To better understand the brain structure underlying this profile, we compared individuals with Williams syndrome with controls using multimodal neuroimaging data and new analytic methods (diffeomorphic mapping and atlas-based analysis). People with Williams syndrome had basal ganglia atrophy, while the fusiform, the medium temporal gyri, and the cerebellar cortex were relatively preserved. The right superior longitudinal fasciculus, the left frontooccipital

fasciculus, the Crenolanib caudate, and the cingulum demonstrated increased fractional anisotropy, whereas the corticospinal tract revealed decreased values. These findings may be linked to the uneven cognitive profile evident AZD7762 in Williams syndrome. NeuroReport 23: 283-289 (C) 2012 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.”
“Tomato chlorosis virus (ToCV) and Tomato infectious chlorosis virus (TICV) (genus: Crinivirus, family: Closteroviridae) are two emergent whitefly-transmitted viruses that have been associated with yellowing symptoms of tomato crops during the last two decades. A real-time, one-step reverse

transcription (RT) TaqMan (R) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed and optimized for the multiplex detection of TICV, ToCV and an internal control of mitochondrion cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOXI) gene from plants. The plant mtCOXI assay can be used as an internal control in at least 77 plant species from 28 different families. The one-step RT TaqMan PCR assay successfully detected and discriminated the two virus species in infected tomato plants, other host plants and their whitefly vectors. In direct comparison, the assay was approximately

10,000-fold and 100-fold more sensitive than conventional one-step RTPCR and two-step nested RT-PCR, respectively. The increased sensitivity allowed Sclareol the use of alternative template preparation methods that do not require RNA purification. The assay can be performed either by the direct addition of crude plant extract into the real-time reaction mixture or alternatively, the sap extract can be blotted on a positively charged nylon membrane. eluted and added in the reaction mixture. The developed assay allows the simple, fast and cost-effective testing of a large number of samples and can be easily applied in surveys and certification schemes. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Affective disorders such as major depression are among the most prevalent and costly diseases of the central nervous system, but the underlying mechanisms are stilt poorly understood. In recent years, it has become evident that alterations of the stress hormone system, in particular dysfunctions (hyper- or hypo-activity) of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, play a prominent role in the development of major depressive disorders.