Genetic contribution to microglial activation in schizophrenia

Several lines of evidence indicate the involvement of neuroinflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Microglia are brain resident immune cells responding toward invading pathogens and injury-related products, and additionally, have a critical role in improving neurogenesis and synaptic functions. Aberrant activation of microglia in SCZ is one of the leading hypotheses for disease pathogenesis, but due to the lack of proper human cell models, the role of microglia in SCZ is not well studied. We used monozygotic twins discordant for SCZ and healthy individuals to generate human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia to assess the transcriptional and functional differences in microglia between healthy controls, affected twins and unaffected twins. The microglia from affected twins had increased expression of several common inflammation-related genes compared to healthy individuals. Microglia from affected twins had also reduced response to interleukin 1 beta (IL1β) treatment, but no significant differences in migration or phagocytotic activity. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) showed abnormalities related to extracellular matrix signaling. RNA sequencing predicted downregulation of extracellular matrix structure constituent Gene Ontology (GO) terms and hepatic fibrosis pathway activation that were shared by microglia of both affected and unaffected twins, but the upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II receptors was observed only in affected twin microglia. Also, the microglia of affected twins had heterogeneous response to clozapine, minocycline, and sulforaphane treatments. Overall, despite the increased expression of inflammatory genes, we observed no clear functional signs of hyperactivation in microglia from patients with SCZ. We conclude that microglia of the patients with SCZ have gene expression aberrations related to inflammation response and extracellular matrix without contributing to increased microglial activation.

Analysis of Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of NiO Nanoparticles by Sol–Gel Method

Nanocrystalline nickel oxide (NiO) were prepared by low cost sol–gel method and analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX), Raman, photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopic techniques. XRD spectrum confirmed the face centered cubic structure of NiO nanoparticles and it showed polycrystalline nature without any impurity. Magnetic ordered phase related modes of NiO nanoparticles was observed from Raman spectra, which also confirmed the absence of secondary phases in NiO nanoparticles. Linear and nonlinear refractive index and optical susceptibility of NiO nanoparticles were calculated and discussed using Tauc’s method and Wemple and DiDomenico single oscillator model. Calculated maximum value of third ordered nonlinear optical susceptibility ([Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text] revealed that the NiO nanoparticles were suitable in nonlinear optical devices applications. Simulation of second harmonic efficiency, spectral band width and quasi phase matching of NiO nanocrystals are discussed using optiFDTD.

Four Cases of Hemangiopericytoma and the Contribution of Radiotherapy in Their Management

Hemangiopericytomas are tumors arising from the Zimmerman pericytes. They are characterized by their propensity to recur aggressively and metastasize. Surgery forms the primary treatment modality. Radiotherapy has been used in the postoperative setting and has proved to produce a significant progression-free survival in cases with residual disease. Radiotherapy has been applied even as a single modality treatment whenever surgery could not be performed. We are presenting four cases of meningeal hemangiopericytomas which have been treated with radiotherapy in combination with surgery. These cases show various scenarios in which Radiotherapy has been used in hemangiopericytoma: adjuvant setting, residual/recurrent setting, and in the palliative setting. As far as the technique is concerned, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, fractionated radiosurgery, and other forms of high-precision irradiation (intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT]) were given.

Non linear optical analyses of hexamine: phenol cocrystals based on hydrogen bonding: a comparative study

Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy supported by Raman spectroscopy has been employed to explain the conventional and unconventional hydrogen bonding present in the 4,4'thiodiphenol: hexamine and 4,4'sulfonyldiphenol: hexamine cocrystals. The possible internal and external vibrational modes are predicted through factor group analysis. Influence of intra molecular charge transfer (ICT) interaction caused by the strong ionic ground state hydrogen bonding between charged species, giving rise to a non centro symmetric structure which is a criterion for second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency has been discussed. Intense low wave number hydrogen bond vibrations in Raman which arise due to electron-phonon coupling are analyzed. Optical quality of adducts is identified through UV-Vis analysis. The second harmonic generation efficiency of both adducts is determined by Kurtz-Perry method.

Nonlinear optical analyses of organic N-(9-Anthrylmethylidene) methylamine Schiff base

The organic NLO Schiff base of N-(9-Anthrylmethylidene) methylamine was synthesized by condensation process. The material was characterized through Powder XRD, FT-IR, and Raman techniques. The various planes of reflection are identified from the Powder XRD pattern. The formation of Schiff base is confirmed through FT-IR and Raman analysis. The intra molecular charge transfer interaction and the existence of the first-order molecular hyperpolarizability (β) are identified from the red shift of the UV-Vis analysis. The structure of the molecule was optimized by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP method with 6-31G basis set. The NBO analysis is used to interpret the delocalization. The dipole moment and first hyperpolarizability values were also computed by HF/6-31G. These values indicate that the compound is a good candidate with nonlinear optical properties. This is the first time report on the existence of a second harmonic generation (SHG), χ(2), efficiency that has been identified by Powder Kurtz-Perry method.

Synthesis, structure and spectral investigation of hydrogen bonded helical chain in mixed ligand Cu(II) pyrimidone complex

A simple mono-aqua-dichloro copper(II) pyrimidone complex has been synthesized and characterized using various spectral techniques such as Infrared and Raman in addition to the single crystal X-ray diffraction. The single crystal X-ray analysis carried out for the complex under study brings out the fact that there are two molecules in the unit cell with parameters a = 9.657(2); b = 3.857(2); c = 10.781(2); alpha = 90 degrees; beta = 107.781 degrees; gamma = 90 degrees; V = 382.891 and are crystallized in monoclinic crystal system with Pn space group. In solid state the molecules are interconnected through strong hydrogen bonding [O4...H21-O2W = 2.644 angstroms; O4...H21 = 1.853 angstroms; angleO4...H21-O2W = 172.87 degrees;] formed between the coordinated water molecule (O2W) and the exocyclic ketonic oxygen of the pyrimidone ring (O4). This H-bonding interaction causing a twist in the C1=O1...H21 segment [angleC1=O1...H21 = 122.29 degrees] in combination with weak pi-pi stacking interaction (3.857 angstroms) of the adjacent pyrimidone rings brings the single stranded helical chain which possesses both P and M sense of supramolecular helical assembly. The internal and external modes of vibrations of the crystal under study have been estimated and discussed by applying group theoretical methods.

Crystal growth, structural and spectroscopic analysis of hypoxanthinium chloride monohydrate

Protonated form of hypoxanthinium chloride monohydrate single crystal has been grown from dilute hydrochloric acid. Single crystal X-ray analysis was carried out and the titled crystal belong to the monoclinic P2(1)/c space group. Hypoxanthine is protonated at N(1) with the hypoxanthine cations, linked to chlorine anion via weak bifurcated N-H...Cl hydrogen bonds and interconnected by hydrogen bonding contacts of the type N-H...O. Infrared, Raman and UV spectroscopic tools were applied to characterize hypoxanthinium chloride monohydrate. By applying group theoretical methods the internal and external modes of vibrations of the title crystal have been identified and discussed.

Vibrational spectroscopic analysis of cytosine monohydrate and its copper(II) complex

Single crystals of cytosine monohydrate and its copper(II) complex were grown by slow evaporation in an aqueous solution at room temperature. The solubility studies were carried out at different temperatures in deionized water. Cytosine monohydrate and the copper(II) complex of cytosine were characterized by recording IR, Raman and UV spectra. The various vibrational modes of the crystals have been classified using factor group and site group analysis. Vibrational assignments were proposed for both the systems based on the spectral investigations.

Rosai–Dorfman disease of the central nervous system

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is an idiopathic, non-neoplastic, lymphoproliferative disorder characterized by sinus histiocytosis and massive lymphadenopathy. When RDD involves the central nervous system the lesion simulates a meningioma. Histological and immunohistochemical confirmation is essential for a definitive diagnosis. In this paper, ten cases of RDD confined to the central nervous system are reported. Another case with orbital RDD was excluded. Nine cases involved the cranial cavity alone; in one, the cervical extradural region was also involved. Treatment consisted of surgical excision or biopsy. Histology and immunohistochemistry revealed a mixed cell population of predominantly mature histiocytes with evidence of emperipolesis and strong positivity for S100 protein in all cases. No recurrence was observed during follow up ranging from three months to eight years.

BANANAS

Today the Internet offers a single path between end-systems even though it intrinsically has a large multiplicity of paths. This paper proposes an evolutionary architectural framework "BANANAS" aimed at simplifying the introduction of multipath routing in the Internet. The framework starts with the observation that a path can be encoded as a short hash ("PathID") of a sequence of globally known identifiers. The PathID therefore has global significance (unlike MPLS or ATM labels). This property allows multipath capable nodes to autonomously compute PathIDs in a partially upgraded network without requiring an explicit signaling protocol for path setup. We show that this framework allows the introduction of sophisticated explicit routing and multipath capabilities within the context of widely deployed connectionless routing protocols (e.g. OSPF, IS-IS, BGP) or overlay networks. We establish these characteristics through the development of PathID encoding and route-computation schemes. The BANANAS framework also allows considerable flexibility in terms of architectural function placement and complexity management. To illustrate this feature, we develop an efficient variable-length hashing scheme that moves control-plane complexity and state over-heads to network edges, allowing a very simple interior node design. All the schemes have been evaluated using both sizable SSFNet simulations and Linux/Zebra implementation evaluated on Utah's Emulab testbed facility.

Structure and chromosomal localization of mouse G protein subunit gamma 4 gene

The G protein gamma subunits are members of a multigene family and are implicated in determining the specificity of receptor-G protein interaction. The gene structures for many of the gamma subunits remain to be determined. Here, we report the gene structure for the brain-specific gamma 4 subunit and its map position on a mouse chromosome. The gene (Gng4) comprises at least three exons spanning over 20 kb. The 225-bp coding region, which spans two exons, is interrupted by a large 18.2-kb intron whose position is conserved in other gamma subunit genes. There is a putative additional intron in the 5' untranslated region just upstream of the translation initiation codon. Introns are present in most of the other gamma subunits at this position. The mouse Gng4 gene is mapped to chromosome 13.

Bombesin and thrombin affect discrete pools of intracellular calcium through different G-proteins

In mouse NIH 3T3 cells, the mitogens bombesin and thrombin induced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Ca2+ release induced by bombesin was inhibited by the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin, while Ca2+ release induced by thrombin was unaffected by this agent. The Ca(2+)-release response to bombesin was not affected by pertussis toxin, but the response to thrombin was abolished by the toxin. Stable transfectants overexpressing the G-protein subunit type alpha 9 showed an accentuated response to bombesin, indicating that the bombesin receptor was coupled to a Gq-like G-protein. Together, these results show that the two mitogenic receptors are coupled to distinct G-proteins that affect functionally different pools of Ca2+. Organization of signalling pathways in this manner may allow cells to differentially encode information from different signals.

A brain-specific G protein gamma subunit

Two different cDNAs for G protein gamma subunits have been isolated from mouse brain. One encodes a novel gamma subunit, gamma 4, the expression of which is detected only in brain. A fragment of this cDNA had been isolated previously. The other cDNA encodes gamma 3, a subunit type previously isolated from bovine brain. The primary structure of the gamma 3 subunit is conserved completely across species indicating that the diversity in the structure of the gamma subunits is of functional consequence. Moreover, gamma 2, gamma 3 and gamma 4, which are predominantly expressed in brain, are more homologous to each other than other gamma subunits, indicating that the G protein gamma subunits belong to distinct subfamilies similar to the alpha subunits.

Generation of hybrid human immunodeficiency virus by homologous recombination

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1, isolated from diverse sources, exhibits genomic diversity. The mechanisms by which the genomic diversity takes place in individuals exposed to multiple virus isolates is yet to be elucidated. Genetic variation, in general, might result from mutagenic events such as point mutations, rearrangements (insertions and deletions), and recombination. In an attempt to evaluate the process of genetic diversity, we designed experiments to analyze recombination between HIV DNAs by using DNA transfection in cell cultures. Here we report the successful recombination between truncated HIV proviral DNAs with an overlap homology of 53 base pairs that leads to the formation of viable hybrid virus. Recombination was also seen between exogenous DNA introduced into cells and homologous HIV sequences resident in the cells. These results indicate that recombination among various HIV isolates may play a significant role in the generation of genetic diversity of HIV. Further, the method used here enables the construction of hybrid HIV genomes to identify the viral determinants responsible for tropism, replication, and cytopathic effects.

Homologous recombination between human immunodeficiency viral DNAs in cultured human cells: analysis of the factors influencing recombination

Recombination between HIV DNAs was analyzed using DNA transfection in cell cultures and the optimal conditions for efficient recombination were determined. Recombinant plasmid DNA substrates were constructed from HIV proviral DNAs and the success of recombination was measured by the production of viable hybrid virus. The process of recombination between HIV DNAs was shown to be i) dependent on homology between the truncated HIV DNAs and ii) maximum with concentrations of the truncated DNAs 3ug and above. HIV isolates with heterogeneity in their primary sequence, thus offer an ideal system for the analysis of the requirement of homologous recombination. In addition, recombination methodology would be useful for generating hybrid HIVs for the analysis of specific viral gene functions.

Double-stranded RNA specific nuclease from germinating embryos of Pennisetum typhoides

A double-stranded RNA specific nuclease (ds RNase) has been purified from the pearl millet Pennisetum typhoides. The purification involved S-30 preparation from the germinating embryos, DEAE-cellulose and DNA-cellulose chromatography. The partially pure enzyme preferentially solubilized the synthetic double-stranded polynucleotide [3H]poly(rA) . poly(rU); the degradation of [3H]poly(rC) was fourteen fold lower under the same assay conditions. Furthermore, the ds RNase activity was inhibited to an extent of 58% by ethidium bromide, which is known to intercalate with double-stranded RNAs. Active sulfhydryl groups were found to be necessary for the ds RNase activity since the enzyme action was inhibited by N-ethylmaleimide. Ethidium bromide and N-ethyl-maleimide did not significantly inhibit the ss RNase activity. In contrast, diethyl pyrocarbonate inhibited ss RNase activity completely and ds RNase by 58%. Heating the enzyme for 20 min at 50 degrees C resulted in drastic loss of both enzyme activities. The ds RNase showed maximum activity in the pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. The enzyme acts in vitro on E. coli 30S precursor ribosomal RNA and the cleavage products migrated in the region of mature 23S and 16S rRNAs.

Partial purification and characterization of a double-stranded RNA-specific nuclease from human placenta

A double-stranded RNA-specific nuclease (ds RNase) has been isolated and partially purified from human placenta by DEAE-cellulose and DNA-cellulose column chromatography. Denatured DNA-cellulose retained most of the single-stranded RNA-specific nuclease (ss RNase) activity, whereas the ds RNase came out in the void volume. N-ethylmaleimide at a concentration of 5 mM, selectively inhibited ds RNase activity by 60% under the conditions in which the ss RNase activity was inhibited to an extent of 7%. The ds RNase was specifically inhibited by Penicillium chrysogenum viral ds RNA and by ethidium bromide. The partially purified ds RNase showed requirements for Mg+ whereas Mn2+ and NH4+ ions were inhibitory. The DEAE-enzyme cleaved 32P-labelled 45S ribosomal precursor RNAs from Yoshida ascites sarcoma cells into species that had similar electrophoretic mobilities as the mature rRNAs.

Liquid-liquid extraction of arsenic(III) with diluted tributyl phosphate

A 40% tributyl phosphate solution in xylene was used for the quantitative extraction of arsenic(III) from 4M hydrochloric acid/2M lithium chloride. It was stripped from the organic phase with water and determined volumetrically with potassium bromate. The period of equilibration was 3 min. Arsenic was extracted in presence of copper, cobalt, nickel, tin, bismuth, iron, cadmium and other elements which are usually associated with it in sulphide minerals and alloys.

Epidural spinal lymphoma in an infant. Case report

✓ A malignant lymphoma involving the spinal epidural space is reported in a 1½-year-old-boy. This is probably the youngest patient reported with a spinal epidural lymphoma.