A familial mutation in the testis-determining gene SRY shared by both sexes

A familial mutation in SRY, the gene coding for the testis-determining factor TDF, was identified in an XY female with gonadal dysgenesis, her father, her two brothers and her uncle. The mutation consists of a T to C transition in the region of the SRY gene coding for a protein motif known as the high mobility group (HMG) box, a protein domain known to confer DNA-binding specificity on the SRY protein. This point mutation results in the substitution, at amino acid position 109, of a serine residue for phenylalanine, a conserved aromatic residue in almost all HMG box motifs known. This F109S mutation was not found in 176 male controls. When recombinant wildtype SRY and SRY^F109S mutant protein were tested in vitro for binding to the target site AAC AAAG, no differences in DNA-binding activity were observed. These results imply that the F109S mutation either is a rare neutral sequence variant, or produces an SRY protein with slightly altered in vivo activity, the resulting sex phenotype depending on the genetic back-ground or environmental factors.This paper is dedicated by G. S. to Professor Ulrich Wolf on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Strength exercise suppresses STZ-induced spatial memory impairment and modulates BDNF/ERK-CAMKII/CREB signalling pathway in the hippocampus of mice

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that has generated scientific interest because of its prevalence in the population. Studies indicate that physical exercise promotes neuroplasticity and improves cognitive function in animal models and in human beings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of strength exercise on the hippocampal protein contents and memory performance in mice subjected to a model of sporadic AD induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Swiss mice received two injections of STZ (3 mg/kg, intracerebroventricular). After 21 days, they began physical training using a ladde. Mice performed this protocol for 4 weeks. After the last exercise training session, mice performed the Morris Water Maze test. The samples of hippocampus were excised and used to determine protein contents of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), extracellular signal-regulated kinase-Ca²⁺ (ERK), calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CAMKII) and cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) signalling pathway. Strength exercise was effective against the decrease in the time spent and distance travelled in the target quadrant by STZ-injected mice. Strength exercise was also effective against the reduction of mature BDNF, tropomyosin receptor kinase B and neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) hippocampal protein levels in STZ mice. The decrease in the hippocampal ratio of pERK/ERK, pCAMKII/CAMKII and pCREB/CREB induced by STZ was reversed by strength exercise. Strength exercise decreased Bax/Bcl2 ratio in the hippocampus of STZ-injected mice. The present study demonstrates that strength exercise modulated the hippocampal BDNF/ERK-CAMKII/CREB signalling pathway and suppressed STZ-induced spatial memory impairment in mice.     

A Forensically Sound Adversary Model for Mobile Devices

In this paper, we propose an adversary model to facilitate forensic investigations of mobile devices (e.g. Android, iOS and Windows smartphones) that can be readily adapted to the latest mobile device technologies. This is essential given the ongoing and rapidly changing nature of mobile device technologies. An integral principle and significant constraint upon forensic practitioners is that of forensic soundness. Our adversary model specifically considers and integrates the constraints of forensic soundness on the adversary, in our case, a forensic practitioner. One construction of the adversary model is an evidence collection and analysis methodology for Android devices. Using the methodology with six popular cloud apps, we were successful in extracting various information of forensic interest in both the external and internal storage of the mobile device.     

Über eine Eigentümlichkeit der Partialinfloreszenzen vonAesculus glabra W.

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The clinical evaluation of diagnostic prostaglandin test

An oral prostaglandin test with PGE2 in a dose 0.5 mg was performed on 44 women in the last week of pregnancy. During 30 minutes of cardiotocographic recording, two types of contractile activity of the uterus were observed: regular and irregular. Women with regular uterine activity have statistically significantly higher serum oxytocinase level and also a shorter duration of labour.Thus, these two types of uterine activity may also be distinguished by enzyme as well as labour data.     

Sodium dependence of growth and methane formation in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum was found to require sodium for growth and for CO₂ reduction to methane. The dependence of the rate of growth and methane formation on the sodium concentration was hyperbolic with an apparent K _s for sodium of approximately 1 mM. The findings indicate that sodium has a specific function in the energy metabolism of this bacterium.     

Cell density-dependent regulation of cell surface expression of two types of human tumor necrosis factor receptors and its effect on cellular response

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a multipotential cytokine known to regulate the growth of a wide variety of normal and tumor cells. It has been shown that the density of cells in culture can modulate the growth regulatory activities of TNF, the mechanism of which, however, is not understood. In this report, we investigated the effect of cell density on the expression of TNF receptors. The receptors were examined on epithelial cells (e.g., HeLa), which primarily express the p60 form, and on myeloid cells (e.g., HL-60) known to express mainly the p80 form. We observed that binding of TNF to both cell lines decreased with increase in cell density. Scatchard analysis of binding on HeLa and HL-60 cells revealed a 4- to 5-fold reduction in the number of TNF receptors without any significant change in receptor affinity in both cell types at high density. The decrease in TNF receptor numbers at high cell density was also observed in several other epithelial and myeloid cell lines. The downmodulation at high cell density was unique to TNF receptors, since minimum change in other cell surface proteins was observed as revealed by fluorescent activated cell sorter analysis. Neutralization of binding with antibodies specific to each type of the receptors revealed that both the p60 and p80 forms of the TNF receptor were equally downmodulated. A decrease in leucine incorporation into proteins was observed with increase in cell density, suggesting a reduction in protein synthesis. Since inhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide also leads to a decrease in TNF receptors, it is possible that the density-dependent reduction in TNF receptor number is due to an overall decrease in protein synthesis. The density-dependent decrease in TNF receptors was accompanied by a decrease in intracellular reduced glutathione levels. A reduction in the number of receptors on TNF sensitive tumor cells induced by cell-density correlated with increase in resistance to the cytokine.