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Advancing treatment to resolve human cognitive disorders requires a comprehensive understanding of the molecular signaling pathways underlying learning and memory. While most organ systems evolved to maintain homeostasis, the brain developed the capacity to perceive and adapt to environmental stimuli through the continuous modification of interactions within a gene network functioning within a broader neural network. This distinctive characteristic enables significant neural plasticity, but complicates experimental investigations. A thorough examination of the mechanisms underlying behavioral plasticity must integrate multiple levels of biological organization, encompassing genetic pathways within individual neurons, interactions among neural networks providing feedback on gene expression, and observable phenotypic behaviors. Model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, which possess more simple and manipulable nervous systems and genomes than mammals, facilitate such investigations. The evolutionary conservation of behavioral phenotypes and the associated genetics and neural systems indicates that insights gained from flies are pertinent to understanding human cognition. Rather than providing a comprehensive review of the entire field of Drosophila memory research, we focus on olfactory associative reward memories and their related neural circuitry in fly brains, with the objective of elucidating the underlying neural mechanisms, thereby advancing our understanding of brain mechanisms linked to cognitive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a partnership involving a college and its surrounding public high schools in order to offer a model for transforming professional development initiatives into collaborative, reciprocal community engagement opportunities. This ongoing partnership addresses the shared goal of improving the mathematical college readiness of high school students through a three-part program focused on teacher content knowledge. The partnership is based on sustained, open dialogue in which the expertise of all participants, collegiate mathematics professors and high school mathematics teachers, are equally valued and imperative to achieving program outcomes.

While a number of genome-wide association studies have identified microtubule-associated protein tau as a strong risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about the mechanism through which human tau can predispose an individual to this disease. Here, we demonstrate that expression of human wild-type tau is sufficient to disrupt the survival of dopaminergic neurons in a Drosophila model. Tau triggers a synaptic pathology visualized by vesicular monoamine transporter-pHGFP that precedes both the age-dependent formation of tau-containing neurofibrillary tangle-like pathology and the progressive loss of DA neurons, thereby recapitulating the pathological hallmarks of PD. Flies overexpressing tau also exhibit progressive impairments of both motor and learning behaviors. Surprisingly, contrary to common belief that hyperphosphorylated tau could aggravate toxicity, DA neuron degeneration is alleviated by expressing the modified, hyperphosphorylated tau(E14). Together, these results show that impairment of VMAT-containing synaptic vesicle, released to synapses before overt tauopathy may be the underlying mechanism of tau-associated PD and suggest that correction or prevention of this deficit may be appropriate targets for early therapeutic intervention.

Depression is a medical and social problem. Multiple metabolites and neuroinflammation regulate it. Modifying the gut microbiota with probiotics to reduce depression through the gut-brain axis is a potential treatment strategy. In this study, three anti-depressive potentials of Lactobacillus spp. (LAB), including L. rhamnosus GMNL-74, L. acidophilus GMNL-185 and L. plantarum GMNL-141, which combined to produce low dosage LAB (1.6 × 108 CFU/mouse, LABL) and high dosage LAB (4.8 × 108 CFU/mouse, LABH), were administered to C57BL/6 mice induced depression by ampicillin (Amp). A behavioral test of depression, 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing, bioinformatic analysis, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content measurement were executed to investigate the gut microbiota composition, activation of nutrient metabolism pathways, levels of inflammatory factors, gut-derived 5-HT biosynthesis genes, and SCFA levels in C57BL/6 mice. Results showed that after mice were induced by Amp, both LAB groups recovered from depressive behaviors, decreased the abundance of Firmicutes, and increased the abundance of Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the mouse ileum. The prediction of metabolism pathways of microbes revealed the activation of arginine and proline metabolism, cyanoamino acid metabolism, and nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism were increased, and fatty acid synthesis was decreased in both LAB groups. The LABH groups showed increased levels of acetic acid, propanoic acid, and iso-butyric acid and decreased butyric acid levels in the cecum. LABH treatment increased claudin-5 and reduced IL-6 mRNA expression. Both LAB groups also reduced monoamine oxidase, and the LABH group increased vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression. These results showed that the composite of three LAB exerts antidepressant effects by regulating the gut microbiota and modifying the levels of depression-related metabolites in C57BL/6J Amp-treated mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated high temperature ultrasonic transducer (HTUT) sensor has been utilized for diagnosis of gas-assisted hot embossing process to fabricate V-cut patterns real-time, nonintrusively and nondestructively. The progression of the process, including plastic plate soften, gas introducing, cooling, and plate detachment inside the chamber, was clearly observed using ultrasound. Ultrasonic velocity could not only indicate the four steps of process, but also evaluate the replicating degree of the V-cut patterns on surface of plastic plate under various temperature and gas pressure settings. The experimental results indicate that the heights of V-cut patterns increase with temperature and gas pressure. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 53:2175-2182, 2013. [c] 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Hot embossing is a productive method for the parallel replication of precision micro-features at low cost. With a single master or stamp, identical structures can be reproduced onto substrates. [...]

Background/aims: Entecavir (ETV) can suppress chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus replication as a standard of treatment drugs. For the treatment of CHB, affordable generic drugs may be more widely used in developing and undeveloped countries. However, there is little real-world data regarding the clinical efficacy of switching from entecavir-brand-name drugs (ETV-Brand) to entecavir generic drugs (ETV-Generic) with 0.5 mg once daily. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antiviral activity and safety of ETV-Generic in comparison to ETV-Brand in CHB-patients.Methods: In this single-center, retrospective, 175 treatment-naïve-CHB-patients were assigned to receive 0.5 mg of ETV-Brand per day for a least 2 years and then switched to ETV-Generic for 6 months for analysis. The primary efficacy endpoint was a sustained virological response in comparison of the rate of undetectable serum Hepatitis B deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA) as the sustained virologic response at baseline and 6 months after switching. Secondary efficacy endpoints were the comparison of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels between before and after switching and ALT normalization. Renal safety consideration was reported on changing the estimated glomerular filtration rate.Results: From baseline to 6 months, the rate of undetectable HBV DNA and ALT levels remained stable as compared ETV-Brand period with ETV-Generic for 6 months. The rate of undetectable HBV DNA were 81.1%in ETV-Brand versus 88.0%in ETV-Generic (p = 0.05 CI 0.1-13.5%). ALT levels were 27.2 IU/L (CI 24.8-29.6 IU/L) in ETV-Brand versus 26.2 IU/L (CI 24.0-28.4 IU/L) in ETV-Generic (p = 0.55). Both endpoints were not significantly different between ETV-Brand and ETV-Generic treatments. Kidney function did not significantly differ from ETV-Brand (80.8, interquartile range [IQR]: 66.6-95.3 mL/min/1.73 m2) to ETV-Generic treatment period (80.3, IQR: 65.6-93.5 mL/min/1.73 m2).Conclusion: In treatment-naïve CHB-patients, the efficacy and safety profiles of switching from ETV-Brand to ETV-Generic showed no difference. Concluding the ETV-Generic comes to exciting virologic responses and rare adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]