Activity

Further, the MBH-specific quantitative proteomics revealed that out of 503 annotated proteins, 28 were differentially expressed (LD-eS vs. LD-S 21 up- and 7 down-regulated) and they enriched five physiological pathways that are associated with fatty acids transport and metabolism. These first comprehensive results on gene and protein expressions suggest that changes in molecular correlates of fatty acids transport and metabolism may aid the decision for migratory departure from wintering areas in obligate songbird migrants.Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine proteinase that in the central nervous system induces astrocytic activation. β-Catenin is a protein that links the cytoplasmic tail of cadherins to the actin cytoskeleton, thus securing the formation of cadherin-mediated cell adhesion complexes. Disruption of cell-cell contacts leads to the detachment of β-Catenin from cadherins, which is then degraded by the proteasome following its phosphorylation by GSK3β. Here we show that astrocytes release uPA following a scratch injury, and that this uPA promotes wound healing via a plasminogen-independent mechanism. We found that uPA induces the detachment of β-Catenin from the cytoplasmic tail of N-Cadherin (NCAD) by triggering its phosphorylation at Tyr654. Surprisingly, this is not followed by degradation of β-Catenin because uPA also induces the phosphorylation of the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) at Ser1490, which then blocks the kinase activity of GSK3β. Our work indicates that the ensuing cytoplasmic accumulation of β-Catenin is followed by its nuclear translocation and β-Catenin-triggered transcription of uPA’s receptor (Plaur), which in turn is required for uPA to induce astrocytic wound healing.Adult mice emit ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), sounds above the range of human hearing, during social encounters. While mice alter their vocal emissions between isolated and social contexts, technological impediments have hampered our ability to assess how individual mice vocalize in group social settings. We overcame this challenge by implementing an eight-channel microphone array system, allowing us to determine which mouse emitted individual vocalizations across multiple social contexts. This technology, in conjunction with a new approach for extracting and categorizing a complex, full repertoire of vocalizations, facilitated our ability to directly compare how mice modulate their vocal emissions between isolated, dyadic, and group social environments. When comparing vocal emission during isolated and social settings, we found that socializing male mice increase the proportion of vocalizations with turning points in frequency modulation and instantaneous jumps in frequency. Moreover, males change the types of vocalizations emitted between social and isolated contexts. In contrast, there was no difference in male vocal emission between dyadic and group social contexts. Female vocal emission, while predominantly absent in isolation, was also similar during dyadic and group interactions. In particular, there were no differences in the proportion of vocalizations with frequency jumps or turning points. Taken together, the findings lay the groundwork necessary for elucidating the stimuli underlying specific features of vocal emission in mice.

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effects of sling exercise on pain intensity, disability, and health-related quality of life in adults with neck pain.

We searched The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and 6 other databases from inception to July 2020. We also screened the reference lists of relevant articles to identify additional trials. Randomized controlled trials were included if they investigated the effects of sling suspension therapy in patients with neck pain including mechanical neck disorders, cervicogenic headache, and neck disorders with radicular findings. Studies were required to be published in English or Chinese. The methodological quality and levels of evidence of studies were assessed using the PEDro scale and the GRADE approach, respectively. The random-effects model was used to perform meta-analyses.

Eleven randomized controlled trials were included (n=595). The mean total PEDro score was 4.64 (SD=1.21) of 1gram for patients with neck pain.

This review provides overall moderate- to very low-level evidence for health care professionals who may consider including sling exercise in the intervention program for patients with neck pain.Mycorrhizal fungi play an important role for the nitrogen (N) supply of trees. The influence of different mycorrhizal types on N acquisition in tree-tree interactions is, however, not well understood, particularly with regard to the competition for growth-limiting N. We studied the effect of competition between temperate forest tree species on their inorganic and organic N acquisition in relation to their mycorrhizal type (i.e., arbuscular mycorrhiza or ectomycorrhiza). In a field experiment, we quantified net N uptake capacity from inorganic and organic N sources using 15N/13C stable isotopes for arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species (i.e., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., and Prunus avium L.) as well as ectomycorrhizal tree species (i.e., Carpinus betulus L., Fagus sylvatica L., and Tilia platyphyllos Scop.). All species were grown in intra- and interspecific competition (i.e., monoculture or mixture). check details Our results showed that N sources were not used complementarily depending on a species´ mycorrhizal association, but their uptake rather depended on the competitor indicating species-specific effects. Generally, ammonium was preferred over glutamine and glutamine over nitrate. In conclusion, our findings suggest that inorganic and organic N acquisition of the studied temperate tree species is less regulated by mycorrhizal association, but rather by the availability of specific N sources in the soil as well as the competitive environment of different tree species.Although corticosteroid-mediated hepatic gluconeogenic activity in response to stress has been extensively studied in fishes and other vertebrates, there is little information on the stress response in basal vertebrates. In sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), a representative member of the most basal extant vertebrate group Agnatha, 11-deoxycortisol and deoxycorticosterone are the major circulating corticosteroids. The present study examined changes in circulating glucose and 11-deoxycortisol concentrations in response to a physical stressor. Furthermore, the gluconeogenic actions of 11-deoxycortisol and deoxycorticosterone were examined. Within 6 h after exposure of larval and juvenile sea lamprey to an acute handling stress, plasma 11-deoxycortisol levels increased 15- and 6-fold, respectively, and plasma glucose increased 3- and 4-fold, respectively. Radiometric receptor binding studies revealed that a corticosteroid receptor (CR) is present in the liver at lower abundance than other tissues (gill and anterior intestine) and that the binding affinity of the liver CR was similar for 11-deoxycortisol and deoxycorticosterone.