histopathological differentiation between palmar psoriasis and hand eczema: A retrospective review of 96 cases

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Author(s): Jun Yeong Park, Eun Byul Cho, Eun Joo Park, Hye Rim Park, Kwang Ho Kim, Kwang Joong Kim
BackgroundThe histopathologic differences among palmar psoriasis (PP), hand eczema (HE), and hyperkeratotic hand dermatitis (HHD) have been poorly described.ObjectivesWe sought to distinguish among PP, HE, and HHD on a histopathologic basis.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the histology of hematoxylin-eosin–stained sections obtained from 96 patients diagnosed with PP, HE, or HHD.ResultsThe patients were divided into 4 subgroups: PP (n = 16, group A), HE without atopic or nummular dermatitis (n = 41, group B), HE with atopic or nummular dermatitis (n = 14, group C), and HHD (n = 25, group D). Loss of the granular layer (group A 62.5%, group B 24.4%, group C 0%) was more consistent with a diagnosis of PP (P = .047) than HE (P = .002). Psoriasiform epidermal hyperplasia (group B 36.6%, group C 35.7%, group D 72.0%) favored a diagnosis of HHD (P = .01) over HE (P = .043).LimitationsLimitations of this study include its retrospective nature and small sample size.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that a significant difference exists in the thickness of the granular layer between PP and HE, which might be helpful in differentiating between these 2 conditions. There was no difference between PP and HHD.



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Propranolol treatment of infantile hemangioma is not associated with psychological problems at 7 years of age

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Author(s): Andre Vadimovich Moyakine, Saskia Spillekom-van Koulil, Catharina Joanna Maria van der Vleuten
BackgroundConcern has been raised about the potential long-term effects of propranolol treatment for infantile hemangioma (IH).ObjectivesWe sought to assess psychologic (social, emotional, behavioral, and executive) functioning in children treated with propranolol for IH.MethodsTwenty-seven patients with IH (6.1-7.6 years of age) treated with propranolol for ≥6 months during infancy, and without other developmental risk factors, were recruited. Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Social Emotional Questionnaire, Child Behavior Checklist, and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. For each questionnaire, the number of patients with abnormal scores, based on established cutoff points, was calculated.ResultsOnly 1 child (3.7%) scored outside the normal range. The Hemangioma Severity Scale did not correlate with psychologic problems in these patients. Longer treatment duration was found to correlate with less attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) characteristics (ρ = −0.476; P = .012) and better executive functioning (ρ = −0.466; P = .014).LimitationsExclusion of children born at gestational age <36 weeks or small for gestational age, no reference group and relatively small study size.ConclusionWe found no increased risk for psychologic problems at age 7 in IH patients treated with propranolol.



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Single Stage Augmentation Mastopexy with L-shaped Inferior Pedicle Combined with Dual Plane Implant Placement

No abstract available

http://ift.tt/2luZrgH

Partial Breast Reconstruction with Goldilocks Technique After Excision of Giant Fibroadenoma: A Case Report

Summary: Giant juvenile fibroadenomas are relatively rare, accounting for less than 1% fibroadenomas. Large breast tumors create significant asymmetry and provide unique reconstructive challenges after removal. In this case, we describe a 21-year-old female with delayed presentation of a giant fibroadenoma of the right breast. This represents an unusual presentation of benign breast disease requiring reduction of the skin envelope, extensive glandular resection, lower pole reconstruction, and free nipple grafting to achieve symmetry with the opposite breast. A novel modification of the Goldilocks mastectomy technique is described for partial breast reconstruction. Adaptation of the Goldilocks mastectomy technique provides adequate soft tissue for partial breast reconstruction. Using the lower pole deepithelialization breast skin flap provides autologous vascularized tissue to supplement volume loss after tumor and glandular excision. Benign breast disease can create significant breast deformities. Application and combination of the Goldilocks mastectomy technique allow for partial breast reconstruction without the need for an additional donor site or prosthetic devices.

http://ift.tt/2lv6MNj

Characteristics and source apportionment of black carbon aerosols over an urban site

Abstract

Aethalometer based source apportionment model using the measured aerosol absorption coefficients at different wavelengths is used to apportion the contribution of fossil fuel and wood burning sources to the total black carbon (BC) mass concentration. Temporal and seasonal variabilities in BC mass concentrations, equivalent BC from fossil fuel (BC_{f f} ), and wood burning (BC_{w b} ) are investigated over an urban location in western India during January 2014 to December 2015. BC, BC_{f f} , and BC_{w b} mass concentrations exhibit strong diurnal variation and are mainly influenced by atmospheric dynamics. BC_{f f} was higher by a factor of 2–4 than BC_{w b} and contributes maximum to BC mass throughout the day, confirming consistent anthropogenic activities. Diurnal contribution of BC_{f f} and BC_{w b} exhibits opposite variation due to differences in emission sources over Ahmedabad. Night time BC values are about a factor of 1.4 higher than day time BC values. The annual mean percentage contributions of day time and night time are 42 and 58 %, respectively. BC, BC_{f f} , and BC_{w b} mass concentrations exhibit large and significant variations during morning, afternoon, evening, and night time. During afternoon, mass concentration values are minimum throughout the year because of the fully evolved boundary layer and reduced anthropogenic activities. BC exhibits a strong seasonal variability with postmonsoon high (8.3 μg m ⁻³) and monsoon low (1.9 μg m ⁻³). Annual mean BC_{f f} and BC_{w b} contributions are 80 and 20 %, respectively, to total BC, which suggests that major contribution of BC in Ahmedabad comes from fossil fuel emissions. The results show that the study location is dominated by fossil fuel combustion as compared to the emissions from wood burning. The results obtained represent a regional value over an urban regime which can be used as inputs on source apportionment to model BC emissions in regional and global climate models.

http://ift.tt/2kaOgJ5

Spatiotemporal distribution and source apportionment of low molecular weight organic acids in wet precipitation at a coastal city, China

Abstract

To investigate the characteristics and sources of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids in wet precipitation at a coastal city, Xiamen, a total of 313 rainwater samples were collected at seven different functional areas from September 2012 to August 2013. Spatiotemporal characteristics of LMW organic acids as well as pH and electrical conductivity were analyzed. Meanwhile, air mass clusters in different seasons and the positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportion model were comprehensively used to identify the sources of organic acids. In conclusion, the volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentration of formic (3.20 μmol/L), acetic (1.84 μmol/L), lactic (0.44 μmol/L), and oxalic acid (0.53 μmol/L) were obtained, which jointly contributed to 4.33% of the total free acidity (TFA). At the same time, the highest wet deposition flux of LMW organic acids and contribution of that to TFA were achieved at the forest protection area during growing season in Xiamen. In addition, biogenic emissions (77.12%), sea salts (13.77%), regional agriculture activities (3.92%), soil emissions (2.56%), biomass burning (1.47%), and secondary aerosols (1.15%) were determined as the source of LMW organic acids. Besides, the dominancy of biomass burning via long-range transport in non-growing season (NGS) and the contribution of biogenic emission in growing season (GS) were recognized. Finally, the considerable influence of sea salts on the LMW organic acids (13.77%) in Xiamen was quantified, especially for oxalic acid.

http://ift.tt/2kVyZ3c

Thermal analysis and stability of commercially available endodontic obturation materials

Abstract

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the thermal stability of 23 commercially-available endodontic obturation materials.

Materials and methods

Specimens (n = 10) were sealed in aluminum differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) crucibles and subjected to thermal scan series consisting of a 25 to 70 °C at 5 °C/min followed by a rapid increase to 230 °C, followed by a second scan from 25 to 70 °C at 5 °C/min. The first scan evaluated the materials as-received followed by a worse-case-scenario thermal challenge simulating temperatures involved with warm vertical condensation obturation techniques. The second thermal scan observed any phase changes from the high temperature challenge. This two-scan process was repeated twice to observe changes encountered by repeat high heat exposure during obturation. Mean thermal enthalpies were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Games-Howell post-hoc test. (p = 0.05).

Results

Thermal behavior was material dependent. During the first thermal scan, materials typically demonstrated broad endothermic enthalpy curves suggesting either a gutta-percha phase mixture and/or an alpha crystalline phase. The first high-heat challenge produced definitive alpha/beta thermal phase signatures usually associated with gutta-percha. Changes in beta-phase enthalpies were noted with Therarmafil Plus and UltraFil Firmset while increase in alpha-phases was observed with GuttaCore, K3, Lexicon, and Schein Accessory Points.

Conclusions

Commercial endodontic gutta-percha obturation materials displayed thermal characteristics that were material dependent. However, all demonstrated stability at temperatures in excess to that experienced during warm vertical condensation techniques.

Clinical relevance

The gutta-percha obturation materials evaluated in this evaluation can be used successfully in warm vertical condensation techniques without fear of degradation.

http://ift.tt/2lv4Gxb

DATASET FOR AN ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATIVE ASPECTS OF FINANCE

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Zavyalova Natalya
The article describes a step-by-step strategy for designing a universal comprehensive vision of a vast majority of financial research topics. The strategy is focused around the analysis of the retrieval results of the word processing system Serelex which is based on the semantic similarity measure. While designing a research topic, scientists usually employ their individual background. They rely in most cases on their individual assumptions and hypotheses. The strategy, introduced in the article, highlights the method of identifying components of semantic maps which can lead to a better coverage of any scientific topic under analysis. On the example of the research field of finance we show the practical and theoretical value of semantic similarity measurements, i.e., a better coverage of the problems which might be included in the scientific analysis of financial field. At the designing stage of any research scientists are not immune to an insufficient and, thus, erroneous spectrum of problems under analysis. According to the famous maxima of St. Augustine, 'Fallor ergo sum', the researchers' activities are driven along the way from one mistake to another. However, this might not be the case for the 21^st century science approach. Our strategy offers an innovative methodology, according to which the number of mistakes at the initial stage of any research may be significantly reduced. The data, obtained, was used in two articles [7], [8]. The second stage of our experiment was driven towards analyzing the correlation between the language and income level of the respondents. The article contains the information about data processing.



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Residential construction cost: An Italian survey

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Rubina Canesi, Giuliano Marella
This paper reports data describing development projects for new buildings according to construction costs in North-East Italy. A survey was carried out on local companies undertaking new residential development projects in two Italian regions (Veneto and Lombardy). The aim of this survey was to record new real estate construction projects, collecting both technical and socio-economic cost features. It is extremely difficult to collect such data for the Italian real estate construction sector, due to its lack of transparency, so that the novelty for the Italian scenario is the dataset itself. Another interest perspective of this survey is that socio-economic characteristics were also recorded; they are often studied in urban economics, but are usually related to property purchase prices and values, not to construction costs. The data come from an analysis of Canesi and Marella regarding the relationship between the trend of construction costs and the socio-economic conditions of the reference setting, such as the mean years of schooling of the workforce, housing market trends, and average per capita income.



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DNA methylation data for identification of epigenetic targets of resveratrol in triple negative breast cancer cells

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Rubiceli Medina-Aguilar, Carlos Pérez-Plasencia, Patricio Gariglio, Laurence A. Marchat, Ali Flores-Pérez, César López-Camarillo, Jaime García Mena
Previous studies revealed that some bioactive food components have anti-cancer effects. However epigenetic effects of dietary compound resveratrol are largely unknown in breast cancer cells [1]. Here we provide novel data and comparisons of DNA methylation status of promoter gene regions in response to resveratrol treatment at 24h and 48h versus untreated MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. DNA methylation changes were measured using Array-PRIMES method (aPRIMES) followed by whole-genome hybridization using human DNA methylation promoter microarray NimbleGen HG18 Refseq Promoter 3×720K array. Our data were associated to corresponding changes in mRNA expression in a set of cancer-related genes. Using gene ontology analysis we also identify cancer-related cellular processes and pathways that can be epigenetically reprogramed by resveratrol. Data in this article are associated to the research articles "Methylation Landscape of Human Breast Cancer Cells in Response to Dietary Compound Resveratrol". Medina Aguilar et al., PLoS ONE 11(6): e0157866. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157866 2016 [2]; and "Resveratrol inhibits cell cycle progression by targeting Aurora kinase A and Polo-like kinase 1 in breast cancer cells" in Oncology Reports. Medina Aguilar et al., 2016 Jun; 35(6):3696-704. doi: 10.3892/or.2016.4728 [3].



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Dataset of proteomics analysis of aging C. elegans exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA01

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Christina D. King, Daljeet Singh, Kyle Holden, Annie B. Govan, Scott Keith, Arjumand Ghazi, Renã A.S. Robinson
Here, we present the proteomics dataset of young and middle-aged Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa strain PA01), which is related to the article "Proteomic Identification of Virulence-Related Factors in Young and Aging C. elegans infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa" (C. D. King et. al, in-revisions). This dataset was generated to better understand the effects of aging on molecular mechanisms involved in host response to pathogen exposure. Protein from C. elegans of different age and exposure to P. aeruginosa PA01 or control E. coli OP50 were extracted and tryptically digested. Peptides were labeled with the reagents tandem mass tag (TMT⁶-plex), separated, and detected by using offline strong-cation exchange and online liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (SCX – LC – MS/MS & MS³). A separate mixture of peptides were labeled on N-terminal amines and lysines with dimethylation. Dimethylated peptides were analyzed using LC – MS/MS and a portion of the results were used to verify fold-change direction for TMT⁶-plex experiments. Raw data can be found online at http://ift.tt/2kaKakf, a cloud-based data repository (see specifications table for details).



http://ift.tt/2kVA2jO

Short- and long-term changes in sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) gene expression due to postharvest jasmonic acid treatment - Data

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:Data in Brief
Author(s): Lucilene Silva de Oliveira, Karen Klotz Fugate, Jocleita Perruzo Ferrareze, Melvin D. Bolton, Edward L. Deckard, Fernando L. Finger
Jasmonic acid is a natural plant hormone that induces native defense responses in plants. Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) root unigenes that were differentially expressed 2 and 60 days after a postharvest jasmonic acid treatment are presented. Data include changes in unigene expression relative to water-treated controls, unigene annotations against nonredundant (Nr), Swiss-Prot, Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) protein databases, and unigene annotations with Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Putative defense unigenes are compiled and annotated against the sugarbeet genome. Differential gene expression data were generated by RNA sequencing. Interpretation of the data is available in the research article, "Jasmonic acid causes short- and long-term alterations to the transcriptome and the expression of defense genes in sugarbeet roots" (K.K. Fugate, L.S. Oliveira, J.P. Ferrareze, M.D. Bolton, E.L. Deckard, F.L. Finger, 2017) [1]. Public dissemination of this dataset will allow further analyses of the data.



http://ift.tt/2kVGjvH

Homozygous Loss of Autism-Risk Gene CNTNAP2 Results in Reduced Local and Long-Range Prefrontal Functional Connectivity

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>Functional connectivity aberrancies, as measured with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI), have been consistently observed in the brain of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) patients. However, the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of these findings remain unclear. Homozygous mutations in <span style="font-style:italic;">contactin associated protein-like 2</span> (<span style="font-style:italic;">CNTNAP2</span>), a neurexin-related cell-adhesion protein, are strongly linked to autism and epilepsy. Here we used rsfMRI to show that homozygous mice lacking <span style="font-style:italic;">Cntnap2</span> exhibit reduced long-range and local functional connectivity in prefrontal and midline brain "connectivity hubs." Long-range rsfMRI connectivity impairments affected heteromodal cortical regions and were prominent between fronto-posterior components of the mouse default-mode network, an effect that was associated with reduced social investigation, a core "autism trait" in mice. Notably, viral tracing revealed reduced frequency of prefrontal-projecting neural clusters in the cingulate cortex of <span style="font-style:italic;">Cntnap2</span>^−/− mutants, suggesting a possible contribution of defective mesoscale axonal wiring to the observed functional impairments. Macroscale cortico-cortical white-matter organization appeared to be otherwise preserved in these animals. These findings reveal a key contribution of ASD-associated gene CNTNAP2 in modulating macroscale functional connectivity, and suggest that homozygous loss-of-function mutations in this gene may predispose to neurodevelopmental disorders and autism through a selective dysregulation of connectivity in integrative prefrontal areas.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lxFRkR

Body Topography Parcellates Human Sensory and Motor Cortex

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>The cytoarchitectonic map as proposed by Brodmann currently dominates models of human sensorimotor cortical structure, function, and plasticity. According to this model, primary motor cortex, area 4, and primary somatosensory cortex, area 3b, are homogenous areas, with the major division lying between the two. Accumulating empirical and theoretical evidence, however, has begun to question the validity of the Brodmann map for various cortical areas. Here, we combined in vivo cortical myelin mapping with functional connectivity analyses and topographic mapping techniques to reassess the validity of the Brodmann map in human primary sensorimotor cortex. We provide empirical evidence that area 4 and area 3b are not homogenous, but are subdivided into distinct cortical fields, each representing a major body part (the hand and the face). Myelin reductions at the hand–face borders are cortical layer-specific, and coincide with intrinsic functional connectivity borders as defined using large-scale resting state analyses. Our data extend the Brodmann model in human sensorimotor cortex and suggest that body parts are an important organizing principle, similar to the distinction between sensory and motor processing.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lqyhvw

The Relation Between Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity at Glutamatergic Synapses in the Amygdala and Fear Learning in Adult Heterozygous BDNF-Knockout Mice

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) heterozygous knockout mice (BDNF^+/− mice) show fear learning deficits from 3 months of age onwards. Here, we addressed the question how this learning deficit correlates with altered long-term potentiation (LTP) in the cortical synaptic input to the lateral amygdala (LA) and at downstream intra-amygdala synapses in BDNF^+/- mice. Our results reveal that the fear learning deficit in BDNF^+/− mice was not paralleled by a loss of LTP, neither at cortical inputs to the LA nor at downstream intra-amygdala glutamatergic synapses. As we did observe early fear memory (30 min after training) in BDNF^+/− mice while long-term memory (24 h post-training) was absent, the stable LTP in cortico-LA and downstream synapses is in line with the intact acquisition of fear memories. Ex vivo recordings in acute slices of fear-conditioned wildtype (WT) mice revealed that fear learning induces long-lasting changes at cortico-LA synapses that occluded generation of LTP 4 and 24 h after training. Overall, our data show that the intact LTP in the tested amygdala circuits is consistent with intact acquisition of fear memories in both WT and BDNF^+/− mice. In addition, the lack of learning-induced long-term changes at cortico-LA synapses in BDNF^+/− mice parallels the observed deficit in fear memory consolidation.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lxMcwE

Cognitive Enhancement Induced by Anodal tDCS Drives Circuit-Specific Cortical Plasticity

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>Increasing evidence shows that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances cognitive performance in healthy and clinical population. Such facilitation is supposed to be linked to plastic changes at relevant cortical sites. However, direct electrophysiological evidence for this causal relationship is still missing. Here, we show that cognitive enhancement occurring in healthy human subjects during anodal tDCS is affected by ongoing brain activity, increasing cortical excitability of task-related brain networks only, as directly measured by Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation combined with electroencephalography (TMS-EEG). Specifically, TMS-EEG recordings were performed before and after anodal tDCS coupled with a verbal fluency task. To control for effects of tDCS protocol and TMS target location, 3 conditions were assessed: anodal/sham tDCS with TMS over left premotor cortex, anodal tDCS with TMS over left posterior parietal cortex. Modulation of cortical excitability occurred only at left Brodmann's areas 6, 44, and 45, a key network for language production, after anodal tDCS and TMS over the premotor cortex, and was positively correlated to the degree of cognitive enhancement. Our results suggest that anodal tDCS specifically affects task-related functional networks active while delivering stimulation, and this boost of specific cortical circuits is correlated to the observed cognitive enhancement.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lqC6ks

A Systematic Relationship Between Functional Connectivity and Intracortical Myelin in the Human Cerebral Cortex

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>Research in the macaque monkey suggests that cortical areas with similar microstructure are more likely to be connected. Here, we examine this link in the human cerebral cortex using 2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures: quantitative  <span style="font-style:italic;">T</span>₁ maps, which are sensitive to intracortical myelin content and provide an in vivo proxy for cortical microstructure, and resting-state functional connectivity. Using ultrahigh-resolution MRI at 7 T and dedicated image processing tools, we demonstrate a systematic relationship between <span style="font-style:italic;">T</span>₁-based intracortical myelin content and functional connectivity. This effect is independent of the proximity of areas. We employ nonlinear dimensionality reduction to characterize connectivity components and identify specific aspects of functional connectivity that are linked to myelin content. Our results reveal a consistent spatial pattern throughout different analytic approaches. While functional connectivity and myelin content are closely linked in unimodal areas, the correspondence is lower in transmodal areas, especially in posteromedial cortex and the angular gyrus. Our findings are in agreement with comprehensive reports linking histologically assessed microstructure and connectivity in different mammalian species and extend them to the human cerebral cortex in vivo.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lxFQgS

Medial Frontal Circuit Dynamics Represents Probabilistic Choices for Unfamiliar Sensory Experience

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>Neurons in medial frontal cortex (MFC) receive sensory signals that are crucial for decision-making behavior. While decision-making is easy for familiar sensory signals, it becomes more elaborative when sensory signals are less familiar to animals. It remains unclear how the population of neurons enables the coordinate transformation of such a sensory input into ambiguous choice responses. Furthermore, whether and how cortical oscillations temporally coordinate neuronal firing during this transformation has not been extensively studied. Here, we recorded neuronal population responses to familiar or unfamiliar auditory cues in rat MFC and computed their probabilistic evolution. Population responses to familiar sounds organize into neuronal trajectories containing multiplexed sensory, motor, and choice information. Unfamiliar sounds, in contrast, evoke trajectories that travel under the guidance of familiar paths and eventually diverge to unique decision states. Local field potentials exhibited beta- (15–20 Hz) and gamma-band (50–60 Hz) oscillations to which neuronal firing showed modest phase locking. Interestingly, gamma oscillation, but not beta oscillation, increased its power abruptly at some timepoint by which neural trajectories for different choices were near maximally separated. Our results emphasize the importance of the evolution of neural trajectories in rapid probabilistic decisions that utilize unfamiliar sensory information.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lqz1kv

β-Catenin in the Adult Visual Cortex Regulates NMDA-Receptor Function and Visual Responses

<span class="paragraphSection"><div class="boxTitle">Abstract</div>The formation, plasticity and maintenance of synaptic connections is regulated by molecular and electrical signals. β-Catenin is an important protein in these events and regulates cadherin-mediated cell adhesion and the recruitment of pre- and postsynaptic proteins in an activity-dependent fashion. Mutations in the β-catenin gene can cause cognitive disability and autism, with life-long consequences. Understanding its synaptic function may thus be relevant for the treatment of these disorders. So far, β-catenin's function has been studied predominantly in cell culture and during development but knowledge on its function in adulthood is limited. Here, we show that ablating β-catenin in excitatory neurons of the adult visual cortex does not cause the same synaptic deficits previously observed during development. Instead, it reduces NMDA-receptor currents and impairs visual processing. We conclude that β-catenin remains important for adult cortical function but through different mechanisms than during development.</span>

http://ift.tt/2lxPrV0

Class 3 semaphorins are transcriptionally regulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 in osteoblasts

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2017
Source:The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Author(s): Jussi Ryynänen, Carsten Kriebitzsch, Mark B. Meyer, Iris Janssens, J. Wesley Pike, Lieve Verlinden, Annemieke Verstuyf
The vitamin D endocrine system is essential for calcium metabolism and skeletal integrity. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] regulates bone mineral homeostasis and acts directly on osteoblasts. In the present study we characterized the transcriptional regulation of the class 3 semaphorin (Sema3) gene family by 1,25(OH)2D3 in osteoblastic cells. Class 3 semaphorins are secreted proteins that regulate cell growth, morphology and migration, and were recently shown to be involved in bone homeostasis. In ST2, MC3T3-E1 and primary calvarial osteoblast cell cultures we found that all members of the Sema3 gene family were expressed, and that Sema3e and Sema3f were the most strongly induced 1,25(OH)2D3 target genes among the studied cell types. In addition, transcription of Sema3b and Sema3c was upregulated, whereas Sema3d and Sema3g was downregulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 in different osteoblastic cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis linked to DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq analysis) revealed the presence of the vitamin D receptor at multiple genomic loci in the proximity of Sema3 genes, demonstrating that the genes are primary 1,25(OH)2D3 targets. Furthermore, we showed that recombinant SEMA3E and SEMA3F protein were able to inhibit osteoblast proliferation. However, recombinant SEMA3s did not affect ST2 cell migration. The expression of class 3 semaphorins in osteoblasts together with their regulation by 1,25(OH)2D3 suggests that these genes, involved in the regulation of bone homeostasis, are additional mediators for 1,25(OH)2D3 signaling in osteoblasts.



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