Hirschsprung's disease: Research offers novel insight
Defects in the protein Sox10, a transcription factor that regulates gene expression, may play a role in the development of post-operative GI dysfunction in Hirschsprung's disease patients, according to new research. Hirschsprung's disease is a congenital disorder caused by the absence of ganglion cells in the colon, which causes problems with passing stool. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - January 15, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Gene Delivery to Neurons of the Dorsal Root Ganglia Using Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors
We describe detailed procedures to perform direct injections into specific DRG and delivery via the intrathecal space to transduce the lumbar DRG. Finally, we discuss the specific advantages and disadvantages of these two methods of delivery. The main advantages of direct injection are that high transduction rates can be achieved in specific ganglia (L4/L5) with low amounts (μl) of a viral vector stock; however, the procedure is complex, invasive, and time-consuming. Intrathecal injection has the advantage of being a fast and simple method to transduce multiple DRG bilaterally, and involves no surgical manipulation of t...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Neuroscience - January 10, 2015 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: news
Behind the Headlines Top Five of Top Fives 2014
As we move towards the end of the year, like all news sources, we fall back on that classic space filler – the list story. So without further ado, here is the official Behind the Headlines Top Five of Top Fives stories of 2014, in which we celebrate the good, highlight the bad, check out the weird and answer some of the burning questions of the year.
The top five 'Good work boffins!' stories of the year
We can often get bogged down in pointing out dodgy sub-group analyses, spurious extrapolations of sample sizes containing just 20 rats and a water maze, and RCTs pointing out the benefits of cherries on dementia preventio...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 31, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Medical practice Source Type: news
Japanese-style art inspired by neuroscience reveals grey matter in much more colourful glory
The images were painted by neuroscientist Greg Dunn from the University of Pennsylvania, in the Asian sumi-e style. A crab's stomatogastric ganglion, that controls its digestion is pictured. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - December 15, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Gene therapy could help with inherited blindness
ConclusionThis innovative set of experiments has shown retinal ganglion cells can be genetically modified to produce a receptor on their surface that can respond to light in the presence of a chemical compound called MAG460. This light receptor can be activated for up to nine days. This was shown in laboratory experiments on the retinas of mice and dogs, and in sight-testing experiments using mice. The mice had been genetically engineered to lose both types of photoreceptors, rods and cones by 90 days. This model mimics what occurs over a much longer timescale in the human condition retinitis pigmentosa. It appears from th...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news
[Editors' Choice] Signaling from the Surface and the Nucleus
Angiogenic signals from retinal ganglion cells depend on a G protein-coupled receptor that signals at the plasma membrane and the nucleus. (Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment)
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - October 28, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Nancy Gough (mailto:ngough at aaas.org) Source Type: news
Extreme PTSD Responds to Stellate Ganglion BlockExtreme PTSD Responds to Stellate Ganglion Block
Veterans with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were reportedly helped by stellate ganglion block, which also eased symptoms of depression. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - October 13, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Anesthesiology News Source Type: news
Electrophysiological Patch Clamp Assay to Monitor the Action of Opioid Receptors
The patch clamp is a valuable electrophysiological technique, which allows the study of single or multiple ion channels in cells, and it is particularly useful in testing the excitable cells such as neurons. Activation of neuronal opioid receptors results in the modulation of various ion channels, which enables to examine the receptors’ action with the patch clamp. In this chapter, we analyze the activation of the G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel 2 by opioids, and the capsaicin-induced transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 channel currents during opioid withdrawal, using the whole cell patch...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Pharmacology/Toxicology - October 9, 2014 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news
Analysis of Potassium and Calcium Imaging to Assay the Function of Opioid Receptors
As the activation of opioid receptors leads to the modulation of potassium and calcium channels, the ion imaging represents an attractive method to analyze the function of the receptors. Here, we describe the imaging of potassium using the FluxOR™ potassium ion channel assay, and of calcium using Fura-2 acetoxymethyl ester. Specifically, we (1) characterize the activation of the G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium 2 channel by agonists of μ- and δ-opioid receptors with the aid of the FluxOR™ assay in cultured mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons, and (2) describe calcium imaging protocols to ...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Pharmacology/Toxicology - October 9, 2014 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Stimulation for Cluster HeadacheSphenopalatine Ganglion Stimulation for Cluster Headache
Neurostimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion shows promise in offering relief from the severe, debilitating pain of medically refractory cluster headache. Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - July 14, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery Journal Article Source Type: news
What Medications Should Be Avoided with Long QT Syndrome?
Discussion
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a frequent cause of pharyngitis, pneumonia and acute bronchitis, but acute otitis media is uncommon. Symptoms are usually self-limited and variable and include cough (non-productive usually but later can be productive), fever, fatigue and occasionally headache. Coryza is rare. Cough can continue for 3 to 4 weeks and can be accompanied by wheezing. Radiographic changes include diffuse infiltrates or focal abnormalities but are variable.
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a group of disorders that have a prolonged QT interval and a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. Torsade de pointes (“t...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - July 14, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
Dental pulp stem cells promote the survival and regeneration of retinal cells after injury
(Neural Regeneration Research) Injury to the retina and optic nerve leads to irreversible loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and irreparable damage to their axons which ultimately leads to blindness. Providing a sustained source of neurotrophic growth factors is required to promote their survival and regeneration. Transplanted dental pulp stem cells secrete multiple growth factors which protect RGCs from death after optic nerve injury and promote regeneration of their axons. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 7, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Gene therapy and the regeneration of retinal ganglion cell axons
(Neural Regeneration Research) The retina and optic nerve are part of the CNS and this system is much used in experiments designed to test new ways of promoting regeneration after injury. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 7, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Inner ear stem cells hold promise for restoring hearing
(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) Spiral ganglion cells are essential for hearing and their irreversible degeneration in the inner ear is common in most types of hearing loss. Adult spiral ganglion cells are not able to regenerate. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 20, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Circadian rhythm disorders and melatonin production in 127 blind women with and without light perception - Flynn-Evans EE, Tabandeh H, Skene DJ, Lockley SW.
Light is the major environmental time cue that synchronizes the endogenous central circadian pacemaker, located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus, and is detected exclusively by the eyes primarily via specialized non-rod, non-cone ganglion ... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))
Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) - June 13, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Tags: Distraction, Fatigue, Chronobiology, Vigilance, Workload Source Type: news
