Multiplexed quantification of autophagic flux by image resolution circulation cytometry

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, pear to oval shaped, rosette forming bacterium with crateriform structures well distributed on the cell surface designated as strain JC647T was isolated from a sponge specimen belonging to the genus Spongia. Strain JC647T reproduces through budding. Strain JC647T shared highest 16S rRNA gene sequence identity of 99.9% with "Crateriforma conspicua" Mal65T (not a valid species name). The genome size of strain JC647T is 6.9 Mb with a G + C content of 57.8 mol %. For the resolution of the phylogenetic congruence of the novel strain, the phylogeny was also constructed with the sequences of ninety-two housekeeping genes. Based on the phylogenetic analyses, low dDDH value (51.0%), low gANI (93.2%), low AAI (94.9%) results, chemotaxonomic characteristics and differential physiological properties, strain JC647T is recognized as a new species of the genus "Crateriforma", for which we propose the name Crateriforma spongiae sp. nov. The type species is JC647T (= KCTC 72176T = NBRC 114068T).The detection of energy-rich sweet food items has been important for our survival during evolution, however, in light of the changing lifestyles in industrialized and developing countries our natural sweet preference is causing considerable problems. Hence, it is even more important to understand how our sense of sweetness works, and perhaps even, how we may deceive it for our own benefit. This chapter summarizes current knowledge about sweet tastants and sweet taste modulators on the compound side as well as insights into the structure and function of the sweet taste receptor and the transduction of sweet signals. Moreover, methods to assess the activity of sweet substances in vivo and in vitro are compared and discussed.The neurovascular unit (NVU) encompasses all brain cells and underlines that neurons, glia and brain vasculature are in intimate physical and functional association. Brain function is dependent on blood flow and local increases in blood flow in response to neural activity - functional hyperaemia takes place at the NVU. see more Although this is a vital function of the NVU, many studies have demonstrated that the NVU also performs other tasks. Blood vessels in the brain, which are composed of multiple cell types, are essential for correct brain development. They constitute the niche for brain stem cells, sense the environment and communicate changes to neural tissue, and control the immune quiescence of the CNS. In this brief chapter we will discuss new insights into the biology of NVU, which have further revealed the heterogeneity and complexity of the vascular tree and its neurovascular associations.Growing evidence suggests that theory of mind (ToM) and episodic future thinking (EFT) are closely related at both brain and functional level. This study explored the relationship between ToM and EFT in 96 Italian-speaking children with typical development aged between 8 and 10.11 using a behavioral design. ToM was assessed through an emotional facial expression recognition task. EFT was assessed with a task where participants were required to project themselves forward in time by anticipating future states of the self; this resulted in two scores a nonverbal measure and a verbal explanation measure. Results showed that the participants' performance on the task assessing ToM correlated with and predicted the nonverbal measure of the EFT task. These findings are discussed in the light of theories suggesting that each of these abilities is governed by a common system devoted to self-projection.Statistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants' SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants' SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) has garnered public interest and has been implemented for youth with autism spectrum disorders-a practice supported by anecdotal evidence. While investigations of AAI for children with autism have been conducted, the extant literature is characterized by significant variability in methodology and practice. The present meta-analysis examines the aggregated effects of equine AAI on adaptive functioning among children with autism. Results indicated that interacting with an equine specifically during AAI produced small-to-medium effects (g = 0.40) on the adaptive functioning of children with autism. Recommendations are made for future research on this topic.
Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may contribute to the manifestation of inflammatory pain within structures of the afferent somatosensory system. LPS can induce a state of refractoriness to its own effects termed LPS tolerance. We employed primary neuro-glial cultures from rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the superficial dorsal horn (SDH) of the spinal cord, mainly including the substantia gelatinosa to establish and characterize a model of LPS tolerance within these structures.
Tolerance was induced by pre-treatment of both cultures with 1µg/ml LPS for 18h, followed by a short-term stimulation with a higher LPS dose (10µg/ml for 2h). Cultures treated with solvent were used as controls. Cells from DRG or SDH were investigated by means of RT-PCR (expression of inflammatory genes) and immunocytochemistry (translocation of inflammatory transcription factors into nuclei of cells from both cultures). Supernatants from both cultures were assayed for tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) byations of neuronal reactivity patterns upon inflammatory stimulation.
A state of LPS tolerance can be induced in primary cultures from the afferent somatosensory system, which is characterized by a down-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Thus, this model can be applied to study the effects of LPS tolerance at the cellular level, for example possible modifications of neuronal reactivity patterns upon inflammatory stimulation.