bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GABAA-Rezeptorsubtypen: Strukturelle Vielfalt gibt Hoffnung auf neue Therapiekonzepte
Authors: Ernst M. , Sieghart W.
Published: April 2017

GABAA - Rezeptoren sind Liganden-gesteuerte Chloridionenkanäle, die aus fünf Untereinheiten bestehen und durch GABA geöffnet und von vielen klinisch wichtigen Medikamenten moduliert werden können. Diese Rezeptoren kommen im Nervensystem vor, wurden aber auch in peripheren Geweben gefunden, wo ihre Funktion weitgehend unbekannt ist. Die Existenz einer Vielzahl von Rezeptorsubtypen, die sich in ihrer Untereinheitszusammensetzung unterscheiden, resultiert in einer Vielzahl von homologen Liganden- Bindestellen mit variabler Ähnlichkeit zueinander.

Kristallstrukturen homologer Proteine, sowie eines GABAA - Rezeptorsubtyps, haben in Verbindung mit Homologiemodellen Einblicke in die Lokalisation von Bindestellen ermöglicht, wobei einige der Bindestellen bereits experimentell verifiziert werden konnten. Für viele Liganden dieser Rezeptoren sind die Bindestellen jedoch noch nicht bekannt. Wir geben einen Überblick über die Funktion verschiedener GABAA - Rezeptorsubtypen und diskutieren die strukturellen Gegebenheiten sowie die experimentelle Evidenz für Wirkprinzipien, die erhebliches therapeutisches Potenzial haben könnten.
Neuronale Schaltkreise des Peinlichkeitserlebens
Authors: Krach Sören , Müller-Pinzler Laura , Rademacher Lena , Stolz David Sören , Paulus Frieder Michel
Published: April 2017

Peinlichkeit ist eine genuin menschliche Emotion, die wir erleben, wenn wir in einem öffentlichen Kontext bloßgestellt werden. Hierbei ist die Fähigkeit zur Perspektivübernahme entscheidend, die es uns ermöglicht zu verstehen, was andere Personen fühlen und über uns denken. Auf neuronaler Ebene ist Perspektivübernahme unter anderem eng mit Aktivität in Bereichen des medialen präfrontalen Kortex und dem Precuneus assoziiert. Gleichzeitig löst das Missgeschick und die erwartete negative Bewertung der Anderen eine emotionale Erregung aus, die durch Aktivierungen der anterioren Insula und des anterioren cingulären Kortex gekennzeichnet ist.Besonders ist hierbei, dass beide Netzwerke nicht isoliert voneinander Peinlichkeit vermitteln, sondern nur gemeinsam durch ihre funktionelle Kopplung mit Strukturen des (para-)limbischen Systems dieses komplexe emotionale Erleben erklären können. Peinlichkeitserleben setzt damit die Anwesenheit anderer voraus, die allerdings ebenfalls emotional auf die Situation reagieren. Dementsprechend kann Peinlichkeit auch stellvertretend für die Missgeschicke und das Fehlverhalten Anderer empfunden werden. Auch bei diesem sogenannten „Fremdschämen“ spielt die Fähigkeit zur Perspektivübernahme eine entscheidende Rolle. Beobachter und Beobachterinnen verinnerlichen die Bedrohung der sozialen Integrität Anderer, was ebenfalls emotionale Erregung, nun stellvertretend, induziert. Derartige interpersonelle Emotionen gewinnen im Kontext klinischer Störungen eine besondere Relevanz. Speziell soziale Angststörungen oder Autismus- Spektrum- Erkrankungen sind dabei zentral mit Auffälligkeiten assoziiert, die sich direkt in sozialen Interaktionen manifestieren. Das kann zu starken Einschränkungen im Sozialverhalten führen und damit das Wohlbefinden der Betroffenen nachhaltig verändern.
Das dynamische Konnektom
Authors: Rumpel S. , Triesch J.
Published: April 2017

Um eine Vorstellung von den in neuronalen Netzwerken ablaufenden Prozessen zu bekommen, werden häufig Vergleiche mit elektronischen Schaltkreisen angestellt. Ein fundamentaler Unterschied zu solchen fest verdrahteten Schaltkreisen besteht jedoch darin, dass sich die Struktur neuronaler Verbindungen ständig verändert. Im Folgenden diskutieren wir aktuelle Befunde, die diese dynamische Natur und die zugrunde liegenden Mechanismen deutlich machen. Die Dynamik neuronaler Netzwerke unterliegt bestimmten Regeln, die die statistischen Charakteristika der synaptischen Eigenschaften im stationären Zustand zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt erklären. Diese Regeln erlauben auch die Vorhersage der zukünftigen Zustände des Netzwerks und ergänzen Erkenntnisse, die mithilfe serieller Sektionselektronenmikroskopie an Hirnschnitten gewonnen wurden, die methodisch bedingt lediglich Informationen zu einem einzigen Zeitpunkt liefert. Wir legen dar, wie die dynamische Natur des Konnektoms mit der stabilen Funktionsfähigkeit und Langzeitspeicherung von Gedächtnisinhalten vereinbar ist und wie sie sogar Lernprozesse begünstigen könnte.
Studying motor cortex function using the rodent vibrissal system
Authors: Chakrabarti S. , Schwarz C.
Published: April 2017

The function of the mammalian motor cortex was one of the first problems studied in neuroscience. But until today, the major principles of the workings of the motor cortex have remained conjectural. It is clear that mo­tor cortex holds a topographic map of body parts. But does that mean that the motor cortex itself is undertaking the challenging task of converting motor plans (i.e., intended trajectories and effects of actions) into low level motor commands appropriate to drive the muscles? Work of many decades on motor function has revealed the existence of dedicated networks, the so-called central pattern generators (CPGs). Many, if not all of these CPGs, are located subcortically and are likely to be involved in the translation of motor plans into actual muscle contractions. Unfortunately the detailed circuitry and cellu­lar elements of CPGs are only vaguely known. More recent work has elucidated continuous as well as discontinuous (discrete) mapping of the motor cortex to movement. For the quest of understanding motor cortex-CPG interactions, discontinuities are important because they allow us to dissect how neigh­boring motor cortex sites connect to different CPGs for different purposes-but driving the very same muscles. The rodent whisker motor system is a decidedly modular system. Neighboring cortical areas drive very distinct whisker movements used by the animals in different contexts. We argue that the modularity of the whisker system together with its great accessibility is promising to establish a model system for the interactions of the mo­tor cortex and CPGs on the cellular and net­work levels and, thus, will also be of high value in understanding the more complex and continuously organized motor cortex of the arm/hand/finger system in primates.
New insights into the role of GABAergic inhibition during functional reorganization of the visual cortex post-lesion
Authors: Mittmann T. , Imbrosci B.
Published: April 2017

Cortical injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The first weeks post-lesion are usually crucial to predict the final outcome of patients. While most of them experience a spontaneous, at least partial, restoration of function, in some the clinical picture is complicated due to the development of epileptic seizures. A substantial number of studies suggest that these phenomena may be triggered by complex functional alterations in intracortical inhibition, often observed in perilesional cortical areas. Pathophysiological changes in GABAergic transmission are indeed likely to alter plasticity, excitability, and function of cortical circuits. The development of more efficient therapeutic strategies may, therefore, require a deep understanding into lesion-induced changes in inhibition at both the cellular and neuronal network levels. In this review, we gather together information from recent studies which have focused on dissecting alterations at inhibitory synapses as well as in the function of different subclasses of interneurons following cortical lesions.
How light traverses the inverted vertebrate retina
Authors: Reichenbach A. , Agte S. , Francke M. , Franze K.
Published: April 2017

In our eyes, as in the eyes of all vertebrates, images of the environment are projected on­to an inverted retina, where photons must pass through most of the retinal layers before being captured by the light-sensitive cells. Light scattering in these retinal layers must decrease the signal-to-noise ratio of the im­ages and thus interfere with clear vision. Sur­prisingly however, our eyes display splendid visual abilities. This apparent contradiction could be resolved if intraretinal light scatter­ing were to be minimized by built-in opti­cal elements that facilitate light transmission through the tissue. Indeed, we were able to show that one function of radial glial (Mül­ler) cells is to act as effective optical fibers in the living retina, bypassing the light-scatter­ing structures in front of the light-sensitive cells. Each Müller cell serves as a ‘private’ light cable, providing one individual cone photo­receptor cell with its appropriate pixel of the environmental image, thus optimizing spe­cial resolution and visual acuity.
The human brain project: neuroscience perspectives and German contributions
Authors: Amunts K.
Published: April 2017

Studying the human brain remains one of the greatest scientific challenges. A comprehensive understanding of the structural and functional organization of the brain is not only of great importance for basic science, but also for the development of new approaches that improve diagnosis and the treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Thus, the Human Brain Project (HBP) was start­ed in October 2013. The immense complexity of the brain, with its approximately 86 bi­llion nerve cells, makes it essential to include modeling and simulation approaches, combined with methods of high performance computing (HPC), in order to analyze the organizational principles of the brain. Con­versely, the understanding of neural mecha­nisms might inspire new advancements for HPC. The project will be funded with approximately € 1.19 billion, with 75% of funding from the EU, and the rest provided by partner countries and their institutions. The HBP currently involves about 80 institutions from 22 countries and has a duration of 10 years, thus, making it one of the world’s largest re­search initiatives. This article is designed to give a brief overview of the HBP organization, and to illustrate the German neuroscientific contributions to the HBP and indicate the relationship to other projects within the HBP.
Mechanisms and genes in Drosophila hearing
Authors: Kittelmann M. , Göpfert M.C.
Published: April 2017

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster com­municates acoustically and hears with its an­tennae. Fundamental aspects of hearing can be studied in these antennal ears, the audi­tory sensory cells of which are evolutionarily related to vertebrate hair cells and are spec­ified developmentally by homologous tran­scription factors. Like vertebrate hair cells, Drosophila auditory sensory cells are also mo­tile and actively amplify the mechanical vi­brations they transduce. The transduction and amplification mechanisms rely on the in­terplay between mechanically activated ion channels and motor proteins, whose move­ment impacts upon the macroscopic perfor­mance of the ear. The first molecular trans­ducer components have been identified and various auditory system-relevant proteins have been described. Several of these pro­teins are conserved components of cilia, sug­gesting the fly’s ear as a model for human cil­iopathies. The evolution of sensory signaling cascades can also be studied using the fly’s ear, as the fly employs key chemo- and pho­toreceptor proteins to hear. Evidence is al­so accumulating that the fly’s ear is a multi­functional sensory organ, which, in addition to mediating hearing, serves to detect wind, gravity and presumably temperature.
Modulation of AMPA receptor function by auxiliary subunits
Authors: Monyer Hannah , Engelhardt Jakob von
Published: April 2017

AMPA receptors are ionotropic glutamate receptors that mediate the majority of fast excitatory transmission in the central nervous system. Their function depends not only on the composition of the subunits GluA1-4, but also on the interaction with auxiliary subunits. Several auxiliary subunits have been identified in proteomic analyses over the last years and we are beginning to understand the complex control of these proteins on physiological properties and membrane- transport of AMPA receptors. Auxiliary subunits such as TARPs, cornichons, and CK-AMP44 influence receptor localization on the cell membrane, modulate receptor gating, and play a role for synaptic short-term and long-term plasticity.
Diversity of synaptic astrocyte–neuron signaling
Authors: Henneberger Christian , Petzold Gabor C.
Published: April 2017

Fast signal exchange between neurons and astrocytes at the synaptic level has attracted considerable attention. Astrocytes often respond with Ca2+ transients to widely different neuronal synaptic activity. At the same time, astrocyte Ca2+ elevations trigger profound and diverse changes of both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Here, we briefly review examples of the heterogeneity of Ca2+-dependent astrocyte-neuron communication in the rodent hippocampus and discuss mechanisms that could maintain specificity of synaptic astrocyte-neuron signaling in the face of its diversity.
Form follows function: actin-binding proteins as critical regulators of excitatory synapses
Authors: Rust M.B , Michaelsen-Preusse K.
Published: April 2017

Actin filaments (F-actin) are the major structural component of excitatory synapses. In excitatory synapses, F-actin is enriched in presynaptic terminals and in dendritic spines, and actin dynamics-the spatio-temporally controlled assembly and disassembly of F-actin-have been implicated in pre- and postsynaptic physiology. Hence, actin-binding proteins that control actin dynamics emerged as important regulators of excitatory synapses linking synaptic function and structure, and therefore they are of vital importance for behavior. By the analyses of gene-targeted mice and by loss- and gain-of-function approaches in acute brain slices or dissociated neuronal cultures, studies from the last decade, including studies from our own labs, unraveled the versatile synaptic functions for members of two important families of actin dynamics regulating proteins, namely ADF/cofilin and profilin. After a short introduction into chemical synapses and actin dynamics, we will summarize and discuss recent findings on the synaptic functions of ADF/cofilin and profilin in this review article, and we will outline future directions and perspectives in the field.
The blood–brain barrier and its regulation by NF-κB
Authors: Wenzel J. , Schwaninger M.
Published: April 2017

The brain is protected by a tight barrier between the blood and parenchyma. This so-called blood-brain barrier protects the brain from invading pathogens, infiltrating immune cells, and the extravasation of serum proteins. Beside pericytes and astrocytes mainly endothelial cells form this barrier.

Inflammation leads to an increase in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. NF-κB is activated during inflammation and is a key regulator of inflammatory processes. In brain endothelial cells NF-κB protects the blood-brain barrier. Loss of the NF-κB activating protein NEMO in brain endothelial cells leads to endothelial cell death, increased permeability, and epilepsy inmice as well as in humans with the hereditary disease incontinentia pigmenti. Therefore, inflammatory mediators are able to disturb but also to protect the blood-brain barrier.
Connectomics at cellular precision
Authors: Helmstaedter Moritz
Published: April 2017

The complete mapping of neuronal circuits in at least parts of brains has received substantial attention recently. Methodological breakthroughs have made the imaging of ever larger tissue blocks realistic using 3-dimensional electron microscopy. Analysis of such data, however, is still limiting the neuroscientific insights obtainable from cellular connectomics data. What is the state of this scientific field, which insights have been obtained, which are in reach? This brief overview summarizes the current knowledge in cellular connectomics.
Betaine treatment decreased serum glucose and lipid levels, hepatic and renal oxidative stress in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Authors: Evran Betül , Aydın Abdurrahman Fatih , Uğuralp Buse , Sar Mehmet , Doğru-Abbasoğlu Semra , Uysal Müjdat
Published: April 2017

Objective

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of betaine (BET) on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus (DM) in rats. Additionally, the efficiency of BET was compared with metformin (MET), a standard oral antidiabetic drug.

Methods

STZ (55 mg/kg body weight; i.p.) was injected to male Wistar rats. Rats with DM were treated with BET (1 g/kg body weight/day;) or MET (500 mg/kg body weight/day;) for 4 weeks. Blood glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum glucose, lipids, hepatic and renal function tests and urinary protein levels were examined. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were also determined in liver and kidney.

Results

Glucose, HbA1c, and serum lipids increased and liver and kidney function tests were impaired in diabetic rats. Hepatic and renal ROS formation and MDA levels were elevated, hepatic, but not renal GSH and FRAP levels were decreased. BET decreased blood HbA1c, serum glucose and lipid levels and urine protein levels. BET diminished hepatic and renal prooxidant status.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that BET may be effective in decreasing STZ-induced high levels of blood HbA1c, and serum glucose and lipid levels and prooxidant status in liver and kidney tissues.
Investigating the provenance of obsidian from Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in Bulgaria
Authors: Bonsall Clive , Elenski Nedko , Ganecovski Georgi , Gurova Maria , Ivanov Georgi , Slavchev Vladimir , Zlateva-Uzunova Radka
Published: April 2017

Portable energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) has become a widely used tool for the chemical characterisation (source identification) of obsidian found in archaeological contexts. While laboratory techniques such as neutron activation analysis (NAA) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can analyse more elements and have lower detection limits, pXRF can provide quantitative data of sufficient resolution to be able to match obsidian artefacts with their volcanic sources. At the same time, pXRF offers several advantages for obsidian research: (i) it can be deployed ‘in the field’ (i.e. on site or in a museum) without the need to bring samples back to a laboratory for analysis; (ii) information on elemental composition can be obtained relatively quickly; and (iii) measurements require no special preparation of samples and cause no visible damage to materials.
Investigating the proposed sanctuary near the volcanic Lago di Venere, Pantelleria, Italy, in 2014 and 2015
Authors: Murray Carrie Ann , Vella Clive , Urban Thomas M. , Anastasi Maxine
Published: April 2017

The longue durée of human activity on the island of Pantelleria represents an important locus of ancient cultural interaction in the Strait of Sicily. This narrow channel in the central Mediterranean has played a major and continuous role in human relations between Italy, Sicily and North Africa since the Neolithic period. Use or control of the Pantelleria has been pivotal for a number of cultures over time, each leaving a lasting impression on the landscape and the people of the island (Figure 1). The volcanic geology of Pantelleria has determined the shape of its landscape and is responsible for the creation of the collapsed-caldera basin and lake that form the study area of this project. The Brock University Archaeological Project at Pantelleria (BUAPP) is working in the Lago di Venere area, examining past human activity on the north-eastern lake shore. A previous project in the Lago di Venere area (1998–2002) interpreted the site as a Punic and Roman sanctuary (Audino & Cerasetti 2004; Cerasetti 2006). Our project complements this and other archaeological investigations of the island's classical past, including the ongoing excavations on the Acropolis, near the main harbour, which have revealed the remains of the island's Punic and Roman centre (Schäfer et al. 2015).
EDITORIAL
Authors: Scarre Chris
Published: April 2017

Almost exactly 50 years ago this month, at a conference held in Monaco, nuclear physicist Hans Suess unveiled the first calibration curve for radiocarbon dates. The crucial paper, ‘Bristlecone pine calibration of the radiocarbon time scale from 4100 B.C. to 1500 B.C.', pushed back conventional radiocarbon ages by several centuries and so ushered in the Second Radiocarbon Revolution, soon leading to a new interpretation of European prehistory that severed the long-held connections between Europe and the Near East. Hitherto, diffusionism had held centre stage, with maps full of arrows showing people and artefacts incessantly on the move. With radiocarbon calibration, independent regional development became the order of the day for explaining cultural change. Fifty years on, however, a range of promising new techniques have become available that seem to reinstate some of the earlier narratives.
Long-Term Predictive and Feedback Encoding of Motor Signals in the Simple Spike Discharge of Purkinje Cells
Authors: Popa Laurentiu S. , Streng Martha L. , Ebner Timothy J.
Published: April 2017

Most hypotheses of cerebellar function emphasize a role in real-time control of movements. However, the cerebellum’s use of current information to adjust future movements and its involvement in sequencing, working memory, and attention argues for predicting and maintaining information over extended time windows. The present study examines the time course of Purkinje cell discharge modulation in the monkey (Macaca mulatta) during manual, pseudo-random tracking. Analysis of the simple spike firing from 183 Purkinje cells during tracking reveals modulation up to 2 s before and after kinematics and position error. Modulation significance was assessed against trial shuffled firing, which decoupled simple spike activity from behavior and abolished long-range encoding while preserving data statistics. Position, velocity, and position errors have the most frequent and strongest long-range feedforward and feedback modulations, with less common, weaker long-term correlations for speed and radial error. Position, velocity, and position errors can be decoded from the population simple spike firing with considerable accuracy for even the longest predictive (-2000 to -1500 ms) and feedback (1500 to 2000 ms) epochs. Separate analysis of the simple spike firing in the initial hold period preceding tracking shows similar long-range feedforward encoding of the upcoming movement and in the final hold period feedback encoding of the just completed movement, respectively. Complex spike analysis reveals little long-term modulation with behavior. We conclude that Purkinje cell simple spike discharge includes short- and long-range representations of both upcoming and preceding behavior that could underlie cerebellar involvement in error correction, working memory, and sequencing.
Intracortical Circuits in Thalamorecipient Layers of Auditory Cortex Refine after Visual Deprivation
Authors: Meng Xiangying , Kao Joseph P. Y. , Lee Hey-Kyoung , Kanold Patrick O.
Published: April 2017

Sensory cortices do not work in isolation. The functional responses of neurons in primary sensory cortices can be affected by activity from other modalities. For example, short-term visual deprivations, or dark exposure (DE), leads to enhanced neuronal responses and frequency selectivity to sounds in layer 4 (L4) of primary auditory cortex (A1). Circuit changes within A1 likely underlie these changes. Prior studies revealed that DE enhanced thalamocortical transmission to L4 in A1. Because the frequency selectivity of L4 neurons is determined by both thalamocortical and intracortical inputs, changes in intralaminar circuits to L4 neurons might also contribute to improved sound responses. We thus investigated in mouse A1 whether intracortical circuits to L4 cells changed after DE. Using in vitro whole-cell patch recordings in thalamocortical slices from mouse auditory cortex, we show that DE can lead to refinement of interlaminar excitatory as well as inhibitory connections from L2/3 to L4 cells, manifested as a weakening of these connections. The circuit refinement is present along the tonotopic axis, indicating reduced integration along the tonotopic axis. Thus, cross-modal influences may alter the spectral and temporal processing of sensory stimuli in multiple cortical layers by refinement of thalamocortical and intracortical circuits.
Perturbation of Serotonin Homeostasis during Adulthood Affects Serotonergic Neuronal Circuitry
Authors: Pratelli Marta , Migliarini Sara , Pelosi Barbara , Napolitano Francesco , Usiello Alessandro , Pasqualetti Massimo
Published: April 2017

Growing evidence shows that the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) modulates the fine-tuning of neuron development and the establishment of wiring patterns in the brain. However, whether serotonin is involved in the maintenance of neuronal circuitry in the adult brain remains elusive. Here, we use aTph2fl°xconditional knockout (cKO) mouse line to assess the impact of serotonin depletion during adulthood on serotonergic system organization. Data show that the density of serotonergic fibers is increased in the hippocampus and decreased in the thalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as a consequence of brain serotonin depletion. Strikingly, these defects are rescued following reestablishment of brain 5-HT signaling via administration of the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Finally, 3D reconstruction of serotonergic fibers reveals that changes in serotonin homeostasis affect axonal branching complexity. These data demonstrate that maintaining proper serotonin homeostasis in the adult brain is crucial to preserve the correct serotonergic axonal wiring.
Deafferented Adult Rod Bipolar Cells Create New Synapses with Photoreceptors to Restore Vision
Authors: Beier Corinne , Hovhannisyan Anahit , Weiser Sydney , Kung Jennifer , Lee Seungjun , Lee Dae Yeong , Huie Philip , Dalal Roopa , Palanker Daniel , Sher Alexander
Published: April 2017

Upon degeneration of photoreceptors in the adult retina, interneurons, including bipolar cells, exhibit a plastic response leading to their aberrant rewiring. Photoreceptor reintroduction has been suggested as a potential approach to sight restoration, but the ability of deafferented bipolar cells to establish functional synapses with photoreceptors is poorly understood. Here we use photocoagulation to selectively destroy photoreceptors in adult rabbits while preserving the inner retina. We find that rods and cones shift into the ablation zone over several weeks, reducing the blind spot at scotopic and photopic luminances. During recovery, rod and cone bipolar cells exhibit markedly different responses to deafferentation. Rod bipolar cells extend their dendrites to form new synapses with healthy photoreceptors outside the lesion, thereby restoring visual function in the deafferented retina. Secretagogin-positive cone bipolar cells did not exhibit such obvious dendritic restructuring. These findings are encouraging to the idea of photoreceptor reintroduction for vision restoration in patients blinded by retinal degeneration. At the same time, they draw attention to the postsynaptic side of photoreceptor reintroduction; various bipolar cell types, representing different visual pathways, vary in their response to the photoreceptor loss and in their consequent dendritic restructuring.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTLoss of photoreceptors during retinal degeneration results in permanent visual impairment. Strategies for vision restoration based on the reintroduction of photoreceptors inherently rely on the ability of the remaining retinal neurons to correctly synapse with new photoreceptors. We show that deafferented bipolar cells in the adult mammalian retina can reconnect to rods and cones and restore retinal sensitivity at scotopic and photopic luminances. Rod bipolar cells extend their dendrites to form new synapses with healthy rod photoreceptors. These findings support the idea that bipolar cells might be able to synapse with reintroduced photoreceptors, thereby restoring vision in patients blinded by retinal degeneration.
Lyric and Landscape in Rimsky-Korsakov's Songs
Authors: Bullock Philip Ross
Published: April 2017

Observing the use of landscape as a category of reception, whether in nineteenth-century debates about artistic realism or Soviet-era criticism, this article examines the uses of landscape in several songs by Rimsky-Korsakov and replaces a persistent emphasis in criticism on questions of representation with a focus on how music generates a sense of subjectivity. Three approaches facilitate a more subtle and variegated understanding of Rimsky-Korsakov's “soundscapes” than has been proposed so far. First, landscape is interpreted as a facet of Russian national identity in the second half of the nineteenth century. Second, the evocation of the sounds of the natural world is seen as a metapoetic commentary on the creative act, providing an “internal” commentary on landscape to match the “external” one of the nation. Intertwined with these two themes is a series of parallels between music, literature, and the visual arts, which together show that Rimsky-Korsakov's songs are indicative of a tension between dynamism and stasis that is characteristic of musical representation of landscapes, and that has often been seen as characteristic of Russian music more generally.
Present Absence: Debussy, Song, and the Art of (Dis)appearing
Authors: Johnson Julian
Published: April 2017

Debussy's early song settings of Théodore de Banville and Paul Bourget foreground the Romantic topic by which the singing voice revokes lost presence. The closed aesthetic space of music becomes, in these songs, the space of the nocturnal garden in which the souls of lovers merge with the containing landscape. But Debussy's fascination with the poetry of Paul Verlaine, over a period of twenty-two years from 1882 to 1904, juxtaposes such evocations of intense sensuous presence with songs of alienated absence and ironic distance. The poems Debussy set from Verlaine's Fêtes galantes (1869) provoke both kinds of song, the latter embodied through the shadowy figures of the commedia dell'arte. In the case of two such poems, “En sourdine” and “Clair de lune,” Debussy produced two different settings of the same text, ten years apart. The usual account is that these show the composer's progression from Romantic lyricism to a more sophisticated but withdrawn style, a development paralleled by a biographical story moving from his youthful passion for the dedicatee of the early songs, Marie-Blanche Vasnier, to the breakdown of his first marriage in 1904. But neither the stylistic nor the biographical narrative provides an adequate account of the Verlaine songs, and both miss their exploration of the economy of desire at the heart of the piano song.
A new sub‐pathway of long‐patch base excision repair involving 5′ gap formation
Authors: Woodrick Jordan , Gupta Suhani , Camacho Sharon , Parvathaneni Swetha , Choudhury Sujata , Cheema Amrita , Bai Yi , Khatkar Pooja , Erkizan Hayriye Verda , Sami Furqan , Su Yan , Schärer Orlando D , Sharma Sudha , Roy Rabindra
Published: April 2017

Base excision repair (BER) is one of the most frequently used cellular DNA repair mechanisms and modulates many human pathophysiological conditions related to DNA damage. Through live cell and in vitro reconstitution experiments, we have discovered a major sub‐pathway of conventional long‐patch BER that involves formation of a 9‐nucleotide gap 5′ to the lesion. This new sub‐pathway is mediated by RECQ1 DNA helicase and ERCC1‐XPF endonuclease in cooperation with PARP1 poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase and RPA. The novel gap formation step is employed during repair of a variety of DNA lesions, including oxidative and alkylation damage. Moreover, RECQ1 regulates PARP1 auto‐(ADP‐ribosyl)ation and the choice between long‐patch and single‐nucleotide BER, thereby modulating cellular sensitivity to DNA damage. Based on these results, we propose a revised model of long‐patch BER and a new key regulation point for pathway choice in BER.
Tratando de entender la participación política de las mujeres. Un análisis descriptivo a partir de un estudio cuantitativo.
Authors: Belmonte Martin Irene , Cañadas Osinski Isabel , Lloret Irles Daniel , Rodríguez Fernández Carlos
Published: April 2017

Este trabajo pretende ofrecer una visión actualizada, a través del estudio de caso, de la participación política de las mujeres. Así, en la primera parte y siguiendo una revisión doctrinal se describen los principales modelos y condicionantes explicativos del gap de género (Duverger, 1955; Inglehart & Norris, 2003; Dalton, 2006; Blais, 2010; Vergé, 2014), que convergen en la idea de la reducción de este gap, aunque sin llegar a romperlo, a pesar de los constantes y efectivos logros en pos de la igualdad conseguidos a finales del siglo XX. Factores económicos, sociales, políticos y psicológicos (Verba, Scholozman & Brady, 1995) explican en gran medida el comportamiento político de las mujeres, que varía según el tipo de participación política considerada (convencional/ no convencional; pacífica/ violenta).La segunda parte, se centra en un estudio de caso de la participación política en una muestra de 780 españoles. Se utilizó un cuestionario basado en la clasificación de participación política de Sabucedo (2010): Persuasión y comunicación política, participación convencional, participación no convencional violenta y participación no convencional pacífica. Los resultados del estudio corroboran en gran medida el marco teórico y las evidencias sociológicas en las que la participación de las mujeres, tiende a ser inferior en todas las facetas consideradas. Si bien, en cuanto al género no aparecen diferencias estadísticamente significativas, y consideramos que esta variable tan solo es capaz de explicar mínimamente este comportamiento. El último apartado de discusión del paper propuesto procurará justificar los resultados obtenidos.
Modificaciones en la Administración pública local y megaproyectos hidráulicos: ¿cambio estructural o adaptación exógena?
Authors: Pont Vidal Josep Vidal
Published: April 2017

Exponemos los resultados de una observación exploratoria en la que se analizan los impactos en la administración pública en el municipio de tamaño medio de Altamira, situado en el estado de Pará (Amazonia brasileña) como consecuencia de la construcción de la Central Hidroeléctrica de Belo Monte (CHB). Esta central no comporta tan solo impactos medioambientales (al ser la tercera mayor del mundo) sino también en todos los ámbitos de la vida cotidiana y en el subsistema administrativo público local. Se han observado en este sistema los códigos: tomada de decisiones y reacción frente a la contingencia, la lógica de la planificación y los cambios en las estructuras administrativas.We report the results of an exploratory observation in which the impacts are analyzed in public administration in the municipality of average size of Altamira, located in the state of Pará (Brazilian Amazonia) as a result of the construction of the hydroelectric plant of Belo Monte (CHB). This plant not only involves environmental (being the third largest in the world) but also in all areas of daily life and the local public administration impacts. In this subsystem it has been observed the codes: decision making process and reaction to contingency planning logic and changes in administrative structures.
El Enfoque de cadenas productivas y la planificación estratégica como herramientas para el desarrollo sostenible en Cuba.
Authors: Antúnez Saiz Vivian Isabel , Ferrer Castañedo Marta
Published: April 2017

Cuba transita por un proceso de actualización de su modelo económico por lo que se están llevando a cabo profundas transformaciones en todos los sectores de la economía. En esta dirección se ha puesto especial énfasis en la articulación agroindustrial y en desarrollar la producción agroalimentaria, mediante nuevos modelos de gestión, efectivas relaciones entre actores económicos para lograr la satisfacción de las demandas de la población por la entrega de productos de calidad y mediante mecanismos más ágiles. Un elemento esencial en las transformaciones a llevar a vías de hecho, parte de la necesidad de que los directivos de las organizaciones tengan claridad para analizar e identificar las potencialidades del enfoque de cadenas de producción y de la planificación estratégica para el logro de un desarrollo sustentable. El trabajo se orienta a establecer el marco teórico referencial acerca de las formas de articulación productiva. Se presenta la modelación de las principales categorías logrando su representación mediante un mapa conceptual. Se presenta una metodología de análisis y desarrollo de cadenas de producción así como algunos aspectos a tener en cuenta para la planificación estratégica en función del logro del desarrollo sostenible.  Cuba is going through a process of updating of the economic model. That is why there have been profound changes taking place in all sectors of the economy. In this direction, the state has placed special emphasis in the development of productive chains through new management models, effective relationships between economic actors to achieve the satisfaction of the populations demands by delivering quality products through efficient mechanisms. The work aims at establishing the theoretical framework for productive forms of articulation. The main results of this research are the modeling of the conceptual categories; the critical assessment of the main methodologies for analyzing supply chains that formed the basis for the methodological design is provided. Also the article proposes several aspects for the strategic planning for the sustainable development in Cuba.
Creatividad y educación para el siglo XXI desde una perspectiva sociológica
Authors: Valero Matas Jesus Alberto
Published: April 2017

La creatividad es un factor importante en el desarrollo social, la investigación e innovación. Por ello, el siglo XXI donde se prodiga el conocimiento como eje vertebral del progreso, deberá ser analizado, estudiado y desarrollado en base a una creatividad, la cual requiere de instrumentos educativos-formativos a modo de su potenciación. Abordar su estudio desde una perspectiva sólo cognoscitiva, es dejar una de las partes fundamentales de la creatividad sin desarrollar y emprender mecanismos de progreso incompletos. De ahí, la necesidad de tratar el tema desde un enfoque sociológico, el cual es más completo.Creativity is an important factor in social development, research and innovation. Therefore, the twenty-first century where knowledge as a key element of progress is lavished. Therefore, requires educational and training tools to promote creativity in society. Study them only from a cognitive perspective, let one of the key parts of creativity and undertake undeveloped mechanisms incomplete progress. Hence, the need to address the issue from a sociological approach, which is more complete.
Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Understanding Symptoms and Risk Factors
Authors: Keteepe-Arachi Tracey ,   Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, St George’s University of London, London, UK, Sharma Sanjay ,   Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, St George’s University of London, London, UK
Published: April 2017

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women remains under-diagnosed and undertreated due to the diagnostic challenge it presents, as well as the persisting attitude that CVD predominantly affects men. Gender-related risk factors have now been identified but there is a lack of clinical application, leading to the misdiagnosis and poor management of women with CVD. It is necessary to address gender-specific symptomatology and risk factors in order to optimise management and positively influence morbidity and mortality in this cohort of patients.
Women with Stable Angina Pectoris and No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: Closer to a Diagnosis
Authors: Michelsen Marie Mide ,   Department of Cardiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Mygind Naja Dam ,   Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Frestad Daria ,   Department of Cardiology, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, Prescott Eva ,   Department of Cardiology, Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Published: April 2017

A large proportion of women with chest pain have no obstructive coronary artery disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that these women continue to have symptoms and are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) leads to an impairment of blood flow regulation to the myocardium and possible transient ischaemia. CMD is a disease entity with several pathophysiologic aspects and diagnostic modalities continue to be developed. However, due to the complexity of the disease, it remains elusive whether CMD is the explanation for the symptoms and the poor prognosis in women with angina and no obstructive coronary artery disease.
Homograftok szerepe az alsó végtagi érrekonstrukciókban
Authors: Nagy Zsuzsa , Oláh Zoltán , Kókai Judit , Molnár Anna Barbara , Laczkó Ágnes , Szabó Gábor Viktor , Juhász Viktória , Garbaisz Dávid , Berczeli Márton , Sztupinszky Zsófia , Szeberin Zoltán
Published: April 2017

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Bevezetés: Az érhomograftokat korábbi érrekonstrukció után
kialakult graftinfekció vagy saját véna hiányában, végtagmentő érműtétek esetén
alkalmazzuk. Többszervi donáció során a thoracalis aortaszegmens,
aortabifurcatio, arteria iliaca, arteria femoralis és poplitea, illetve vena
saphena magna és a vena femoralis kerülhet eltávolításra. Célunk, hogy az
elvégzett beavatkozások eredményeit elemezve optimalizáljuk a homograftok
alkalmazását. Módszerek: A betegek anyagát retrospektíven
dolgoztuk fel a kórházi számítógépes nyilvántartás segítségével. 2007 és 2014
között 162, homografttal végzett műtét történt 144 betegen. A rövid és hosszú
távú nyitva maradási időt, a vascularis szövődmény gyakoriságát, az amputációs
arányt és mortalitást vizsgáltuk. Értékeléseink kapcsán figyelembe vettük a
graft felhasználási lokalizációját, a graft típusát és a mélyhűtött tárolás
időtartamát. Aorta iliofemoralis, femoropoplitealis régióba ültetett artériás és
vénás homograftokat vizsgáltunk. Eredmények: Az átlagéletkor
63,6 ± 10,7 év, a betegek átlagos utánkövetési ideje 36 ± 28 hónap. A graftok
primer nyitva maradási aránya egy, három és hat hónappal a műtét után 83,7%,
75,0% és 63,4% volt. Saját anyagunkban a felhasznált erek közül az
artériák/mélyvénák nyitva maradási aránya jobb volt a vénás graftokkal
összehasonlítva: artériás felhasználás esetén egy, három, hat hónappal a műtét
után 85,6%, 78,6%, 74,3% a primer nyitva maradás, míg vena saphena magna
felhasználásával 81,4%, 70,4%, 47,7% ugyanezen intervallumokban.
Összefoglalás: A szeptikus környezetben végzett érsebészeti
beavatkozások komoly kihívást jelentenek az érsebész számára. Az AB0
vércsoport-kompatibilis graftok beültetése hosszú távon nem járt jobb
eredménnyel, mint a nem AB0 vércsoport-kompatibilis graftoké. Az ideális homológ
érpótlásnak, vizsgálataink alapján, a fél évnél rövidebb ideig tárolt artériás
homograft bizonyult.
Az akut proximális mélyvénás thrombosis endovascularis kezelése – a lokális katéteres lysissel és az AngioJet-tel szerzett tapasztalataink
Authors: Berencsi Anikó , Dósa Edit , Nemes Balázs , Hüttl Kálmán , Legeza Péter , Oláh Zoltán , Kristóf Vera , Acsády György , Sótonyi Péter
Published: April 2017

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Bevezetés: A mélyvénás thrombosis (MVT) életminőséget hosszú
távon rontó szövődménye a postthromboticus szindróma (PTS). Az alsó végtagi
proximális MVT hagyományos antikoaguláns terápiája mellett a betegek közel
felénél jelentkeznek a PTS tünetei. Közleményünk célja a 2009 és 2014 között
intézetünkben iliofemoralis thrombosis miatt lokális katéteres thrombolysissel
(CDT), mechanikus thrombusaspirációval (AngioJet), illetve stenteléssel kezelt
esetek és azok kétéves követésének összefoglalása. Módszerek:
Az említett időszakban 24 betegnél alkalmaztuk a fenti módszereket. Az
átlagéletkor 35,83 ± 15,9 év, a nő:férfi arány pedig közel 2:1 volt. A tünetek
megjelenését követő 11 napon belül a 24 betegből nyolcnál lokális lysisre,
16-nál lysisre plusz thrombusaspirációs beavatkozásra került sor; stentet 19
betegnél ültettünk be. A rekanalizációt a nyitó és záró angiográfiás képek
alapján értékeltük, a követés során félévente ultrahangvizsgálatot végeztünk és
Villalta-score-t számoltunk. Eredmények: AngioJet használatával
mind a lysis időtartama, mind a szükséges rekombináns szöveti
plazminogénaktivátor mennyisége jelentősen csökkent. Major vérzés, illetve
pulmonalis embolia nem fordult elő. Betegeink több mint 90%-ánál PTS nem
jelentkezett. Következtetések: Az akut szakban végzett lokális
mechanokémiai thrombectomia megfelelő kezelési alternatíva lehet az
iliofemoralis MVT-k kezelésében.
A számítógépes program szerepe a gyomortumor-sebészetben – Túl az evidencián
Authors: Tóth Dezső , Bíró Adrienn , Kincses Zsolt , Árkosy Péter , Török Miklós
Published: April 2017

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Bevezetés: A gyomortumoros betegek 40%-ánál történik
szükségtelenül kiterjesztett nyirokcsomó-dissectio, ami magasabb morbiditással
és mortalitással jár. A Maruyama-komputerprogram (MCP) képes megbecsülni a
nyirokcsomó-érintettséget még a műtét előtt, illetve a Maruyama-index (MI) jó
prognosztikai tényező lehet a teljes és a betegségmentes túlélés megítélésében.
Betegek és módszerek: Az MCP eredményességének számításához
különböző „cut-off” szinteket határoztunk meg a receiver operating
characteristics (ROC) analízis használatával. A hosszú távú onkológiai
eredményeket – mint a teljes túlélést (OS) és a betegségmentes túlélést (DFS) –
számítottuk a „hagyományos” nyirokcsomódissectio-kiterjesztés (D1 vs. D2) és a
Maruyama-index szerinti operáció (MI < 5 vs. MI ≥ 5) alapján.
Eredmények: 74 beteget vizsgáltunk az MCP segítségével
műtét előtt a rövid távú eredmények felmérésére, és 101 beteg adatai voltak
alkalmasak a hosszú távú onkológiai kimenetel értékelésére. Az MCP
szenzitivitása 90,2%, specificitása 63,3% és a megbízhatósága 78,4% volt. A
pozitív prediktív érték 75,5%-nak, a negatív prediktív érték pedig 84%-nak
adódott. A D1 dissectiós csoportban a betegségmentes túlélés 93,6 hónap, a D2
csoportban 68,7 hónap (p = 0,41, HR = 1,34) volt. A teljes
túlélés pedig 74,6 hónapnak, illetve 72,2 hónapnak (p = 0,66,
HR = 0,87) adódott. Azoknál a betegeknél, akiknél MI < 5, a betegségmentes
túlélés 92 hónap lett, míg azoknál a betegeknél, akiknél az MI ≥ 5, ez 62,5
hónap volt (p = 0,31, HR = 1,4). Teljes túlélés tekintetében az
eredmény 86 hónap és 60,4 hónap (p = 0,17, HR = 1,52) lett.
Következtetések: Eredményeink bebizonyították, hogy a
nyirokcsomóáttétek számítógépes becslése hatékony eljárás, és amennyiben az MI
< 5, az jelentősebb prediktív értéke a túlélésnek, mint a D1 versus D2
szinteken alapuló lymphadenectomia.