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Myd88 Is Pivotal For Immune Recognition Of Citrobacter Koseri And Astrocyte Activation During Cns Infection., Shuliang Liu, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Citrobacter koseri (C. koseri) is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause a highly aggressive form of neonatal meningitis, which often progresses to establish multi-focal brain abscesses. The roles of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its signaling adaptor MyD88 during CNS C. koseri infection have not yet been examined, which is important since recent evidence indicates that innate immune responses are tailored towards specific pathogen classes. Here TLR4 WT (C3H/FeJ) and TLR4 mutant (C3H/HeJ) mice as well as MyD88 KO animals were infected intracerebrally with live C. koseri, resulting in meningitis and ventriculitis with accompanying brain abscess formation. MyD88 KO mice …

An Evaluation Of The Emerging Interventions Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Rsv)-Associated Acute Lower Respiratory Infections In Children, Harish Nair, Vasundhara R. Verma, Evropi Theodoratou, Lina Zgaga, Tanvir Huda, Eric Af Simoes, Peter F. Wright, Igor Rudan, Harry Campbell

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children. It is estimated to cause approximately 33.8 million new episodes of ALRI in children annually, 96% of these occurring in developing countries. It is also estimated to result in about 53,000 to 199,000 deaths annually in young children. Currently there are several vaccine and immunoprophylaxis candidates against RSV in the developmental phase targeting active and passive immunization.

Methods: We used a modified CHNRI methodology for setting priorities in health research investments. This was done in two stages. In Stage I, we systematically reviewed …

Aging Is Associated With Positive Responding To Neutral Information But Reduced Recovery From Negative Information, Carien M. Van Reekum, Stacey M. Schaefer, Regina C. Lapate, Catherine J. Norris, Lawrence L. Greischar, Richard J. Davidson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Studies on aging and emotion suggest an increase in reported positive affect, a processing bias of positive over negative information, as well as increasingly adaptive regulation in response to negative events with advancing age. These findings imply that older individuals evaluate information differently, resulting in lowered reactivity to, and/or faster recovery from, negative information, while maintaining more positive responding to positive information. We examined this hypothesis in an ongoing study on Midlife in the US (MIDUS II) where emotional reactivity and recovery were assessed in a large number of respondents (N = 159) from a wide age range (36–84 …

Phenethyl Isothiocyanate Exhibits Antileukemic Activity In Vitro And In Vivo By Inactivation Of Akt And Activation Of Jnk Pathways, N. Gao, Amit Budhraja, S. Cheng, E.-H. Liu, J. Chen, Z. Yang, D. Chen, Zhuo Zhang, Xianglin Shi

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

Effects of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) have been investigated in human leukemia cells (U937, Jurkat, and HL-60) as well as in primary human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells in relation to apoptosis and cell signaling events. Exposure of cells to PEITC resulted in pronounced increase in the activation of caspase-3, -8, -9, cleavage/degradation of PARP, and apoptosis in dose- and time-dependent manners. These events were accompanied by the caspase-independent downregulation of Mcl-1, inactivation of Akt, as well as activation of Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Inhibition of PI3K/Akt by LY294002 significantly enhanced PEITC-induced apoptosis. Conversely, enforced activation of Akt by a constitutively …

Phase 1 Pilot Study Of E-Mail Support For People With Long Term Conditions Using The Internet., Bryony Sheaves, Ray B. Jones, Graham R. Williamson, Rohan Chauhan

School of Nursing and Midwifery

BACKGROUND: Use of the Internet for people with Long Term Conditions (LTCs) can have a positive effect on knowledge, social support, behavioural and clinical outcomes, yet there is concern that a 'digital divide' prevents some patients from benefitting. While some patients do not have access to the Internet, others that do may still lack expertise or the confidence to make full use of it. The aim of this pilot study was to develop an intervention and test methods for a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT) of anonymous personal online email support for patients in this latter group. METHODS: Recruitment success …

Potent Inhibition Of Heterotopic Ossification By Nuclear Retinoic Acid Receptor-Γ Agonists., Kengo Shimono, Wei-En Tung, Christine Macolino, Amber Hsu-Tsai Chi, Johanna H Didizian, Christina Mundy, Roshantha A Chandraratna, Yuji Mishina, Motomi Enomoto-Iwamoto, Maurizio Pacifici, Masahiro Iwamoto

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Heterotopic ossification consists of ectopic bone formation within soft tissues after surgery or trauma. It can have debilitating consequences, but there is no definitive cure. Here we show that heterotopic ossification was essentially prevented in mice receiving a nuclear retinoic acid receptor-γ (RAR-γ) agonist. Side effects were minimal, and there was no significant rebound effect. To uncover the mechanisms of these responses, we treated mouse mesenchymal stem cells with an RAR-γ agonist and transplanted them into nude mice. Whereas control cells formed ectopic bone masses, cells that had been pretreated with the RAR-γ agonist did not, suggesting that they had …

Response To An Abnormal Ovarian Cancer-Screening Test Result: Test Of The Social Cognitive Processing And Cognitive Social Health Information Processing Models, Michael A. Andrykowski, Edward J. Pavlik

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

All cancer screening tests produce a proportion of abnormal results requiring follow up. Consequently, the cancer-screening setting is a natural laboratory for examining psychological and behavioural response to a threatening health-related event. This study tested hypotheses derived from the social cognitive processing and cognitive-social health information processing models in trying to understand response to an abnormal ovarian cancer (OC) screening test result. Women (n = 278) receiving an abnormal screening test result a mean of 7 weeks earlier were assessed prior to a repeat screening test intended to clarify their previous abnormal result. Measures of disposition (optimism, informational coping style), …

The Pragmatist’S Guide To Comparative Effectiveness Research, Amitabh Chandra, Anupam B. Jena, Jonathan Skinner

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Long-Term Calorie Restriction, But Not Endurance Exercise, Lowers Core Body Temperature In Humans, Andreea Soare, Roberto Cangemi, Daniela Omodei, John O. Holloszy, Luigi Fontana

Open Access Publications

Reduction of body temperature has been proposed to contribute to the increased lifespan in calorie restricted animals and mice overexpressing the uncoupling protein-2 in hypocretin neurons. However, nothing is known regarding the long-term effects of calorie restriction (CR) with adequate nutrition on body temperature in humans. In this study, 24-hour core body temperature was measured every minute by using ingested telemetric capsules in 24 men and women (mean age 53.7 ± 9.4 yrs) consuming a CR diet for an average of 6 years, 24 age- and sex-matched sedentary (WD) and 24 body fat-matched exercise-trained (EX) volunteers, who were eating Western …

Hepatocellular Carcinoma Survival In Uninsured And Underinsured Patients, Tien C Ko

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing. The purpose of this study is to establish baseline survival in a medically-underserved population and to evaluate the effect of HCV seropositivity on our patient population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed clinicopathologic parameters from a prospective tumor registry and medical records from the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD). Outcomes were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank tests.

RESULTS: A total of 298 HCC patients were identified. The median survival for the entire cohort was 3.4 mo. There was no difference in survival between the HCV …

Mind Perception: Real But Not Artificial Faces Sustain Neural Activity Beyond The N170/Vpp, Thalia Wheatley, Anna Weinberg, Christine Looser, Tim Moran, Greg Hajcak

Dartmouth Scholarship

Faces are visual objects that hold special significance as the icons of other minds. Previous researchers using event-related potentials (ERPs) have found that faces are uniquely associated with an increased N170/vertex positive potential (VPP) and a more sustained frontal positivity. Here, we examined the processing of faces as objects vs. faces as cues to minds by contrasting images of faces possessing minds (human faces), faces lacking minds (doll faces), and non-face objects (i.e., clocks). Although both doll and human faces were associated with an increased N170/VPP from 175–200 ms following stimulus onset, only human faces were associated with a sustained …

Common And Distinct Mechanisms Of Cognitive Flexibility In Prefrontal Cortex, Chobok Kim, Nathan F. Johnson, Sara E. Cilles, Brian T. Gold

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

The human ability to flexibly alternate between tasks represents a central component of cognitive control. Neuroimaging studies have linked task switching with a diverse set of prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions, but the contributions of these regions to various forms of cognitive flexibility remain largely unknown. Here, subjects underwent functional brain imaging while they completed a paradigm that selectively induced stimulus, response, or cognitive set switches in the context of a single task decision performed on a common set of stimuli. Behavioral results indicated comparable reaction time costs associated with each switch type. Domain-general task-switching activation was observed in the inferior …

In Vitro Migration Of Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Derived From A Colon Carcinoma Patient Is Dependent On Ccl2 And Ccr2., Klara Berencsi, Pyapalli Rani, Tianqian Zhang, Laura Gross, Michael Mastrangelo, Neal J Meropol, Dorothee Herlyn, Rajasekharan Somasundaram

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Infiltration of colorectal carcinomas (CRC) with T-cells has been associated with good prognosis. There are some indications that chemokines could be involved in T-cell infiltration of tumors. Selective modulation of chemokine activity at the tumor site could attract immune cells resulting in tumor growth inhibition. In mouse tumor model systems, gene therapy with chemokines or administration of antibody (Ab)-chemokine fusion proteins have provided potent immune mediated tumor rejection which was mediated by infiltrating T cells at the tumor site. To develop such immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer patients, one must identify chemokines and their receptors involved in T-cell migration toward …

Episodic Memory Retrieval, Parietal Cortex, And The Default Mode Network: Functional And Topographic Analyses, Carlo Sestieri, Maurizio Corbetta, Gian Luca Romani, Gordon L. Shulman

Open Access Publications

The default mode network (DMN) is often considered a functionally homogeneous system that is broadly associated with internally directed cognition (e.g., episodic memory, theory of mind, self-evaluation). However, few studies have examined how this network interacts with other networks during putative "default" processes such as episodic memory retrieval. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the topography and response profile of human parietal regions inside and outside the DMN, independently defined using task-evoked deactivations and resting-state functional connectivity, during episodic memory retrieval. Memory retrieval activated posterior nodes of the DMN, particularly the angular gyrus, but also more anterior and dorsal …

Activated Krasg¹²D Is Associated With Invasion And Metastasis Of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Through Inhibition Of E-Cadherin., Satyanarayana Rachagani, S Senapati, S Chakraborty, Moorthy P. Ponnusamy, Sushil Kumar, Lynette Smith, Maneesh Jain, Surinder K. Batra

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer (PC) harbours an activated point mutation (Kras(G12D)) in the Kras proto-oncogene that has been demonstrated to promote the development of PC.

METHODS: This study was designed to investigate the effect of the oncogenic Kras(G12D) allele on aggressiveness and metastatic potential of PC cells. We silenced the oncogenic Kras(G12D) allele expression in CD18/HPAF and ASPC1 cell lines by stable expression of shRNA specific to the Kras(G12D)allele.

RESULTS: The Kras(G12D) knockdown cells exhibited a significant decrease in motility (P

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the Kras(G12D) allele promotes metastasis in PC cells partly through the downregulation …

Loss Of Neuronal Integrity During Progressive Hiv-1 Infection Of Humanized Mice., Prasanta Dash, Santhi Gorantla, Howard Gendelman, Jaclyn Knibbe, George P. Casale, Edward Makarov, Adrian A. Epstein, Harris A. Gelbard, Michael D. Boska, Larisa Y. Poluektova

Journal Articles: Radiology

Neuronal damage induced by ongoing human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection was investigated in humanized NOD/scid-IL-2Rγ(c)(null) mice transplanted at birth with human CD34-positive hematopoietic stem cells. Mice infected at 5 months of age and followed for up to 15 weeks maintained significant plasma viral loads and showed reduced numbers of CD4(+) T-cells. Prospective serial proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy tests showed selective reductions in cortical N-acetyl aspartate in infected animals. Diffusion tensor imaging revealed structural changes in cortical gray matter. Postmortem immunofluorescence brain tissue examinations for neuronal and glial markers, captured by multispectral imaging microscopy and quantified by morphometric and …

Crystal Structure Of A Charge Engineered Human Lysozyme Having Enhanced Bactericidal Activity, Avinash Gill, Thomas C. Scanlon, Daniel C. Osipovitch, Dean R. Madden, Karl E. Griswold

Dartmouth Scholarship

Human lysozyme is a key component of the innate immune system, and recombinant forms of the enzyme represent promising leads in the search for therapeutic agents able to treat drug-resistant infections. The wild type protein, however, fails to participate effectively in clearance of certain infections due to inherent functional limitations. For example, wild type lysozymes are subject to electrostatic sequestration and inactivation by anionic biopolymers in the infected airway. A charge engineered variant of human lysozyme has recently been shown to possess improved antibacterial activity in the presence of disease associated inhibitory molecules. Here, the 2.04 A ̊ crystal structure …

Targeted Drug-Resistance Testing Strategy For Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Detection, Lima, Peru, 2005–2008, Gustavo E. Velásquez, Martin Yagui, J Peter Cegielski, Luis Asencios, Jaime Bayona, Cesar Bonilla, Hector O. Jave, Gloria Yale, Carmen Suárez, Sidney Atwood, Carmen C. Contreras, Sonya S. Shin

Dartmouth Scholarship

The Peruvian National Tuberculosis Control Program issued guidelines in 2006 specifying criteria for culture and drug-susceptibility testing (DST), including district-level rapid DST. All patients referred for culture and DST in 2 districts of Lima, Peru, during January 2005–November 2008 were monitored prospectively. Of 1,846 patients, 1,241 (67.2%) had complete DST results for isoniazid and rifampin; 419 (33.8%) patients had multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB at the time of referral. Among patients with new smear-positive TB, household contact and suspected category I failure were associated with MDR TB, compared with concurrent regional surveillance data. Among previously treated patients with smear-positive TB, adult household …

Regulation Of The Androgen Receptor By Set9-Mediated Methylation., Luke Gaughan, Jacqueline Stockley, Nan Wang, Stuart R C Mccracken, Achim Treumann, Kelly Armstrong, Fadhel Shaheen, Kate Watt, Iain J Mcewan, Chenguang Wang, Richard Pestell, Craig N Robson

Kimmel Cancer Center Faculty Papers

The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor family of transcription factors that plays a critical role in regulating expression of genes involved in prostate development and transformation. Upon hormone binding, the AR associates with numerous co-regulator proteins that regulate the activation status of target genes via flux to the post-translational modification status of histones and the receptor. Here we show that the AR interacts with and is directly methylated by the histone methyltransferase enzyme SET9. Methylation of the AR on lysine 632 is necessary for enhancing transcriptional activity of the receptor by facilitating both inter-domain …

Fus Transgenic Rats Develop The Phenotypes Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis And Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration., Cao Huang, Hongxia Zhou, Jianbin Tong, Han Chen, Yong-Jian Liu, Dian Wang, Xiaotao Wei, Xu-Gang Xia

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) proteinopathy is a feature of frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTLD), and mutation of the fus gene segregates with FTLD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To study the consequences of mutation in the fus gene, we created transgenic rats expressing the human fus gene with or without mutation. Overexpression of a mutant (R521C substitution), but not normal, human FUS induced progressive paralysis resembling ALS. Mutant FUS transgenic rats developed progressive paralysis secondary to degeneration of motor axons and displayed a substantial loss of neurons in the cortex and hippocampus. This neuronal loss was accompanied by ubiquitin aggregation and …

Feeding Interventions For Growth And Development In Infants With Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate Or Cleft Lip And Palate., A Bessell, L Hooper, Wc Shaw, S Reilly, J Reid, A-M Glenny

School of Psychology

BACKGROUND: Cleft lip and cleft palate are common birth defects, affecting about one baby of every 700 born. Feeding these babies is an immediate concern and there is evidence of delay in growth of children with a cleft as compared to those without clefting. In an effort to combat reduced weight for height, a variety of advice and devices are recommended to aid feeding of babies with clefts. OBJECTIVES: This review aims to assess the effects of these feeding interventions in babies with cleft lip and/or palate on growth, development and parental satisfaction. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following electronic databases were …

Genetically Engineered Alginate Lyase-Peg Conjugates Exhibit Enhanced Catalytic Function And Reduced Immunoreactivity, John W. Lamppa, Margaret E. Ackerman, Jennifer I. Lai, Thomas C. Scanlon, Karl E. Griswold

Dartmouth Scholarship

Alginate lyase enzymes represent prospective biotherapeutic agents for treating bacterial infections, particularly in the cystic fibrosis airway. To effectively deimmunize one therapeutic candidate while maintaining high level catalytic proficiency, a combined genetic engineering-PEGylation strategy was implemented. Rationally designed, site-specific PEGylation variants were constructed by orthogonal maleimide-thiol coupling chemistry. In contrast to random PEGylation of the enzyme by NHS-ester mediated chemistry, controlled mono-PEGylation of A1-III alginate lyase produced a conjugate that maintained wild type levels of activity towards a model substrate. Significantly, the PEGylated variant exhibited enhanced solution phase kinetics with bacterial alginate, the ultimate therapeutic target. The immunoreactivity of the …

Nonuniform High-Gamma (60-500 Hz) Power Changes Dissociate Cognitive Task And Anatomy In Human Cortex, Charles M. Gaona, Mohit Sharma, Zachary V. Freudenburg, Jonathan D. Breshears, David T. Bundy, Jarod Roland, Dennis L. Barbour, Gerwin Schalk, Eric C. Leuthardt

Open Access Publications

High-gamma-band (>60 Hz) power changes in cortical electrophysiology are a reliable indicator of focal, event-related cortical activity. Despite discoveries of oscillatory subthreshold and synchronous suprathreshold activity at the cellular level, there is an increasingly popular view that high-gamma-band amplitude changes recorded from cellular ensembles are the result of asynchronous firing activity that yields wideband and uniform power increases. Others have demonstrated independence of power changes in the low- and high-gamma bands, but to date, no studies have shown evidence of any such independence above 60 Hz. Based on nonuniformities in time-frequency analyses of electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals, we hypothesized that …

Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level And Acute-Phase Reaction Following Initial Intravenous Bisphosphonate., Tarak Srivastava, Hongying Dai, Connie J. Haney, Uri S. Alon

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

No abstract provided.

Activation Of Β-Catenin And Akt Pathways By Twist Are Critical For The Maintenance Of Emt Associated Cancer Stem Cell-Like Characters, Junlin Li, Binhua P. Zhou

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) not only confers tumor cells with a distinct advantage for metastatic dissemination, but also it provides those cells with cancer stem cell-like characters for proliferation and drug resistance. However, the molecular mechanism for maintenance of these stem cell-like traits remains unclear.

METHODS: In this study, we induced EMT in breast cancer MCF7 and cervical cancer Hela cells with expression of Twist, a key transcriptional factor of EMT. The morphological changes associated with EMT were analyzed by immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting. The stem cell-like traits associated with EMT were determined by tumorsphere-formation and expression of ALDH1 …

Does Treatment Of Premature Labor With Terbutaline Increase The Risk Of Autism Spectrum Disorders?, Patricia Rodier, Richard K Miller, Robert L Brent

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

Beta-adrenergic agents have been used in pregnant women for the treatment of premature labor and for the treatment of asthma. Concerns have been expressed that exposure to terbutaline, a beta-2 adrenergic agonist, may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the offspring. This hypothesis deserves critical review, given the number of patients exposed to the drug in the last two decades. The results are important to both the obstetricians and patients who weigh the risks and benefits of interventions and to the pediatricians who counsel the families of affected children.

Vimentin Is A Novel Akt1 Target Mediating Motility And Invasion., Q-S Zhu, K Rosenblatt, K-L Huang, G Lahat, R Brobey, S Bolshakov, T Nguyen, Z Ding, R Belousov, K Bill, X Luo, A Lazar, Adam Dicker, Md, Phd, G B Mills, M-C Hung, D Lev

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is aberrant in a wide variety of cancers. Downstream effectors of AKT are involved in survival, growth and metabolic-related pathways. In contrast, contradictory data relating to AKT effects on cell motility and invasion, crucial prometastatic processes, have been reported pointing to a potential cell type and isoform type-specific AKT-driven function. By implication, study of AKT signaling should optimally be conducted in an appropriate intracellular environment. Prognosis in soft-tissue sarcoma (STS), the aggressive malignancies of mesenchymal origin, is poor, reflecting our modest ability to control metastasis, an effort hampered by lack of insight into molecular mechanisms driving …

Cx3cl1 Reduces Neurotoxicity And Microglial Activation In A Rat Model Of Parkinson's Disease, Mibel M. Pabon, Adam D. Bachstetter, Charles E. Hudson, Carmelina Gemma, Paula C. Bickford

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The cause of the neurodegeneration is unknown. Neuroinflammation has been clearly shown in Parkinson's disease and may be involved in the progressive nature of the disease. Microglia are capable of producing neuronal damage through the production of bioactive molecules such as cytokines, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitric oxide (NO). The inflammatory response in the brain is tightly regulated at multiple levels. One form of immune regulation occurs via neurons. Fractalkine (CX3CL1), produced by neurons, suppresses the activation of microglia. CX3CL1 …

Steroids Up-Regulate P66shc Longevity Protein In Growth Regulation By Inhibiting Its Ubiquitination., Santosh Kumar, Satyendra Kumar, Mythilypriya Rajendran, Syed Mahfuzul Alam, Fen-Fen Lin, Pi-Wan Cheng, Ming-Fong Lin

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

BACKGROUND: p66Shc, an isoform of Shc adaptor proteins, mediates diverse signals, including cellular stress and mouse longevity. p66Shc protein level is elevated in several carcinomas and steroid-treated human cancer cells. Several lines of evidence indicate that p66Shc plays a critical role in steroid-related carcinogenesis, and steroids play a role in its elevated levels in those cells without known mechanism.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism by which steroid hormones up-regulate p66Shc protein level. In steroid-treated human prostate and ovarian cancer cells, p66Shc protein levels were elevated, correlating with increased cell proliferation. These steroid effects on …

Neuroinflammation Leads To Region-Dependent Alterations In Astrocyte Gap Junction Communication And Hemichannel Activity., Nikolay Karpuk, Maria Burkovetskaya, Teresa Fritz, Amanda Angle, Tammy Kielian

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

Inflammation attenuates gap junction (GJ) communication in cultured astrocytes. Here we used a well-characterized model of experimental brain abscess as a tool to query effects of the CNS inflammatory milieu on astrocyte GJ communication and electrophysiological properties. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed on green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive astrocytes in acute brain slices from glial fibrillary acidic protein-GFP mice at 3 or 7 d after Staphylococcus aureus infection in the striatum. Astrocyte GJ communication was significantly attenuated in regions immediately surrounding the abscess margins and progressively increased to levels typical of uninfected brain with increasing distance from the abscess proper. Conversely, …