A. V. Kityk, M. C. Rheinstädter, K. Knorr, and H. Rieger 1 Technische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany 2 Institute for Computer Science, Faculty of Electrical Eng., Czestochowa Technical University, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland Theoretische Physik, Universität des Saarlandes, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany ~Received 22 October 2001; revised manuscript received 2 January ...

Rodent grimace scales have been recently validated for pain assessment, allowing evaluation of facial expressions associated with pain. The standard scoring method is retrospective, limiting its application beyond pain research. This study aimed to assess if real-time application of the Rat Grimace Scale (RGS) could reliably and accurately assess pain in rats when compared to the standard metho...

RGS proteins regulate the duration of cell signaling by modulating the lifetime of activated G proteins. The specificity of RGS-G protein mutual recognition is critical for meeting unique timing requirements of numerous G protein-mediated pathways. Our study of two splice isoforms of RGS9 expressed in different types of neurons revealed a novel mechanism whereby this specificity is determined b...

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) comprise a diverse group of about 40 proteins which determine signaling amplitude and duration via modulation of receptor/G protein or receptor/effector coupling. Several members of the RGS family are expressed in the brain, where they have precise roles in regulation of important physiological processes. The unique functions of each RGS can be attributed...

The anniversary commemoration of great artistic figures would be incomplete without a survey of the scholarly landscape. So in the year of Richard Wagner's bicentenary, the publication of new books shows no sign of abating, and nor should it, when there is still so much to be said about this most controversial of composers. But many of the literary products that pass for Wagner scholarship are ...

Identification of the first intragenic deletion of PITX2 gene causing an Axenfeld-RiegerSyndrome. Guillaume de la Houssaye, Ivan Bieche, Olivier Roche, Véronique Vieira, Ingrid Laurendeau, Laurence Arbogast, Hatem Zeghidi, Philippe Rapp, Philippe Halimi, Michel Vidaud, Maurice Menasche, Jean-Louis Dufier 1,3 & Marc Abitbol * 1 Centre de Recherche Thérapeutique en Ophtalmologie, EA n°2502, Facul...

PURPOSE Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by extraocular anomalies and developmental defects of the anterior segment. PITX2 (paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2) is considered the major causative gene. In this study, we characterized the molecular defect in PITX2 in a Chinese family with ARS. METHODS Two generations of the family with AR...

Congenital heart disease (CHD), the most common type of birth defect, is still the leading non-infectious cause of infant morbidity and mortality in humans. Aggregating evidence demonstrates that genetic defects are involved in the pathogenesis of CHD. However, CHD is genetically heterogeneous and the genetic components underpinning CHD in an overwhelming majority of patients remain unclear. In...

PURPOSE To report a case series of patients with novel forkhead box CI (FOXC1) mutations in a Korean family with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (ARS). METHODS Four members of the same family underwent complete ophthalmologic and systemic examinations and genetic analysis. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes, and all coding exons with flanking intronic regions of the FOXC1 and ...