Neurodevelopmental Animal Models Reveal the Convergent Role of Neurotransmitter Systems, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress as Biomarkers of Schizophrenia: Implications for Novel Drug Development

Schizophrenia is a life altering disease with a complex etiology and pathophysiology, and although antipsychotics are valuable in treating the disorder, certain symptoms and/or sufferers remain resistant to treatment. Our poor understanding of the underlying neuropathological mechanisms of schizophrenia hinders the discovery and development of improved pharmacological treatment, so that filling these gaps is of utmost importance for an improved outcome. A vast amount of clinical data has strongly implicated the role of inflammation and oxidative insults in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Preclinical studies using animal models are fundamental in our understanding of disease development and pathology as well as the discovery and development of novel treatment options. In particular, social isolation rearing (SIR) and pre- or postnatal inflammation (PPNI) have shown great promise in mimicking the biobehavioral manifestations of schizophrenia. Furthermore, the "dual-hit" hypothesis of schizophrenia states that a first adverse event such as genetic predisposition or a prenatal insult renders an individual susceptible to develop the disease, while a second insult (e.g., postnatal inflammation, environmental adversity, or drug abuse) may be necessary to precipitate the full-blown syndrome. Animal models that emphasize the "dual-hit" hypothesis therefore provide valuable insight into understanding disease progression. In this Review, we will discuss SIR, PPNI, as well as possible "dual-hit" animal models within the context of the redox-immune-inflammatory hypothesis of schizophrenia, correlating such changes with the recognized monoamine and behavioral alterations of schizophrenia. Finally, based on these models, we will review new therapeutic options, especially those targeting immune-inflammatory and redox pathways.

Accurate determination of absolute carrier-envelope phase dependence using photo-ionization

The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) dependence of few-cycle above-threshold ionization (ATI) of Xe is calibrated for use as a reference measurement for determining and controlling the absolute CEP in other interactions. This is achieved by referencing the CEP-dependent ATI measurements of Xe to measurements of atomic H, which are in turn referenced to ab initio calculations for atomic H. This allows for the accurate determination of the absolute CEP dependence of Xe ATI, which enables relatively easy determination of the offset between the relative CEP measured and/or controlled by typical devices and the absolute CEP in the interaction.

Blending of reactive prepolymers to control the morphology and polarity of polyglycidol based microgels

The compartmentalization of microgels is a challenging task for synthetic polymer chemistry. Although the complexation with low molecular weight compounds or the use of microfluidic techniques offer attractive possibilities for other length scales, it is difficult to implement compartments in the mesoscale range of 10-100 nm. Herein we show how simple blending of reactive prepolymers is suitable to design new microgel morphologies with tailored compartments. We use poly(EEGE)-block-poly(AGE) as crosslinkable, pro-hydrophilic prepolymer in blends with varying amounts of crosslinkable, yet hydrophobic poly(THF-stat-AllylEHO) or inert and hydrophobic polystyrene, and crosslink the allyl functional prepolymer(s) in a thiol-ene click-type reaction after miniemulsification. Our strategy shows how arrested versus free nanophase separation can be used to control easily the morphology and polarity of microgel particles.

[Oral health status of students with and without disabilities in Erfurt, Germany]

AIM

The aim of this study was to make a comparison of the oral health status of students with and without disabilities (Sw/D, Sw/oD) aged 6-18 years from the city of Erfurt.

METHODS

328 students with mental retardation (MR), physical disability (PD) and hearing impairment (HI) were examined according to WHO standard (1997). The control group consisted of 400 age-matched Sw/oD. Data analysis was performed in age groups 6-12 and 13-18 years.

RESULTS

Caries prevalence of 6- to 12-year-old Sw/D (68.7%) was significantly higher than in Sw/oD (57%) (p=0.019).The caries experience of Sw/D was 2.3 dmft/0.5 DMFT and 1.6 dmft/0.4 DMFT of Sw/oD. PD had a lower restorative index than other Sw/D (p ≥ 0.023). There was no difference in caries prevalence and caries experience among 13- to 18-year-old Sw/D (51%; 1.9 DMFT) and Sw/oD (59%; 2.1 DMFT). MR had a lower prevalence of fissure sealants and less sealed teeth (p ≤ 0.042) and their periodontal health was inferior compared to other Sw/D.

CONCLUSION

Intensive preventive measures should be intensified to compensate for oral health inequalities, particularly in MR.

Poly (vinylcaprolactam)-based Microgels to Improve Gloss Properties of Different Natural Fibres

Three different thermo-sensitive microgels obtained by the copolymerisation of vinylcaprolactam) (VCL) and various monomers (vinylimidazole(VIm), acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate (AAEM) and itaconic acid(IA)) are used to coat different fibre surfaces. Two different pHs and two different temperatures, 25°C and 50°C respectively are chosen for the deposition of the microgels. The scanning electron microscopy of the treated fibre shows good distribution of the particles onto the fibres especially at increasing temperatures. The gloss index for the treated fibres has been measured, and showed that it may be controlled for all of the fibres with the treatment parameters (pH and temperature) and the microgel structure.

Deposition of Functionalized Polyethylenimine-Dye onto Cotton and Wool Fibres

Functionalized polyethylenimine–dye (FPEI) is prepared by mixing branched polyethyleneimine (PEI), in which its primary amine groups are modified at different ratios with a quaternary ammonium coupler (QI), and reactive dyestuff (RD) (QI/RD = 0/100, 20/80, 40/60, 60/40 and 80/20 mole/mole %). The deposition of FPEI from an aqueous solution onto the surface of cotton and wool fibres is studied. The adsorption of a charged polymer from an aqueous medium by cotton and wool fibres is investigated at different pH values, and the uptake of colour on fibres is measured by Datacolor and UVVIS spectrophotometers.

The study of the kinetics of adsorption shows that pseudo-first-order kinetics provide the best correlation of the experimental data. The equilibrium data indicate that the deposition process onto both cotton and wool follows the Langmuir isotherm. In terms of colour strength (K/S value) the coated fibres compare well with those dyed with a commercial dyestuff, C.I. Basic Red 51, which suggests that the coating is a good alternative to classical dyeing.

Advantages of bilayered vascular grafts for surgical applicability and tissue regeneration

Nanofibrous scaffolds are part of an intense research effort to design the next generation of vascular grafts. With electrospinning, the production of micro- and nano-fiber-based prostheses is simple and cost effective. An important parameter for tissue regeneration in such scaffolds is pore size. Too small pores will impede cell infiltration, but too large pores can lead to problems such as blood leakage. In this study, bilayered grafts were made by electrospinning a high-porosity graft with a low-porosity layer on either the luminal or the adventitial side. Grafts were characterized in vitro for fiber size, pore size, total porosity, water and blood leakage, mechanical strength, burst pressure and suture retention strength, and were evaluated in vivo in the rat abdominal aorta replacement model for 3 and 12 weeks. In vitro blood leakage through these bilayered grafts was significantly reduced compared with a high-porosity graft. All grafts had an excellent in vivo outcome, with perfect patency and no thrombosis. Cell invasion and neovascularization were significantly reduced in the grafts with a low-porosity layer on the adventitial side, and there was no significant difference between the grafts in endothelialization rate or intimal hyperplasia. By tailoring the microarchitecture of biodegradable vascular prostheses, it is therefore possible to optimize the scaffold for tissue regeneration while preventing blood leakage, and thus facilitating applicability in the clinic.

Optical emission of InAs nanowires

Wurtzite InAs nanowire samples grown by chemical beam epitaxy have been analyzed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The nanowires exhibit two main optical emission bands at low temperatures. They are attributed to the recombination of carriers in quantum well structures, formed by zincblende-wurtzite alternating layers, and to the donor-acceptor pair. The blue-shift observed in the former emission band when the excitation power is increased is in good agreement with the type-II band alignment between the wurtzite and zincblende sections predicted by previous theoretical works. When increasing the temperature and the excitation power successively, an additional band attributed to the band-to-band recombination from wurtzite InAs appears. We estimated a lower bound for the wurtzite band gap energy of approximately 0.46 eV at low temperature.

Reference values for three-dimensional surface cephalometry in children aged 3-6 years

OBJECTIVE

This prospective cross-sectional study design was performed to define reference values for the facial surfaces of 3-6-year-old boys and girls using three-dimensional surface cephalometry.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 2290 standardized three-dimensional facial images from 3 to 6-year-old preschool children were separated by gender and assigned to four age categories. All children were Caucasian and revealed no evidence of dentofacial abnormalities. On each image, 31 cephalometric landmarks were marked, resulting in 35 (19 frontal, six lateral, 10 paired) distances and eight angles. Differences between age groups and genders were calculated and significances detected.

RESULTS

A base table with reference values was compiled, which indicated that boys showed higher values than age-matched girls and that measured distances increased with age.

CONCLUSION

The mean values from this study could be compiled as a reference table for three-dimensional facial analysis in Caucasian children aged 3-6 years. Such a reference table could be used in comparative studies with other populations or children with craniofacial malformations.

Comparative analysis of a putative tuberculosis-susceptibility gene, MC3R, and pseudogene sequences in cattle, African buffalo, hyena, rhinoceros and other African bovids and ruminants

Studies in humans have suggested the possible involvement of melanocortin-3-receptor (MC3R) and other components of the central melanocortin system in host defense against mycobacteria. We report a genomic DNA nucleotide sequence highly homologous to human MC3R in several bovids and non-bovid African wildlife species. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicates that the orthologous genes of cattle and buffalo are highly homologous (89.4 and 90%, respectively) to the human MC3R gene. Sequence results also identified a typical non-functional, duplicated pseudogene, MC3RP, in 7 species from the family Bovidae. No pseudogene was found in animals outside Bovidae. The presence of the pseudogene in tuberculosis-susceptible species could have possible immunomodulatory effects on susceptibility to bovine tuberculosis infection, as well as a considerable influence on energy metabolism and food conversion efficiency.

Acoustically driven photon antibunching in nanowires

The oscillating piezoelectric field of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) is employed to transport photoexcited carriers, as well as to spatially control exciton recombination in GaAs-based nanowires (NWs) on a subns time scale. The experiments are carried out in core-shell NWs transferred to a SAW delay line on a LiNbO(3) crystal. Carriers generated in the NW by a focused laser spot are acoustically transferred to a second location, leading to the remote emission of subns light pulses synchronized with the SAW phase. The dynamics of the carrier transport, investigated using spatially and time-resolved photoluminescence, is well-reproduced by computer simulations. The high-frequency contactless manipulation of carriers by SAWs opens new perspectives for applications of NWs in opto-electronic devices operating at gigahertz frequencies. The potential of this approach is demonstrated by the realization of a high-frequency source of antibunched photons based on the acoustic transport of electrons and holes in (In,Ga)As NWs.

Interaction of 5-aminosalicylic acid with nitrous acid: formation of the diazonium derivative and nitric oxide release

The reaction of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) with nitrous acid has been studied at low pH under conditions that simulate a gastric environment. The course of the reaction was followed by UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and the products were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV–visible and mass spectroscopic detectors. In addition, the formation of nitric oxide (NO) was estimated electrochemically. 5-ASA was readily consumed in a process catalyzed by chloride and thiocyanate, whose rate is first order in 5-ASA and second order in nitrous acid. 2-Hydroxy-5-diazonium benzoic acid (diazonium derivative) and NO were detected as products of the reaction. From the NO formation profiles, it is concluded that NO is produced as a minor product in a process parallel to the path that leads to generation of the diazonium derivative. While the formation of NO could be beneficial for the protection of the stomach, the generation of the diazonium derivative could be considered a potentially toxic process.