Impact of bolus volume on small intestinal intra-luminal impedance in healthy subjects

AIM: To assess the impact of bolus volume on the characteristics of small intestinal (SI) impedance signals.METHODS: Concurrent SI manometry-impedance measurements were performed on 12 healthy volunteers to assess the pattern of proximal jejunal fluid bolus movement over a 14 cm-segment.Each subject was given 34 boluses of normal saline (volume from 1 to 30 mL) via the feeding tube placed immediately above the proximal margin of the studied segment.A bolus-induced impedance event occurred if there was > 12%...     

Perception of illusory movement

Intensive studies of visual illusion have rarely shown examples of polymorphic responses. We show here that, using figures consisting of stripes shaded from dark to light, arranged in repeating sectors, an illusion of movement can be induced in about 75% of observers when viewed peripherally. The responses of the viewers fall into four categories. This polymorphic response suggests a genetic origin.     

Patterns of dye coupling in the imaginal wing disk of Drosophila melanogaster

Responses of developing tissues to experimental disruption demonstrate that cell interaction is important both in generating positional information and in controlling growth. However, the mechanism by which cells interact and the range over which the interactions are effective are not known. In the imaginal disks of Drosophila melanogaster, experiments on pattern regulation following surgical ablation suggest that the cell interactions are very local in nature; in fact, most of the data can be explained by assuming that cells interact only with their immediate neighbours. In contrast, studies of cell division patterns in the same tissue indicate that the "local' proliferative response to an ablation extends over a distance of up to about eight cell diameters. Still longer-range interactions have been proposed on the basis of theoretical considerations. It is possible that the interactions are mediated by the transfer of small molecules through gap junctions, as gap junctions are abundant in imaginal disks at the appropriate developmental stages. We have explored the range, timing and directionality of dye coupling between the cells of the wing disk as a test of the possible role of gap junctions in imaginal disk patterning. Our results indicate that interactions over different ranges are possible depending on the nature of the molecule being transferred.     

J. L. Lagrange's changing approach to the foundations of the calculus of variations

Archive for History of Exact Sciences -     

Osteoclast-poor human osteopetrosis due to mutations in the gene encoding RANKL

Autosomal recessive osteopetrosis is usually associated with normal or elevated numbers of nonfunctional osteoclasts. Here we report mutations in the gene encoding RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor-KB ligand) in six individuals with autosomal recessive osteopetrosis whose bone biopsy specimens lacked osteoclasts. These individuals did not show any obvious defects in immunological parameters and could not be cured by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; however, exogenous RANKL induced formation of functional osteoclasts from their monocytes, suggesting that they could, theoretically, benefit from exogenous RANKL administration.     

The neuronal sortilin-related receptor SORL1 is genetically associated with Alzheimer disease

The recycling of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) from the cell surface via the endocytic pathways plays a key role in the generation of amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) in Alzheimer disease. We report here that inherited variants in the SORL1 neuronal sorting receptor are associated with late-onset Alzheimer disease. These variants, which occur in at least two different clusters of intronic sequences within the SORL1 gene (also known as LR11 or SORLA) may regulate tissue-specific expression of SORL1. We also show that SORL1 directs trafficking of APP into recycling pathways and that when SORL1 is underexpressed, APP is sorted into Abeta-generating compartments. These data suggest that inherited or acquired changes in SORL1 expression or function are mechanistically involved in causing Alzheimer disease.