Tyrosine hydroxylase expression in primary cultures of olfactory bulb: role of L-type calcium channels

Sensory activity mediates regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the first enzyme in the dopamine biosynthetic pathway, in the rodent olfactory bulb. The current studies established for the first time primary cultures of neonatal mouse olfactory bulb expressing TH and tested whether L-type calcium channels mediate the activity-dependent regulation of the dopamine phenotype. After 1 d in vitro (DIV), a small population of TH-immunostained neurons that lacked extensive processes could be demonstrated. After an additional 2 DIV in serum-free medium, the number of TH neurons had doubled, and they exhibited long interdigitating processes. Membrane depolarization for 48 hr with 50 mM KCl produced a further 2.4-fold increase in the number of TH-immunoreactive neurons compared with control cultures. Increased TH neuron number required at least 36 hr of exposure to KCl. Forskolin, which increases intracellular cAMP levels, induced a 1.5- to 1.6-fold increase in the number of TH-immunostained neurons. Combined treatment with KCl and forskolin was not additive. Nifedipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker, completely prevented the depolarization-mediated increase in TH expression but did not block the response to forskolin. Treatment with Bay K8644, an L-type calcium channel agonist, also significantly increased the number of TH-expressing neurons. Depolarization also induced alterations in neuritic outgrowth, resulting in a stellate versus an elongate morphology that, in contrast, was not prevented by nifedipine. These results are the first demonstration that in vitro, as in vivo, depolarization increases TH expression in olfactory bulb and that L-type calcium channels mediate this activity-dependent regulation of the dopamine phenotype.     

Novel Nakagami-m parameter estimator for noisy channel samples

A novel moment-based m parameter estimator using noisy channel samples is derived. This estimator is simpler than known estimators. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate that, under some practical fading conditions, it outperforms previous estimators.     

New results on selection diversity

The performances of selection diversity receiver structures in a slow flat Rayleigh-fading environment are assessed. A number of new and interesting results are obtained. Binary digital signaling using noncoherent frequency-shift keying (NCFSK), differential phase-shift keying (DPSK), coherent phase-shift keying (CPSK), and coherent frequency-shift keying (CFSK) is considered. The traditional analysis (the traditional selection diversity model) of a selection diversity system is based on choosing the branch with the largest signal-to-noise (SNR) power ratio while assuming that the noise power is constant across all branches. However, many practical selection systems choose the branch based on a largest signal-plus-noise (S+N selection) sample of a filter output. This paper comprises accurate analyses of such S+N selection systems. Results show that S+N selection systems perform better than predicted by the traditional selection diversity model. This is because the former includes the statistical nature of the noise, whereas the latter does not. The performance difference between the two models increases as the number of diversity branches increases. For each of DPSK and CPSK, the dual diversity equal gain (EG) combining and S+N selection systems perform identically. For each of NCFSK and CFSK, receiver structures which are equivalent when there is no diversity perform differently in a diversity environment. Certain dual diversity S+N selection systems give the same performances as EG combining or square law combining. The results are contingent upon perfect cophasing for the EG combining. In systems where estimates of the combining carrier phases contain noise, S+N selection outperforms EG combining for dual diversity     

Effect of chrysotile-asbestos and zeolites dust on generations of reactive oxygen species by alveolar macrophages and granulocytes

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the discrepancy index between the clinical and histological diagnosis and the prevalence of epithelial dysplasia and carcinoma in 45 patients with potentially malignant epithelial oral lesions (PMEL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We submitted 45 patients with PMEL to clinical examination and obtained a biopsy from each. The results of histological diagnosis were compared to the clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Clinical diagnosis showed that the most common PMEL was leukoplakia followed by lichen planus and by actinic cheilitis associated with leukoplakia. The most common site was the buccal mucosa. Histological diagnosis revealed that 46.7% of the PMEL were lichen planus. The discrepancy index between clinical and histological diagnosis was 24.4%. The higher discrepancy index occurred among leukoplakias. The prevalence of epithelial dysplasia and carcinoma was 17.8%. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that all PMEL should be submitted to a microscopic analysis because the discrepancy between clinical and histological diagnosis was present in a quarter of these lesions. Otherwise, the epithelial dysplasia and carcinoma were more frequent in the leukoplakias.