Is gamma band EEG synchronization reduced during auditory driving in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations?

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) in schizophrenia patients assumingly result from a state inadequate activation of the primary auditory system. We tested brain responsiveness to auditory stimulation in healthy controls (n=26), and in schizophrenia patients that frequently (n=18) or never (n=11) experienced AVH. Responsiveness was assessed by driving the EEG with click-tones at 20, 30 and 40Hz. We compared stimulus induced EEG changes between groups using spectral amplitude maps and a global measure of phase-locking (GFS). As expected, the 40Hz stimulation elicited the strongest changes. However, while controls and non-hallucinators increased 40Hz EEG activity during stimulation, a left-lateralized decrease was observed in the hallucinators. These differences were significant (p=.02). As expected, GFS increased during stimulation in controls (p=.08) and non-hallucinating patients (p=.06), which was significant when combining the two groups (p=.01). In contrast, GFS decreased with stimulation in hallucinating patients (p=0.13), resulting in a significantly different GFS response when comparing subjects with and without AVH (p<.01). Our data suggests that normally, 40Hz stimulation leads to the activation of a synchronized network representing the sensory input, but in hallucinating patients, the same stimulation partly disrupts ongoing activity in this network.

Abnormal collagen fibrils in cartilage of matrilin-1/matrilin-3-deficient mice

Matrilins are oligomeric extracellular matrix adaptor proteins mediating interactions between collagen fibrils and other matrix constituents. All four matrilins are expressed in cartilage and mutations in the human gene encoding matrilin-3 (MATN3) are associated with different forms of chondrodysplasia. Surprisingly, however, Matn3-null as well as Matn1- and Matn2-null mice do not show an overt skeletal phenotype, suggesting a dominant negative pathomechanism for the human disorders and redundancy/compensation among the family members in the knock-out situation. Here, we show that mice lacking both matrilin-1 and matrilin-3 develop an apparently normal skeleton, but exhibit biochemical and ultrastructural abnormalities of the knee joint cartilage. At the protein level, an altered SDS-PAGE band pattern and a clear up-regulation of the homotrimeric form of matrilin-4 were evident in newborn Matn1/Matn3 and Matn1 knock-out mice, but not in Matn3-null mice. The ultrastructure of the cartilage matrix after conventional chemical fixation was grossly normal; however, electron microscopy of high pressure frozen and freeze-substituted samples, revealed two consistent observations: 1) moderately increased collagen fibril diameters throughout the epiphysis and the growth plate in both single and double mutants; and 2) increased collagen volume density in Matn1(-/-)/Matn3(-/-) and Matn3(-/-) mice. Taken together, our results demonstrate that matrilin-1 and matrilin-3 modulate collagen fibrillogenesis in cartilage and provide evidence that biochemical compensation might exist between matrilins.

β1- and β3- voltage-gated sodium channel subunits modulate cell surface expression and glycosylation of Nav1.7 in HEK293 cells

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are glycoproteins composed of a pore-forming α-subunit and associated β-subunits that regulate Nav α-subunit plasma membrane density and biophysical properties. Glycosylation of the Nav α-subunit also directly affects Navs gating. β-subunits and glycosylation thus comodulate Nav α-subunit gating. We hypothesized that β-subunits could directly influence α-subunit glycosylation. Whole-cell patch clamp of HEK293 cells revealed that both β1- and β3-subunits coexpression shifted V ½ of steady-state activation and inactivation and increased Nav1.7-mediated I Na density. Biotinylation of cell surface proteins, combined with the use of deglycosydases, confirmed that Nav1.7 α-subunits exist in multiple glycosylated states. The α-subunit intracellular fraction was found in a core-glycosylated state, migrating at ~250 kDa. At the plasma membrane, in addition to the core-glycosylated form, a fully glycosylated form of Nav1.7 (~280 kDa) was observed. This higher band shifted to an intermediate band (~260 kDa) when β1-subunits were coexpressed, suggesting that the β1-subunit promotes an alternative glycosylated form of Nav1.7. Furthermore, the β1-subunit increased the expression of this alternative glycosylated form and the β3-subunit increased the expression of the core-glycosylated form of Nav1.7. This study describes a novel role for β1- and β3-subunits in the modulation of Nav1.7 α-subunit glycosylation and cell surface expression.

ZPO StPO plus Verweise: Schweizerisches Prozessrecht inklusive SchKG und Verwaltungsverfahrensrecht des Bundes. 3. Auflage

Diese Textausgabe enthält mit der ZPO und der StPO zwei unentbehrliche Gesetze für Zivil- und Strafprozesse. Dank dem Einbezug des Verwaltungsverfahrensrechts des Bundes (insbesondere des VwVG) und des Zwangsvollstreckungsrechts (SchKG, GebV SchKG, KOV, VZG) sowie weiterer verfahrensrechtlich relevanter Erlasse deckt das Werk alle Bereiche des schweizerischen Prozessrechts ab. Alle in diesem handlichen Band aufgenommenen 23 Erlasse sind auf dem aktuellsten Stand der Gesetzgebung (Stichtag 1. Januar 2016). Diese für Studium und Beruf bestens geeignete Textausgabe ist mit vielen Querverweisen sowie Hinweisen auf die neuste Rechtsprechung des Bundesgerichts versehen, was eine rasche und umfassende Erschliessung der komplexen Materie ermöglicht. Die neuen Regelungen der ZPO im Zusammenhang mit dem revidierten Kindesunterhalt sind bereits in kursiver Form bgedruckt.

Sozialversicherungsrecht: in a nutshell. 3. Auflage

Die «nutshell»-Publikation stellt kompakt das gesamte schweizerische Sozialversicherungsrecht dar. Einerseits werden dabei die einzelnen Zweige des Sozialversicherungsrechts (AHV, IV, Unfallversicherung etc.) behandelt; andererseits werden wichtige Grundbegriffe der sozialversicherungsrechtlichen Unterstellung, der Finanzierung, des Leistungsrechts, des Koordinationsrechts und des Verfahrensrechts erklärt und diskutiert. Damit soll der Leserin und dem Leser ein rascher und zugleich fundierter Zugang zu sozialversicherungsrechtlichen Fragen erlaubt werden. Dank der konzeptionellen Ausrichtung auf die zentralen Probleme und der konzisen Darstellung kommt dem Band ein hoher praktischer Nutzen zu. Dieser wird in der vorliegenden überarbeiteten und erweiterten 3. Auflage zusätzlich erhöht, indem systematisch zu allen Fragen die jeweiligen Leitentscheide des Bundesgerichts angeführt und vermehrt Beispiele eingefügt wurden.