Motor development: activity matters after all

Developing spinal networks are constructed through the integration of local microcircuits and the ongoing incorporation of later-developing neurons. This process is dependent on neuronal activity prior to synaptogenesis.     

Stratigraphical classification and all that

Quantitative treatment of the geological sciences must remain limited; there continues to be need for a language of words. This is keenly felt in stratigraphy, where the practising geologist is dismayed by the effusions of the stratigraphical philosophers. The situation, in so far as it appears to remain in some ways obscure or troublesome, is briefly reviewed in terms of lithostratigraphy. biostratigraphy. and chronostratigraphy. A revised version of a controversial diagram is presented, in which the role of the boundary stratotype as anchor point is believed to be clarified. Finally a synthesis is attempted of relationships between the various stratigraphical procedures and the provision of dates in years through the parallel discipline of geochronometry.     

ADAM-17: the enzyme that does it all

This review focuses on the role of ADAM-17 in disease. Since its debut as the tumor necrosis factor converting enzyme (TACE), ADAM-17 has been reported to be an indispensible regulator of almost every cellular event from proliferation to migration. The central role of ADAM-17 in cell regulation is rooted in its diverse array of substrates: cytokines, growth factors, and their receptors as well as adhesion molecules are activated or inactivated by their cleavage with ADAM-17. It is therefore not surprising that ADAM-17 is implicated in numerous human diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney fibrosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and is a promising target for future treatments. The specific role of ADAM-17 in the pathophysiology of these diseases is very complex and depends on the cellular context. To exploit the therapeutic potential of ADAM-17, it is important to understand how its activity is regulated and how specific organs and cells can be targeted to inactivate or activate the enzyme.