(J Vasc Surg 2009;49:1490-8.)”
“In the central nervous system (CNS), adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) induces the synthesis and release of neurotrophic factors, cell proliferation, and differentiation. The olfactory system is one site where multipotent progenitor cells continue to proliferate and differentiate into neurons throughout life. We tested the hypothesis that ATP initiates proliferation in olfactory epithelium by measuring 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation.

Adult mice were pre-treated intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intranasally with saline or purinergic receptor antagonists (pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonate+suramin) 30 min prior to nasal instillation of ATP, uridine 5′-triphosphate AP24534 supplier (UTP), adenosine 5′-(3-thiotriphosphate) buy CP673451 (ATP gamma S) or saline (0 h). Mice received three injections of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine

between 42 and 46 h, and were sacrificed at 2,9 or 16 days post-ATP instillation. ATP, UTP or ATP gamma S significantly increased 5-bromo2-deoxyuridine incorporation compared to intranasal saline controls in groups pre-treated with saline. Saline, ATP, UTP or ATP gamma S instillation did not significantly increase 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine incorporation in groups pre-treated with purinergic receptor antagonists. Similar results were observed in neonates and in a cultured slice preparation. Intranasal instillation of ATP also increased the protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in adults. Pre-treatment with purinergic receptor antagonists inhibited the ATP-induced increase in proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In adults, a subset of the cells that incorporated 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine was immunoreactive to neuronal markers mammalian achaete-schute homolog 1, growth-associated protein 43, and olfactory marker protein at 2, 9, and 16 days, respectively. Collectively, these data indicate that purinergic receptor activation induces proliferation and neuronal differentiation in the mouse olfactory epithelium.

We propose that extracellular ATP released upon injury could induce proliferation and promote the neuroregeneration of the olfactory epithelium. (C) Ketotifen 2009 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objectives: Preoperative duplex ultrasound mapping of veins and arteries has been widely advocated to maximize the creation of native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis access, but reliable diameter criteria have not been established. We sought to determine patient and anatomic variables predictive of fistula maturation in patients receiving their initial permanent hemodialysis access.

Methods: All patients undergoing dialysis access creation from January 2003 to June 2007 were retrospectively reviewed.

The nicotine treatment significantly but temporarily

decreased substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) content in the ventral tegmental area PLX 4720 (VTA) and substantia nigra 12-18 h after drug exposure. The nicotine-mediated changes in SPLI were selectively blocked by pretreatment with mecamylamine as well as a dopamine D(1), D(2), or both receptor antagonists. Other brain areas that also selectively demonstrated nicotine-related declines in SPLI content included prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens shell, and the very posterior caudate.

These findings indicate that some limbic and basal ganglia SP systems are significantly affected by exposure to nicotine through processes mediated by nicotinic and dopaminergic receptors, suggesting a role for SP pathways in nicotine’s limbic and extrapyramidal effects.”
“Glial cells and neurons are engaged in a continuous and highly regulated bidirectional dialog. A remarkable example is the control of myelination. Oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) and Schwann cells (SCs) in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) wrap their plasma membranes around axons to organize myelinated nerve fibers that allow rapid saltatory conduction. The functionality of this system is critical, as revealed by numerous neurological diseases that result from deregulation

of the system, including multiple sclerosis and peripheral neuropathies. In this review we focus on PNS myelination and present a conceptual framework that integrates crucial signaling mechanisms with GDC-0973 ic50 basic SC biology. We will highlight signaling hubs and overarching molecular mechanisms, including genetic, epigenetic, and post-translational controls, which together regulate the interplay between SCs and axons, extracellular signals, and Methocarbamol the transcriptional network.”
“Purpose: The 7th edition of TNM for renal cell carcinoma introduced

a subdivision of pT2 tumors at a 10 cm cutoff. In the present multicenter study the influence of tumor size as well as further clinical and histopathological parameters on cancer specific survival in patients with pT2 tumors was evaluated.

Materials and Methods: A total of 670 consecutive patients with pT2 tumors (10.4%) of 6,442 surgically treated patients with all tumor stages were pooled (mean followup 71.4 months). Tumors were reclassified according to the current TNM classification, and subdivided in stages pT2a and pT2b. Cancer specific survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and univariable and multivariable analyses were used to assess the influence of several parameters on survival.

Results: Tumor size continuously applied and subdivided at 10 cm or alternative cutoffs did not significantly influence cancer specific survival.

This is a novel regulatory mechanism of progesterone action, which could be involved in protecting pregnant women with FH-1 against hypertension. In vitro, both enzymes showed comparable kinetic parameters, but P505-15 ASWT was more strongly inhibited than ASCE. This study implicates a new role for progesterone in the regulation of aldosterone levels that could contribute, along with other factors, to the maintenance of an adequate aldosterone-progesterone balance in pregnancy.”
“Background: HIV-1 DNA is found both integrated in the host chromosome and unintegrated in various forms: linear (DNA(L)) or circular (1-LTRc,

2-LTRc or products of auto-integration). Here, based on pre-established strategies, we extended and characterized in terms of sensitivity two methodologies for quantifying 1-LTRc and DNA(L), respectively, the latter being able to discriminate between unprocessed or 3′-processed DNA.

Results: Quantifying different types of viral DNA genome individually provides new information about the dynamics of all viral DNA forms and their interplay. For DNA(L), we found that the 3′-processing reaction was efficient during the early stage of the replication cycle. Moreover, strand-transfer inhibitors (Dolutegravir, Elvitegravir, Raltegravir) affected 3′-processing differently. The comparisons of 2-LTRc accumulation

learn more mediated by either strand-transfer inhibitors or catalytic mutation of integrase indicate that 3′-processing efficiency did not influence the total 2-LTRc

Baf-A1 mouse accumulation although the nature of the LTR-LTR junction was qualitatively affected. Finally, a significant proportion of 1-LTRc was generated concomitantly with reverse transcription, although most of the 1-LTRc were produced in the nucleus.

Conclusions: We describe the fate of viral DNA forms during HIV-1 infection. Our study reveals the interplay between various forms of the viral DNA genome, the distribution of which can be affected by mutations and by inhibitors of HIV-1 viral proteins. In the latter case, the quantification of 3′-processed DNA in infected cells can be informative about the mechanisms of future integrase inhibitors directly in the cell context.”
“Background: The transactivating response (TAR) element of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is the source of two functional microRNAs (miRNAs), miR-TAR-5p and miR-TAR-3p. The objective of this study was to characterize the post-transcriptional regulation of host messenger RNAs (mRNAs) relevant to HIV-1 pathogenesis by HIV-1 TAR miRNAs.

Results: We demonstrated that TAR miRNAs derived from HIV-1 can incorporate into host effector Argonaute protein complexes, which is required if these miRNAs are to regulate host mRNA expression.

This is accompanied by increase in alpha-synuclein levels in non-dopaminergic cells in the granule cell layer (GCL).

In addition, isolated olfactory bulb synaptosomes from dual transgenic lines with Dox consistently showed a slight but significant reduction in maximum mitochondrial respiration compared to controls. These results suggest that in the presence of increased oxidative stress, increased alpha-synuclein MS-275 purchase expression within dopaminergic OB neurons results in neurodegeneration in the glomerular layer (GL) and increased alpha-synuclein levels in the granular cell layer which coincide with olfactory dysfunction. (C) 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“We exposed Evofosfamide chemical structure 3T3-L1 adipocytes to cooling followed by rewarming and examined phospho-molecule induction, including that of phospho-Akt, and the mechanism underlying the induction in these exposed cells; the viability did not deteriorate. Cooling at

4 degrees C increased the phospho-Thr-308 Akt level. On subsequent rewarming at 37 degrees C, phospho-Ser-473 Akt expression was induced in a wortmannin (PI3K inhibitor)-dependent and anisomycin (ribotoxic agent)-independent manner without decrease in the phospho-Thr-308 Ala level, and Akt-mediated phosphorylation and PI 3,4,5-trisphosphate accumulation were induced. Our results suggest that cooling followed by rewarming induces phospho-molecules through different responses of regulatory molecules, including the target molecule, to changes in temperature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“In the mammalian retina, excitotoxicity has been shown to be involved in apoptotic retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and is associated with certain retinal

disease states including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and retinal ischemia. Previous studies from this lab [Wehrwein E, Thompson SA, Coulibaly SF, Linn DM, Linn CL (2004) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 45:1531-1543] have demonstrated that acetylcholine (ACh) and nicotine protects against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in isolated adult pig RGCs through nicotinic Casein kinase 1 acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Activation of nAChRs in these RGCs triggers cell survival signaling pathways and inhibits apoptotic enzymes [Asomugha CO, Linn DM, Linn CL (2010) J Neurochem 112:214-226]. However, the link between binding of nAChRs and activation of neuroprotective pathways is unknown. In this study, we examine the hypothesis that calcium permeation through nAChR channels is required for ACh-induced neuroprotection against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in isolated pig RGCs. RGCs were isolated from other retinal tissue using a two step panning technique and cultured for 3 days under different conditions. In some studies, calcium imaging experiments were performed using the fluorescent calcium indicator, fluo-4, and demonstrated that calcium permeates the nAChR channels located on pig RGCs.

At 1 h post injection, the uptake of F-18-AlF-NOTA-AE105 PU-H71 cell line in PC-3 tumors was 4.22 +/- 0.13%ID/g. uPAR-binding specificity was demonstrated by a reduced uptake of F-18-AlF-NOTA-AE105 after coinjection of a blocking dose of uPAR antagonist at all three time points investigated. Good tumor-to-background ratio was observed with small animal PET and

confirmed in the biodistribution analysis. Ex vivo uPAR expression analysis on extracted tumors confirmed human uPAR expression that correlated close with tumor uptake of F-18-AlF-NOTA-AE105.

Conclusion: The first F-18-labeled uPAR PET ligand, F-18-AlF-NOTA-AE105, has successfully been prepared and effectively visualized noninvasively uPAR positive prostate cancer. The favorable in vivo kinetics and easy production method facilitate its future clinical translation for identification of prostate cancer patients with an invasive phenotype

and poor prognosis. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Information about mood reactions to naturally occurring stress in remitted bipolar patients may help elucidate the mechanism by which stressors influence the propensity to manic or depressive relapse in these patients. Using the experience sampling method (ESM), we therefore investigated negative and positive mood states and their reactivity to daily hassles and uplifts in 38 outpatients with remitted bipolar disorder and 38 healthy volunteers. Multilevel regression analyses confirmed that mean levels of negative affect (NA) this website were higher and positive affect (PA) lower in bipolar patients. Reactivity of NA and PA to hassles and uplifts in bipolar patients was similar to controls and was unrelated to the number of previous episodes. Bipolar patients with subsyndromal depressive symptoms, however, showed particularly large NA responses to daily hassles, which they also rated as more stressful. Subsyndromal depressive symptoms in patients with remitted bipolar disorder thus appear to increase sensitivity to everyday

stressors. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Etomidate All rights reserved.”
“The daily Egg Production Rate (EPR) of the three Acartiidae copepods namely Acartia clausi, Paracartia latisetosa and Paracartia grani in the North Lagoon of Tunis was compared to temperature and food availability every season from March, 2003 to February, 2004 corresponding to the major seasonal peaks of their abundance and over a 20-days period. The daily EPR was evaluated by assuming a direct correlation with chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon (POC), and some easily extractable macromolecular compounds from the seston, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. The results showed significant differences in EPR between seasons and species. Temperature and salinity negatively affected the fecundity of A. clausi and positively that of P. latisetosa and P. grani. The A. clausi EPR was supported by chlorophyll a and sestonic proteins while that of P. latisetosa and P.

All patients received 20 mu g teriparatide/day INK1197 nmr subcutaneously. Serologic bone markers, BMD and coronary artery calcification (CAC) were measured at baseline and after 6 months. Results:

Teriparatide therapy led to a significant increase in lumbar spine (0.885 +/- 0.08 vs. 0.914 +/- 0.09 g/cm(2), p < 0.02), but not femoral neck (0.666 +/- 0.170 vs. 0.710 +/- 0.189 g/cm(2), p = 0.18) BMD. Compared to pretreatment values, calculated monthly changes in BMD improved significantly in both the lumbar spine and femoral neck (p < 0.02). Changes in serologic markers of bone turnover and CAC scores were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Teriparatide therapy might improve low BMD in hemodialysis patients with ABD. Further clinical Selleck SAHA HDAC studies are needed to establish teriparatide as a therapeutic option for dialysis patients with ABD. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“OBJECTIVE: We present a comprehensive review of intracranial aneurysms in Klippel-Trenaunay and Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndromes (KTS/KTWS), and examine factors influencing

the risks of surgery vs conservative management.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 58-year-old physician with KTS affecting the right extremities presented with left hemispheric cerebellar stroke and was discovered to harbor four intracranial aneurysms of the posterior circulation: fusiform mid-and distal BA (2.6 x 2 x 2 cm), fusiform right proximal P1 (2 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm), Phloretin fusiform right distal P1 (2.8 x 2.7 x 2 cm), and saccular left distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery (2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm). Ten years later he had an infarct in the paramedian distribution of the basilar artery and a right internal capsule stroke. Two months later, he developed hydrocephalus, ultimately

presenting in status epilepticus 4 months later secondary to ongoing aneurysm expansion and mass effect.

INTERVENTION: Systemic anticoagulation for acute thrombosis with possible distal arterioarterial embolization from giant P1 aneurysms. Ventriculoperitoneal shunting for hydrocephalus. The patient died within 9 days after admission and 10 years after the initial discovery of aneurysms.

CONCLUSION: Strict control of modifiable risk factors compromising vascular integrity and periodic neuroimaging are warranted in KTS/KTWS patients. KTS/KTWS patients are hypercoagulable, and may be predisposed to aneurysm thrombosis with increased risk for distal arterial microembolization. Stroke-related morbidity secondary to distal arterioarterial aneurysm thrombus embolization and acute aneurysm thrombosis may be decreased with systemic anticoagulation in this patient population. KTS/KTWS patients have significantly higher rates of DVT and PE than the general population, and should be classified in the high-risk category for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.

2%, 13.7%, 16.4%, 11%, and 39.7% of the patients, see more respectively. ESRD developed in 16 patients during the follow-up period. All of the ESRD patients started a dialysis programme. Thirty patients (41%) died during the follow-up period; median patient survival was 35.9 +/- 6.12 months. Old age, tuberculosis etiology, advanced renal disease and low serum albumin levels were associated with a worse prognosis. Serum albumin was a predictor of mortality in logistic regression analysis. Conclusion: The ultimate outcome of

the patients with AA amyloidosis is poor, possibly due to the late referral to the nephrology clinics. Early referral may be helpful to improve prognosis. Copyright (c) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“This study investigated whether crisis intervention (Cl) at the General Hospital is a suitable management strategy among borderline patients referred to the emergency room (ER) for deliberate self-harm. Two patient cohorts (n = 200) meeting DSM-IV Borderline Personality Disorder criteria, were prospectively assessed for repeated deliberate self-harm and service consumption. At ER discharge, 100 subjects received

click here Cl, while 100 comparison subjects (recruited before the implementation of Cl) were assigned to treatment as usual (TAU). At 3-month follow-up, a high proportion of repeated deliberate self-harm and hospitalization in the global study sample was found. However rates were lower in the Cl group: 8% repeated deliberate self-harm and 8% psychiatric hospitalization, versus

17% and 56% in the TAU group. The global expenditure for psychiatric hospitalization was 728,840 Swiss Francs (CHF) for Cl and 914,340 for TAU. This study indicates that associated Anacetrapib with mean hospitalization/relapse rates, Cl may be a suitable management strategy for acutely suicidal borderline patients. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Elevated plasma cardiac troponin, elevated plasma phosphorus and decreased plasma vitamin D have been shown to be associated with negative outcomes. Methods and results: Troponin I, calcium, phosphorus and 25-OH vitamin D were studied in a cohort of 60 patients with stable coronary heart disease and preserved left ventricular function. Using a cut-off value of 0.012 ng/mL for plasma troponin I, patients with higher values (18 patients), when compared to the other patients (n=42), had higher mean values for plasma phosphorus (3.42 +/- 0.45 mg/dL vs 3.17 +/- 0.45 mg/dL, p = 0.041) and calcium (5.08 +/- 0.23 mEq/L vs 4.92 +/- 0.18 mEq/L, p= 0.016) and lower values for 25-OH vitamin D (14.2 +/- 5.6 ng/mL vs 19.4 +/- 8.8 ng/mL, p= 0.032). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that troponin I > 0.012 ng/ml is associated with increased phosphorus, increased calcium and decreased 25-OH vitamin D concentrations. A similar analysis using BNP > 100 pg/mL failed to show significant associations with phosphorus, calcium and 25-OH vitamin D concentrations.

These target cells express both MV entry receptors used by the vaccinal Edmonston strain, CD46 and signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). Interestingly, LVs pseudotyped with an MV Hgp, blind for the CD46 binding site, were completely inefficient for resting-lymphocyte transduction. Similarly, SLAM-blind H mutants that recognize only CD46 as the entry receptor did not allow stable LV transduction of resting T cells. The CD46-tropic LVs accomplished vector-cell binding, fusion, entry, and reverse transcription at levels similar to those achieved by the H/F-LVs, but efficient MM-102 molecular weight proviral integration did not occur. Our results indicate that both CD46 and SLAM

binding sites need to be present in cis in the Hgp to allow successful stable transduction of quiescent lymphocytes. Moreover, the entry mechanism utilized appears

to be crucial: efficient transduction was observed only when CD46 and SLAM were correctly engaged and an entry mechanism that strongly resembles macropinocytosis was triggered. Taken together, our results suggest that although vector entry can occur through the CD46 receptor, SLAM binding Adavosertib in vitro and subsequent signaling are also required for efficient LV transduction of quiescent lymphocytes to occur.”
“Human prothymosin alpha (ProT alpha) is a small acidic protein (12.1 kDa; pI similar to 3.5) ubiquitously expressed in a wide variety of tissues. The amino acid composition of this protein is highly unusual. While close to half of its sequence is composed of acidic amino acids. the protein does not contain any aromatic residues. ProTa has been shown to play crucial roles in different biological processes including cell proliferation, transcriptional regulation and apoptosis. Despite the multiple

functions this protein has, it does not adopt a stable tertiary fold under physiological conditions. In order to understand how ProTot functions, detailed structural characterization of this protein is essential. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for elucidating the protein structure and dynamics at the atomic level. However, milligrams of isotopically labeled protein with high purity are usually required for the studies. In this work, we developed ALOX15 a high-yield protocol for purifying recombinant ProTot expressed in Escherichia coli by exploiting the intrinsically disordered and acidic natures of this protein. By combining the heat-cooling extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and anion exchange chromatography, we were able to obtain over 20 mg of ProTa with > 97% purity from 1 L of M9 minimal media culture. The new purification protocol provides a cost effective and an efficient way to produce large quantities of high purity recombinant human ProTot in various isotopically labeled forms, which will greatly facilitate the structural studies of this protein by NMR and other biophysical methods. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This review focuses on the role of insulin signaling in regulating DA homeostasis and DA signaling, and the potential impact of impaired insulin signaling in obesity and psychostimulant abuse.

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Synaptic Plasticity and Addiction’. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Cocaine-induced

plasticity of mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) neurons, originating in the ventral tegmental area (WA), persists in the absence of cocaine and may contribute to both drug-craving and relapse. Glutamate AMPA receptors I-BET-762 nmr (AMPARs) in these neurons are implicated in this plasticity. However, there is no ultrastructural evidence that the absence of cocaine following repeated administrations affects the critical surface/synaptic availability of AMPAR GluR1 subunits in either DA or non-DA, putative GABAergic neurons within the VIA. To assess this, we used electron microscopic immunolabeling in the VTA of adult male mice sacrificed at 30 min or 72 h after receiving the final of six (15 mg/kg) cocaine injections, a dosing PU-H71 cost paradigm that resulted in development of locomotor sensitization. At each time point, both cocaine- and saline-injected mice showed AMPAR GluR1 immunogold labeling in somatodendritic profiles, many of which contained immunoperoxidase labeling for the DA-synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). At 30 min after the last

injection, when cocaine was systemically present, only the non-TH labeled dendrites showed a significant increase Alectinib chemical structure in the synaptic/plasmalemmal density of GluR1 immunogold particles. At 72 h, when systemic cocaine was depleted, synaptic GluR1 labeling was greatly enhanced in TH-containing dendrites throughout the VTA and in non-TH dendrites of the limbic-associated paranigral

VTA. Our results demonstrate that systemic cocaine produces GluR1 trafficking specifically in non-DA neurons of the VFA, which may subsequently contribute to the abstinent-induced enhancement of AMPA receptor synaptic transmission in mesocorticolimbic DA neurons leading to heightened drug seeking behavior.

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Synaptic Plasticity and Addiction’. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background. Although physical activity has substantial health benefits and reduces mortality, few studies have examined its impact on survival beyond age 75.

Methods. Using the population-based Leisure World Cohort Study, we explored the association of activity on all-cause mortality in older adults (median age at baseline = 74 years). We followed 8,371 women and 4,828 men for 28 years or until death (median = 13 years) and calculated relative risks for various measures of activity at baseline using Cox regression analysis for four age groups (<70, 70-74, 75-79, and 80+ years) in men and women separately.

Results.

Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Several

studies have demonstrated that people with ASD and intact language skills still have problems processing linguistic information in context. Given this evidence for reduced sensitivity to linguistic context, the question arises how contextual information is actually processed by people with ASD. In this study, we used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to examine context sensitivity in high-functioning adults with autistic disorder (HFA) and Asperger syndrome at two levels: at the level of sentence processing and at the level of solving reasoning problems. We found that sentence context as well as reasoning Obeticholic nmr context had an immediate ERP effect in adults with Asperger syndrome, as in matched controls. Both groups showed a typical N400 effect and a late positive component for the sentence conditions,

and a sustained negativity for the reasoning conditions. In contrast, the HFA group demonstrated neither an N400 effect nor a sustained negativity. However, the HFA group showed a late positive component which was larger for semantically anomalous sentences than congruent sentences. Because sentence context had a modulating effect in a later phase, semantic integration is perhaps less automatic in HFA, and presumably more elaborate processes are needed to click here arrive at a sentence interpretation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of African swine fever virus (ASFV). This assay targets the topoisomerase II gene of ASFV and its specificity was confirmed

by restriction enzyme digestion of the reaction products. The analytical sensitivity of this ASFV LAMP assay was at least 330 genome copies, and the test was able to detect representative isolates of ASFV (n = 38) without cross-reacting with classical swine fever virus. The performance of the LAMP assay was compared with other old laboratory tests used for ASF diagnosis. Using blood and tissue samples collected from pigs experimentally infected with ASFV (Malawi isolate), there was good concordance between the LAMP assay and real-time PCR. In addition to detecting the reaction products using either agarose gels or real-time PCR machines, it was possible to visualise dual-labelled biotin and fluorescein ASFV LAMP amplicons using novel lateral flow devices. This assay and detection format represents the first step towards developing a practical, simple-to-use and inexpensive molecular assay format for ASF diagnosis in the field which is especially relevant to Africa where the disease is endemic in many countries. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The neural basis of conscious perception can be studied using stimuli that elicit different percepts on different occasions (multistable perception).