In the insect olfactory system the antennal lobe generates oscillatory synchronization of its output as a framework for coincidence detection by its target, the mushroom body (MB). The intrinsic neurons of the MB (Kenyon cells, KCs) are thus a good model system in which to investigate the functional relevance of oscillations and neural synchronization. We combine electrophysiological and modeli...

The Drosophila mushroom bodies, centers of olfactory learning and memory in the fly 'forebrain', develop from a set of neural stem cells (neuroblasts) that generate a large number of Kenyon cells (KCs) during sustained cell divisions from embryonic to late pupal stage. We show that retinal homeobox (rx), encoding for an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, is required for proper devel...

1340 INSIGHTS | The Journal of Experimental Medicine After their inoculation by mosquitos and entry into the bloodstream, malaria sporozoites must cross the liver sinusoidal barrier to gain access to hepatocytes, where they can multiply as erythrocyte-infecting forms. In this issue, Cha et al. provide further evidence that Kupffer cells (KCs) offer a gateway for entry of sporozoites into the li...

Plastic changes at the presynaptic sites of the mushroom body (MB) principal neurons called Kenyon cells (KCs) are considered to represent a neuronal substrate underlying olfactory learning and memory. It is generally believed that presynaptic and postsynaptic sites of KCs are spatially segregated. In the MB calyx, KCs receive olfactory input from projection neurons (PNs) on their dendrites. Th...

1340 INSIGHTS | The Journal of Experimental Medicine After their inoculation by mosquitos and entry into the bloodstream, malaria sporozoites must cross the liver sinusoidal barrier to gain access to hepatocytes, where they can multiply as erythrocyte-infecting forms. In this issue, Cha et al. provide further evidence that Kupffer cells (KCs) offer a gateway for entry of sporozoites into the li...

In the early stages of wound healing, keratinocytes (KCs) become "activated" and release inflammatory molecules such as IL-1 and IL-8, which are linked to innate immune responses and neutrophil recruitment. It is unclear, however, whether KCs release molecules linked to adaptive immune responses, e.g., CCL20, in their early state of activation without signals from infiltrating T cells. This stu...

BACKGROUND Retinoic acid (RA) is a key regulator of embryonic development and linked to several birth defects including cleft lip and palate (CLP). The aim was to investigate the effects of RA on proliferation and gene expression of human palatal keratinocytes (KCs) in vitro. METHODS KCs from children with and without CLP were cultured with 2 and 5 μM RA. Proliferation was measured by quantif...

Kupffer cells (KCs) rapidly remove intravenously injected adenovirus (Ad) vectors from the circulation. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved could suggest strategies to improve Ad gene delivery by suppressing or evading KC uptake. We recently showed that clearance of Ad type 5 vectors by KCs does not involve the interaction of Ad with the well-established Ad receptors, namely, inte...

BACKGROUND Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR) injury is a complication of liver surgery. As much as 50% of hepatocytes undergo apoptosis within the first 24 h of reperfusion. The neurotransmitters of the vagus nerve can activate α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) on macrophages. The function of Kupffer cells (KCs) determines HIR injury. We hypothesize that the vagus nerve could atten...

PURPOSE Four videokeratographic methods for keratoconus detection were compared with a neural network approach. METHODS A classification neural network for keratoconus screening was designed to detect the presence of keratoconus (KC) or keratoconus suspects (KCS); a separate cone severity network graded the severity of conelike topography patterns consistent with KC or KCS. Three hundred TMS-...