The von Economo neurons in frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortex in great apes and humans

The von Economo neurons (VENs) are large bipolar neurons located in frontoinsular (FI) and anterior cingulate cortex in great apes and humans, but not other primates. We performed stereological counts of the VENs in FI and LA (limbic anterior, a component of anterior cingulate cortex) in great apes and in humans. The VENs are more numerous in humans than in apes, although one gorilla approached the lower end of the human range. We also examined the ontological development of the VENs in FI and LA in humans. The VENs first appear in small numbers in the 36th week post-conception, are rare at birth, and increase in number during the first 8 months after birth. There are significantly more VENs in the right hemisphere than in the left in FI and LA in postnatal brains of apes and humans. This asymmetry in VEN numbers may be related to asymmetries in the autonomic nervous system. The activity of the inferior anterior insula, which contains FI, is related to physiological changes in the body, decision-making, error recognition, and awareness. The VENs appear to be projection neurons, although their targets are unknown. We made a preliminary study of the connections of FI cortex based on diffusion tensor imaging in the brain of a gorilla. The VEN-containing regions connect to the frontal pole as well as to other parts of frontal and insular cortex, the septum, and the amygdala. It is likely that the VENs in FI are projecting to some or all of these structures and relaying information related to autonomic control, decision-making, or awareness. The VENs selectively express the bombesin peptides neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) which are also expressed in another population of closely related neurons, the fork cells. NMB and GRP signal satiety. The genes for NMB and GRP are expressed selectively in small populations of neurons in the insular cortex in mice. These populations may be related to the VEN and fork cells and may be involved in the regulation of appetite. The loss of these cells may be related to the loss of satiety signaling in patients with frontotemporal dementia who have damage to FI. The VENs and fork cells may be morphological specializations of an ancient population of neurons involved in the control of appetite present in the insular cortex in all mammals. We found that the protein encoded by the gene DISC1 (disrupted in schizophrenia) is preferentially expressed by the VENs. DISC1 has undergone rapid evolutionary change in the line leading to humans, and since it suppresses dendritic branching it may be involved in the distinctive VEN morphology

Porphyrin binding mechanism is altered by protonation at the loops in G-quadruplex DNA formed near the transcriptional activation site of the human c-kit gene

Background: G-quadruplex DNA structures are hypothesized to be involved in the regulation of gene expression and telomere homeostasis. The development of small molecules that modulate the stability of G-quadruplex structures has a potential therapeutic interest in cancer treatment and prevention of aging. Methods: Molecular absorption and circular dichroism spectra were used to monitor thermal denaturation, acid base titration and mole ratio experiments. The resulting data were analyzed by multivariate data analysis methods. Surface plasmon resonance was also used to probe the kinetics and affinity of the DNA-drug interactions. Results: We investigated the interaction between a G-quadruplex-forming sequence in the human c-kit proto-oncogene and the water soluble porphyrin TMPyP4. The role of cytosine and adenine residues at the loops of G-quadruplex was studied by substitution of these residues by thymidines. Conclusions: Here, we show the existence of two binding modes between TMPyP4 and the considered G-quadruplex. The stronger binding mode (formation constant around 107) involves end-stacking, while the weaker binding mode (formation constant around 106) is probably due to external loop binding. Evidence for the release of TMPyP4 upon protonation of bases at the loops has been observed. General significance: The results may be used for the design of porphyrin-based anti-cancer molecules with a higher affinity to G-quadruplex structures which may have anticancer properties. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.This research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (grant numbers CTQ2009-11572 and CTQ2010-20541-C03-01), and the Generalitat de Catalunya (grant numbers 2009-SGR-45 and 2009- SGR-208).Peer reviewe

Aiding Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Prediabetes Among High-Risk Medicare Patients in a Primary Care Setting

Purpose: Encourage prediabetes screening, testing, and referral to a CDC-recognized Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) as a first-line treatment. Background: The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes incidence is highest among Medicare-eligible Washingtonian patients, with 19% and 16%, respectively. DPP results in a 71% reduction of diabetes incidence in 65 years and older. However, only 3% of healthcare sites screen, test, and refer to DPP. Design: Quality assessment with a descriptive quantitative evaluation method was conducted using Retrospective Chart Review for patients who visited Franciscan primary clinics from 08/31/2019 to 08/31/2020. A total of 1250 Medicare patients were extracted from a convenient sample. Risk factors for prediabetes were identified for 224 patients, including, a first-degree family history of diabetes, history of hypertension, age, race/ethnicity, physical activity, sex, history of gestational diabetes, height, and weight and were entered into the online American Diabetes Association prediabetes risk-test. The number of patients who fulfilled the criteria for a diagnosis of prediabetes based on Fasting Plasma Glucose, Glycated Hemoglobin A1c and Random Glucose was 685. Four patients had mixed laboratory results and were excluded; the remaining 681 were considered for prediabetes management. The number of patients who did not fulfill laboratory criteria for prediabetes was 565. Results: All the 224 patients (100%) had risk-test scores of at least 5. The prevalence of misdiagnosis of blood glucose was 45.2%. All of the 681 patients (100%) meeting requirements of prediabetes were not referred to DPP. Only 26 patients (3.8%) were managed by either metformin (3.1%) or referral to diabetes education (0.7%). Conclusion: Medicare patients at high risk are not routinely screened, tested, and managed by DPP, metformin, or diabetes education. Implication: Practice change needs assessment of PCP awareness about diabetes risk-test, prediabetes laboratory parameters, and management by referral to DPP

Contribution of Exclosures for Restoration of Woody Species Diversity and Regulating Ecosystem Services in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia Exclosures has been recognized as promising practice in the restoration of degraded land and regulating the environmental services. Though, study on the role of exclosures on rehabilitating of degraded land is very little, fragmented and doesn’t often integrate the regulating environmental services. To scale up this practices insight to the Ethiopian level, I carry out reviewing different research articles on the role of exclosure to biodiversity of woody species and regulating ecosystem services. The review of this study showed that exclosure significantly enhanced woody species diversity; reducing soil erosion, improve Soil nutrient contents and the ecosystem carbon stock potential over the adjacent communal grazing lands. In addition to this establishing exclosures has a high contribution to the livelihood of local communities. As a result the local communities have a positive attitude towards the establishment of exclosures in the degraded lands. Overall review from this study strongly indicates that establishment of exclosures in the degraded lands of Ethiopia are a win-win situation since it is advantageous over the people, natural and climate of the country. However, by involving the key stakeholders the governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs’) should have to expand this practice to whole degraded lands of the country. Keywords: Climate change mitigation, Enclosure, Degradation, Rehabilitations, Restoratio

Review on Contribution of Exclosures for Restoration of Woody Species Diversity and Regulating Ecosystem Services in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia Exclosures has been recognized as promising practice in the restoration of degraded land and regulating the environmental services. Though, study on the role of exclosures on rehabilitating of degraded land is very little, fragmented and doesn’t often integrate the regulating environmental services. To scale up this practices insight to the Ethiopian level, I carry out reviewing different research articles on the role of exclosure to biodiversity of woody species and regulating ecosystem services. The review of this study showed that exclosure significantly enhanced woody species diversity; reducing soil erosion, improve Soil nutrient contents and the ecosystem carbon stock potential over the adjacent communal grazing lands. In addition to this establishing exclosures has a high contribution to the livelihood of local communities. As a result the local communities have a positive attitude towards the establishment of exclosures in the degraded lands. Overall review from this study strongly indicates that establishment of exclosures in the degraded lands of Ethiopia are a win-win situation since it is advantageous over the people, natural and climate of the country. However, by involving the key stakeholders the governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs’) should have to expand this practice to whole degraded lands of the country

Treatment with bexarotene, a compound that increases apolipoprotein-E, provides no cognitive benefit in mutant APP/PS1 mice

BACKGROUND: Though the precise cause(s) of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain unknown, there is strong evidence that decreased clearance of β-amyloid (Aβ) from the brain can contribute to the disease. Therapeutic strategies to promote natural Aβ clearance mechanisms, such as the protein apolipoprotein-E (APOE), hold promise for the treatment of AD. The amount of APOE in the brain is regulated by nuclear receptors including retinoid X receptors (RXRs). Drugs that activate RXRs, including bexarotene, can increase APOE and ABCA1 production, and have been shown to decrease the Aβ burden and improve cognition in mouse models of Aβ amyloidosis. Although recent bexarotene studies failed to replicate the rapid clearance of Aβ from brains, behavioral and cognitive effects of this compound remain controversial. FINDINGS: In efforts to clarify these behavioral findings, mutant APP/PS1 mice were acutely dosed with bexarotene. While ABCA1 was upregulated in mutant APP/PS1 mice treated with bexarotene, this drug failed to attenuate Aβ plaques or cognitive deficits in these mice. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend rigorous preclinical study to evaluate the mechanism and utility of such a compound for AD therapy

DETERMINANTS OF POSTNATAL CARE SERVICE UTILIZATION AMONG REPRODUCTIVE AGE WOMEN IN BASSO LIBEN WOREDA, NORTH WEST ETHIOPIA

Objectives: The objective of the study is to assess the determinants of postnatal care service utilization among reproductive age women in Basso Liben woreda. Methods: The data were collected from a representative sample of 374 populations using systematic sampling technique. The major strategy of the study was mixed approach. In quantitative study, the data were collected using structure questionnaires. The study participants were women of reproductive age (15–49 years) who gave birth in the past 2 years before the study. The dependent variable is utilization of at least one postnatal care visit within 6 weeks of delivery. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Results: From the total respondents, 37.7% of the mother and 20.3% of newborn had gotten postnatal checkup within the first 6 weeks, respectively. From PNC users, 51.1% of the mother and 47.4% of the newborn had utilized PNC 1 time, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis maternal education, number of ANC follow-up, PNC information before delivery, monthly income, place of delivery, and attendant during delivery have statistically significance association with postnatal health-care service utilization. Conclusion: The use of postnatal care service utilization is still limited in the study area. Only 37.7% of the mother and 20.3% of newborn had gotten postnatal checkup. Establishing qualified health facility around the area, expanding transport accessibility, and providing vehicles like ambulances that used to take mothers in the health facility are used to improve postnatal care service utilization

Association Pattern Discovery of Import Export Items in Ethiopia

This paper examines the application of data mining to detect association pattern of customs administration data with market price and currency rate exchange in Ethiopia. The association rule method of data mining is used in this paper to generate the interesting pattern from the data. This study was done to identify the relationships between attributes of custom data and market price to clearly understand the nature of import-export items in Ethiopia. The results of the experiments carried out using association rules revealed that the technique of data mining is applicable to generate knowledge from import and export items in custom administration. Algorithms such as Apriori, Tertius, PredictiveApriori and FliteredApriori were used to generate the associations. One of the resulting associations indicates that there is a strong link between market price and textiles imported. The implication of this research finding is that it clearly identified the association of import-export items with the market price and the effects of those items on the market price and currency rate in Ethiopia