CHD7 regulates craniofacial cartilage development via controlling HTR2B expression

Mutations in the Chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 - coding gene (CHD7) cause CHARGE syndrome (CS). Although craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities are major features of CS patients, the role of CHD7 in bone and cartilage development remain largely unexplored. Here, using a zebrafish (Danio rerio) CS model, we show that chd7-/- larvae display abnormal craniofacial cartilage development and spinal deformities. The craniofacial and spine defects are accompanied by a marked reduction of bone mineralization. At the molecular level, we show that these phenotypes are associated with significant reduction in the expression levels of osteoblast differentiation markers. Additionally, we detected a marked depletion of collagen 2α1 in the cartilage of craniofacial regions and vertebrae, along with significantly reduced number of chondrocytes. Chondrogenesis defects are at least in part due to downregulation of htr2b, which we found to be also dysregulated in human cells derived from an individual with CHD7 mutation-positive CS. Overall, this study thus unveils an essential role for CHD7 in cartilage and bone development, with potential clinical relevance for the craniofacial defects associated with CS.

pyHeart4Fish: Chamber-specific heart phenotype quantification of zebrafish in high-content screens

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death. Of CVDs, congenital heart diseases are the most common congenital defects, with a prevalence of 1 in 100 live births. Despite the widespread knowledge that prenatal and postnatal drug exposure can lead to congenital abnormalities, the developmental toxicity of many FDA-approved drugs is rarely investigated. Therefore, to improve our understanding of drug side effects, we performed a high-content drug screen of 1,280 compounds using zebrafish as a model for cardiovascular analyses. Zebrafish are a well-established model for CVDs and developmental toxicity. However, flexible open-access tools to quantify cardiac phenotypes are lacking. Here, we provide pyHeart4Fish, a novel Python-based, platform-independent tool with a graphical user interface for automated quantification of cardiac chamber-specific parameters, such as heart rate (HR), contractility, arrhythmia score, and conduction score. In our study, about 10.5% of the tested drugs significantly affected HR at a concentration of 20 µM in zebrafish embryos at 2 days post-fertilization. Further, we provide insights into the effects of 13 compounds on the developing embryo, including the teratogenic effects of the steroid pregnenolone. In addition, analysis with pyHeart4Fish revealed multiple contractility defects induced by seven compounds. We also found implications for arrhythmias, such as atrioventricular block caused by chloropyramine HCl, as well as (R)-duloxetine HCl-induced atrial flutter. Taken together, our study presents a novel open-access tool for heart analysis and new data on potentially cardiotoxic compounds.

Chromatin remodeller CHD7 is required for GABAergic neuron development by promoting PAQR3 expression

Mutations in the chromatin remodeller‐coding gene CHD7 cause CHARGE syndrome (CS). CS features include moderate to severe neurological and behavioural problems, clinically characterized by intellectual disability, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. To investigate the poorly characterized neurobiological role of CHD7, we here generate a zebrafish chd7^−/− model. chd7^−/− mutants have less GABAergic neurons and exhibit a hyperactivity behavioural phenotype. The GABAergic neuron defect is at least in part due to downregulation of the CHD7 direct target gene paqr3b, and subsequent upregulation of MAPK/ERK signalling, which is also dysregulated in CHD7 mutant human cells. Through a phenotype‐based screen in chd7^−/− zebrafish and Caenorhabditis elegans, we show that the small molecule ephedrine restores normal levels of MAPK/ERK signalling and improves both GABAergic defects and behavioural anomalies. We conclude that chd7 promotes paqr3b expression and that this is required for normal GABAergic network development. This work provides insight into the neuropathogenesis associated with CHD7 deficiency and identifies a promising compound for further preclinical studies.

VitiMeteo and Agrometeo: Two platforms for plant protection management based on an international collaboration

The negative effects of plant protection products on the human health and the environment have become a major concern for consumers and politics in Europe. In the last years new policies for risk mitigation and reduction of use of synthetic pesticides has been enforce in Europe and Switzerland. A possible strategy to reduce the use of plant protection products is to spray according to the epidemic of diseases and pests by following decision support systems (DSS). The platform VitiMeteo offers a wide set of forecasting models for viticulture including downy and powdery mildew, black rot, grape berry moth and rust mite. Two research institutes the Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg (Germany) and Agroscope (Switzerland) developed VitiMeteo jointly. A consortium was built with the company Geosens (Germany) which is in charge of the programming of the different forecasting software. Each institute is running his own internet website with specific tools and feature for each country but the core of the system is the same. The combination of these different DSS allows a significant reduction of plant protection products used. All these forecasting systems and tools are freely available for the winegrowers on the platform www.vitimeteo.de and www.agrometeo.ch. The use of these platforms helps the winegrowers to meet current society's expectations.

Novel variants and clinical symptoms in four new ALG3-CDG patients, review of the literature, and identification of AAGRP-ALG3 as a novel ALG3 variant with alanine and glycine-rich N-terminus

ALG3-CDG is one of the very rare types of congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) caused by variants in the ER-mannosyltransferase ALG3. Here, we summarize the clinical, biochemical, and genetic data of four new ALG3-CDG patients, who were identified by a type I pattern of serum transferrin and the accumulation of Man₅ GlcNAc₂ -PP-dolichol in LLO analysis. Additional clinical symptoms observed in our patients comprise sensorineural hearing loss, right-descending aorta, obstructive cardiomyopathy, macroglossia, and muscular hypertonia. We add four new biochemically confirmed variants to the list of ALG3-CDG inducing variants: c.350G>C (p.R117P), c.1263G>A (p.W421*), c.1037A>G (p.N346S), and the intron variant c.296+4A>G. Furthermore, in Patient 1 an additional open-reading frame of 141 bp (AAGRP) in the coding region of ALG3 was identified. Additionally, we show that control cells synthesize, to a minor degree, a hybrid protein composed of the polypeptide AAGRP and ALG3 (AAGRP-ALG3), while in Patient 1 expression of this hybrid protein is significantly increased due to the homozygous variant c.160_196del (g.165C>T). By reviewing the literature and combining our findings with previously published data, we further expand the knowledge of this rare glycosylation defect.

QDPR homologues in Danio rerio regulate melanin synthesis, early gliogenesis, and glutamine homeostasis

Dihydropteridine reductase (QDPR) catalyzes the recycling of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄), a cofactor in dopamine, serotonin, and phenylalanine metabolism. QDPR-deficient patients develop neurological symptoms including hypokinesia, truncal hypotonia, intellectual disability and seizures. The underlying pathomechanisms are poorly understood. We established a zebrafish model for QDPR deficiency and analyzed the expression as well as function of all zebrafish QDPR homologues during embryonic development. The homologues qdpra is essential for pigmentation and phenylalanine metabolism. Qdprb1 is expressed in the proliferative zones of the optic tectum and eye. Knockdown of qdprb1 leads to up-regulation of pro-proliferative genes and increased number of phospho-histone3 positive mitotic cells. Expression of neuronal and astroglial marker genes is concomitantly decreased. Qdprb1 hypomorphic embryos develop microcephaly and reduced eye size indicating a role for qdprb1 in the transition from cell proliferation to differentiation. Glutamine accumulation biochemically accompanies the developmental changes. Our findings provide novel insights into the neuropathogenesis of QDPR deficiency.

Pharmacologic rescue of hyperammonemia-induced toxicity in zebrafish by inhibition of ornithine aminotransferase

Hyperammonemia is the common biochemical hallmark of urea cycle disorders, activating neurotoxic pathways. If untreated, affected individuals have a high risk of irreversible brain damage and mortality. Here we show that acute hyperammonemia strongly enhances transamination-dependent formation of osmolytic glutamine and excitatory glutamate, thereby inducing neurotoxicity and death in ammoniotelic zebrafish larvae via synergistically acting overactivation of NMDA receptors and bioenergetic impairment induced by depletion of 2-oxoglutarate. Intriguingly, specific and irreversible inhibition of ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) by 5-fluoromethylornithine rescues zebrafish from lethal concentrations of ammonium acetate and corrects hyperammonemia-induced biochemical alterations. Thus, OAT inhibition is a promising and effective therapeutic approach for preventing neurotoxicity and mortality in acute hyperammonemia.

Cutis laxa, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and altered cellular metabolomics as additional symptoms in a new patient with ATP6AP1-CDG

Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) are genetic defects in the glycoconjugate biosynthesis. >100 types of CDG are known, most of them cause multi-organ diseases. Here we describe a boy whose leading symptoms comprise cutis laxa, pancreatic insufficiency and hepatosplenomegaly. Whole exome sequencing identified the novel hemizygous mutation c.542T>G (p.L181R) in the X-linked ATP6AP1, an accessory protein of the mammalian vacuolar H⁺-ATPase, which led to a general N-glycosylation deficiency. Studies of serum N-glycans revealed reduction of complex sialylated and appearance of truncated diantennary structures. Proliferation of the patient's fibroblasts was significantly reduced and doubling time prolonged. Additionally, there were alterations in the fibroblasts' amino acid levels and the acylcarnitine composition. Especially, short-chain species were reduced, whereas several medium- to long-chain acylcarnitines (C14-OH to C18) were elevated. Investigation of the main lipid classes revealed that total cholesterol was significantly enriched in the patient's fibroblasts at the expense of phophatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Within the minor lipid species, hexosylceramide was reduced, while its immediate precursor ceramide was increased. Since catalase activity and ACOX3 expression in peroxisomes were reduced, we assume an ATP6AP1-dependent impact on the β-oxidation of fatty acids. These results help to understand the complex clinical characteristics of this new patient.

Biallelic IARS Mutations Cause Growth Retardation with Prenatal Onset, Intellectual Disability, Muscular Hypotonia, and Infantile Hepatopathy

tRNA synthetase deficiencies are a growing group of genetic diseases associated with tissue-specific, mostly neurological, phenotypes. In cattle, cytosolic isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (IARS) missense mutations cause hereditary weak calf syndrome. Exome sequencing in three unrelated individuals with severe prenatal-onset growth retardation, intellectual disability, and muscular hypotonia revealed biallelic mutations in IARS. Studies in yeast confirmed the pathogenicity of identified mutations. Two of the individuals had infantile hepatopathy with fibrosis and steatosis, leading in one to liver failure in the course of infections. Zinc deficiency was present in all affected individuals and supplementation with zinc showed a beneficial effect on growth in one.

ELECTROSPUN MESOFIBERS, A NOVEL BIODEGRADABLE PHEROMONE DISPENSER TECHNOLOGY, ARE COMBINED WITH MECHANICAL DEPLOYMENT FOR EFFICIENT IPM OF LOBESIA BOTRANA IN VINEYARDS

Behaviour modifying pheromones are well known agents for disrupting mating communication of pest insects. For optimal activity, they must be dispensed in time and space at a quantitatively measurable, predetermined release rate covering the flight period of the target species. Pheromones appeal to environmentally conscientious entomologists for their biodegradability, non-toxicity and ecological compatibility. In attempts of combining the virtues of pheromones, suitable slow release dispensers, and their mechanical deployment, an ecologically sensible, reasonably priced and patented procedure was developed and tested with the vineyard pest Lobesia botrana (Lep.: Tortricidae). It is characterized by (1) Electrospun mesofibers with diameters ranging from 0.6 to 3.5 micrometres, containing disruptants and dispensing it by slow release diffusion into the crop, (2) simultaneous application of the fully biodegradable combination of pheromone with Ecoflex polyester mesofiber, (3) combination of mechanical deployment by multi-purpose cultivators of the prefabricated pheromone dispensers with other simultaneous cultivation measures, and thus further reducing labour time and treatment costs. The dispensers are biodegradable within half a year without leaving any objectionable residues. In the standard eco-toxicology tests pheromone dispensers are harmless to non-target organisms. The disruptive effect of one treatment lasts for seven weeks which covers well one of several flight periods of L. botrana.

Bone cement embolism attached to central venous catheter

We report on a rare complication of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), injected into the spine, which then inadvertently leaked into the venous system. This resulted in an embolism of PMMA and produced a mass surrounding a triple lumen central venous catheter located in the superior vena cava. The catheter as well as the attached mass of PMMA was retrieved safely by cardiothoracic surgery. This case emphasizes the importance of prompt diagnosis and treatment and illustrates the need for close monitoring of patients undergoing any spinal surgery that includes vertebroplasty.

Implantation of the liver during reperfusion of the heart in combined heart-liver transplantation: own experience and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

There are only a few reports about combined heart-liver transplantations. The surgical techniques differ widely, ranging from sequential implantation of the organs to simultaneous transplantations. We report our experience with simultaneous, combined heart-liver transplantations without using a veno-venous bypass demonstrating that this is a feasible surgical technique.

METHODS

Since 2005, we performed 4 combined heart-liver transplantations by implanting the liver during the reperfusion period of the newly implanted heart. We retrospectively reviewed patient clinical data and outcomes.

RESULTS

The mean operative time was 534 ± 247 minutes and the ischemia times for heart and liver were 190 ± 72 minutes (cold ischemia time for the heart), 98 ± 96 minutes (warm ischemia time for the heart), 349 ± 101 minutes (cold ischemia time for the liver), and 36.25 ± 3.5 minutes (warm ischemia time for the liver). Three patients were discharged from the hospital after an uneventful clinical course. One patient died due to multi-organ failure during the intensive care unit stay on the 23rd postoperative day.

CONCLUSION

We suggest that combined, simultaneous heart-liver transplantation without veno-venous bypass is a feasible surgical technique.

New dispenser types for integrated pest management of agriculturally significant insect pests: an algorithm with specialized searching capacity in electronic data bases

Pheromone effects discovered some 130 years, but scientifically defined just half a century ago, are a great bonus for basic and applied biology. Specifically, pest management efforts have been advanced in many insect orders, either for purposes or monitoring, mass trapping, or for mating disruption. Finding and applying a new search algorithm, nearly 20,000 entries in the pheromone literature have been counted, a number much higher than originally anticipated. This compilation contains identified and thus synthesizable structures for all major orders of insects. Among them are hundreds of agriculturally significant insect pests whose aggregated damages and costly control measures range in the multibillions of dollars annually. Unfortunately, and despite a lot of effort within the international entomological scene, the number of efficient and cheap engineering solutions for dispensing pheromones under variable field conditions is uncomfortably lagging behind. Some innovative approaches are cited from the relevant literature in an attempt to rectify this situation. Recently, specifically designed electrospun organic nanofibers offer a lot of promise. With their use, the mating communication of vineyard insects like Lobesia botrana (Lep.: Tortricidae) can be disrupted for periods of seven weeks.

Statistical analysis of global wind dynamics in vigorous Rayleigh-Bénard convection

Experimental and numerical studies of thermal convection have shown that sufficiently vigorous convective flows exhibit a large-scale thermal wind component sweeping along small-scale thermal boundary layer instabilities. A characteristic feature of these flows is an intermittent behavior in the form of irregular reversals in the orientation of the large-scale circulation. There have been several attempts toward a better understanding and description of the phenomenon of flow reversals, but so far most of these models are based on a statistical analysis of few-point measurements or on simplified theoretical assumptions. The analysis of long-term data sets (>5×10(5) turnover times τ(t)=d/u(rms)) obtained by numerical simulations of turbulent two-dimensional Rayleigh-Bénard convection allows us to get a more comprehensive view of the spatio-temporal flow behavior. By means of a global statistical analysis of the characteristic spatial modes of the flow we extract information about the stability of dominant large-scale modes as well as the reversal paths in state subspace. We examine probability density functions and drift vector fields of two-dimensional state subspaces spanned by different large-scale spatial modes. This also provides information about the coexistence of dominant modes.

[The clinical spectrum of urea cycle defects in adult patients]

Urea cycle defects belong to the most common metabolic disorders with a cumulative incidence of 1:8000. A common trait of urea cycle defects is a disturbed detoxification of ammonia leading to hyperammonemia in the event of a high nitrogen load. Most patients develop symptoms in the neonatal period or in infancy, e. g. vomiting, seizures and disturbed consciousness. Depending on the affected enzyme and its residual activity, patients differ in the age at first presentation, the character and severity of symptoms and in the susceptibility to metabolic derangement. The presence of hyperammonemia and an altered plasma amino acid profile give the essential diagnostic clues. Since modern therapeutic measures have prolonged the life expectancy of these patients and provided the possibility of a first presentation in adulthood, patients with urea cycle defects have become an increasing challenge in internal medicine. The reported case series illustrates the heterogeneous clinical course of these disorders from childhood to adulthood.

Organic electrospun nanofibers as vehicles toward intelligent pheromone dispensers: characterization by laboratory investigations

Organic nanofibers have a history of technical application in various independent fields, including medical technology, filtration technology, and applications of pharmaceuticals via inhalation into the lungs. Very recently, in a joint effort with polymer chemists, agricultural applications have been added to this list of priorities. The aim is finding novel approaches to insect control. Pheromones, dispensed in a quantifiable way, are being used here in disrupting the mating communication between male and female pest insects, e.g. the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), where current dispenser technology does not fully meet the high expectations of growers and environmentalists with respect to longevity of constant release, self decomposition, mechanical distribution, renewability as well as sustainability of resources. The methodology of electrospinning is exhaustively covered by Greiner and Wendorff (2007), with technical details reported by Hellmann et al. (2009), Hein et al. (2011), and Hummel et al. (2010). Wind tunnel studies were run within a tunnel with adjustable laminar flow and 0.5 m/sec air velocity. Mass losses of the electrospun fiber bundles were determined with a sensitive analytical balance 2-3 times per week and recorded as time vs. mass change. CLSA experiments were performed with a self developed glass apparatus (Lindner, 2010) based on various suggestions of previous authors. Microgram quantities of volatile pheromone (E,Z)-7,9-Dodecadienylacetate were absorbed on a filter of rigorously purified charcoal and desorbed by repeated micro extraction with a suitable solvent mixture. Aliquots of the solution were subjected to temperature programmed capillary GLC. Retention times were used for identification, whereas the area covered by the pheromone peak originating from a FID detector signal was integrated and compared with a carefully calibrated standard peak. Since these signals were usually in the low nanogram range, several replications were averaged for statistical improvement. - Thermogravimetric analysis between ambient temperature and 500 degrees C provided a series of degradation curves where the diagram contained information on the evaporation of pheromone alone, polymer fiber alone and pheromone included in the fiber.- Microscopic investigations resulted in pictures of nanofibers from which the overall morphology and the fiber dimensions could be quantified. Organic nanofibers loaded with the grapevine moth pheromone have been well characterized by 5 different lab methods, followed by field bioassays reported elsewhere in these communications volumes (HUMMEL et al., 2011). This comprehensive analytical approach to fiber characterization is new and will be further refined. The federal agency JKI Berlin subjected the pheromone loaded organic fibers to various independent toxicological and ecotoxicological tests and found no adverse side effects.

Organic nanofibers containing insect pheromone disruptants: a novel technical approach to controlled release dispensers with potential for process mechanization

Beginning fifty years ago, the search for suitable dispensers containing insect pheromones grew with the availability of these synthetic biotechnical tools. Many economic entomologists and application engineers dearly wish they had the "smart, intelligent and ideal dispenser". More or less suitable approximations are available commercially, but none so far meets all demands. Under economic strictures, novel inexpensive systems would be advantageous with release characteristics tailored to the specific life histories of pest insects, the plants considered and the numerous requirements of growers alike. Simultaneously, their field distribution should be mechanizable and be accomplished by one (or very few) application runs. The dispensers should be biodegradable, biocompatible, sustainably applicable, and they should be based on renewable resources. This report presents first results of a novel organic, electrospun nanofiber dispenser with dimensions in the upper nanometer range. Its load of pheromone can be adjusted to be sufficient for 7 weeks of constant disruptive action in vineyards and can be directed against the European Grape Vine Moth Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) which here serves as a readily available model. Mating disruption in L. botrana and the related Eupoecilia ambiguella is a well studied and developed engineering process. Equally, nanofiber production by electrospinning (for a comprehensive review see Greiner and Wendorff, 2007A, B) is well known and already has numerous applications in filtration technology, air conditioning, and medical wound dressing. Our goal was to bring together and successfully mate these (partly incompatible) technologies via technical tricks of a proprietary nature. Even though the lifetime and effectiveness of currently available nanofibers still must be doubled, the rather complicated system of their production and analysis is known well enough to identify the parameters that need future adjustment. Another challenge is the mechanical distribution of the fibers in the vineyards by suitable machinery. Also, in this respect, certain technical leads are available for future development.

Fine particulate matter measurements in Swiss restaurants, cafés and bars: what is the effect of spatial separation between smoking and non-smoking areas?

We performed 124 measurements of particulate matter (PM(2.5)) in 95 hospitality venues such as restaurants, bars, cafés, and a disco, which had differing smoking regulations. We evaluated the impact of spatial separation between smoking and non-smoking areas on mean PM(2.5) concentration, taking relevant characteristics of the venue, such as the type of ventilation or the presence of additional PM(2.5) sources, into account. We differentiated five smoking environments: (i) completely smoke-free location, (ii) non-smoking room spatially separated from a smoking room, (iii) non-smoking area with a smoking area located in the same room, (iv) smoking area with a non-smoking area located in the same room, and (v) smoking location which could be either a room where smoking was allowed that was spatially separated from non-smoking room or a hospitality venue without smoking restriction. In these five groups, the geometric mean PM(2.5) levels were (i) 20.4, (ii) 43.9, (iii) 71.9, (iv) 110.4, and (v) 110.3 microg/m(3), respectively. This study showed that even if non-smoking and smoking areas were spatially separated into two rooms, geometric mean PM(2.5) levels in non-smoking rooms were considerably higher than in completely smoke-free hospitality venues.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

PM(2.5) levels are considerably increased in the non-smoking area if smoking is allowed anywhere in the same location. Even locating the smoking area in another room resulted in a more than doubling of the PM(2.5) levels in the non-smoking room compared with venues where smoking was not allowed at all. In practice, spatial separation of rooms where smoking is allowed does not prevent exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in nearby non-smoking areas.

Localization of the phase-related 6-kDa peptide (PRP) in different tissues of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria--immunocytochemical and mass spectrometric approach

A 6-kDa phase-related peptide (PRP) was recently identified from the hemolymph of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Its presence in much higher concentrations in the crowd-reared (gregarious) phase than in the isolated-reared (solitarious) one suggests a role in phase polyphenism. However, when tested in a variety of classical bioassays, no activity could be found. We hoped that uncovering its site(s) of synthesis might yield hints as to possible functions. An antiserum was raised against the C-terminal 16 aa part of PRP for use in immunocytochemistry. No immunoreactivity was recorded in the fat body, midgut, or Malpighian tubules. The strongest positive immunostaining was observed in the follicle cells of the ovary and in the seminal vesicle tubes of the male accessory gland complex. Also, positive were a pair of large neurosecretory cells in the subesophageal ganglion, the storage part of the corpora cardiaca and some nerve fibers in the brain- and abdominal regions. An additional mass spectrometric analysis was successfully done in combination with a BLAST search to detect possible false positive staining. This confirmed the presence of genuine PRP in most of the immunopositive tissues. Additional experiments are needed to unravel the role of PRP.

Altered behavioural adaptation in mice with neural corticotrophin-releasing factor overexpression

Overproduction of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF), the major mediator of the stress response, has been linked to anxiety, depression and addiction. CRF excess results in increased arousal, anxiety and altered cognition in rodents. The ability to adapt to a potentially threatening stimulus is crucial for survival, and impaired adaptation may underlie stress-related psychiatric disorders. Therefore, we examined the effects of chronic transgenic neural CRF overproduction on behavioural adaptation to repeated exposure to a non-home cage environment. We report that CRF transgenic mice show impaired adaptation in locomotor response to the novel open field. In contrast to wild-type (WT) mice, anxiety-related behaviour of CRF transgenic mice does not change during repeated exposure to the same environment over the period of 7 days or at retest 1 week later. We found that locomotor response to novelty correlates significantly with total locomotor activity and activity in the centre at the last day of testing and at retest in WT but not in CRF transgenic mice. Mice were divided into low responders and high responders on the basis of their initial locomotor response to novelty. We found that differences in habituation and re-exposure response are related to individual differences in locomotor response to novelty. In summary, these results show that CRF transgenic mice are fundamentally different from WT in their ability to adapt to an environmental stressor. This may be related to individual differences in stress reactivity. These findings have implications for our understanding of the role of CRF overproduction in behavioural maladaptation and stress-related psychiatric disorders.

Successful in situ repair of a symptomatic left main coronary artery aneurysm by a saphenous vein graft

In a male patient, presenting with progressive angina refractory to medical treatment, a solitary aneurysm of the left main coronary artery without fistula, a 2 cm large atrial septal defect (ASD) and a persisting left superior caval vein were diagnosed. Successful resection with subsequent in situ repair by vein grafting of the left anterior descending artery and the circumflex coronary artery system and direct closure of the ASD are described.