I propose that the correct level of abstraction is the cell and provide an outline of CELLMAP, a design for a system to organize biological information.”
“Composite materials consisting of metal nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a dielectric matrix have a great potential for photonic and plasmonic applications. A set of expensive, time-consuming, and destructive methods (like electron microscopy, electron energy loss, or secondary ion mass spectroscopy) are extensively being used for the structural characterization of such buried NP assemblies. Here, we

show the power of combining complementary, noninvasive optical techniques to characterize planar arrays of Ag NPs embedded in a silica film. We use UV-Vis optical reflectivity and resonant Brillouin-Raman scattering, sustained by simulations, to show the sensitivity of these methods to the presence, density, size distribution, 3-deazaneplanocin A molecular weight and spatial localization of NPs. The accuracy of the results is validated by transmission electron microscopy investigations. Finally the method is applied to obtain images of embedded plasmonic structures from reflectivity and Raman scanning microscopy. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3506680]“
“At diagnosis,

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains are extensively burdened with plaques and tangles and display a degree of synaptic failure most likely beyond therapeutic treatment. It is therefore crucial Cyclopamine inhibitor to identify early pathological events in the progression of the disease. While it is not currently feasible to identify and study early, pre-clinical stages of AD, transgenic (Tg) models offer check details a valuable tool in this regard. Here we investigated cognitive, structural and biochemical CNS alterations occurring in our newly developed McGill-Thyl-APP Tg mice (over-expressing the human amyloid precursor protein with the Swedish and Indiana mutations) prior to extracellular plaque deposition. Pre-plaque,

3-month old Tg mice already displayed cognitive deficits concomitant with reorganization of cortical cholinergic pre-synaptic terminals. Conformational specific antibodies revealed the early appearance of intracellular amyloid beta (A beta)-oligomers and fibrillar oligomers in pyramidal neurons of cerebral cortex and hippocampus. At the same age, the cortical levels of insulin degrading enzyme -a well established A beta-peptidase, were found to be significantly down-regulated. Our results suggest that, in the McGill-Thy1-APP Tg model, functional, structural and biochemical alterations are already present in the CNS at early, pre-plaque stages of the pathology. Accumulation of intraneuronal neurotoxic A beta-oligomers (possibly caused by a failure in the clearance machinery) is likely to be the culprit of such early, pre-plaque pathology. Similar neuronal alterations might occur prior to clinical diagnosis in AD, during a yet undefined ‘latent’ stage.