Alteration in normal hippocampal (HPC) function attributed to reduced parvalbumin (PV) expression has been consistently reported in schizophrenia patients and in animal models of schizophrenia. However, it is unclear whether there is an overall loss of interneurons as opposed to a reduction in activity-dependent PV content. Co-expression of PV and the constitutively expressed substance P (SP)-r...

Polycythemia vera (PV) treatment with interferon α (IFNα) is frequently limited by dose-related toxicity. PV CD34(+) cells are characterized by overexpression of Bcl-xL, which can be antagonized by ABT-737 leading to apoptosis. We explored the effects of ABT-737 and IFNα on PV hematopoiesis. Both IFNα and ABT-737 alone or in combination had a modest effect on normal hematopoiesis but each indiv...

Aberrant neural connections are regarded as a principal factor contributing to epileptogenesis. This study examined chemical and electrical connections between fast-spiking (FS), parvalbumin (PV)-immunoreactive (FS-PV) interneurons and regular-spiking (RS) neurons (pyramidal neurons or spiny stellate neurons) in a rat model of prenatal irradiation-induced cortical dysplasia. Presynaptic action ...

23 Aberrant neural connections are regarded as a principal factor contributing to epileptogenesis. This 24 study examined chemical and electrical connections between fast-spiking (FS), parvalbumin (PV) 25 immunoreactive (Ir, FS-PV) interneurons and regular spiking (RS) neurons (pyramidal neurons or 26 spiny stellate neurons) in a rat model of prenatal irradiation-induced cortical dysplasia. Pre...

In the auditory cortex, synaptic inhibition is known to be involved in shaping receptive fields, enhancing temporal precision, and regulating gain. Cortical inhibition is provided by local GABAergic interneurons, which comprise 10-20% of the cortical population and can be separated into numerous subclasses. The morphological and physiological diversity of interneurons suggests that these differ...

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are autoimmune blistering diseases in which antibodies develop to the cell surface of epidermal cells. In this study we sought to determine the antigenic specificity of antibodies in the sera of patients with PV and PF. Sera from 12 patients with PV were used to immunoprecipitate extracts of cultured human epidermal cells that were radiolabel...

The cognitive deficits of schizophrenia appear to be associated with altered cortical GABA neurotransmission in the subsets of inhibitory neurons that express either parvalbumin (PV) or somatostatin (SST). Identification of molecular mechanisms that operate selectively in these neurons is essential for developing targeted therapeutic strategies that do not influence other cell types. Consequent...

BACKGROUND H-1 parvovirus (H-1 PV), a rodent autonomous oncolytic parvovirus, has emerged as a novel class of promising anticancer agents, because of its ability to selectively find and destroy malignant cells. However, to probe H-1 PV multimodal antitumor potential one of the major prerequisites is to decipher H-1 PV direct interplay with human immune system, and so prevent any risk of impairm...

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune epidermal blistering disease caused by autoantibodies directed against the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein-3 (Dsg3). Significant advances in our understanding of pemphigus pathomechanisms have been derived from the generation of pathogenic monoclonal Dsg3 antibodies. However, conflicting models for pemphigus pathogenicity have arisen from studies using ei...

After so many years of learning about the epidemiology, nature, diagnosis and management of the pemphigus group and other bullous dermatoses at University Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Zagreb University Hospital Center and School of Medicine, it was wonderful to discover – from the oral presentation entitled “Bullöse Dermatosen 2007” held by Prof. Michael Hertl in Graz (Austria) at...