Suppression of the host antiviral response by non-infectious varicella zoster virus extracellular vesicles.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivates from ganglionic sensory neurons to produce herpes zoster (shingles) in a unilateral dermatomal distribution, typically in the thoracic region. Reactivation not only heightens the risk of stroke and other neurological complications but also increases susceptibility to co-infections with various viral and bacterial pathogens at sites distant from the original infection. The mechanism by which VZV results in complications remote from the initial foci remains unclear. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are membranous signaling structures that can deliver proteins and nucleic acids to modify the function of distal cells and tissues during normal physiological conditions. Although viruses have been documented to exploit the sEV machinery to propagate infection, the role of non-infectious sEVs released from VZV-infected neurons in viral spread and disease has not been studied. Using multi-omic approaches, we characterized the content of sEVs released from VZV-infected human sensory neurons (VZV sEVs). One viral protein was detected (immediate-early 62), as well as numerous immunosuppressive and vascular disease-associated host proteins and miRNAs that were absent in sEVs from uninfected neurons. Notably, VZV sEVs are non-infectious yet transcriptionally altered primary human cells, suppressing the antiviral type 1 interferon response and promoting neuroinvasion of a secondary pathogen in vivo. These results challenge our understanding of VZV infection, proposing that the virus may contribute to distant pathologies through non-infectious sEVs beyond the primary infection site. Furthermore, this study provides a previously undescribed immune-evasion mechanism induced by VZV that highlights the significance of non-infectious sEVs in early VZV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a ubiquitous human virus that predominantly spreads by direct cell-cell contact and requires efficient and immediate host immune evasion strategies to spread. The mechanisms of immune evasion prior to virion entry have not been fully elucidated and represent a critical gap in our complete understanding of VZV pathogenesis. This study describes a previously unreported antiviral evasion strategy employed by VZV through the exploitation of the infected host cell's small extracellular vesicle (sEV) machinery. These findings suggest that non-infectious VZV sEVs could travel throughout the body, affecting cells remote from the site of infection and challenging the current understanding of VZV clinical disease, which has focused on local effects and direct infection. The significance of these sEVs in early VZV pathogenesis highlights the importance of further investigating their role in viral spread and secondary disease development to reduce systemic complications following VZV infections.

Effect of combined physical-cognitive training on the functional and cognitive capacity of older people with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The increase in population aging highlights the growing prevalence of mild cognitive impairment, prompting the adoption of interventions that combine physical exercise and cognitive training to improve health and cognitive performance in older adults. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of a combined program on physical and cognitive health in older people with cognitive impairment. METHODS: A 12-week randomized controlled clinical trial involving 95 participants (aged 72.12 ± 4.25 years), 47 individuals participated in a control group (CG) that only underwent cognitive stimulation, while 48 individuals were in an experimental group (EG) that participated in a combined program. Balance was measured using the Tinetti scale, upper body strength was assessed with the arm curl test, lower body strength was evaluated with the 30-s chair stand test, flexibility was tested using the back scratch test and chair sit-and-reach test, physical function was measured with the Timed Up and Go test, cognitive function was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination, cognitive impairment was evaluated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, verbal fluency was tested with the Isaac test, and executive functions were assessed using the Trail Making Test. RESULTS: The results of the study show significant improvements in both physical and cognitive aspects, such as balance, gait, upper and lower body strength, flexibility, physical function, cognitive function, cognitive impairment, verbal fluency, and executive functions in the group that carried out the intervention compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: A combined program for older individuals with mild cognitive impairment leads to enhancements in physical and cognitive health. These improvements underscore the importance of integrating physical exercise with cognitive training as an effective strategy for enhancing overall health and quality of life in older adults. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05503641.

Excitable Axonal Domains Adapt to Sensory Deprivation in the Olfactory System.

The axon initial segment (AIS), nodes of Ranvier, and the oligodendrocyte-derived myelin sheath have significant influence on the firing patterns of neurons and the faithful, coordinated transmission of action potentials (APs) to downstream brain regions. In the olfactory bulb (OB), olfactory discrimination tasks lead to adaptive changes in cell firing patterns, and the output signals must reliably travel large distances to other brain regions along highly myelinated tracts. Whether myelinated axons adapt to facilitate olfactory sensory processing is unknown. Here, we investigate the morphology and physiology of mitral cell (MC) axons in the olfactory system of adult male and female mice and show that unilateral sensory deprivation causes system-wide adaptations in axonal morphology and myelin thickness. MC spiking patterns and APs also adapted to sensory deprivation. Strikingly, myelination and MC physiology were altered on both the deprived and nondeprived sides, indicating system level adaptations to reduced sensory input. Our work demonstrates a previously unstudied mechanism of plasticity in the olfactory system.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Successful transmission of information from the olfactory bulb (OB) to piriform cortex through the lateral olfactory tract (LOT) relies on synchronized arrival of action potentials (APs). The coincident arrival of APs is dependent on reliable generation of APs in the axon initial segment (AIS) and fast conduction mediated by axon myelination. Here, we studied changes in mitral cell (MC) firing and AIS structure as well as changes in myelination of the LOT on unilateral olfactory deprivation in the adult mouse. Strikingly, myelination and MC physiology were altered on both the deprived and nondeprived sides, indicating system level adaptations to reduced sensory input. Our work demonstrates a previously unstudied mechanism of plasticity in the olfactory system.

Basolateral amygdala hyperexcitability is associated with precocious developmental emergence of fear-learning in Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder and the most common monogenic cause of intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and anxiety disorders. Loss of fragile x mental retardation protein (FMRP) results in disruptions of synaptic development during a critical period (CP) of circuit formation in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). However, it is unknown how these alterations impact microcircuit development and function. Using a combination of electrophysiologic and behavioral approaches in both male (Fmr1-/y) and female (Fmr1-/-) mice, we demonstrate that principal neurons (PNs) in the Fmr1KO BLA exhibit hyperexcitability during a sensitive period in amygdala development. This hyperexcitability contributes to increased excitatory gain in fear-learning circuits. Further, synaptic plasticity is enhanced in the BLA of Fmr1KO mice. Behavioral correlation demonstrates that fear-learning emerges precociously in the Fmr1KO mouse. Early life THIP intervention ameliorates fear-learning in Fmr1KO mice. These results suggest that CP plasticity in the amygdala of the Fmr1KO mouse may be shifted to earlier developmental timepoints.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIn these studies we identify early developmental alterations in principal neurons in the FXS BLA. We show that as early as P14, excitability and feed-forward excitation, and synaptic plasticity is enhanced in Fmr1KO lateral amygdala. This correlates with precocious emergence of fear-learning in the Fmr1KO mouse. Early life THIP intervention restores CP plasticity in WT mice and ameliorates fear-learning in the Fmr1KO mouse.

MicroLED light source for optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy.

Optical sectioning structured illumination microscopy (OS-SIM) provides optical sectioning capability in wide-field microscopy. The required illumination patterns have traditionally been generated using spatial light modulators (SLM), laser interference patterns, or digital micromirror devices (DMDs) which are too complex to implement in miniscope systems. MicroLEDs have emerged as an alternative light source for patterned illumination due to their extreme brightness capability and small emitter sizes. This paper presents a directly addressable striped microLED microdisplay with 100 rows on a flexible cable (70 cm long) for use as an OS-SIM light source in a benchtop setup. The overall design of the microdisplay is described in detail with luminance-current-voltage characterization. OS-SIM implementation with a benchtop setup shows the optical sectioning capability of the system by imaging within a 500 µm thick fixed brain slice from a transgenic mouse where oligodendrocytes are labeled with a green fluorescent protein (GFP). Results show improved contrast in reconstructed optically sectioned images of 86.92% (OS-SIM) compared with 44.31% (pseudo-widefield). MicroLED based OS-SIM therefore offers a new capability for deep tissue widefield imaging.

Current Status of the Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis has been defined as the silent disease of the 21st century, becoming a public health risk due to its severity, chronicity and progression and affecting mainly postmenopausal women and older adults. Osteoporosis is characterized by an imbalance between bone resorption and bone production. It is diagnosed through different methods such as bone densitometry and dual X-rays. The treatment of this pathology focuses on different aspects. On the one hand, pharmacological treatments are characterized by the use of anti-resorptive drugs, as well as emerging regenerative medicine treatments such as cell therapies and the use of bioactive hydrogels. On the other hand, non-pharmacological treatments are associated with lifestyle habits that should be incorporated, such as physical activity, diet and the cessation of harmful habits such as a high consumption of alcohol or smoking. This review seeks to provide an overview of the theoretical basis in relation to bone biology, the existing methods for diagnosis and the treatments of osteoporosis, including the development of new strategies.

Operationalizing Integrated Water Resource Management in Latin America: Insights from Application of the Freshwater Health Index.

Water crises in Latin America are more a consequence of poor management than resource scarcity. Addressing water management issues through better coordination, identification of problems and solutions, and agreement on common objectives to operationalize integrated water resources management (IWRM) could greatly improve water governance in the region. Composite indices have great potential to help overcome capacity and information challenges while supporting better IWRM. We applied one such index, the Freshwater Health Index (FHI) in three river basins in Latin America (Alto Mayo, Perú; Bogotá, Colombia; and Guandu, Brazil) to assess freshwater ecosystem vitality, ecosystem services, and the water governance system in place. The approach included convening management agencies, water utilities, planning authorities, local NGOs and industries, community groups and researchers to co-implement the FHI. The results provide detailed information on the ecological integrity of each basin and the sustainability of the ecosystem services being provided. All three basins show very low scores for governance and stakeholder engagement, thus improving both in the region should be a priority. The results also shed light on how the FHI framework can help inform decision-making to improve IWRM implementation by facilitating stakeholder engagement while contributing to coordination, identification of problems and solutions as well as agreement on common objectives. Because implementation of IWRM is part of the solution for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.5 ("By 2030, implement IWRM at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate"), our case studies can serve as examples to other Latin American countries to achieve SDG 6.5.

Influence of polyamide composite casings with silver-zinc crystals on the quality of beef and chicken sausages during their storage.

The influence of polyamide 6 composite casings with silver-zinc crystals powder on some of the physicochemicalphysical-chemical, microbiological and sensory indicators of beef and chicken sausages during their storage was evaluated. Beef and chicken sausages were elaborated by using the conventional technology for sausage meat thin pasta; in each case, it was maintained a control batch to compare changes during the storage (4 and 12 °C, 75%-85% RH). To estimate the shelf life was considered sensory evaluation as a criterion for rejection. The results were processed as failure incomplete data via the Weibull distribution and it was admitted 5% of deteriorated units. It did not find a significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) due to the addition of silver-zinc crystals on the values of pH, aw, color, texture and sensory attributes of sausages, but did influence TBARS results, with lower values compared to control products. It reduced the counts of aerobic mesophilic microorganisms and lactic acid bacteria during the storage. The shelf life of chicken sausage was not affected at any storage temperature; while for the beef sausage stored at 4 °C, its shelf life increased in 9 days, although at 12 °C did not exist difference among treatments.

Transcriptional profiling reveals potential involvement of microvillous TRPM5-expressing cells in viral infection of the olfactory epithelium.

BACKGROUND: Understanding viral infection of the olfactory epithelium is essential because the olfactory nerve is an important route of entry for viruses to the central nervous system. Specialized chemosensory epithelial cells that express the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 5 (TRPM5) are found throughout the airways and intestinal epithelium and are involved in responses to viral infection. RESULTS: Herein we performed deep transcriptional profiling of olfactory epithelial cells sorted by flow cytometry based on the expression of mCherry as a marker for olfactory sensory neurons and for eGFP in OMP-H2B::mCherry/TRPM5-eGFP transgenic mice (Mus musculus). We find profuse expression of transcripts involved in inflammation, immunity and viral infection in TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells compared to olfactory sensory neurons. CONCLUSION: Our study provides new insights into a potential role for TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells in viral infection of the olfactory epithelium. We find that, as found for solitary chemosensory cells (SCCs) and brush cells in the airway epithelium, and for tuft cells in the intestine, the transcriptome of TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells indicates that they are likely involved in the inflammatory response elicited by viral infection of the olfactory epithelium.

Differential Expression of Mucins in Murine Olfactory Versus Respiratory Epithelium.

Mucins are a key component of the surface mucus overlying airway epithelium. Given the different functions of the olfactory and respiratory epithelia, we hypothesized that mucins would be differentially expressed between these 2 areas. Secondarily, we evaluated for potential changes in mucin expression with radiation exposure, given the clinical observations of nasal dryness, altered mucus rheology, and smell loss in radiated patients. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to evaluate expression of mucins 1, 2, 5AC, and 5B in nasal respiratory and olfactory epithelia of control mice and 1 week after exposure to 8 Gy of radiation. Mucins 1, 5AC, and 5B exhibited differential expression patterns between olfactory and respiratory epithelium (RE) while mucin 2 showed no difference. In the olfactory epithelium (OE), mucin 1 was located in a lattice-like pattern around gaps corresponding to dendritic knobs of olfactory sensory neurons, whereas in RE it was intermittently expressed by surface goblet cells. Mucin 5AC was expressed by subepithelial glands in both epithelial types but to a higher degree in the OE. Mucin 5B was expressed by submucosal glands in OE and by surface epithelial cells in RE. At 1-week after exposure to single-dose 8 Gy of radiation, no qualitative effects were seen on mucin expression. Our findings demonstrate that murine OE and RE express mucins differently, and characteristic patterns of mucins 1, 5AC, and 5B can be used to define the underlying epithelium. Radiation (8 Gy) does not appear to affect mucin expression at 1 week. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A (Basic Science Research).IACUC-approved study [Protocol 200065].

Behavioral Status Influences the Dependence of Odorant-Induced Change in Firing on Prestimulus Firing Rate.

The firing rate of the mitral/tufted cells in the olfactory bulb is known to undergo significant trial-to-trial variability and is affected by anesthesia. Here we ask whether odorant-elicited changes in firing rate depend on the rate before application of the stimulus in the awake and anesthetized mouse. We find that prestimulus firing rate varies widely on a trial-to-trial basis and that the stimulus-induced change in firing rate decreases with increasing prestimulus firing rate. Interestingly, this prestimulus firing rate dependence was different when the behavioral task did not involve detecting the valence of the stimulus. Finally, when the animal was learning to associate the odor with reward, the prestimulus firing rate was smaller for false alarms compared with correct rejections, suggesting that intrinsic activity reflects the anticipatory status of the animal. Thus, in this sensory modality, changes in behavioral status alter the intrinsic prestimulus activity, leading to a change in the responsiveness of the second-order neurons. We speculate that this trial-to-trial variability in odorant responses reflects sampling of the massive parallel input by subsets of mitral cells.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The olfactory bulb must deal with processing massive parallel input from ∼1200 distinct olfactory receptors. In contrast, the visual system receives input from a small number of photoreceptors and achieves recognition of complex stimuli by allocating processing for distinct spatial locations to different brain areas. Here we find that the change in firing rate elicited by the odorant in second-order mitral cells depends on the intrinsic activity leading to a change of magnitude in the responsiveness of these neurons relative to this prestimulus activity. Further, we find that prestimulus firing rate is influenced by behavioral status. This suggests that there is top-down modulation allowing downstream brain processing areas to perform dynamic readout of olfactory information.

Determining the Spatial Relationship of Membrane-Bound Aquaporin-4 Autoantibodies by STED Nanoscopy.

Determining the spatial relationship of individual proteins in dense assemblies remains a challenge for superresolution nanoscopy. The organization of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) into large plasma membrane assemblies provides an opportunity to image membrane-bound AQP4 antibodies (AQP4-IgG) and evaluate changes in their spatial distribution due to alterations in AQP4 isoform expression and AQP4-IgG epitope specificity. Using stimulated emission depletion nanoscopy, we imaged secondary antibody labeling of monoclonal AQP4-IgGs with differing epitope specificity bound to isolated tetramers (M1-AQP4) and large orthogonal arrays of AQP4 (M23-AQP4). Imaging secondary antibodies bound to M1-AQP4 allowed us to infer the size of individual AQP4-IgG binding events. This information was used to model the assembly of larger AQP4-IgG complexes on M23-AQP4 arrays. A scoring algorithm was generated from these models to characterize the spatial arrangement of bound AQP4-IgG antibodies, yielding multiple epitope-specific patterns of bound antibodies on M23-AQP4 arrays. Our results delineate an approach to infer spatial relationships within protein arrays using stimulated emission depletion nanoscopy, offering insight into how information on single antibody fluorescence events can be used to extract information from dense protein assemblies under a biologic context.

Intraglomerular gap junctions enhance interglomerular synchrony in a sparsely connected olfactory bulb network.

KEY POINTS: Despite sparse connectivity, population-level interactions between mitral cells (MCs) and granule cells (GCs) can generate synchronized oscillations in the rodent olfactory bulb. Intraglomerular gap junctions between MCs at the same glomerulus can greatly enhance synchronized activity of MCs at different glomeruli. The facilitating effect of intraglomerular gap junctions on interglomerular synchrony is through triggering of mutually synchronizing interactions between MCs and GCs. Divergent connections between MCs and GCs make minimal direct contribution to synchronous activity. ABSTRACT: A dominant feature of the olfactory bulb response to odour is fast synchronized oscillations at beta (15-40 Hz) or gamma (40-90 Hz) frequencies, thought to be involved in integration of olfactory signals. Mechanistically, the bulb presents an interesting case study for understanding how beta/gamma oscillations arise. Fast oscillatory synchrony in the activity of output mitral cells (MCs) appears to result from interactions with GABAergic granule cells (GCs), yet the incidence of MC-GC connections is very low, around 4%. Here, we combined computational and experimental approaches to examine how oscillatory synchrony can nevertheless arise, focusing mainly on activity between 'non-sister' MCs affiliated with different glomeruli (interglomerular synchrony). In a sparsely connected model of MCs and GCs, we found first that interglomerular synchrony was generally quite low, but could be increased by a factor of 4 by physiological levels of gap junctional coupling between sister MCs at the same glomerulus. This effect was due to enhanced mutually synchronizing interactions between MC and GC populations. The potent role of gap junctions was confirmed in patch-clamp recordings in bulb slices from wild-type and connexin 36-knockout (KO) mice. KO reduced both beta and gamma local field potential oscillations as well as synchrony of inhibitory signals in pairs of non-sister MCs. These effects were independent of potential KO actions on network excitation. Divergent synaptic connections did not contribute directly to the vast majority of synchronized signals. Thus, in a sparsely connected network, gap junctions between a small subset of cells can, through population effects, greatly amplify oscillatory synchrony amongst unconnected cells.

A CLCA regulatory protein present in the chemosensory cilia of olfactory sensory neurons induces a Ca2+-activated Cl- current when transfected into HEK293.

BACKGROUND: CLCA is a family of metalloproteases that regulate Ca2+-activated Cl- fluxes in epithelial tissues. In HEK293 cells, CLCA1 promotes membrane expression of an endogenous Anoctamin 1 (ANO1, also termed TMEM16A)-dependent Ca2+-activated Cl- current. Motif architecture similarity with CLCA2, 3 and 4 suggested that they have similar functions. We previously detected the isoform CLCA4L in rat olfactory sensory neurons, where Anoctamin 2 is the principal chemotransduction Ca2+-activated Cl- channel. We explored the possibility that this protein plays a role in odor transduction. RESULTS: We cloned and expressed CLCA4L from rat olfactory epithelium in HEK293 cells. In the transfected HEK293 cells we measured a Cl--selective Ca2+-activated current, blocked by niflumic acid, not present in the non-transfected cells. Thus, CLCA4L mimics the CLCA1 current on its ability to induce the ANO1-dependent Ca2+-activated Cl- current endogenous to these cells. By immunocytochemistry, a CLCA protein, presumably CLCA4L, was detected in the cilia of olfactory sensory neurons co-expressing with ANO2. CONCLUSION: These findings suggests that a CLCA isoform, namely CLCA4L, expressed in OSN cilia, might have a regulatory function over the ANO2-dependent Ca2+-activated Cl- channel involved in odor transduction.

ϒ spike-field coherence in a population of olfactory bulb neurons differentiates between odors irrespective of associated outcome.

Studies in different sensory systems indicate that short spike patterns within a spike train that carry items of sensory information can be extracted from the overall train by using field potential oscillations as a reference (Kayser et al., 2012; Panzeri et al., 2014). Here we test the hypothesis that the local field potential (LFP) provides the temporal reference frame needed to differentiate between odors regardless of associated outcome. Experiments were performed in the olfactory system of the mouse (Mus musculus) where the mitral/tufted (M/T) cell spike rate develops differential responses to rewarded and unrewarded odors as the animal learns to associate one of the odors with a reward in a go-no go behavioral task. We found that coherence of spiking in M/T cells with the ϒ LFP (65 to 95 Hz) differentiates between odors regardless of the associated behavioral outcome of odor presentation.

The human olfactory transcriptome.

BACKGROUND: Olfaction is a versatile sensory mechanism for detecting thousands of volatile odorants. Although molecular basis of odorant signaling is relatively well understood considerable gaps remain in the complete charting of all relevant gene products. To address this challenge, we applied RNAseq to four well-characterized human olfactory epithelial samples and compared the results to novel and published mouse olfactory epithelium as well as 16 human control tissues. RESULTS: We identified 194 non-olfactory receptor (OR) genes that are overexpressed in human olfactory tissues vs. CONTROLS: The highest overexpression is seen for lipocalins and bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI)-fold proteins, which in other species include secreted odorant carriers. Mouse-human discordance in orthologous lipocalin expression suggests different mammalian evolutionary paths in this family. Of the overexpressed genes 36 have documented olfactory function while for 158 there is little or no previous such functional evidence. The latter group includes GPCRs, neuropeptides, solute carriers, transcription factors and biotransformation enzymes. Many of them may be indirectly implicated in sensory function, and ~70 % are over expressed also in mouse olfactory epithelium, corroborating their olfactory role. Nearly 90 % of the intact OR repertoire, and ~60 % of the OR pseudogenes are expressed in the olfactory epithelium, with the latter showing a 3-fold lower expression. ORs transcription levels show a 1000-fold inter-paralog variation, as well as significant inter-individual differences. We assembled 160 transcripts representing 100 intact OR genes. These include 1-4 short 5' non-coding exons with considerable alternative splicing and long last exons that contain the coding region and 3' untranslated region of highly variable length. Notably, we identified 10 ORs with an intact open reading frame but with seemingly non-functional transcripts, suggesting a yet unreported OR pseudogenization mechanism. Analysis of the OR upstream regions indicated an enrichment of the homeobox family transcription factor binding sites and a consensus localization of a specific transcription factor binding site subfamily (Olf/EBF). CONCLUSIONS: We provide an overview of expression levels of ORs and auxiliary genes in human olfactory epithelium. This forms a transcriptomic view of the entire OR repertoire, and reveals a large number of over-expressed uncharacterized human non-receptor genes, providing a platform for future discovery.

[Evolution of the concept of positive mental health: a systematic review]. / Construcción del concepto de salud mental positiva: revisión sistemática.

Objective Characterize the theoretical models that have underpinned empirical research on the concept of positive mental health from the time it first emerged in the field of health up to the present. Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted in PubMed, EBSCO (including Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Academic Source, MasterFILE Premier, MedicLatina, MEDLINE, and the Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection), Science Direct, Psicodoc, Springer Link, Taylor & Francis, Wiley Online Library, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Redalyc, SciELO, Ovid, Embase, and ProQuest (including Health and Medical Complete, the Nursing and Allied Health Source, Psychology Journals, and Social Science Journals). The search criterion was the descriptor "positive mental health." Results Of 51 studies consulted, 84% used a quantitative approach; 84% were published in English; and the same percentage were conducted between 2000 and 2014. The concept of positive mental health has been applied in essentially five different ways: as the absence of disease; as the subject of the Jahoda model; as a combination of factors on the Lluch scale; as a synonym of well-being; and as part of more complex scales of measurement. Conclusions Positive mental health should not be viewed as the opposite of a mental disorder, the absence of disease, or the sum of a given set of personal conditions. It is important to move forward in the development of conceptual models that will serve as a basis for approaching mental health from the perspective of health promotion.

Precise detection of direct glomerular input duration by the olfactory bulb.

Sensory neuron input to the olfactory bulb (OB) was activated precisely for different durations with blue light in mice expressing channelrhodopsin-2 in olfactory sensory neurons. Behaviorally the mice discriminated differences of 10 ms in duration of direct glomerular activation. In addition, a subset of mitral/tufted cells in the OB of awake mice responded tonically therefore conveying information on stimulus duration. Our study provides evidence that duration of the input to glomeruli not synchronized to sniffing is detected. This potent cue may be used to obtain information on puffs in odor plumes.

Transduction for pheromones in the main olfactory epithelium is mediated by the Ca2+ -activated channel TRPM5.

Growing evidence suggests that the main olfactory epithelium contains a subset of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) responding to pheromones. One candidate subpopulation expresses the calcium activated cation channel TRPM5 (transient receptor potential channel M5). Using GFP driven by the TRPM5 promoter in mice, we show that this subpopulation responds to putative pheromones, urine, and major histocompatibility complex peptides, but not to regular odors or a pheromone detected by other species. In addition, this subpopulation of TRPM5-GFP+ OSNs uses novel transduction. In regular OSNs, odorants elicit activation of the cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel, leading to Ca2+ gating of Cl- channels; in TRPM5-GFP+ OSNs, the Ca2+ -activated Cl- ANO2 (anoctamin 2) channel is not expressed, and pheromones elicit activation of the CNG channel leading to Ca2+ gating of TRPM5. In conclusion, we show that OSNs expressing TRPM5 respond to pheromones, but not to regular odors through the opening of CNG channels leading to Ca2+ gating of TRPM5.