(C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Epstein-Barr
virus (EBV) can infect both B cells and epithelial cells. Infection of B cells enables the virus to persist within a host while infection of epithelial cells is suggested to amplify click here viral output. Data from a recent study have shown that the virus shedding in EBV positive individuals is relatively stable over short periods of time but varies significantly over long periods. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of virus shedding within a host are not fully understood. In this paper, we construct a model of ordinary differential equations to study the dynamics of virus shedding into the saliva of infected hosts. Infection of epithelial cells is further separated into infection by virus released from B cells and virus released from epithelial cells. We use the model to investigate whether the long-term variation and short-term stability of virus shedding can be generated Belinostat datasheet by three possible factors: stochastic variations in the number of epithelial cells susceptible to virus released from infected B cells, to virus released from
infected epithelial cells, or random variation in the probability that CD8(+) T cells encounter and successfully kill infected cells. The results support all three factors to explain the long-term variation but only the first and third factors to explain the short-term stability of virus shedding into saliva. Our analysis also shows that clearance of virus shedding is possible only when there is no virus reactivation from B cells. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder and leading cause of disability worldwide. It is associated with increased mortality,
especially from suicide. Heritability of MDD is estimated around 40%, suggesting that genotyping is a promising field for research into the enough development of MDD. According to the dopamine theory of affective disorders, a deficiency in dopaminergic neurotransmission may play a role in the major symptoms of MDD. Specific polymorphisms in genes that affect dopamine transmission could increase susceptibility to MDD. To determine the extent to which these genes influence vulnerability to MDD, we discuss genes for crucial steps in dopamine neurotransmission: synthesis, signalling and inactivation. The val158met polymorphism of the COMT gene exemplifies the lack of consensus in the literature: although it is one of the most reported polymorphisms that relates to MDD vulnerability, its role is not corroborated by meta-analysis. Gene-gene interactions and gene-environment interactions provide more explanatory potential than single gene associations.