Ennisvestergaard1246

Attentional modulation in the visual cortex of primates is characterized by multiplicative changes of sensory responses with changes in the attentional state of the animal. The cholinergic system has been linked to such gain changes in V1. Here, we aim to determine if a similar link exists in macaque area MT. While rhesus monkeys performed a top-down spatial attention task, we locally injected a cholinergic agonist or antagonist and recorded single-cell activity.

Although we confirmed cholinergic influences on sensory responses, there was no additional cholinergic effect on the attentional gain changes. Neither a muscarinic blockage nor a local increase in acetylcholine led to a significant change in the magnitude of spatial attention effects on firing rates.

This suggests that the cellular mechanisms of attentional modulation in the extrastriate cortex cannot be directly inferred from those in the primary visual cortex.

This suggests that the cellular mechanisms of attentional modulation in the extrastriate cortex cannot be directly inferred from those in the primary visual cortex.

Street-based female sex workers (FSWs) are highly at risk of HIV and other harms associated with sex work. We assessed the prevalence of non-injection and injection drug use and their associated factors among street-based FSWs in Iran.

We recruited 898 FSWs from 414 venues across 19 major cities in Iran between October 2016 and March 2017. Correlates of lifetime and past-month non-injection and injection drug use were assessed through multivariable logistic regression models. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.

Lifetime and past-month non-injection drug use were reported by 60.3% (95% CI 51, 84) and 47.2% (95% CI 38, 67) of FSWs, respectively. The prevalence of lifetime and past-month injection drug use were 8.6% (95% CI 6.9, 10.7) and 3.7% (95% CI 2.6, 5.2), respectively. Recent non-injection drug use was associated with divorced marital status (AOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.07, 3.74), temporary marriage (AOR 4.31 [1.79, 10.40]), had >30 clients per month (AOR 2.76 [1.29, 5.90]), ever alcohol use (AOR 3.03 [1.92, 6.79]), and history of incarceration (AOR 7.65 [3.89, 15.30]). Similarly, lifetime injection drug use was associated with ever alcohol use (AOR 2.74 [1.20-6.20]), ever incarceration (AOR 5.06 [2.48-10.28]), and ever group sex (AOR 2.44 [1.21-4.92]).

Non-injection and injection drug use are prevalent among street-based FSWs in Iran. Further prevention programs are needed to address and reduce harms associated with drug use among this vulnerable population in Iran.

Non-injection and injection drug use are prevalent among street-based FSWs in Iran. Further prevention programs are needed to address and reduce harms associated with drug use among this vulnerable population in Iran.

The prevalence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) varies from 0.5% to 7.0% among populations of diverse ancestry, suggesting the existence of genetic differences. The purposes of this study were to provide insights into genetic causes of OAG, which can result in prevalence and phenotype differences among populations of diverse ancestry for OAG, and to compare allele frequencies of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation-related SNPs in OAG among Koreans and other ethnic groups.

We collected the data on a total of 135 OAG-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a genome-wide association studies (GWAS) catalog. The population-level allele frequencies of these SNPs were derived based on the 1000 Genomes Project and Korean Reference Genome Database. check details We used Fisher's exact test to assess whether the effect allele at a given SNP was significantly enriched or depleted.

European, American, and South Asian populations showed similar heatmap patterns, while African, East Asian, and Korean populations had distinct patterns. Korean population presented different profiles compared to other groups; rs1579050 (FMNL2 gene), rs2024211 (CAV2;CAV1), and rs8141433 (GNB1L;TXNRD2 gene), which are known to be associated with IOP variation, were enriched in Americans, Europeans, and Africans, and depleted in Koreans. These can be the candidates for the causative genes of differences in the prevalence of IOP variation in OAG according to ethnic groups.

Differences in allele frequencies associated with IOP related SNPs between Koreans and other ethnicities were observed, which may explain the high prevalence of OAG with normal IOP predominantly in Koreans and East Asians.

Differences in allele frequencies associated with IOP related SNPs between Koreans and other ethnicities were observed, which may explain the high prevalence of OAG with normal IOP predominantly in Koreans and East Asians.

As a tissue-specific proangiogenic or antiangiogenic agent, angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) has recently gained attention in many diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the roles of ANGPTL4 in angiogenesis and tumor growth in epithelial ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, remain unclear.

To identify a novel mechanism of ANGPTL4 inhibition in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and immunofluorescence analyses were applied to evaluate ANGPTL4 expression in ovarian cancer cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were investigated through 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation, CCK-8 and Transwell assays. The expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins in ovarian cancer cells and tumor-bearing mice was evaluated. CD31 staining was used to identify tumor angiogenesis. Immunoprecipitation was performed to examine the regulatory relationship between ANGPTL4 spontaneous ovarian carcinoma.

Overall, our results indicate that ANGPLT4 silencing delays tumor progression in specific types of ovarian cancer and may be a potential target for individualized treatment of ovarian cancer.

Overall, our results indicate that ANGPLT4 silencing delays tumor progression in specific types of ovarian cancer and may be a potential target for individualized treatment of ovarian cancer.