In both mammalian and insect models of ethanol-induced behavior, low doses of ethanol stimulate locomotion. However, the mechanisms of the stimulant effects of ethanol on the CNS are mostly unknown. We have identified tao, encoding a serine-threonine kinase of the Ste20 family, as a gene necessary for ethanol-induced locomotor hyperactivity in Drosophila. Mutations in tao also affect behavioral...

AIMS The pathogenesis of thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO) remains unclear. The aim of this study is to elucidate the gene expression profile of orbital fat from patients with active, but untreated, TAO. METHODS A case-control gene expression study was conducted using test samples of orbital fat from TAO patients and control orbital fat specimens; apart from drugs to control thyrotoxicosis...

PURPOSE To report clinical characteristics of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) in patients who previously underwent total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer or a benign mass of the thyroid. MATERIALS AND METHODS Of the patients who were diagnosed with TAO from March 2008 to March 2012, we performed a retrospective chart review on those who had undergone total thyroidectomy for thyroid ca...

Purpose – Taoist thought is not easily penetrable for Westerners, though it has growing importance with the globalisation of Chinese commerce. The purpose of this paper is to explore some aspects of Chinese and Taoist thought, and how they can be expressed in cybernetic terms, using a knowledge cybernetics (KC) schema. Design/methodology/approach – KC operates through metaphor the role of which...

Objective: In the present study we have measured the concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble IL6 receptor (sIL-6R), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-1b (IL-1b) and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in the serum of patients with Graves' disease (GD). By multivariate analysis, we have evaluated the effect of antithyroid treatment, thyroid function, the presence or absence of a...