RESULTS: Compared with the intact spine, each instrumented state

RESULTS: Compared with the intact spine, each instrumented state significantly stabilized range of motion and lax zone at C1-2 (P < .001, 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance). LC1-C3 + SW was equivalent to LC1-PC2 during flexion and lateral bending and superior to LC1-C3 + CL during lateral bending, while LC1-C3 + CL was equivalent

to LC1-PC2 only during flexion. In all other comparisons, LC1-PC2 was superior to both techniques.

CONCLUSION: From a biomechanical perspective, both C2 screw sparing techniques provided sufficient stability to be regarded as an alternative for C1-2 fixation. However, because normal motion across C2-3 is sacrificed, these constructs should be used in patients with unfavorable AS1842856 order anatomy for standard fixations.”
“BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Enterogenous cysts are rare tumors found most commonly in the spine, but they have also been reported intracranially. Cases of enterogenous cysts located within the posterior fossa have traditionally been resected via difficult craniotomies that require prolonged retraction and risk injury to cranial nerves. We describe a method for resection of an enterogenous cyst located anterior to the brainstem MCC950 solubility dmso via the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION:

A 37-year-old man was found to have a 2-cm mass anterior to the brainstem during routine screening after a trauma. The mass was located within the prepontine cistern, enhanced with gadolinium contrast, and showed no restrictive diffusion. This lesion was most consistent with an enterogenous cyst. A minimally invasive endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal transclival approach was performed for gross total resection of the tumor.

CONCLUSION: We discuss the endoscopic transsphenoidal approach used for the resection of Aldehyde dehydrogenase an enterogenous cyst in the posterior fossa anterior to the brainstem. The transsphenoidal approach provides direct access to lesions in this location

using a minimally invasive technique while avoiding excessive brain retraction or injury to cranial nerves. In addition, we provide an updated review of the literature for enterogenous cysts located within the posterior fossa.”
“BACKGROUND: Neuroendoscopy is increasingly used as an adjunctive tool in intracranial aneurysm surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the versatility of a prototype continuously variable-view rigid endoscope in visualizing the anterior cerebral artery complex.

METHODS: In 5 formaldehyde-fixed, arterially injected specimens, a standard frontolateral approach was used on both sides. After meticulous microsurgical dissection using this approach, the prototype of a multivariable rigid endoscope (EndoCAMeleon; Karl Storz GmbH & Co, Tuttlingen, Germany) was inserted. It is a rigid endoscope that is capable of changing its angle of view while remaining stationary and shape invariant.

Patients were assessed by a psychiatrist at baseline and after 8,

Patients were assessed by a psychiatrist at baseline and after 8, and 12 weeks after the medication started. The PANSS scores and cognitive performance were used as the outcome measures. The donepezil group had significantly greater improvement in the negative symptoms over the 12-week trial. There were no differences between the donepezil and placebo groups on any neurocognitive assessments at endpoint (week 12). The present study indicates donepezil as a potential adjunctive treatment strategy for negative symptoms of chronic schizophrenia. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“On describing the catastrophic effect of the plague during the Peloponnesian Tanespimycin price War, Greek

historian Thucydides (c similar to 450 BC) made the prescient observation that the “”same man was never attacked twice – never

at least fatally”". This is probably the first description of the mammalian immune systems’ remarkable ability to elicit a pathogen-specific response that potentially protects the host for its lifetime. This protection is largely mediated by plasma cells (PCs) that produce copious quantities of antibodies for extended periods of time, even after pathogen clearance. Here, I review the requirements for PC longevity in mice and humans, in particular the roles of survival niches in bone marrow and other selleck products tissues, and the “”dialogue”" between PCs and other cells that are crucial for long-lived humoral immunity.”
“The Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) GP64 protein mediates membrane fusion during entry. Fusion results from a low-pH-triggered conformational change

Elongation factor 2 kinase in GP64 and subsequent interactions with the membrane bilayers. The low-pH sensor and trigger of the conformational change are not known, but histidine residues are implicated because the pK(a) of histidine is near the threshold for triggering fusion by GP64. We used alanine substitutions to examine the roles of all individual and selected clusters of GP64 histidine residues in triggering and mediating fusion by GP64. Three histidine residues (H152, H155, and H156), located in fusion loop 2, were identified as important for membrane fusion. These three histidine residues were important for efficient pore expansion but were not required for the pH-triggered conformational change. In contrast, a cluster of three histidine residues (H245, H304, and H430) located near the base of the central coiled coil was identified as a putative sensor for low pH. Three alanine substitutions in cluster H245/H304/H430 resulted in dramatically reduced membrane fusion and the apparent loss of the prefusion conformation at neutral pH. Thus, the H245/H304/H430 cluster of histidines may function or participate as a pH sensor by stabilizing the prefusion structure of GP64.”
“Introduction: The term visual prosthesis refers to any device capable of eliciting visual percepts in an individual through electrical stimulation of any part of the visual system.

The prosaposin immunoreactivity co-localized with the lysosomal g

The prosaposin immunoreactivity co-localized with the lysosomal granules labeled by an anti-Cathepsin D antibody, indicating that prosaposin mainly localized in the lysosomes of the neurons. We also examined the chronological changes in prosaposin mRNA and its two alternatively spliced find more variants using in situ hybridization. We found that both the mRNA forms, especially the one without a nine-base insertion, increased significantly from embryonic day 15 to postnatal day 7, then decreased gradually until postnatal day 28. Abundant prosaposin expression in the perinatal stages indicates a potential role of prosaposin in the early development

of the rat brain. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.”
“The Bcl-2-associated death promoter (BAD) protein, like many other BH3-only proteins, is known to promote apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. Unlike the BH3-interacting domain death agonist (BID) protein, BAD cannot directly trigger apoptosis but, instead, lowers the threshold at which apoptosis is induced. In many mathematical models of apoptosis, BAD is neglected or abstracted. The work presented here considers the incorporation of BAD and its various modifications in a model of the tBID-induction of BAK (Bcl-2

homologous antagonist killer) or the tBID-induction of BAX (Bcl-2-associated X protein). Steady state equations are used to develop an explicit formula describing the total concentration selleckchem level of tBID, guaranteed to trigger apoptosis, as a bilinear function of the total BAD concentration level and the total anti-apoptotic protein concentration level (usually Bcl-2 or Bcl-x(L)). In particular, the formula explains how the pro-apoptotic protein BAD lowers the threshold

at which tBID induces BAK/BAX activation-reducing the level of total Bcl-2/Bcl-x(L), available Cyclin-dependent kinase 3 to inhibit tBID signaling in the mitochondria. Attention is then turned to the experimental data surrounding BAD phosphorylation, a process known to inhibit the pro-apoptotic effects of BAD. To address this data, the phosphorylation process is modeled following two separate kinetics in which either free unbound BAD is the assumed substrate or Bcl-x(L)/Bcl-2-bound BAD is the assumed substrate. Bifurcation analysis and further analysis of the bilinear equation validate experiments, which suggest that BAD phosphorylation prevents irreversible BAK/BAX-mediated apoptosis, even when phosphorylation-induced dissociation of Bcl-x(L)/Bcl-2-bound BAD is blocked. It is also shown that a cooperative, even synergistic, removal of mitochondrial BAD is seen when both types of phosphorylation are assumed possible. The presented work, however, reveals that the balance between BAD phosphorylation and dephosphorylation modulates the degree to which BAD influences the signaling from tBID to BAK/BAX.

Four years after bidirectional cavopulmonary connection, 15% had

Four years after bidirectional cavopulmonary connection, 15% had died, and 85% underwent the Fontan operation. Overall 3-year survival after the Norwood operation was 53%. Factors associated with mortality were age, lower weight at the time of the Norwood operation, impaired ventricular function, longer circulatory arrest,

and lower pre-bidirectional cavopulmonary connection saturation.

Conclusions: Children older than 2 weeks undergoing the Norwood operation frequently require postoperative pulmonary vasodilatation and high inotropic support. A significant hazard of death persists through all steps of multistage palliation. Increased pulmonary vascular resistance and volume load effects, such as systemic ventricular impairment and atrioventricular valve regurgitation, are commonly evident check details in patients in whom treatment fails or who do not qualify to proceed to the next stage of palliation. Those patients should be closely monitored for timely referral for heart transplantation when indicated. (J Thorac Cardiovasc selleckchem Surg 2011;142:142-7)”
“Venoms have evolved over millions of years into potent cocktails of bioactive peptides and proteins. These compounds can be of great value to the pharmaceutical industry for numerous clinical applications. In this study, a novel proteomic – bioinformatic approach was utilised, where chromatography followed by gel electrophoresis

was utilised to separate the venom peptides/proteins of Heterometrus longimanus (Asian black scorpion). Purified peptides were analysed by tandem mass spectrometry, de novo sequenced and then homology matched against known peptides in the Swiss-Prot protein database. Numerous potentially biologically active peptide matches were discovered, and a simple scoring system applied to putatively assign functions to the peptides. As a validation of this approach, the functional composition of the experimentally derived proteome is similar to that of other scorpions, and contains a potent mix of toxins, antimicrobials and ionic channel inhibitors.”
“Synapse Ketotifen formation involves

reciprocal interactions between cells resulting in formation of a structure optimized for efficient information transfer. Recent work has implicated constituents of the cadherin-catenin cell-adhesion complex in both synapse formation and plasticity. In this review, we describe recent interesting discoveries on mechanisms of cadherin complex function, in addition to regulating adhesion, that are relevant for understanding the role of this complex in synaptogenesis and plasticity. We describe how this complex acts via (i) recruitment/stabilization of intracellular partners; (ii) regulation of intracellular signaling pathways; (iii) regulation of cadherin surface levels, stability and turnover; (iv) stabilization of receptors; and (v) regulation of gene expression.

These patients challenge the notion that semantic control process

These patients challenge the notion that semantic control processes are modality-general and suggest instead a separation DNA Damage inhibitor of ‘access’ to auditory-verbal and non-verbal semantic systems. We had the rare opportunity to study such a case in detail. Our aims were to examine the effect of manipulations of control demands in auditory-verbal semantic, non-verbal semantic and non-semantic tasks, allowing us to assess whether such cases always show semantic control/access impairments that follow a modality-specific pattern, or whether there are alternative explanations. Our findings revealed: (1) deficits on executive tasks, unrelated to semantic demands, which were more evident in the auditory modality than the

visual modality; (2) deficits in executively-demanding semantic tasks which were accentuated in the auditory-verbal domain compared with the visual modality, but still present on nonverbal tasks, and (3) a coupling between comprehension and executive control requirements, in that mild impairment on single word comprehension was greatly

increased on more demanding, associative Judgements across modalities. This pattern of results suggests that mild executive-semantic impairment, paired with disrupted connectivity from auditory input, may give rise to semantic ‘access’ deficits affecting only the auditory modality. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The International Randomized Study of Interferon and STI571 (IRIS) demonstrated long-term cytogenetic responses in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML-CP) treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib. However, Levetiracetam deep molecular responses (MRs), MX69 purchase as measured by reductions in BCR-ABL transcript levels below the threshold of major MR, were achieved only by a small proportion of patients. With the advent of the second-generation TKIs nilotinib and dasatinib for the treatment of patients

with newly diagnosed CML-CP, the proportion of patients who achieve the deepest levels of MR is likely to increase significantly. With these changes, the potential for patient eligibility in TKI cessations studies is becoming a more widely discussed topic and area for research. These developments highlight the need for robust, standardized and workable definitions of deep MRs. Specifically, it is critical that the measurement of MR is standardized in a manner to withstand both intra- and inter-laboratory variability, as well as new methodological developments. This review summarizes the relevant clinical background and proposes a framework within which standardization of MR can be taken forward.”
“Post-translational modifications of histone tails are among the most prominent epigenetic marks and play a critical role in transcriptional control at the level of chromatin. The Polycomblike (Pcl) protein is part of a histone methyltransferase complex (Pcl-PRC2) responsible for high levels of histone H3 K27 trimethylation.

Atrophy within primary sensorimotor and medial temporal areas mig

Atrophy within primary sensorimotor and medial temporal areas might be important for development of

bradykinesia and of gait disturbances in community-dwelling elderly adults. The pathways underlying these associations may not include changes in white matter hyperintensities volume, cognition, information Sorafenib processing speed, mood, or gait speed.”
“Mood and substance-use disorders are both associated with cognitive deficits. Patients with mood and substance-use disorders have poorer cognition than patients with only a mood disorder. Pregnenolone may have beneficial effects on mood and cognition. In a proof-of-concept investigation, 70 participants with bipolar disorder or recurrent major depressive disorder and history of substance abuse/dependence (abstinent for >= 14 days prior to enrollment) were randomly assigned to receive pregnenolone (titrated to 100 mg/day) or placebo for 8 weeks. Participants were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Trail Making Test (TMT-B), and Stroop Test. Mood was assessed

biweekly. while cognition was evaluated at baseline, and weeks 4 and 8. Groups were compared using a random regression analysis that used all of the available data. The pregnenolone group showed trends toward greater improvement, relative to placebo, on the HRSD and YMRS. A post hoc analysis of completers found a statistically significant reduction in HRSD scores with pregnenolone Fluorometholone Acetate as compared to placebo. Pregnenolone appeared to be safe and well tolerated. Findings NSC23766 molecular weight suggest that pregnenolone use may be associated

with some improvement in manic and depressive symptoms, but not cognition in depressed patients with a history of substance use. Larger trials examining the impact of pregnenolone on mood in more narrowly defined populations may be warranted. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Anemia has been associated with elevated cerebral blood flow (CBF) in animal models and certain clinical conditions (eg, renal disease), but whether hemoglobin level variations across a relatively normal range are associated with local or diffuse CBF changes is unclear. We investigated whether lower hemoglobin is associated with regional increases in relative CBF in older individuals, and if these increases occur in watershed regions.

Seventy-four older nondemented adults underwent serial O-15 water positron emission tomography scans. Voxel-based analysis was used to investigate regional relative CBF patterns in association with hemoglobin level and in individuals with and without anemia. Analyses of cross-sectional relations between regional CBF and anemia were performed separately at two time points, 2 years apart, to identify replicable patterns of associations.

Additionally, our findings provide insight into the general mecha

Additionally, our findings provide insight into the general mechanisms of vaccine-induced tumor immunity directed toward tumors bearing distinct tumor-associated antigens.”
“Amniotic epithelial cells (AECs) have been the subject of interest due to their stem cells characteristics. Pluripotency, lack of teratoma formation, low immunogenicity and no ethical issues make them an alternative source

of stem cells for generation of dopaminergic neurons in vitro. AECs may differentiate into midbrain dopaminergic neurons in the presence of induction factors which trigger pathway naturally see more occurring in the mesencephalon during embryogenesis. In this study, we examined whether FGF8 and Sonic hedgehog (Shh)

can induce AECs to express permanently midbrain dopaminergic neurons traits. We found Selleckchem Citarinostat that fresh isolated AECs temporarily expressed some neural markers which decreased 7 days after culture. Co-treatment of cells with FGF8 and Shh had synergistic effect on expression of TH, DAT, Pax2, Lmx1b and En1. Shh ceased differentiation in dopaminergic state and decreased D beta H. HPLC analysis revealed that dopamine was released into the medium upon depolarization, indicating that functional dopaminergic neurons were present in the culture. These results demonstrate that AECs have capability to differentiate Nintedanib (BIBF 1120) into dopaminergic neurons and can be a candidate for cell replacement therapy of Parkinson’s

disease. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Rationale A number of reviews have claimed that the selective serotonin and noradrenalin re-uptake inhibitor venlafaxine is more effective than selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in achieving remission and symptom reduction in major depression.

Objectives The aim of this study was to systematically review studies on the efficacy of venlafaxine vs SSRI and to evaluate the influence of methodological issues on the effect sizes.

Materials and methods Following a systematic literature search, we pooled data on depression scores, response, remission and dropout rates. We also performed sub-group analyses.

Results Seventeen studies were included. We found no significant superiority in remission rates (risk ratio [RR]=1.07, 95% confidence intervals [95%CI]=0.99 to 1.15, numbers needed to treat [NNT]=34) and a small superiority in response rates (RR=1.06, 95%CI=1.01 to 1.12, NNT=27) over SSRIs. There was a small advantage to venlafaxine in change scores (effect size=-0.09, 95%CI=-0.16 to -0.02, p=0.013), which did not reach significance when post-treatment scores were used (effect size=-0.06, 95%CI=-0.13 to 0.00). Discontinuation rates due to adverse events were 45% higher in the venlafaxine group.

Methods: Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used for p

Methods: Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used for primary culture of cortical neurons, and neonatal 0- to 2-day-old SD rats were used for primary culture of astrocytes. Cultured astrocytes were conditioned with curcumin to prepare astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM). Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess RANTES and iNOS mRNA expression in astrocytes following curcumin treatment. ELISA was used to detect astrocyte-secreted RANTES protein in ACM with curcumin treatment. JAK/STAT,

PI-3K, Alpelisib clinical trial PKC and MAPK inhibitors were used to ascertain whether the effects of curcumin involved these signaling pathways. To evaluate the effects of curcumin-enhanced astrocytes on neuronal survival, cultured cortical neurons treated or untreated with NMDA were incubated in ACM with or without curcumin treatment. Long-term culture (15 days in vitro, DIV) was performed to investigate the effects of curcumin-treated astrocytes on the survival of cultured cortical neurons. Neuronal survival LXH254 mouse rate was assessed by using 3(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) reduction activity assay (for cell viability), and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay (for cell death).

Results: We

demonstrated that curcumin enhanced RANTES expression in primary cultured astrocytes, and that this effect was related to activation of PI-3K and MAPK signaling pathways. We found that curcumin inhibited iNOS expression in primary cultured astrocytes in non-stressed condition. We also found that neurons exposed to NMDA and cultured with curcumin treated ACM, which characteristically

exhibited Cytidine deaminase elevated RANTES expression showed higher level of cell viability and lower level of cell death. Using a small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown model, we found evidence that the basal level of RANTES expression in non-stimulated astrocytes provided neuroprotection.”
“A consensus multiplex real-time PCR test (PT13-RT) for the oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, 31,33,35, 39,45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66 is described. The test targets the L1 gene. Analytical sensitivity is between 4 and 400 GU (genomic units) in the presence of 500 ng of human DNA, corresponding to 75,000 human cells. HPV types are grouped into multiplex groups of 3 or 4 resulting in the use of 4 wells per sample and permitting up to 24 samples per run (including controls) in a standard 96-well real-time PCR instrument. False negative results are avoided by (a) measuring sample DNA concentration to control that sufficient cellular material is present and (b) including HPV type 6 as a homologous internal control in order to detect PCR inhibition or competition from other (non-oncogenic) HPV types. Analysis time from refrigerator to report is 8 h, including 2.5 h hands-on time.


“Metabolite flux to UDP-GlcNAc and Golgi N-glycan biosynth


“Metabolite flux to UDP-GlcNAc and Golgi N-glycan biosynthesis regulates surface residency of glycoprotein receptors and transporters, and thus sensitivities of cells to extracellular cues. Salvage of GlcNAc increases UDP-GlcNAc and branching of N-glycans progressively, but displays an optimum

for cell proliferation and bulk endocytosis in mouse NMuMG and human HEK293T epithelial cells. In this report, we measured global changes in gene expression in low and high GlcNAc-supplemented cells. Genes upregulated by high GlcNAc included the EGF and TGF-beta signaling pathways and cell cycle checkpoint, while downregulated genes indicated lower metabolic activity. Genes increased or decreased by high GlcNAc were assessed by transfecting cells with small interfering RNA (siRNA) and measuring effects on three phenotypes: proliferation and bulk endocytosis, and 01,6GlcNAc-branching of N-glycans. siRNA targeting LGALS3, WBSCR17, PHF3, SDC2 and SB202190 chemical structure buy SP600125 CTNNAL1 partially reversed the GlcNAc-induced phenotypes, suggesting a role for galectin-3/N-glycans,

proteoglycans, O-glycans, and junctional cell adhesion.”
“The role of the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) in semantic memory is now firmly established. There is still controversy, however, regarding the specific role of this region in processing various types of concepts. There have been reports of patients suffering from semantic dementia (SD), a neurodegenerative condition in which the ATL is damaged bilaterally, who present with greater semantic impairment Vinorelbine Tartrate for concrete concepts than for abstract concepts, an effect known as reversal of the concreteness effect. This effect has previously been interpreted as reflecting degraded visual-perceptual features of objects due to damage to the inferior temporal lobes such as

is observed in SD. Temporal lobe atrophy in SD, however, is bilateral even if it usually predominates to the left ATL, and it has been found to extend beyond the ATL, throughout the temporal lobes including medial and posterior temporal lobe regions. The question therefore remains whether greater impairment for concrete concepts results from damage to the ATL or from damage to the visual association cortex, and if unilateral damage can produce such a deficit.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the processing of concrete and abstract words in rare patients who underwent a selective ATL surgical resection, and to compare their performance with that of patients with selective medial temporal lobe damage sparing the An region. Seven patients with a selective unilateral anterior temporal resection (ATL), 15 patients with a selective unilateral amygdalo-hippocampectomy (SeAH), and 15 healthy age- and education-matched controls underwent detailed neuropsychological assessment and carried out a semantic similarity judgment task evaluating their comprehension of concrete and abstract words.

4% (97 5% CI 81 0-87 7) for the 8xB(esc) group, 89 3% (86 5-92 1)

4% (97.5% CI 81.0-87.7) for the 8xB(esc) group, 89.3% (86.5-92.1) for 6xB(esc) group, and 85.4% (82.1-88.7) for the 8xB(14) group (97.5% CI for difference between 6xB(esc) and 8xB(esc) was 0.5-9.3). Overall survival in the three groups was 91.9%, 95.3%, and 94.5% respectively, and was significantly better with 6xB(esc) than with 8xB(esc) (97.5% CI 0.2-6.5). The 8xB(esc) group showed a higher mortality (7.5%) than the 6xB(esc) (4.6%) and 8xB(14) (5.2%) groups, mainly due to differences in treatment-related events (2.1%, 0.8%, and 0.8%, respectively) and secondary malignancies (1.8%, 0.7%, and 1.1%, respectively).

The negative predictive value for PET at 12 months was 94.1% (95% CI 92.1-96.1); and 225 (11%) of 2126 patients received additional radiotherapy.

Interpretation Treatment with six cycles of BEACOPP(escalated) followed by PET-guided radiotherapy was more effective in terms of freedom from treatment failure and less toxic than eight cycles of the same chemotherapy regimen. Thus, six cycles of BEACOPP(escalated) should be the treatment of choice for advanced stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma. PET done after chemotherapy can guide the need for additional radiotherapy in this setting.”
“Testosterone influences various aspects of affective behavior, which is mediated by different brain regions within the emotion

circuitry. Previous neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that testosterone increases neural activity in the amygdala. To investigate whether this could be due to altered regulation

of amygdala functioning which is thought to be mediated by the prefrontal cortex, we studied the effects of exogenous testosterone on the interaction between the amygdala and other brain regions. Healthy middle-aged women received a single nasal testosterone dose in a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover manner, and performed an emotional face matching task while their brain activity was measured with functional MRI. The results show that testosterone rapidly reduced functional coupling of the amygdala with the orbitofrontal cortex, and enhanced amygdala coupling with the thalamus. This suggests that testosterone may reduce the regulatory control over the amygdala, or that testosterone shifts amygdala output away from the orbitofrontal cortex towards the thalamus. Testosterone also reduced functional coupling with the contralateral amygdala. Because interhemispheric amygdala coupling is lower in men than in women, this result suggests that circulating testosterone may contribute to this sexual dimorphism. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background Most previous studies of the use of cervical pessaries were either retrospective or case controlled and their results showed that this intervention might be a preventive strategy for women at risk of preterm birth; no randomised controlled trials have been undertaken.