MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are small non-coding RNAs identified in plants, animals and certain viruses; they function in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRNAs also serve an important role in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of tumors. However, few studies have investigated the role of miRNAs in thyroid tumors. In the present study, the expression of ...

I am delighted to present this issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research (JCDR). The JCDR is proud to enter 2012 in a strong position. Readers may be aware that Wolters Kluwer Health (Philadelphia, PA) acquired Medknow and thus became the publisher of JCDR. Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information and business intelligence for physicians, nurses, students ...

Ubiquitin (Ub) is a highly conserved protein composed of 76 aa that can be covalently linked to a lysine residue of a target protein. Attachment of a single Ub monomer to one or several lysines of a protein (monoor multimonoubiquitylation, respectively) is notably involved in endocytosis and the regulation of histones (Hicke, 2001). Ub itself possesses several lysines that can be used for the a...

Memories maintained in patterns of synaptic connectivity are rapidly overwritten and destroyed by ongoing plasticity related to the storage of new memories. Short memory lifetimes arise from the bounds that must be imposed on synaptic efficacy in any realistic model. We explored whether memory performance can be improved by allowing synapses to traverse a large number of states before reaching ...