Modifications of major aspects of myocardial ribonucleic acid metabolism as a response to noradrenaline. Behaviour of polyadenylate polymerase and ribonucleic acid polymerase, acetylation of histones and rate of synthesis of polyamines.

Noradrenaline added to perfused rabbit heart previously perfused with labelled precursors causes, after 2.5 and 5.0 min, a general increase of specific radioactivity or RNA in subcellular fractions, but no augmentation of acetylation of F2a2 and F2a1 histone fractions and no stimulation of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities. Synthesis of spermidine and spermine is enhanced at 10.0 min of treatment, when there is also a fall in specific radioactivity of RNA. The cytoplasmic Mn2+-stimulated polyadenylate polymerase activity is strongly enhanced 30s to 2.5 min after injection of noradrenaline or of dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Both the cyclic nucleotide and noradrenaline have no influence in vitro on the polyadenylate polymerase reaction.     

Growth Monitoring: A Survey of Current Practices of Primary Care Paediatricians in Europe

Objective

We aimed to study current practices in growth monitoring by European primary care paediatricians and to explore their perceived needs in this field.

Methods

We developed a cross-sectional, anonymous on-line survey and contacted primary care paediatricians listed in national directories in the 18 European countries with a confederation of primary care paediatricians. Paediatricians participated in the survey between April and September 2011.

Results

Of the 1,198 paediatricians from 11 European countries (response rate 13%) who participated, 29% used the 2006 World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study growth charts, 69% used national growth charts; 61% used software to draw growth charts and 79% did not use a formal algorithm to detect abnormal growth on growth charts. Among the 21% of paediatricians who used algorithms, many used non-algorithmic simple thresholds for height and weight and none used the algorithms published in the international literature. In all, 69% of paediatricians declared that a validated algorithm to monitor growth would be useful in daily practice. We found important between-country variations.

Conclusion

The varied growth-monitoring practices declared by primary care paediatricians reveals the need for standardization and evidence-based algorithms to define abnormal growth and the development of software that would use such algorithms.     

Activation of different neural precursor populations in the adult hippocampus: does this lead to new neurons with discrete functions?

Resident populations of stem and precursor cells drive the production of new neurons in the adult hippocampus. Recent discoveries have highlighted that a large proportion of these precursor cells are in fact quiescent and can be activated by distinct neuronal activity under both normal physiological and pathological conditions. As growing evidence indicates that newborn neurons play a critical role in cognitive functions such as learning and memory and in mood regulation, it is paramount that we obtain a better understanding of how the reservoirs of stem and precursor cells are maintained and activated. In this review, we critically examine the roles of key molecular mechanisms that have been shown to regulate hippocampal precursor cells, especially their activation. We believe that understanding the mechanistic details of the activity-driven regulation of precursor cells will equip us with the ability to develop tailored strategies to trigger the generation of new neurons, thereby improving the functional outcomes in various neurological and psychiatric conditions.     

Odor Hedonics: Connection With Emotional Response Estimated by Autonomic Parameters

The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship betweenself-report hedonic evaluations and the physiological expressionof emotion in response to odorants. We try to solve the followingquestions: (1) Is it possible to find any experimental evidencethat the sense of smell is linked with emotion? (2) What kindof odorants can be distinguished by autonomic analysis? (3)Is there a link between hedonics and autonomic information?The effects of odorants on the emotional process were estimated,in terms of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. Fifteensubjects inhaled five odorants as olfactory stimuli: lavender(LAV), ethyl acetoacetate (EAA), camphor (CAM), acetic acid(AA) and butyric acid (BA). After inhaling the odorant, subjectswere requested to fill out an 11-point hedonic scale to rateits pleasantness versus unpleasantness. ANS parameters wereas follows: two electrodermal responses, skin potential (SP)and resistance (SR); two thermovascular parameters, skin bloodflow (SBF) and skin temperature (ST); and two cardiorespiratoryparameters: instantaneous respiratory frequency (IRF) and instantaneousheart rate (IHR). Simultaneous recording of six parameters showedthat specific autonomic patterns were associated with each odorant.An analysis of variance made it possible to differentiate amongthe five odorants. Two-by-two odorant comparisons for autonomicresponses using Tukey's HSD multiple comparison test only permitteddifferentiation between pleasant odorants (LAV and EAA) andunpleasant (AA and BA) ones, but camphor was differentiatedfrom both pleasant and unpleasant odorants. Each odorant elicitedresponses in the different parameters, yet subjects respondedthrough their preferential channels; an average of two channelswas used by each subject. These results when compared with thoseobtained with other senses (visual and auditory). did not evidencethe postulated preferential link between olfaction and emotion.A'strong link between hedonics and ANS response could be demonstratedwhen considering each subject and mainly through his/her preferentialchannel(s); conversely a weak correlation (SR duration excepted)was obtained between inter-subjects' hedonic evaluation. Itseems that for a given population the autonomic response reflectthe odor valence only through some parameters related to themain preferential channel(s) and thus the global autonomic patternhas to be considered. Chem. Senses 22: 237–248, 1997.     

ERK‐1 MAP kinase prevents TNF‐induced apoptosis through bad phosphorylation and inhibition of Bax translocation in HeLa Cells

Extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 signaling is involved in tumor cell survival through the regulation of Bcl‐2 family members. To explore this further and to demonstrate the central role of the mitochondria in the ERK1/2 pathway we used the HeLa cellular model where apoptosis was induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and cycloheximide (CHX). We show that HeLa cells overexpressing ERK‐1 displayed resistance to TNF and CHX. HeLa cells overexpressing a kinase‐deficient form of ERK‐1 (K71R) were more sensitive to TNF and CHX. In the ERK‐1 cells, Bad was phosphorylated during TNF + CHX treatment. In the HeLa wt cells and in the K71R clones TNF and CHX decreased Bad phosphorylation. ERK‐1 cells treated with TNF and CHX did not release cytochrome c from the mitochondria. By contrast, HeLa wt and K71R clones released cytochrome c. Bax did not translocate to the mitochondria in ERK‐1 cells treated with TNF + CHX. Conversely, HeLa wt and K71R clones accumulated Bax in the mitochondria. In the HeLa wt cells and in both ERK‐1 transfectants Bid was cleaved and accumulated in the mitochondria. The caspase‐8 inhibitor IETD‐FMK and the mitochondrial membrane permeabilization inhibitor bongkrekic acid (BK), partially prevented cell death by TNF + CHX. Anisomycin, a c‐Jun N‐terminal kinases activator, increased TNF‐killing. The ERK‐1 cells were resistant to TNF and anisomycin, whereas K71R clones resulted more sensitive. Our study demonstrates that in HeLa cells the ERK‐1 kinase prevents TNF + CHX apoptosis by regulating the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway through different mechanisms. Inhibition of the intrinsic pathway is sufficient to almost completely prevent cell death. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 1166–1174, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.