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

BRCA mutation carriers were reported to display a skewed distribution of FMR1 genotypes, predominantly within the low normalrange (CGG repeat number o26). This observation led to the interpretation that BRCA1/2 mutations are embryo-lethal, unlessrescued by ‘low FMR1 alleles’. We undertook to re-explore the distribution of FMR1 alleles subdivided into low, normal andhigh (o26, 26–34, and 434 CGG repeats, respectively) subgenotypes, on a cohort of 125 Ashkenazi women, carriers of aBRCA1/2 founder mutation. Ashkenazi healthy females (n¼368), tested in the frame of the Israeli screening populationprogram, served as controls. BRCA1/2 carriers and controls demonstrated a comparable and non-skewed FMR1 subgenotypedistribution. Taken together, using a homogeneous ethnic group of Ashkenazi BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, we could not conﬁrmthe reported association between FMR1 low genotypes and BRCA1/2 mutations. The notion that BRCA1/2 mutations areembryo-lethal unless rescued by the low FMR1 subgenotypes is hereby refuted.European Journal of Human Genetics (2014) 22, 277–279; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2013.281; published online 27 November 2013Keywords: FMR1 subgenotypes; CGG repeats; BRCA1/2INTRODUCTIONThe fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene, located on the longarm of the X chromosome, contains a repetitive CGGn trinucleotidesegment in the 5

BRCA1/2 mutations and FMR1 alleles are randomly distributed: a case control study This article has been corrected since online publication and a corrigendum also appears in this issue.

Ethnicity has a multiplex impact upon the risk of a full mutation expansion among female heterozygotes for FMR1 premutation.

1,3-Diphenylbenzo(c)furan Dianion (II): NMR Characterization of a 4nπ Heterocyclic Dianion Containing Oxygen.

Homoditopic building blocks 1, featuring two π-rich cone-like calix[5]arene moieties connected at their narrow rims by a rigid o-, m-, or p-xylyl spacer in a centrosymmetric divergent arrangement, show a remarkable tendency to spontaneously and reversibly self-assemble with the complementary homoditopic α,ω-alkanediyldiammonium dipicrate guest salts C8−C12·2Pic through iterative intermolecular inclusion events, forming supramolecular assemblies whose composition and dynamics strongly depend upon the length of the connector, the geometry of the spacer, as well as the concentration and/or molar ratios between the two components. 1H NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS studies of 1/Cn·2Pic modular homoditopic pairs support the formation of discrete (bis)-endo-cavity assemblies with the shorter C8 and C9 connectors, and/or (poly)capsular assemblies with the longer C10−C12 components under appropriate concentrations and molar ratios (50 mM equimolar solutions). 1H NMR titration experiments and diffusion NMR studies pro...

Yoram Cohen

Papers

BRCA1/2 mutations and FMR1 alleles are randomly distributed: a case control study This article has been corrected since online publication and a corrigendum also appears in this issue.

Ethnicity has a multiplex impact upon the risk of a full mutation expansion among female heterozygotes for FMR1 premutation.

1,3-Diphenylbenzo(c)furan Dianion (II): NMR Characterization of a 4nπ Heterocyclic Dianion Containing Oxygen.

Self‐Assembly Dynamics of Modular Homoditopic Bis‐calix[5]arenes and Long‐Chain α,ω‐Alkanediyldiammonium Components.

Between east and west: eretz israel and the ancient near east— intercultural ties and innovation in the second millennium bce