The plasma membrane dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) is essential for reuptake of extracellular DA. DAT function in heterologous cells is regulated by subcellular targeting, endocytosis, and intracellular trafficking, but the mechanisms regulating neuronal DAT remain poorly understood. Hence, we generated a knock-in mouse expressing a hemagglutinin (HA)-epitope-tagged DAT to study endogenous tra...

The diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) remains difficult in rural endemic areas and practical and reliable tests are badly needed. Two serological tests, the Direct Agglutination Test (DAT) and an rK39-antigen-based dipstick test, were compared to parasitological diagnosis in a group of 184 patients presenting at a tertiary care centre in south-eastern Nepal with a history of fever...

INTRODUCTION BAFF (B-cell activating factor of the TNF family), an important regulator of B-cell, has been observed to be over-expressed in a variety of autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an acquired autoimmune disease occurred when antibodies directed against autologous red blood cells. We assessed serum levels of BAFF in AIHA patients with different serological charact...

OBJECTIVES To examine cerebral metabolism, cognitive performance, and brain volumes in healthy controls and two groups of patients with probable Alzheimer's disease, one group with severe abnormalities of white matter (DAT+) and the other group with none, or minimal abnormalities (DAT-). METHODS Neuropsychological tests, CT, MRI, quantitative MRI, and PET studies were carried out to allow com...

We compare an inverse-planning intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technique with three previously published forward-planning dynamic arc therapy techniques and a newly implemented technique for treatment of prostate only. The three previously published dynamic arc techniques are dynamic arc therapy (DAT), two-axis dynamic arc therapy (2A-DAT), and modified dynamic arc therapy (M-DAT). The ...

The regulation of the dopamine transporter (DAT) impacts extracellular dopamine levels after release from dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, a variety of protein partners have been identified that can interact with and modulate DAT function. In this study we show that DJ-1 can potentially modulate DAT function. Co-expression of DAT and DJ-1 in HEK-293T cells leads to an increase in [3H] dopamin...

OBJECTIVES To study selected epidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis, assess direct agglutination test (DAT) as a diagnostic method and the sero-epidemiological prevalence of the disease among apparently healthy children in Basrah, Iraq. METHODS This prospective study included 146 children suspected of visceral leishmaniasis who were admitted to Basrah Maternity and Children Hospita...

OBJECTIVE To assess drug induced driving impairment, initial screening is needed. However, no consensus has been reached about which initial screening tools have to be used. The present study aims to determine the ability of a battery of psychometric tests to detect performance impairing effects of clinically relevant levels of drowsiness as induced by one night of sleep deprivation. METHODS ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the existence of correlations between dental admissions criteria, including a chalk carving exercise, and students' subsequent academic performance. The retrospective cohort study examined the records of dental students at Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Dentistry for the years 1998 to 2008. Only those students who could be cat...

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a crucial regulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission, controlling the length and brevity of dopaminergic signaling. DAT is also the primary target of psychostimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines. Conversely, methylphenidate and amphetamine are both used clinically in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. The action...