Prior to diagnosis the mean duration of

symptoms was 37 in CC and 23 months in LC. CC and LC patients share similar pattern of clinical symptoms. Concomitant autoimmune disorders were more common in CC patients (48.4 %) than in LC patients (29.6 %). Sustained clinical remission was reported by 35.5 % of CC and 38,6 % of LC, but more CC patients (47.7 %) received medication such as corticosteroids, antibiotics, bismuth or 5-aminosalicyclic this website than LC patients (16.9 %). 18.6 % of CC patients and 17.6 % of LC were regularly using NSAIDs. Conclusion: Collagenous and lymphocytic colitis are frequently diagnosed in elderly female patients. CC and LC share similar symptom pattern, but concomitant autoimmune disease were more common in CC than in LC patients.”
“Introduction: Thyroid diseases, which may occur as focal or diffuse changes in thyroid parenchyma, are most often observed in women. Aim: Our aim was to assess

the prevalence of incidental SB273005 thyroid uptake of Ga-68-DOTATATE PET/CT in patients referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department for evaluation of neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN). Material and methods: We retrospectively evaluated 1150 Ga-68-DOTATATE PET/CT images. Clinical history, serum TSH and thyroid antibody (TAb) concentrations, ultrasonography, and cytological assessment of the material from fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) of the thyroid lesion were investigated. Results: We found incidental abnormalities in 46/1150 (4.1%) patients (12 men, 34 women). 34/46 patients (8 men, 26 women) showed diffuse Ga-68-DOTATATE thyroid uptake, with mean SUVmax 4.6 +/- 1.6. Based on laboratory tests and ultrasound, we found: 38% of patients with an active autoimmune thyroiditis, 27% with benign goitre, and 6% with multinodular goitre with autoimmune thyroiditis. The remaining 29% of patients did not show any pathology. In 12/47 patients (4 men, 8 women) focal uptake in the thyroid with SUVmax 7.3 +/- 3.3 was found. During one-year follow-up, category II and category III lesions (according to Bethesda classification) were revealed in 9/12 (75%) patients CA4P and in one patient, respectively. Histopathological

examination after surgery revealed papillary thyroid carcinoma in one patient and benign multinodular goitre in another patient. Conclusions: Patients with focal Ga-68-DOTATATE uptake should undergo further examination (FNA) due to potential risk of malignancy. Diffuse Ga-68-DOTATATE uptake was predominantly associated with active autoimmune thyroiditis or benign goitre. The focal lesions and diffuse pathology diseases were frequently seen in women.”
“The structural properties and digestibility of slowly digestible hydrothermally treated potato starch (SOS) were investigated. The potato starch with 20,30 or 40% moisture content was heated at 100 degrees C for 30 min, and then kept at 30 degrees C or 70 degrees C for 12 h.

Finally, we observed that the basal position of Rhodophyta found in the phylogenies based on nuclear genes depended on the sampling of sequences used as outgroup. When eukaryotes supposed to have never had plastids (animals Selleckchem Ruboxistaurin and fungi) were used, the analysis strongly supported the early emergence of Glaucophyta instead of Rhodophyta. Therefore, there is a conflicting signal between genes of different evolutionary origins supporting either the basal branching of Glaucophyta or of Chloroplastida within the Archaeplastida. This second possibility would agree with the existence of the subkingdom

Biliphyta, joining Glaucophyta and Rhodophyta.”
“Primary cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare tumour in adults that accounts for less than 1% of all patients with GBM. In view of their rarity, the pathogenesis and prognosis of cerebellar GBM are not yet completely understood. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyse patients with primary cerebellar GBM treated in our institute over a period of 10 years. Data from the case records of five adult patients with cerebellar GBM was evaluated and their outcome was assessed. We observed local failure in patients who reported back with recurrence.

The presence of brainstem infiltration was a significant factor influencing progression-free survival. The overall prognosis was worse than see more for patients with supratentorial GBM. In view of their rarity, a meta-analysis is required to assess the pathogenesis and prognostic factors affecting overall survival in patients with cerebellar GBM. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Objective To assess the risk of adverse cardiovascular events in women who discontinue hormone SN-38 replacement therapy after myocardial infarction compared with those who continue.\n\nDesign Nationwide register based cohort study.\n\nSetting All hospitals

in Denmark.\n\nPopulation All 3322 women aged 40 years or over who survived 30 days after a myocardial infarction and were prescribed hormone replacement therapy at the time of myocardial infarction in the period 1997 to 2008.\n\nMain outcome measures Reinfarction, cardiovascular mortality, and all cause mortality 30 to 360 days after discharge.\n\nResults A total of 282 (8.5%) women had a reinfarction, 218 (6.6%) died of cardiovascular causes, and 357 (10.7%) died of any cause during follow-up. Women who discontinued overall hormone replacement therapy in the first year after myocardial infarction did not have a significantly different risk of reinfarction (hazard ratio 0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.68 to 1.19), cardiovascular mortality (1.21, 0.90 to 1.62), or all cause mortality (1.22, 0.97 to 1.53) than women who continued use. However, discontinuation of vaginal oestrogen was associated with a lower risk of reinfarction (hazard ratio 0.54, 0.34 to 0.86).

We have developed such an approach using polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and thyroid hormone (TH)

disruption as a case study. We reviewed and identified experimental animal literature from which we developed a low-dose, linear model of PCB body burdens and decrements in free thyroxine (FT4) and total thyroxine (TT4), accounting for 33 PCB congeners; extrapolated the dose-response from animals to humans; and compared the animal dose-response to the dose-response of PCB body burdens and TH changes from eleven human epidemiological studies. We estimated a range of potencies for PCB congeners (over 4 orders of AZD6738 magnitude), with the strongest for PCB 126. Our approach to developing toxic equivalency models produced relative potencies similar to the toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs) from the World Health Organization (WHO). We generally

found that click here the dose-response extrapolated from the animal studies tends to under-predict the dose-response estimated from human epidemiological studies. A quantitative approach to evaluating the relationship between chemical exposures and TH perturbations, based on animal data can be used to assess human health consequences of thyroid toxicity and inform decision-making. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Despite well-known intestinal epithelial barrier impairment and visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and IBS-like models, structural and physical changes in the mucus layer remain poorly understood. Using a water avoidance stress (WAS) model, we aimed at evaluating whether 1) WAS modified gut permeability, visceral sensitivity, mucin expression, biochemical structure of O-glycans, and related mucus physical properties, and 2) whether Lactobacillus

farciminis treatment prevented these alterations. Wistar rats received orally L. farciminis or vehicle for 14 days; at day 10, they were submitted to either sham or 4-day WAS. Intestinal paracellular permeability and visceral sensitivity were measured in vivo. The number of goblet cells and Muc2 expression were evaluated by histology and immunohistochemistry, buy Tubastatin A respectively. Mucosal adhesion of L. farciminis was determined ex situ. The mucin O-glycosylation profile was obtained by mass spectrometry. Surface imaging of intestinal mucus was performed at nanoscale by atomic force microscopy. WAS induced gut hyperpermeability and visceral hypersensitivity but did not modify either the number of intestinal goblet cells or Muc2 expression. In contrast, O-glycosylation of mucins was strongly affected, with the appearance of elongated polylactosaminic chain containing O-glycan structures, associated with flattening and loss of the mucus layer cohesive properties. L.

To evaluate the effects of inhibitors, Pg organisms were incubated in plasma in the presence of apple polyphenol (AP), epigallocatechin gallate, KYT-1 (Arg-gingipain inhibitor), and KYT-36 (Lys-gingipain inhibitor).\n\nResults: Plasma supernatants from wild-type and fimbriamutant cultures markedly stimulated cellular proliferation, whereas those containing gingipain-null mutants showed negligible effects. SMC proliferation was also induced by plasma treated with

trypsin. Furthermore, plasma supernatants cultured in the presence of KYT-1/KYT-36 and AP showed significant inhibitory effects on SMC proliferation, whereas cultures with epigallocatechin gallate did not.\n\nConclusion: Our results suggest that Pg gingipains are involved in the induction of SMC transformation and proliferation, whereas this was inhibited by AP. J Periodontol 2011;82:1616-1622.”
“J. Selleckchem 5-Fluoracil Neurochem. learn more (2012) 122, 628640. Abstract Nicotine intake affects CNS responses to stressors. We reported that nicotine self-administration (SA) augmented the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress response, in part because of the altered neurotransmission and neuropeptide expression within hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus

(PVN). Limbic-PVN interactions involving medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) greatly impact the HPA stress response. Therefore, we investigated the effects of nicotine SA Panobinostat cost on stress-induced neuronal activation in limbic-PVN network, using c-Fos protein immunohistochemistry and retrograde tracing. Nicotine decreased stress-induced c-Fos in prelimbic cortex (PrL), anteroventral BST (avBST), and peri-PVN, but increased c-Fos induction in medial amygdala (MeA), locus

coeruleus, and PVN. Fluoro-gold (FG) was injected into avBST or PVN, as GABAergic neurons in avBST projecting to PVN corticotrophin-releasing factor neurons relay information from both PrL glutamatergic and MeA GABAergic neurons. The stress-induced c-Fos expression in retrograde-labeled FG+ neurons was decreased in PrL by nicotine, but increased in MeA, and also reduced in avBST. Therefore, within limbic-PVN network, nicotine SA exerts selective regional effects on neuronal activation by stress. These findings expand the mechanistic framework by demonstrating altered limbic-BST-PVN interactions underlying the disinhibition of PVN corticotrophin-releasing factor neurons, an essential component of the amplified HPA response to stress by nicotine.”
“BACKGROUND: Chloronitrobenzenes (CINBs) are a family of toxic and bio-resistant organic compounds. Ozone treatment is specifically suitable for partial or complete oxidation of non-biodegradable components. However, few studies on the decomposition of CINBs by ozone are available, and kinetics and mechanisms of CINBs ozonation have not been thoroughly investigated.

Prognostic factors for recurrence and survival after resection were analyzed.\n\nResults: A total of 235 patients were included. With a median follow-up of 50.2 (0.07-125.1) months, the recurrence rate was 57.0%. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 83.9%, 66.0%, and 58.1% respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that multi-focal lesions (HR: 2.93, PFTα cell line P < 0.001), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level greater than 100 ng/ml (HR: 1.74, P = 0.002) and history of

tumor rupture (HR: 2.84, P = 0.003) were independent risk factors for recurrence of HCC after hepatectomy.\n\nConclusions: Predictors for HCC recurrence can be identified before operation. These important parameters should be considered before and after contemplating curative resection for HCC patients and for risk stratification in future AZD1208 clinical trials for neoadjuvant or post-resection adjuvant therapy. The possible use of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment

to improve survival should be addressed by further trials. Crown Copyright (c) 2011 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: The pleuropneumonia caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is one the most important swine respiratory diseases. Biochemical and serological tests are widely applied for the diagnosis and characterization of this bacterium. However, in some isolates, conflicting results are found. There are at least 15 serotypes with significant differences in virulence that have been identified until now. Moreover, cross reactions between serotypes are not uncommon. The serotype determination from isolates occurring in outbreaks is an important procedure in prophylaxis and control of the disease. The present work focuses on the application of an ERIC-PCR technique for genotyping and differentiation of A. pleuropneumoniae isolates.\n\nMaterials, Methods & Results: Fifteen reference strains for the recognized A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes were analyzed in this work, alongside with 27 field isolates that had been previously characterized regarding

biochemical, serological and molecular features. Total DNA from each sample was purified and subjected to PCR amplification using Lazertinib price ERIC-specific primers (ERIC1R and ERIC2). The resulting amplicons were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis and their sizes were estimated from the gel images. Bands with similar sizes were identified and used to construct a binary matrix that took into account the presence or absence of individual bands in all lanes. Pair-wise similarity coefficients were computed from the binary matrix and the similarity matrices obtained were utilized to construct an UPGMA-based dendrogram. The amplicons obtained from the A. pleuropneumoniae reference strains generated a very distinctive pattern for each one of the tested strains.

Substantially larger ICCs during and after the intervention suggest that much of the variability observed in DEHP metabolite levels originates from dietary exposure.”
“Most previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) BMS-777607 in vivo studies of patients with bipolar disorder (BD) report similar hippocampus (HC) volumes across patients and controls, but because patients studied were heterogeneous with respect to course of illness variables and medication status, the conclusions of these studies remain equivocal. Lithium (Li) is the reference-standard drug for BD and its role as an important agent in neuroprotection and neurogenesis has been documented in human and in animal studies. We compared the

volume of the HC, hippocampal head (Hh), and body/tail (Hbt) in three groups with no history of medication use before entry into this study: (a) a group

of patients treated with Li for 1-8 weeks and then scanned; (b) a group comprised of patients who were unmedicated at the time of scan; and (c) a group of patients treated with either valproic acid Panobinostat or lamotrigine. Healthy age- and sex-matched comparison subjects were also scanned. HC volumes did not differ between the unmedicated and healthy comparison groups. There was a bilateral increase in volumes of HC and Hh in the Li-treated group compared to the unmedicated group, an effect that was apparent even over a brief treatment period. Our study provides further confirmation that Li can exert structural effects on the HC, which are detectable in vivo. The study emphasizes the need to control for even brief exposure to medication in volumetric studies of the

HC.”
“Previous studies reported increased fertility using Ovsynch for presynchronization before Ovsynch (Double-Ovsynch), as compared with presynchronization with two selleck screening library prostaglandin F-2 alpha (PGF(2 alpha)) treatments before Ovsynch (Presynch-Ovsynch). This study compared ovarian follicular dynamics and hormone concentrations during Double-Ovsynch versus Presynch-Ovsynch. Lactating Holstein cows (N = 193) were assigned to one of two treatment groups: (1) Presynch (N = 93), two injections of PGF(2 alpha) 14 days apart, followed by the Ovsynch-timed Al protocol 12 days later; and (2) Double-Ovsynch (N = 100), one injection of GnRH, PGF(2 alpha) 7 days later, and GnRH 3 days later, followed by the Ovsynch-timed Al protocol 7 days later. All cows received the same Ovsynch-timed Al protocol: GnRH (G1) at 68 +/- 3 days in milk (mean +/- SEM), PGF(2 alpha) 7 days later, and GnRH (G2) 56 hours after PGF(2 alpha). Ultrasonographic evaluations of the ovaries and blood sampling were performed at G1, PGF(2 alpha), G2, and 6 days after the G2 injection of the Ovsynch-timed Al protocol. Double-Ovsynch decreased the percentage of cows with low circulating progesterone (P4) concentrations (<0.50 ng/mL) at G1 (12.0% vs. 30.1%; P = 0.003) and increased the percentage of cows with medium P4 concentrations (0.50 > P4 <= 3.0 ng/mL) at G1 (80.

Breathing H2S also induces a rapidly reversible reduction of metabolic rate at either body temperature.”
“P>This report describes the isolation of rodent multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) and proliferation of these cells in both standard medium and medium without exogenous serum or growth factors conditioned by the rat cell line B104. MAPCs have exacting requirements GSK923295 Cytoskeletal Signaling inhibitor for their proliferation in vitro but once established proliferate rapidly at low seeding density, requiring almost daily passage and media exchange. Previously published methods for growth of MAPCs in vitro all used media supplemented with serum and growth factors, which

adds considerable expense.”
“The adult mammalian heart has an extremely limited capacity for regeneration. As a consequence, ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the developed world, and the heart continues to be a major focal point for regenerative medicine. Understanding innate mechanisms of heart regeneration is important and may provide a blueprint for clinical translation. For example, urodele amphibians and teleost fish can mount an endogenous regenerative response following multiple forms of cardiac injury, and this

regenerative response appears to be mediated through proliferation of pre-existing cardiomyocytes. How and why mammals have lost the capacity for heart regeneration since the divergence from teleost fish more than 450 million years ago has been a major unresolved question in the field. Recent studies in mice indicate www.selleckchem.com/products/Vorinostat-saha.html that the mammalian heart possesses significant regenerative potential during embryonic and neonatal life, but this regenerative capacity is lost rapidly after birth. This review focuses on mechanisms of heart regeneration in neonatal mice, with a particular emphasis on similarities and differences with the zebrafish model.

Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of postnatal heart maturation and regenerative arrest are also highlighted. The possibility of recapitulating ontogenetically and phylogenetically ancient mechanisms of cardiac regeneration in the adult human heart represents an exciting new frontier in cardiology. (Trends Cardiovasc Med 2012;22:128-133) (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“The 26S proteasome operates at the executive end of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Here, see more we present a cryo-EM structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 26S proteasome at a resolution of 7.4 angstrom or 6.7 angstrom ( Fourier-Shell Correlation of 0.5 or 0.3, respectively). We used this map in conjunction with molecular dynamics-based flexible fitting to build a near-atomic resolution model of the holocomplex. The quality of the map allowed us to assign alpha-helices, the predominant secondary structure element of the regulatory particle subunits, throughout the entire map. We were able to determine the architecture of the Rpn8/Rpn11 heterodimer, which had hitherto remained elusive.

The incidence of 12-month mortality and recurrent chest pain was higher in the lower ACh dose group (20 mu g). Conclusion: The learn more patients with MB significantly reacting at the low ACh dose had more pronounced baseline spasm, severe and diffuse long coronary artery

spasm, higher 12-month mortality and recurrent chest pain than those reacting with the higher ACh doses, suggesting that more intensive medical therapy will be required. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel”
“BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest an increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment following patent ductus arteriosus surgical ligation. The mechanisms are unclear, but intraoperative stress or pain may contribute. The objectives of this study were to determine if pain, evidenced by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, during patent ductus arteriosus ligation would be accompanied by an increase in amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) voltage. METHODS: This was an observational, pilot study of infants born at 22.6-35.1 weeks with patent ductus AZD8055 cost arteriosus requiring surgical ligation. The aEEG was recorded

prior to, during surgery, and for 2 hours following surgery. Mean heart rate, blood pressure, and aEEG voltage were analyzed for each recording period. RESULTS: Seventeen preterm infants were studied at a mean postmenstrual age of 26.6 weeks. Following anesthetic induction, aEEG became suppressed and remained GDC-0994 ic50 suppressed during the postoperative period. Heart rate and blood pressure increased significantly intraoperatively. The aEEG voltage did not increase with an increase in heart rate. Infants received between 3.7-47 mu g/kg of fentanyl. CONCLUSIONS: There was no correlation between aEEG voltage and vital sign changes. aEEG is not a useful tool as a marker of pain during patent ductus arteriosus ligation, rather a more standardized approach to pain management should be considered. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background and Purpose-Microembolic signals (MESs)

are detectable within the transcranial Doppler frequency spectrum downstream from vascular atherothrombotic or cardiothrombotic lesions. A frequent occurrence of MESs has also been shown during bypass surgery or after mechanical valve implantation. We sought to compile the knowledge on MES prevalence, the clinical impact of these cardiogenic MESs, and microemboli composition.\n\nSummary of Review-We performed a systematic MEDLINE search and summarized the currently available literature about MESs during or after cardiosurgical procedures for this state-of-the-art report.\n\nConclusions-The nature of cardiogenic MESs is heterogeneous, and their prevalence is highly variable, reflecting their different origin from a broad spectrum of cardiosurgical conditions.

This relationship was maintained, even in patients with at least 1 major postoperative complication.\n\nCONCLUSION: The prevalence of being overweight or obese was high in this nationally

representative cohort of minority surgical patients. Although BMI class is a significant predictor of 30-day mortality, the effect appeared paradoxical. The poorest outcomes were in the underweight and normal BMI patients. Severely obese patients had the lowest risk of mortality, even after experiencing a major postoperative complication. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2012; 7: 117-123 (C) 2011 Society of Hospital Medicine.”
“The vast microbiota in the human body is dominated by anaerobic gram-negative rods. The five recent publications reviewed here demonstrate important roles

for Bacteroides species and other anaerobic bacteria both in the buy 3-deazaneplanocin A production of illness and the maintenance of health. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The structural and electrical properties of SrTa2O6(SrTaO)/n-In0.53GaAs0.47(InGaAs)/InP structures where the SrTaO was learn more grown by atomic vapor deposition, were investigated. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a uniform, amorphous SrTaO film having an atomically flat interface with the InGaAs substrate with a SrTaO film thickness of 11.2 nm. The amorphous SrTaO films (11.2 nm) exhibit a dielectric constant of similar to 20, and a breakdown field of > 8 MV/cm. A capacitance equivalent thickness of similar to 1 nm is obtained for a SrTaO thickness of 3.4 nm, demonstrating the scaling potential of the SrTaO/InGaAs MOS system. Thinner SrTaO films (3.4 nm) exhibited increased non-uniformity in thickness. From the capacitance-voltage response of the SrTaO (3.4 nm)/n-InGaAs/InP structure, prior to any post deposition annealing,

a peak interface state density of similar to 2.3 x 10(13) cm(-2) eV(-1) is obtained located at similar to 0.28 eV (+/- 0.05 eV) above the valence band energy (E-v) and the integrated P505-15 concentration interface state density in range E-v + 0.2 to E-v + 0.7 eV is 6.8 x 10(12) cm(-2). The peak energy position (0.28 +/- 0.05 eV) and the energy distribution of the interface states are similar to other high-k layers on InGaAs, such as Al2O3 and LaAlO3, providing further evidence that the interface defects in the high-k/InGaAs system are intrinsic defects related to the InGaAs surface. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The chicken leptin receptor (chLEPR) activates Janus kinase (JAK) – signal transducers and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway after leptin stimulation. We have previously developed a bioassay using leptin inducible reporter gene in cultured cells. However, we failed to detect leptin-like activity in chicken blood. In the present study, we expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused chSTAT3 (GFP-chSTAT3) in cells expressing chLEPR and analyzed leptin dependent activation of the chSTAT3.

\n\nStudy design: A questionnaire was circulated electronically to gynaecological pathologists and surgeons. The results were collated and compared with the BMS-345541 manufacturer available literature on this subject.\n\nResults:

Our survey showed that the use of frozen sections varies with the resource setting and the preferences and practices of the practitioners. Frozen sections are most often used in diagnosis of ovarian/pelvic masses and assessment of lymph nodes in cervical carcinoma.\n\nConclusion: Frozen section diagnosis is of value in certain areas of gynaecological oncology, while it is of limited or no value in others. Each multidisciplinary team should develop their own local protocols for intraoperative frozen section examination and

support developing expertise in frozen section diagnosis in the adopted areas of the practice. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Despite the fact that categories are often composed of correlated features, the evidence that people detect and use these correlations during intentional category learning has been overwhelmingly negative to date. Nonetheless, on other categorization tasks, such as feature prediction, people show evidence of correlational sensitivity. A conventional explanation holds that category learning tasks promote rule use, which discards the correlated-feature GNS-1480 concentration information, whereas other types of category teaming tasks promote exemplar storage, which preserves correlated-feature information. Contrary to that common belief, the authors report 2 experiments that demonstrate that using probabilistic feedback in an intentional categorization BGJ398 manufacturer task leads to sensitivity to correlations among nondiagnostic cues. Deterministic feedback eliminates correlational sensitivity by focusing attention on relevant cues. Computational modeling reveals that exemplar storage coupled with selective attention is necessary to explain this effect.”
“There is a continuous flux of the oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) from the circulation across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the brain. The major metabolite of 27-OHC in the brain is 7 alpha-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-cholestenoic

acid (7-HOCA). We confirm a recent report describing the presence of this metabolite in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at a relatively high concentration. A simple and accurate method was developed for assay of 7-HOCA in CSF based on isotope dilution-mass spectrometry and use of H-2(4)-labeled internal standard. The concentration of this metabolite was found to be markedly increased in CSF from patients with a dysfunctional BBB. There was a high correlation between the levels of 7-HOCA in CSF and the CSF/serum albumin ratio. The concentration of 7-HOCA in CSF was not significantly affected by neurodegeneration. Our findings suggest that 7-HOCA could be used as a diagnostic marker for conditions with a dysfunctional BBB.