PD-1-Expressing SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD8+ T Cells Are Not Exhausted,but Functional in Patients with COVID-19

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Hippocampal neuron and synaptophysin-positive bouton number in aging C57BL/6 mice

A loss of hippocampal neurons and synapses had been considered a hallmark of normal aging and, furthermore, to be a substrate of age-related learning and memory deficits. Recent stereological studies in humans have shown that only a relatively minor neuron loss occurs with aging and that this loss is restricted to specific brain regions, including hippocampal subregions. Here, we investigate these age-related changes in C57BL/6J mice, one of the most commonly used laboratory mouse strains. Twenty-five mice (groups at 2, 14, and 28–31 months of age) were assessed for Morris water-maze performance, and modern stereological techniques were used to estimate total neuron and synaptophysin-positive bouton number in hippocampal subregions at the light microscopic level. Results revealed that performance in the water maze was largely maintained with aging. No age-related decline was observed in number of dentate gyrus granule cells or CA1 pyramidal cells. In addition, no age-related change in number of synaptophysin-positive boutons was observed in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus or CA1 region of hippocampus. We observed a significant correlation between dentate gyrus synaptophysin-positive bouton number and water-maze performance. These results demonstrate that C57BL/6J mice do not exhibit major age-related deficits in spatial learning or hippocampal structure, providing a baseline for further study of mouse brain aging.     

急性乙醇中毒大鼠学习记忆行为的改变与脑组织NO和nNOS含量变化

目的：通过观察急性乙醇中毒对大鼠学习记忆的影响并测定脑组织中一氧化氮（NO）与神经型一氧化氮合酶（nNOS）含量的变化，探讨乙醇中毒影响学习记忆的分子机制。方法:成年SD大鼠随机分为2组，模型组腹腔1次性注射乙醇2.5 g/kg［用生理盐水配成含20%乙醇(W/V)溶液］制备急性乙醇中毒大鼠模型；对照组注射等容量的生理盐水。Y-型迷宫检测大鼠学习记忆成绩、硝酸还原酶法检测鼠脑海马CA1、新纹状体中NO的含量、免疫组化方法检测鼠脑海马CA1、纹状体、小脑中nNOS的含量。结果:（1）模型组大鼠达到学会标准所需要的训练次数（34.33±13.04）明显大于对照组（27.50±8.79），P<0.05；（2）海马CA1区NO的含量在模型组为23.09±9.60，明显高于对照组（8.46±5.67）（P<0.01）；新纹状体（尾壳核）NO的含量在模型组（19.46±8.25）也明显高于对照组（8.22±4.46），P<0.01；（3）海马CA1区nNOS阳性神经元的数量在模型组为18.22±7.47，明显高于对照组（10.15±4.24）（P<0.05）；新纹状体（尾壳核）nNOS阳性神经元的数量在模型组（11.38±5.00）也明显高于对照组（6.15±3.69），P<0.05。结论:乙醇的神经毒性作用可能与脑组织中nNOS和 NO信号通路有关。     

The effect of tibolone versus continuous combined norethisterone acetate and oestradiol on memory, libido and mood of postmenopausal women: a pilot study

Objective: Several studies have shown a positive effect of oestrogen on memory, mood and well-being but these data are controversial and focus particularly on the effect of oestrogen alone. In this pilot study we have investigated the effect of a continuous combination of norethisterone acetate 1 mg and oestradiol valerate 2 mg (Kliogest®) versus tibolone (Livial®) on memory, sexuality and mood. Methods: Twenty-two postmenopausal women, age range 51–57, were randomised to a 6 months single blind interventional study treatment with either continuous combined oestradiol plus norethisterone acetate, or tibolone. Computerised psychological test of memory, mood and libido were administered both before and at the end of the 6 months treatment. Results: Fourteen patients completed the study; eight on Livial® and six on Kliogest®. Recognition memory was improved by Kliogest but not by Livial (P<0.05) while either drug equally improved both the reaction time (P<0.01) and accuracy of performance (P<0.001) of categorical semantic memory. Both the treatments improved libido significantly (P<0.05), while the mood did not change with either. Conclusion: The results suggest that both these forms of hormonal replacement therapy improve the efficiency of memory performance and libido. However, a combination of oestradiol and norethisterone acetate seems to be marginally more effective on improving cognitive processes.     

Memory for fingertip forces: passive hand muscle vibration interferes with predictive grip force scaling

When subjects repetitively lift an object, the grip force they select is influenced by the mechanical object properties of the preceding lift. Similar effects on grip force scaling are observed whether the subsequent lift is performed with the same hand or the hand contralateral to the preceding lift. Here we demonstrate that passive vibration of the hand muscles involved in the generation of grip force in the interval between two blocks of lifting trials interferes with predictive grip force scaling. Following ten trials in which subjects lifted an object with constant mechanical properties with the dominant hand, muscle vibration was given to the first interosseus and adductor pollicis muscles of the dominant hand during a 10-min rest period. Compared with the last lift preceding vibration, peak rates of grip force increase and peak grip forces were scaled too high during the first lift following vibration whether the lift was made with the dominant or non-dominant hand. Subjects scaled grip force accurately to the object properties within three lifts following vibration. If subjects rested for 10 min after the first ten trials and received no vibration, then there was no significant difference in the peak grip force or its rate of increase between the last lift preceding rest and the first lift following it. We suggest that vibration impairs the memory processes responsible for predictive grip force scaling. Our data are consistent with the recent suggestion that these memory processes are neither specific for a certain motor action nor do they reflect internal representations of mechanical object properties.     

Enhancement of attention in man with ACTH/MSH 4–10

Normal men were infused for 4 hr with ACTH/MSH 4–10 or a control solution. Behavioral testing after the infusion indicated that subjects who received ACTH/MSH 4–10 were less anxious and had better visual memory than control subjects but the predominant effect of the heptapeptide was to increase visual attention. It was specualted that ACTH/MSH 4–10 may be uniquely coded for attentional functioning.     

Are glutamate receptors specifically implicated in some forms of memory processes?

Convergent data indicate that certain substances that interact with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors or metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) do not affect acquisition processes per se, or retrieval, but interfere specifically with the formation of memory traces. This action differs widely in its amplitude and time-course according to the learning task used. We showed that systemic injection of the competitive NMDA receptor antagonists, γ-l-glutamyl-l-aspartate (γ-LGLA) and 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-1-phosphonate (CPP), or intracerebroventricular infusion of d-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-AP5), immediately following acquisition of a Y-maze avoidance learning task in mice, deeply impaired retention of the temporal component of the task (leaving the start alley within the first 5 s of a trial), which significantly improved in controls during the hours following acquisition. In contrast the same substances had no or only slight effects on retention of the discrimination component (choice of the correct alley), which did not improve over time in control animals. This retention deficit did not appear to be due to an action on acquisition, retrieval and/or forgetting processes, or to state-dependent effects. Moreover, γ-LGLA, CPP or AP5, when administered immediately after partial acquisition of a food-reinforced bar-press task, suppressed the spontaneous improvement in post-training performance observed in control mice 24 h after the training session. (R,S)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG), an antagonist of mGluRs, also suppressed the post-training performance increment and its effects were antagonized by the co-administration of trans-ACPD, an agonist of mGluRs. Post-training improvement of performance over time is thought to reflect an active and dynamic process, leading to the organization of memory traces. According to this hypothesis, our results suggest that synaptic plasticity mediated by NMDA receptors and/or mGluRs activation is involved in mechanisms underlying long-term consolidation of memory traces.     

Amnesic effects of bilateral lesions placed in the hyperstriatum ventrale of the chick after imprinting

Summary The purpose of this study was to investigate whether bilateral lesions to a part of the hyperstriatum ventrale (IMHV) impair retention if they are placed after chicks have been imprinted. Domestic chicks were hatched and reared in darkness and exposed to an imprinting (training) stimulus for 2 h commencing 22 h post hatch. The chicks were then anaesthetised and bilateral lesions placed in IMHV (N = 16) birds, hyperstriatum accessorium (HA; N = 16) or the lateral part of the cerebral hemispheres (LCA; N = 16). Forty-eight sham-operated chicks served as controls. Chicks were returned to the dark incubator, and, 15–20 h after the operation, their approach towards the training stimulus and to a second novel stimulus was measured. The controls and the chicks with lesions in HA and LCA showed a strong preference for the training stimulus and hence a high level of retention. The preferences of these three experimental groups did not differ significantly from one another. The mean preference of chicks with lesions in IMHV was significantly less than that of the sham-operated controls (P<0.01) and of chicks lesioned in HA (P<0.05). Bilateral lesions to IMHV therefore selectively impair retention of a preference acquired through imprinting. This impairment is unlikely to be a non-specific consequence of defective sensory processing or motor performance because the four groups did not differ from each other in (i) the time taken accurately to peck a rocking bead, (ii) the accuracy of pecking millet seeds and (iii) the performance of a simultaneous visual discrimination task involving heat reinforcement.Supported by grants from the Science Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, the Wellcome Trust and FAPESP (Brazil)     

Electrochemical release testing of nickel-titanium orthodontic wires in artificial saliva using thin layer activation

Alloys based on Ni–Ti intermetallics generally exhibit special shape memory and pseudoelastic properties, which make them desirable for use in the dental field as orthodontic wires. The possibility of nickel release from these materials is of high concern, because the allergenicity of this element. The aim of this study was to test pseudoelastic Ni–Ti wires in simulated physiological conditions, investigating the combined effect of strain and fluoridated media: the wires were examined both under strained (5% tensile strain) and unstrained conditions, in fluoridated artificial saliva at 37 °C. Real time electrochemical nickel release testing was performed using a novel application of a radiotracer based method, thin layer activation (TLA). TLA was validated, in unstrained conditions, against adsorptive stripping voltammetry methodology. Control tests were also performed in non-fluoridated artificial saliva. From our research it transpired that the corrosion behaviour of Ni–Ti alloy is highly affected by the fluoride content, showing a release of 4.79 ± 0.10 μg/cm²/day, but, differently from other biomaterials, it does not seem to be affected by elastic tensile strain. The application of the TLA method in the biomedical field appears a suitable technique to monitor in real time the corrosion behaviour of biomedical devices.     

镍钛形状记忆合金血管内支架组织相容性实验研究

将锥形记忆合金支架分别植入６只猪右侧髂动脉。用以研究镍钛形状记忆合金血管内支架生物相容性，支架植入前入植入后８个月，观测动物血常规，肝肾功能以及毛发中镍钛元素含量，均无明显变化（Ｐ〉０．０５），支架植入后８个月处死动物，全身重要脏器（肝、脾、肾、肺、心、脑等）病理学检查结构正常，无淋巴细胞和单核细胞浸润，支架植入部位上游血管壁内膜光滑，内皮细胞结构正常，内弹力板完整，支架植入段为完整肉芽组织阻塞，