Impairment of inhibitory control processing related to acute psychotomimetic effects of cannabis.

Cannabis use can induce acute psychotic symptoms and increase the risk of schizophrenia. Impairments in inhibitory control and processing are known to occur both under the influence of cannabis and in schizophrenia. Whether cannabis-induced impairment in inhibitory processing is related to the acute induction of psychotic symptoms under its influence is unclear. We investigated the effects of acute oral administration of 10mg of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC), the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, on inhibitory control and regional brain activation during inhibitory processing in humans and examined whether these effects are related to the induction of psychotic symptoms under its influence using a repeated-measures, placebo-controlled, double-blind, within-subject design. We studied thirty-six healthy, English-speaking, right-handed men with minimal previous exposure to cannabis and other illicit drugs twice using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they performed a response inhibition (Go/No-Go) task. Relative to placebo, delta-9-THC caused transient psychotic symptoms, anxiety, intoxication and sedation, inhibition errors and impaired inhibition efficiency. Severity of psychotic symptoms was directly correlated with inhibition error frequency and inversely with inhibition efficiency under the influence of delta-9-THC. Delta-9-THC attenuated left inferior frontal activation which was inversely correlated with the frequency of inhibition errors and severity of psychotic symptoms and positively with inhibition efficiency under its influence. These results provide experimental evidence that impairments in cognitive processes involved in the inhibitory control of thoughts and actions and inferior frontal function under the influence of cannabis may have a role in the emergence of transient psychotic symptoms under its influence.

"I AM A KID AT HEART.".

Ewing's sarcoma is a rare, malignant bone tumor that occurs in children/young adults, and is known as the "small, round, blue cell tumor." The infrequency makes it a challenging diagnosis, especially when the typical patient characteristics are bypassed for decades.

Protective effect of various chemicals on the impairment of sperm motility by Staphylococcus aureus.

In female genital tract spermatozoa remain active for several days, however, their activity is of much shorter duration if they remain in the seminal fluid outside the body. Majority of spermatozoa cease to move within first 24 hrs. This may be due to presence of bacteria or excretion of bacterial toxic products; To check whether the addition of certain chemicals can enhance the motility of spermatozoa in presence of bacteria, in vitro studies were conducted. 72h old culture supernatant of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from infertile male causing 100% immobilization of spermatozoa was incubated with semen samples in presence of various chemicals. The results showed that sodium chloride, magnesium sulfate, sodium citrate, folic acid, nicotinic acid, H2O2 and glutathione had protective effect on the impairment of motility. This study implicates that even if bacteria causing 100% immobilization of spermatozoa are present, supplementation of certain chemicals is beneficial.

Genomic organization and amplification of the human desmosomal cadherin genes DSC1 and DSC3, encoding desmocollin types 1 and 3.

The desmosomal cadherins comprise the desmocollins and desmogleins and are involved in epithelial cell-cell adhesion. There are three desmocollins (DSC 1-3) and three desmogleins (DSG 1-3) that are expressed in a tissue- and development-specific manner. Desmosomal proteins have been implicated in a number of disorders characterized by loss of cell-cell adhesion and trauma-induced skin fragility. Therefore, the desmocollins are potential candidates for genodermatoses involving epithelial tissues. In order to screen the entire DSC1 and DSC3 genes, we have characterized their intron-exon organization. The DSC1 gene comprises 17 exons spanning approximately 33 kb on 18q12.1, and the DSC3 gene comprises 17 exons spanning approximately 49 kb on 18q12.1. We have also developed a comprehensive PCR-based mutation detection strategy for desmocollins 1, 2, and 3 using primers placed on flanking introns followed by direct sequencing of the PCR products.