Lack of effect of a single dose of hydrocortisone on serotonin(1A) receptors in recovered depressed patients measured by positron emission tomography with [11C]WAY-100635.

BACKGROUND: Elevated cortisol levels might account for the reduction in central serotonin 1A (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT](1A)) receptor binding and function observed in patients with major depression. We tested this hypothesis by studying the effect of acute administration of hydrocortisone on 5-HT(1A) receptor binding potential (BP) in subjects recovered from depression. METHODS: We studied 14 subjects (8 male, 6 female) who had recovered from at least two episodes of major depression and had been euthymic and drug free for at least 6 months. Serotonin 1A receptor BP was measured by [(11)C]WAY-100635 in conjunction with positron emission tomography. Subjects were tested on two occasions in a double-blind, random-order, crossover design after administration of either hydrocortisone (100 mg orally) or placebo 12 hours previously. Positron emission tomography scans were analyzed with a region of interest analysis. RESULTS: Hydrocortisone treatment did not decrease 5-HT(1A) receptor BP either in the hippocampus, which was our a priori hypothesis, or in other cortical 5-HT(1A) regions; however, female subjects had a higher 5-HT(1A) receptor BP in certain brain areas compared with male subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with an earlier study in healthy volunteers and do not support the proposal that decreased 5-HT(1A) receptor BP in patients with acute major depression is a consequence of cortisol hypersecretion.     

Ascidian embryonic development: An emerging model system for the study of cell fate specification in chordates

The ascidian tadpole larva represents the basic body plan of all chordates in a relatively small number of cells and tissue types. Although it had been considered that ascidians develop largely in a determinative way, whereas vertebrates develop in an inductive way, recent studies at the molecular and cellular levels have uncovered several similarities in the way developmental fates are specified. In this review, we describe ascidian embryogenesis and its cell lineages, introduce several characteristics of ascidian embryos, describe recent advances in understanding of the mechanisms of cell fate specification, and discuss them in the context of what is known in vertebrates and other organisms. Developmental Dynamics 236:1748–1757, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

3D kinematic analysis of the acromioclavicular joint during arm abduction using vertically open MRI.

Many researchers have evaluated the motions of the shoulder girdle, especially scapular and humeral motion. However, few reports exist that describe motions of the acromioclavicular joint. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the 3D kinematics of the acromioclavicular joint during arm abduction using 3D MR images obtained by a vertically open MRI. Fourteen shoulders of seven volunteers were examined in seven static positions from 0 degrees to the maximum abduction in a seated position. 3D surface models of the clavicle and scapula were created, and the movements of the acromioclavicular joint from 0 degrees to each position were calculated using the volume-based registration technique. From these calculations, the translations were evaluated and the rotational motions were analyzed using the concept of the screw axis. In the anteroposterior direction, the clavicle translated most posteriorly (-1.9 +/- 1.3 mm) at 90 degrees of abduction and most anteriorly (1.6 +/- 2.7 mm) at maximum abduction. In the superoinferior direction, the clavicle translated slightly superiorly (0.9 +/- 1.9 mm). When analyzing relative motion of the scapula with respect to the clavicle, the scapula generally rotated about a specific screw axis passing through the insertions of both the acromioclavicular and the coracoclavicular ligaments on the coracoid process. The average rotation was 34.9 +/- 8.4 degrees.     

Cortisol moderates the relationship between testosterone and aggression in delinquent male adolescents.

BACKGROUND: In animals, strong evidence exists for an association between testosterone and aggression. In humans, and particularly in children and adolescents, findings have been less consistent. Previous research has suggested that this may partly be due to moderating effects of other factors, e.g., hormones. This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of cortisol on the relationship between testosterone and subtypes of aggression in delinquent male adolescents. METHODS: Participants were 103 boys (mean age 13.7) referred to a delinquency diversion program. Testosterone and cortisol levels were determined from saliva samples collected during resting conditions and related to self-report scores on overt and covert aggression. RESULTS: Linear regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between cortisol and testosterone in relation to overt aggression, with a significant positive relationship between testosterone and overt aggression in subjects with low cortisol levels but not in subjects with high cortisol levels. Using the same model for covert aggression, no significant effects of testosterone, cortisol, or testosterone x cortisol interaction were found. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate a moderating effect of cortisol on the relationship between testosterone and overt aggression in delinquent male adolescents. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Pituitary volume in teenagers with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

This study used magnetic resonance imaging to examine pituitary gland volume (PGV) in teenage patients with a first presentation of borderline personality disorder (BPD). No difference in PGV was observed between healthy controls (n = 20) and the total BPD cohort (n = 20). However, within the BPD cohort, those exposed to childhood trauma (n = 9) tended to have smaller pituitaries (− 18%) than those with no history of childhood trauma (n = 10). These preliminary findings suggest that exposure to childhood trauma, rather than BPD, per se, might be associated with reduced PGV, possibly reflecting hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction.     

补益中药对老龄雄性大鼠下丘脑神经递质——甲状腺轴机能作用的研究

本文通过对3月龄、18月龄、24月龄雄性大鼠下丘脑去甲肾上腺素(NE)、多巴胺(DA)、5-羟色胺(5-HT)、5-羟吲哚乙酸(5-HIAA),和下丘脑垂体促甲状腺释放激素(TRH)、垂体、血甲状腺释放激素(TSH)、血甲状腺激素(T_3、T_4)的测定,研究了大鼠下丘脑神经递质与甲状腺轴机能的增龄性变化,并在此基础上探讨了补益中药对老龄大鼠下丘脑—垂体—甲状腺机能的作用。结果提示:老龄大鼠下丘脑机能的减退是甲状腺轴机能减退的重要原因;补益中药可能改善了老龄大鼠下丘脑的调控机能,进而延缓了甲状腺轴机能的老年性变化。     

Release of vasopressin from supraoptic neurons within the median eminence in vivo. A combined microdialysis and push-pull perfusion study in the rat

The present study was designed to investigate whether or not arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released from magnocellular neurons within the median eminence (ME) in vivo. Urethane-anesthetized adult male Wistar rats were equipped with a microdialysis probe aimed at the supraoptic (SON) or paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a push-pull perfusion probe resting in the ME, and a blood microdialysis probe within the jugular vein. Dialysis of the SON (but not the PVN) with Ringer's solution containing 56 mmol l⁻¹ K⁺ resulted in an increase in AVP release within the ME (to 492 ± 192% of release during basal conditions,P < 0.05) and into blood (to 138 ± 9%,P < 0.01) whereby the release probably occurred from axonal swellings and nerve terminals of supraoptic neurons which project through the internal zone of the ME to the posterior pituitary. The calculated amount of AVP released into the extracellular fluid of the ME was high enough (approximately 1 pg/μ1) to hypothesize that the neuropeptide could enter the portal blood capillaries in physiologically relevant concentrations. Taken together, the present study indicates that activation of magnocellular neurons is accompanied by release of AVP within the median eminence. We assume that AVP released in this way might mediate a communication between the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in response to selected stressful stimuli.     

Early embryonic expression patterns of the mouse Flamingo and Prickle orthologues.

The Drosophila melanogaster proteins Flamingo and Prickle act in the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, which is required for acquisition of epithelial polarity in the wing, eye, and epidermis. In mammals, PCP signaling has been shown to regulate cell movements and polarity in a variety of tissues. Here, we show that the murine Flamingo orthologues Celsr1-3 and the Prickle orthologues Prickle1, Prickle2, and Testin have dynamic patterns of expression during pregastrulation and gastrulation stages. Celsr1 is expressed in the anterior visceral endoderm and nascent mesoderm, Celsr2 and Celsr3 mark the prospective neuroectoderm, Prickle1 is expressed in the primitive streak and mesoderm, Prickle2 in the node, and Testin in the anterior visceral endoderm, the extraembryonic ectoderm, primitive streak, and mesoderm. Analysis of a gene-trap mutation in Testin indicates that this gene is not required for embryogenesis; therefore, other Prickle homologues may compensate for its function during development.