I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Principles of Neural Science

Anisotropic water diffusion in neural fibres such as nerve, white matter in spinal cord, or white matter in brain forms the basis for the utilization of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to track fibre pathways. The fact that water diffusion is sensitive to the underlying tissue microstructure provides a unique method of assessing the orientation and integrity of these neural fibres, which may be useful in assessing a number of neurological disorders. The purpose of this review is to characterize the relationship of nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of water diffusion and its anisotropy (i.e. directional dependence) with the underlying microstructure of neural fibres. The emphasis of the review will be on model neurological systems both in vitro and in vivo. A systematic discussion of the possible sources of anisotropy and their evaluation will be presented followed by an overview of various studies of restricted diffusion and compartmentation as they relate to anisotropy. Pertinent pathological models, developmental studies and theoretical analyses provide further insight into the basis of anisotropic diffusion and its potential utility in the nervous system.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/nbm.782

The basis of anisotropic water diffusion in the nervous system – a technical review

The success of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is deeply rooted in the powerful concept that during their random, diffusion-driven displacements molecules probe tissue structure at a microscopic scale well beyond the usual image resolution. As diffusion is truly a three-dimensional process, molecular mobility in tissues may be anisotropic, as in brain white matter. With diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), diffusion anisotropy effects can be fully extracted, characterized, and exploited, providing even more exquisite details on tissue microstructure. The most advanced application is certainly that of fiber tracking in the brain, which, in combination with functional MRI, might open a window on the important issue of connectivity. DTI has also been used to demonstrate subtle abnormalities in a variety of diseases (including stroke, multiple sclerosis, dyslexia, and schizophrenia) and is currently becoming part of many routine clinical protocols. The aim of this article is to review the concepts behind DTI and to present potential applications.

/pdf/diffusion-tensor-imaging-concepts-and-applications-40utq0zjun.pdf

Diffusion tensor imaging: Concepts and applications

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: A chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

Stem cell fate is influenced by a number of factors and interactions that require robust control for safe and effective regeneration of functional tissue. Coordinated interactions with soluble factors, other cells, and extracellular matrices define a local biochemical and mechanical niche with complex and dynamic regulation that stem cells sense. Decellularized tissue matrices and synthetic polymer niches are being used in the clinic, and they are also beginning to clarify fundamental aspects of how stem cells contribute to homeostasis and repair, for example, at sites of fibrosis. Multifaceted technologies are increasingly required to produce and interrogate cells ex vivo, to build predictive models, and, ultimately, to enhance stem cell integration in vivo for therapeutic benefit.

/pdf/growth-factors-matrices-and-forces-combine-and-control-stem-4daxw4e632.pdf

Growth Factors, Matrices, and Forces Combine and Control Stem Cells

The city of Emar among the Late Bronze Age empires : history, landscape, and scoiety; proceedings of the Konstanz Emar Conference, 25. - 26.04.2006

Extracting Geometric Properties of White Matter with q-Space Diffusion MRI (QSI)

Endometriosis is associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Few studies have also shown increased risk of breast cancer. BRCA1/2 mutations are linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers but their relation to endometriosis is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the mutation rate of BRCA1/2 among women with surgically treated ovarian endometriosis. We collected 126 specimens from Jewish Ashkenazi women with endometriotic (76) and control non-endometriotic (50) ovarian cysts, reviewed the pathological diagnoses and extracted DNA from all samples. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), samples were examined for the founder germline mutations of BRCA1/2, most common among Ashkenazi Jews. The rate of mutations in each group was calculated and compared. BRCA1/2 mutation rate was 1/76 (1.3%) in the endometriotic cyst study group and 1/50 (2%) in the control non-endometriotic cysts, showing no statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.84). BRCA1/2 mutation rate was similar to the previously reported rate among Jewish Ashkenazi women. BRCA1/2 mutation rates in patients with endometriotic ovarian cysts and with non-endometriotic ovarian cysts are similar. A larger cohort is required to completely exclude the possibility of an association between BRCA1/2 mutations and surgically treated endometriosis.

Surgically treated ovarian endometriosis association with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

Purpose: To test the frequency of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-10, IL23R-IL12RB2 genes in patients with Behcet’s uveitis.Methods: Blood samples were collected from 89 Israeli a...

Yoram Cohen

Papers

The city of Emar among the Late Bronze Age empires : history, landscape, and scoiety; proceedings of the Konstanz Emar Conference, 25. - 26.04.2006

Extracting Geometric Properties of White Matter with q-Space Diffusion MRI (QSI)

Surgically treated ovarian endometriosis association with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in IL23R-IL12RB2 (rs1495965) Are Highly Prevalent in Patients with Behcet's Uveitis and Vary Between Populations.

Selbstdiffusion von geladenen polycyclischen Arenen und ihren Stammverbindungen: eine PGSE-NMR-Studie†